Expedition EO-8

Russia

'EO' is the Russian abbreviation for 'primary expedition'

Crew & mission data:

No.:	1	2
Exp.crew:	Afanasiyev, Viktor	Manarov, Musa
Job:	CDR	Flight Engineer
Launch vehicle:	Soyuz TM-11	Soyuz TM-11
Docking date/time:	04 Dec 1990 - 09:57:09	04 Dec 1990 - 09:57:09
Undocking date/time:	26 May 1991 - 06:15:59	26 May 1991 - 06:15:59
Landing vehicle:	Soyuz TM-11	Soyuz TM-11
Mir-mission duration:	175d 01h 50m?	175d 01h 50m?
Orbits:	2770?	2770?

EVA data:

EVAs	Date	Duration	Cosmonauts
EVA-1	07 Jan 1991	5h 18m	Afanasiyev & Manarov
EVA-2	23 Jan 1991	5h 33m	Afanasiyev & Manarov
EVA-3	26 Jan 1991	6h 20m	Afanasiyev & Manarov
EVA-4	25 Apr 1991	3h 34m	Afanasiyev & Manarov

Mission details:

Soyuz TM-11 was launched on Dec 02, 1990 at 0813UT, carrying Afanas'ev, Manarov and Akiyama toward the Mir/Kvant/Kvant-2/Kristall/Soyuz TM-10 complex to join Manakov and Strekalov.
Soyuz TM-11 docked with Mir's forward port on Dec 4. Manakov, Strekalov and Akiyama returned to Earth on Dec 10 in Soyuz TM-10. The new crewmembers of the Mir/Kvant/Kvant-2/Kristall/Soyuz TM-11 complex are Afanas'ev and Manarov (eighth resident crew). The rear port of Kvant is free to receive the Progress M-6 cargo craft due for launch soon. Orbit of the complex is 371x405 km.
Scientific work with seventh resident crew of the station.
Both cosmonauts performed four EVA`s on 07.01. (5h 18m), 23.01. (5h 33m), 26.01. (6h 20m) and 25.04.1991 (3h 34m).
The first on Jan 7 repaired the EVA hatch on Kvant-2. The second and third on Jan 23 and Jan 26 set up a crane on the outside of the Mir core module which will be used in later spacewalks to transfer solar panels from the Kristall module to the Kvant module at the other end of the station.
The Progress M-6 cargo craft undocked on Mar 15, 1991 and reentered.
Progress M-7 was launched on Mar 19 and docked on Mar 28 at the third attempt. This is the first time that a Progress has had an aborted docking; it got within 100m on Mar 22 and missed; another attempt failed on Mar 23. The Progress cargo craft is based on the Soyuz design.
On Apr 12, 1991 and Apr 14 the engine of Progress M-7 was used to raise the complex orbit from 360x377 km to 370x382 km.
The Progress M-7 cargo craft undocked on May 6, 1991 and re-entered on May 7.
They installed the Strela boom and solar array supports on Mir, and finally inspected the Kurs docking system antenna.
Soyuz TM-12 was launched on May 18, 1991 and docked with Mir on May 20. The crew are Anatoliy Pavlovich Artsebarskiy (Komandir), Sergey Konstantinovich Krikalyov (Bortinzhener) and Helen Patricia Sharman (Kosmonavt-issledovatel'). Artsebarskiy and Krikalyov are the new Mir main crew.

Astrophilately covers:

Cosmic Mail: Cover on board of Mir, with 2 black MIR boardcancels and dated boardcancel 23 02 91, signed by the crew. Credit: #409

Ref.: #4, #7(JR61,62,65,69,72,74), #10, #16, #409 - update: 26.08.18

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