Soyuz 40

The Soyuz 40 mission was a 1981 Soviet crewed spaceflight and the final flight of the Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft. It was a collaboration between the Soviet Union and Romania.[1]

Soyuz 40
Soyuz 40 is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 14 May 1981.
COSPAR ID1981-042A
SATCAT no.12454
Mission duration7 days, 20 hours, 41 minutes, 52 seconds
Orbits completed124
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeSoyuz 7K-T
ManufacturerNPO Energia
Launch mass6,800 kilograms (15,000 lb)
Crew
Crew size2
MembersLeonid Popov
Dumitru Prunariu
CallsignDnieper
Start of mission
Launch date14 May 1981, 17:16:38 (1981-05-14UTC17:16:38Z) UTC
RocketSoyuz-U
Launch siteBaikonur 1/5
End of mission
Landing date22 May 1981, 13:58:30 (1981-05-22UTC13:58:31Z) UTC
Landing site225 km SE of Dzhezkazgan
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude198.1 kilometres (123.1 mi)
Apogee altitude287 kilometres (178 mi)
Inclination51.6 degrees
Period89.6 minutes
Docking with Salyut 6

L-R: Popov and Prunariu
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions)
 

Crew

Position Crew
Commander Leonid Popov
Second spaceflight
 Soviet Union
Research Cosmonaut Dumitru Prunariu
Only spaceflight
 Romania

Backup crew

Position Crew
Commander Yuri Romanenko
 Soviet Union
Research Cosmonaut Dumitru Dediu
 Romania

Mission parameters

  • Mass: 6800 kg
  • Perigee: 198.1 km
  • Apogee: 287 km
  • Inclination: 51.6°
  • Period: 89.06 minutes

Mission highlights

Soyuz 40 was the 16th expedition to Salyut 6 and carried the ninth international crew. It also ended the first phase of the Intercosmos program by carrying Romanian cosmonaut Dumitru Prunariu and Soviet cosmonaut Leonid Popov to the station. In all, nine Intercosmos missions were launched between 1978 and 1981.

Soyuz 40 was the last of the original Soyuz spacecraft (due to its replacement by the Soyuz-T) and the last Soyuz spacecraft to dock with Salyut 6. During the crew's stay, Prunariu studied the Earth's magnetic field. Earth observations had to be delayed until the last day of the flight, when Salyut 6 passed over Romania in daylight. During this time the crew also tested the station's orientation system.

See also

References

  1. The mission report is available here: http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-40.htm
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