Soyuz TMA-6 was a human spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS). It carried three crew members of Expedition 11 to the International Space Station. It was the 26th crewed flight to the ISS. It was launched by a Soyuz FG and returned to Earth after performing operations at the ISS.

Soyuz TMA-6
Soyuz TMA-6 launches to the International Space Station
OperatorRoscosmos
COSPAR ID2005-013A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.28640Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration179.984 days
Orbits completed2,817
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeSoyuz-TMA 11F732
ManufacturerEnergia
Launch mass7,200 kilograms (15,900 lb)
Crew
Crew size3
MembersSergei Krikalev
John Phillips
LaunchingRoberto Vittori
LandingGregory Olsen
Start of mission
Launch dateApril 15, 2005, 00:46:25 (2005-04-15UTC00:46:25Z) UTC
RocketSoyuz-FG
Launch siteBaikonur 1/5
End of mission
Landing dateOctober 11, 2005, 01:09:00 (2005-10-11UTC01:10Z) UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude349 kilometres (217 mi)
Apogee altitude360 kilometres (220 mi)
Inclination51.64 degrees
Period92.6 minutes
Docking with ISS
Docking portPirs nadir
Docking date17 April 2005
02:20 UTC
Undocking date19 July 2005
10:38 UTC
Time docked93d 8h 18m
Docking with ISS
(Relocation)
Docking portZarya nadir
Docking date19 July 2005
11:08 UTC
Undocking date10 October 2005
21:49 UTC
Time docked83d 10h 41m

(l to r) Vittori, Krikalev, Phillips
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions)

Crew

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Position Launching crew Landing crew
Commander   Sergei Krikalev, Roscosmos[1]
Expedition 11
Sixth and last spaceflight
Flight Engineer   John Phillips, NASA[1]
Expedition 11
Second spaceflight
Flight Engineer/Spaceflight Participant   Roberto Vittori, ESA[1]
Second spaceflight
  Gregory Olsen, SA
Only spaceflight
Third Tourist

Docking with ISS

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  • Docked to ISS: April 17, 2005, 02:20 UTC (to Pirs module)
  • Undocked from ISS: July 19, 2005, 10:38 UTC (from Pirs module)
  • Docked to ISS: July 19, 2005, 11:08 UTC (to nadir port of Zarya)
  • Undocked from ISS: October 10, 2005, 21:49 UTC (from nadir port of Zarya)

Mission highlights

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TMA-6 capsule on display at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Soyuz TMA-6 is a Soyuz TMA spacecraft which was launched on April 15, 2005 by a Soyuz-FG rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome. During the return flight from the ISS, instruments in the descent module of the Soyuz spacecraft indicated a cabin-pressure-leak that is still under investigation. [1] The Expedition 11 crew, Sergei Krikalev-Cdr Russia, John Phillips-U.S.A. replaced the Expedition 10 crew, Leroy Chiao-Cdr U.S.A. and Salizhan Sharipov-Russia.

The astronaut Roberto Vittori brought a painting by the German-Russian artist George Pusenkoff titled Single Mona Lisa (1:1) to the space station, which shows a modified image of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, and took video and photo shots of the work in the International Space Station. This art action, initiated by Pusenkoff, was mainly made possible by the efforts of the then Italian ambassador to Russia, Gianfranco Facco Bonetti. The combination of science and art, as da Vinci himself lived it, was used here to let his spirit work not only on earth, but also in space. The photos are documented in the book Mona Lisa Travels.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE about the Soyuz TMA-6 manned spacecraft launch to the ISS". NPO Energia. April 15, 2005. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
  2. ^ Scheps, Marc (2007-06-21). "Mona Lisa Time Tower". In Galloway, David (ed.). Mona Lisa Travels. Bielefeld: Kerber. ISBN 978-3866780705.