Soyuz TMA-13

Soyuz TMA-13 was a Russian Federal Space Agency mission to the International Space Station, launched on October 12, 2008, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan using a Soyuz-FG launch vehicle. The crew members, Yuri Lonchakov, Michael Barratt, and Charles Simonyi, were part of the Expedition 18 mission, which included Expedition 17 crew members Sergei Volkov, Oleg Kononenko, and Gregory Chamitoff. The mission was a significant milestone in the International Space Station program, which involved cooperation between NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA. The crew conducted various scientific experiments, including those related to NASA's STP-H2 and JAXA's MAXI projects.

● Mission Overview

The Soyuz TMA-13 mission was the 100th crewed Soyuz mission and the 13th Soyuz TMA mission to the International Space Station. The crew spent 178 days in space, conducting scientific experiments and performing maintenance tasks on the International Space Station. The mission was supported by Mission Control Centers in Houston, Moscow, and Tsukuba, and involved coordination with NASA's Johnson Space Center, Roscosmos's Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, and JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center. The crew also participated in ESA's European Astronaut Corps and CSA's Canadian Astronaut Corps programs.

● Crew

The Soyuz TMA-13 crew consisted of Yuri Lonchakov, a Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonaut, Michael Barratt, a NASA astronaut, and Charles Simonyi, a Space Adventures spaceflight participant. Yuri Lonchakov was the commander of the mission, while Michael Barratt served as the flight engineer. Charles Simonyi was a spaceflight participant who paid for his trip to space through Space Adventures. The crew was trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, and also received training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center in Tsukuba, and ESA's European Astronaut Centre in Cologne.

● Mission Parameters

The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft was launched into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 200 kilometers and an apogee of 250 kilometers. The spacecraft had a mass of approximately 7,100 kilograms and was equipped with a Soyuz propulsion system. The mission parameters were controlled by Mission Control Centers in Houston, Moscow, and Tsukuba, which monitored the spacecraft's altitude, velocity, and trajectory. The crew also conducted scientific experiments using equipment provided by NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA, including the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer and the European Laboratory.

● Launch and Docking

The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on October 12, 2008, at 07:01 UTC. The launch vehicle used was a Soyuz-FG, which placed the spacecraft into a low Earth orbit. The spacecraft docked with the International Space Station on October 14, 2008, at 08:26 UTC. The docking was performed at the Zarya module of the International Space Station, and the crew transferred to the station using a Soyuz spacecraft. The crew was welcomed by the Expedition 17 crew, which included Sergei Volkov, Oleg Kononenko, and Gregory Chamitoff.

● Mission Highlights

During the mission, the crew conducted various scientific experiments, including those related to NASA's STP-H2 and JAXA's MAXI projects. The crew also performed maintenance tasks on the International Space Station, including a spacewalk to replace a failed pump module. The crew also participated in ESA's European Astronaut Corps and CSA's Canadian Astronaut Corps programs, and conducted experiments using equipment provided by Roscosmos, JAXA, and CSA. The mission was a significant milestone in the International Space Station program, which involved cooperation between NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA, and CSA.

● Return and Landing

The Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station on April 8, 2009, at 03:55 UTC. The spacecraft landed safely in Kazakhstan on April 8, 2009, at 07:16 UTC. The crew was recovered by a team of Russian Federal Space Agency and NASA personnel, and was taken to the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia for post-flight debriefing and medical checks. The mission was a success, and marked the end of the Expedition 18 mission to the International Space Station. The crew was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the Russian Federation Medal for their contributions to the mission.

Category:Spaceflight