Soyuz T-6

Infobox Space mission
mission_name = Soyuz T-6
sign = Pamir (Pamirs)
crew_members = 3
launch = June 24, 1982
16:29:48 UTC
Gagarin's Start
landing = July 2, 1982
14:20:40 UTC
65 km NE of Arkalyk
duration = 7d/21:50:52
orbits = 125
next = Soyuz T-7
previous = Soyuz T-5 |

Crew

Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.
*Vladimir Dzhanibekov (3) - Commander
*Aleksandr Ivanchenkov (2) - Flight Engineer
*Jean-Loup Chrétien (CNES, France) (1) - Research Cosmonaut

Backup crew

*Leonid Kizim - Commander
*Vladimir Soloviyov - Flight Engineer
*Patrick Baudry (CNES, France) - Research Cosmonaut

Mission parameters

*Mass: 6850 kg
*Perigee: 189 km
*Apogee: 233 km
*Inclination: 51.7°
*Period: 88.7 minutes

Mission highlights

The second expedition to Salyut 7. The tenth international crew with a cosmonaut from France.

Suffered Argon computer failure 900 m from Salyut 7. Commander Vladimir Dzhanibekov took manual control and docked with the station 14 minutes ahead of schedule. The skill he displayed contributed to his being tapped for the Soyuz-T 13 mission to rescue Salyut 7 in 1985. Chrétien’s launch marked the start of a new phase in the manned Intercosmos flights.

During the stay of the Soyuz-T 6 visiting expedition, the Elbrus gave visiting Frenchman Jean-Loup Chrétien "the honor" of ejecting a satellite—Salyut 7’s weekly bag of waste—from the small trash airlock. In his diary, Lebedev quoted Chrétien as saying Salyut 7 "is simple, doesn’t look impressive, but is reliable."