Soyuz TM-13

Launch & orbit data: Designation  21735 / 91069A Launch date - time  02 Oct 1991 - 05:59:38 UT Launch site  Baikonur, LC1 Launch vehicle  Soyuz 11A511U2 OKB name - S/Nº  Soyuz 7K-STM (11F732) s/nº 63 Mass (kg)  7.150 Call Sign  Donbass (River Don basin) Earth orbit on :    - Perigee / Apogee  195 x 232 km    - Inclination  51.7°    - Period  88.8 min

Docking & landing data: Docking date - time  04 Oct 1991 - 07:42 UT Target spacecraft/port  Mir/fore Undocking date - time  15 Oct 1991 - 00:01 UT Redocking date - time  15 Oct 1991 - 01:45 UT Target spacecraft/port  Mir/Kvant rear port Undocking date - time  14 Mar 1992 - ? UT Redocking date - time  14 Mar 1992 - ? UT Target spacecraft/port  Mir/front port Undocking date - time  25 Mar 1992 - 05:26 UT Deorbit burn date - time  25 Mar 1992 - 07:55 UT Landing date - time  25 Mar 1992 - 08:51:22 UT Landing location  65 km NE of Arkalyk Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  175:02:52 Nbr orbits   Landing crew  Krikalev, Volkov, Flade  (crew TM-12, TM-13 & TM-14)

Crew (EO-10):

Backup Crew

Mir core - Credit: NASA.

Manned three crew. Docked with Mir. Mir Expedition EO-10. Transported to the Mir manned orbital station an international crew comprising the cosmonauts A Volkov (USSR), T Aubakirov (USSR) and F. Viehbock (Austria), to conduct joint scientific and technical research with the cosmonauts A. Artsebarsky and S Krikalev. Austria paid $ 7 million for mission. Kazakh cosmonaut added at last minute. On March 25, Volkov, Krikalyov and Flade undocked from the front port in Soyuz TM-13 and landed in Kazakhstan at 08:51 GMT on March 25.

Mir in orbit - Credit: RKK Energia.

Soyuz TM-13 - Aubakirov on way to launch vehicle. - Credit: RKK Energia.

Soyuz TM-13 - Aubakirov aboard Mir. - Credit: RKK Energia

Mission details:

• The Soyuz TM-13 ferry was launched at 0559UT on Oct 2 and docked at the front Mir port at 0739UT on Oct 4. Crew of TM-13 are Soviet Air Force cosmonaut Aleksandr Volkov, Kazakh Republic cosmonaut Tokhtar Aubakirov, and Austrian cosmonaut Franz Viehbock. Artsebarksiy, Aubakirov and Viehbock will return to Earth on Oct 10 in TM-12 leaving Volkov and Krikalyov in orbit. Volkov has 216 days of flight experience on Soyuz T-14, Soyuz TM-7, Salyut-7 and Mir.
• At 00:01 UT on Oct 15, 1991 Volkov and Krikalyov undocked from the front port in Soyuz TM-13 and flew around the station to inspect it, docking at the rear Kvant port at 0145 UT to test its new docking antenna.
• Aleksandr Volkov and Sergey Krikalyov undocked from the Kvant rear port on Mar 14, 1991 in Soyuz TM-13 and redocked about an hour later at the Mir front port.
• On Mar 25, Volkov, Krikalyov and Flade undocked from the front port in Soyuz TM-13 and landed in Kazakhstan at 0851 UTC on Mar 25.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel and special Baikonur cancel, send registrated.

Special "AUSTRO MIR 91" cover and cancel.

Cosmic Mail: Launch cancel Baikonur and MIR boardcancel, signed by the crew. Credit: #409

Cosmic Mail: Cover on board of Mir, with 2 black Mir boardcancel, date boardcancel: 041091, signed by the crew. Credit: #409

Cosmic Mail: with octagonal Mir boardcancel, octagonal docking date cancel 041091 and special MIR 92 cancel, signed by the crew and backup.

Cosmic Mail: with octagonal MIR boardcancel, octagonal date cancel 101091, signed by the crew and backup.