Soyuz 7K-MF6 is a version of the Soyuz spacecraft and was the second Soviet spacecraft designed for space station flight, a dedicated science mission. Its only crewed flight was conducted in 1976 with Soyuz 22 of the Soyuz programme.[2]
 Soyuz 7K-MF6 and crew on a Soviet stamp | |
| Manufacturer | Experimental Design Bureau (OKB-1) |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Soviet Union |
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| Applications | Crewed spacecraft as Earth Observatory Station |
| Specifications | |
| Launch mass | 6,510 kilograms (14,350 lb) [1] |
| Dimensions |
|
| Power | Solar arrays output 1.3 kW from 10 square metres (110 sq ft) on 4-segments |
| Equipment | MF6 multispectral camera |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Design life | Up to 35 days, used for 8 days |
| Production | |
| Status | Out of service |
| Built | 1 |
| Launched | 1 |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Derived from | Soyuz 7K-TM Soyuz 7K-T |
 Vimpel Diamond for entrainment patch | |
Design and flight
edit| Mission | Crew | Launch | Landing | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soyuz 22 |  Valery Bykovsky Vladimir Aksyonov |
15 Sept 1976 | 23 Sept 1976 | 8 days | Earth sciences and (possibly a) reconnaissance mission. Final crewed Soyuz spaceflight to not visit a space station[3] |
The one craft of the Soyuz 7K-MF6 was modified from the original Soyuz 7K-TM/Soyuz 7K-T with the addition of observatory platform. The Soyuz 7K-MF6 flew once on Soyuz 22. Soyuz 7K-MF6 propulsion was from a KTDU-80, liquid rocket engine. Soyuz 7K-MF6 was the second Soviet manned space observatory, the first was Soyuz 13/Soyuz 7K-T-AF. Soyuz 7K-MF6/Soyuz 2 housed the MKF-6 multi-spectral camera. The spectral camera was used for photography of Earth. The multi-spectral camera was manufactured by Carl Zeiss-Jena in East Germany. The universal docking port was removed and a multispectral camera was installed in its place. The observatory equipment was added to the top of nose cone of the spacecraft. Soyuz 7K-MF6 started as the back up spacecraft for the Apollo–Soyuz project, a Soyuz ASTP craft # 74. The Soyuz ASTP was modified in 1976 to become 7K-MF6, after it was not need for the Apollo–Soyuz project that ended in 1975, which used spacecraft Soyuz 19 and Apollo CSM-111. [4][5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^
"Soyuz 22". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Mark Wade. "Soyuz 7K-MF6". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
- ^ "Spaceflight mission report: Soyuz 22". SPACEFACTS.de. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
- ^ Mark Wade. "Baikonur LC1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
- ^ Dennis Newkirk (1990). Almanac of Soviet Manned Space Flight. Houston, Texas: Gulf Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87201-848-2.
External links
edit
- RSC Energia: Concept Of Russian Manned Space Navigation Development
- Mir Hardware Heritage
- David S.F. Portree, Mir Hardware Heritage, NASA RP-1357, 1995
- Mir Hardware Heritage (wikisource)
- Information on Soyuz spacecraft
- OMWorld's ASTP Docking Trainer Page
- Space Adventures circum-lunar mission - details
