Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-26-2015 08:01 AM
Soyuz TMA-18M: mission viewing, questions, comments
This thread is intended for comments and questions about the Soyuz TMA-18M mission.
TMA-18M will launch three crew members to the International Space Station: Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, Andreas Mogensen with the European Space Agency and KazCosmos cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov.
Volkov will remain on the space station for Expedition 45/46, while Mogensen and Aimbetov return to the Earth 10 days after their arrival with Expedition 44 commander Gennady Padalka onboard the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft.
TMA-18M is the 127th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft since its first flight in 1967.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 08-26-2015 08:10 AM
Soyuz TMA-18M will follow a two-day rendezvous with the International Space Station, rather than the expedited four-orbit, six-hour approach.
The longer approach comes as a result of the space station having performed a debris avoidance maneuver last month. The outpost's current altitude is not conducive to the same day arrival, Roscosmos officials said Wednesday (Aug. 26).
Soyuz TMA-18M is scheduled to launch on Sept. 2 at 12:37 a.m. EDT (0437 GMT) and arrive at the space station on Sept. 4.
SpaceAngel Member
Posts: 307 From: Maryland Registered: May 2010
posted 09-02-2015 06:58 AM
They're not doing the docking with the ISS, six hours after launch; but why?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 09-02-2015 08:24 AM
The station's orbit was recently boosted to avoid debris and better than expected space weather resulted in less atmospheric drag such that the station could only be reached via the 34-orbit, two-day rendezvous approach.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-01-2016 10:34 PM
Soyuz TMA-18M landed on Tuesday (March 1) at 10:26 p.m. CST (0426 GMT; 10:26 a.m. Kazakh local time March 2) with Sergey Volkov, Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko.
MSS Member
Posts: 633 From: Poland Registered: May 2003
posted 03-25-2016 04:59 PM
This was the 23rd direct return for USOS crewmember.
posted 08-26-2015 08:01 AM
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