Soyuz TMA-5

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  28444 / 04040A Launch date - time  14 Oct 2004 - 03:06:28 UT Launch site  Baikonur, LC1 Launch vehicle  Soyuz-FG (#012) Soyuz designation 11F732 nº215 Mass (kg)  7270? kg Flight Crew  Sharipov, Salizhan (CDR) Chiao, Leroy (FE) Shargin, Yuri (CR) Call Sign   Backup crew  Tokarev V., Mc Arthur W.

Docking date - time  16 Oct 2004 - 04:15:32 UT Target spacecraft/port  ISS/Pirs Earth orbit on 16 Oct:    - Perigee / Apogee  355 / 368 km    - Inclination  51.64°    - Period  91.77 min Undocking date - time  24 Apr 2005 - 18:44:40 UT from Zarya Deorbit burn date - time   Landing date - time  24 Apr 2005 - 22:08:27 UT Landing location  51°03N, 67°18E Flight Duration (d:hr:min)   Nbr orbits   Landing crew (Exp.10 & VC-8):  Sharipov, Chiao  Vittori (crew S-TMA6)

Launched crew (Exp.10 & VC-7):

Mission details:

• Soyuz TMA-5 docked at the nadir port of the Pirs module on Oct 16 at 04:16 UT, at which point NASA astronaut Chiao take up his role as ISS Exp. 10 Commander, Sharipov becomes Exp. 10 Flight Engineer, and Shargin becomes Visiting Crew 7(EP-7).
• Expedition 10’s docking was not without incident.
  Six minutes before docking, with the Soyuz within 200 meters of the ISS and under autonomous control, a forward pointing thruster of the Soyuz was working intermittently resulting in less braking and thus a higher approach speed than predicted and exceeding the normal flight velocities for docking manoeuvres.
  The Kurs system did not recognise this as a failure but TsUP did and switched the Kurs system off allowing Sharipov, who commanded the two-day Soyuz trip to the ISS, to take over manual control of the spacecraft at a distance of about 50 m from the ISS. The cosmonaut backed the craft away from the station, and then conducted a perfect manual approach and docking with the Pirs.
• Sharipov, Chiao, Shargin, Padalka and Fincke spent a week aboard the Station and at 18:14 UT on Oct 23 Padalka, Fincke and Shargin entered Soyuz TMA-4 , undocked at 21:08 UT and landed near Arkalyk at 00:36 UT on Oct 24.
• Soyuz TMA-5 was moving from one docking port to another on 29 Nov 2004. The Ex-10 crew entered Soyuz, undocked it from the Pirs module at 09:32 UT. The capsule backed away from the station for several minutes. Once reaching a distance of 100 feet, Soyuz moved sideways about 45 feet to face the Zarya control module's docking port. After rotating for good alignment, the spacecraft began its approach and successfully docked to Zarya at 09:53 UT. Hooks and latches were engaged over the following 10 minutes to firmly connect the capsule and station. The 21-minute trip marked Expedition 10's first time away from the station since arriving at the outpost on 16 October.
• Soyuz TMA-5 landed with Sharipov, Chiao (ISS exp 10 crew) and Vittori (launched aboard Soyuz-TMA 6) on 24 Apr 2005 at 22:07 UT, after undocking from Zarya at 18:45 UT and a deorbit burn at 21:17 UT. The crew landed on muddy ground in Kazakhstan at 51 03N 67 18E.

Astrophilately covers:

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