Soyuz TM-22

Launch & orbit data: Designation  23665 / 95047A Launch date - time  03 Sep 1995 - 09:00:23 UT Launch site  Baikonur, LC1 Launch vehicle  Soyuz 11A511U2 OKB name - S/Nº  Soyuz 7K-STM (11F732) s/nº 71 Mass (kg)  7.150 Flight Crew  Gidzenko, Yuri (CDR) Avdeyev, Sergey (FE) Reiter, Thomas (CR) Call Sign  Uran (Uranus) Earth orbit on :    - Perigee / Apogee  391 x 398 km    - Inclination  51.7°    - Period  92.5 min

Docking & landing data: Docking date - time  05 Sep 1995 - 10:29:53 UT Target spacecraft/port  Mir/fore Undocking date - time  29 Feb 1996 - 07:20:06 UT Deorbit burn date - time  29 Feb 1996 - 09:47:23 UT Landing date - time  29 Feb 1996 - 10:42:08 UT Landing location  105 km NE of Arkalyk (51° 18' N, 67° 27' E) Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  179d 01h 42min Nbr orbits

Launch Crew (EO-20):

Flight crew

Backup Crew

Mission details:

• Mir Expedition EO-20. Crew commander was Yuriy Pavlovich Gidzenko of the Russian Air Force. Flight engineer was Sergey Vasilyevich Avdeyev of RKK Energiya, and cosmonaut-researcher was Thomas Reiter of the European Space Agency.
• mission "EUROMIR 95"
• Soyuz TM-22 docked with Mir's front (-X) port at 10:29:54 UT on September 5 and the hatch was opened at 11:01:23.
• joint Russian-German research work; EVA`s performed by Avdeyev and Reiter (first German performing a spacewalk) at 20.10.1995 (5h 16m), by Gidzenko and Avdeyev on 08.12.1995 (0h 29m) and Gidzenko and Reiter on 08.02.1996 (3h 06m); new instruments were installed.
• Spaceflight took two month longer than planned due of missing money; longest space flight of a non-Russian to date.
• On February 29, 1995 the crew undocked from Mir in Soyuz TM-22, and at 10:42 UTC they landed in Kazakstan, 105 km northeast of Arkalyk, after 179d 1h 42min in space.

Astrophilately covers:

New launch Baikonur cancel with special "EUROMIR 95", send registrated and signed by the crew. Special Kazakstan stamp instead of Russian.

Launch cancel Baikonur with special blue "EUROMIR 95", signed by crew.

Space Mail: Cover with 2 black Mir boardcancel, docking date boardcancel: 050995, signed by the crew and numerated.

Cosmic Mail: Special Baikonur cancel, MIR boardcancels dated: 030995 (launch) and 240296, signed by the crew. Credit: #409

Landing cancel Arkalyk, signed by crew.