Soyuz 31

Infobox Space mission
mission_name = Soyuz 31
sign = Yastreb (Hawk)
crew_members = 2
launch = August 26, 1978
14:51:30 UTC
Gagarin's Start
landing = November 2, 1978
11:04:17 UTC
140 km SE of Dzhezkazgan
duration = 67d/20:12:47
orbits = 124
next = Soyuz 32
previous = Soyuz 30 |

Crew

Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.

Launched:
*Valery Bykovsky (3) - Commander
*Sigmund Jähn (East Germany) (1) - Research Cosmonaut

Landed:
*Vladimir Kovalyonok (2) - Commander
*Aleksandr Ivanchenkov (1) - Flight Engineer

Backup crew

*Viktor Gorbatko - Commander
*Eberhard Köllner (East Germany) - Research Cosmonaut

Mission parameters

*Mass: 6800 kg
*Perigee: 196.8 km
*Apogee: 259.9 km
*Inclination: 51.64°
*Period: 88.81 minutes

Mission highlights

Docked with Salyut 6. Crew returned in Soyuz 29; crew duration 7 days, 20 hrs., 49 min. Jähn was first German Democratic Republic cosmonaut to orbit. Carried first German spacetraveler, paired with veteran cosmonaut Bykovski (he flew solo in Vostok 5, June, 1963). After the Yastreb crew departed from Salyut 6 in Soyuz 29 on September 3, the Foton crew transferred the Soyuz 32 to the Salyut 6 front port. Moving a replacement Soyuz to the front port became standard procedure; it freed the aft port for Progress supply ships.