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Salyut 7 | April 19-May 14, 1982 |
2.8.3.1 Salyut 7 Principal Expedition 1
Anatoli Berezevoi, Valentin Lebedev
Crew code name—Elbrus
Launched in Soyuz-T 5, May 13, 1982
Landed in Soyuz-T 7, December 10, 1982
211 days in space
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Soyuz-T 5 • Salyut 7 | May 14-25, 1982 | |
| Launch of Iskra 2. The Elbrus crew ejected a 28-kg amateur radio satellite from a Salyut 7 trash airlock on May 17. The Soviets called this the first launch of a communications satellite from a manned space vehicle. They did this ahead of the launch of two large geostationary satellites from the U.S. Space Shuttle (STS-5, November 11-16, 1982).[1] | |||
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Soyuz-T 5 • Salyut 7 • Progress 13 | May 25-June 4, 1982 | |
| Violation of Progress docking procedure. The hatch from the work compartment to the intermediate compartment was to be closed when a Progress docked, but Lebedev and Berezevoi wished to watch the approach through an aft-facing porthole in the intermediate compartment. They therefore “clamped the endpoints of the hatch, thus simulating its closure for the TsUP’s benefit.” They forgot to remove the clamps after Progress 13 docked, giving the TsUP an indication that the hatch remained closed even though the Elbrus crew moved back and forth between Progress 13 and Salyut 7. The TsUP gently called them out for this violation of procedure.[2]
Unloading Progress 13. On May 25, the Elbrus crew reoriented Salyut 7 so the aft end of the Progress pointed toward Earth. This placed the station in gravity-gradient stabilization. Lebedev remarked in his diary that the attitude control jets were “very noisy,” and that they sounded like “hitting a barrel with a sledgehammer.” Of Salyut 7 during the unpacking of Progress 13, Lebedev said, “It looks like we’re getting ready to move or have just moved to a new apartment.” The following day the Elbrus crew closed the hatch from the work compartment into the intermediate compartment so the TsUP could pump fuel from Progress 13 to Salyut 7. The crew monitored the operation but played little active role in it. May 29 was spent organizing the supplies delivered. At the same time, according to Lebedev, “we filled the resupply ship with what we don’t need and tied them down with ropes. When I enter the resupply ship, it jingles with a metallic sound, so when we separate it will sound like a brass band.” Progress 13 pumped 300 liters of water aboard on May 31. On June 2 Progress 13 lowered the station’s orbit to 300 km to receive Soyuz T-6.[3] | |||
