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Salyut 7 • Soyuz-T 11
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July 29-August 16, 1984
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Sixth EVA—propellant system repair completed. Soyuz-T 12 delivered a pneumatic hand press. The tool was used during an August 8 EVA to crush both ends of the bypassed fuel line, sealing it. Solovyov and Kizim also collected a piece of a solar array for analysis. In spite of the repair, Salyut 7’s main propulsion system was not used again to boost the station’s orbit.
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Progress 23 • Salyut 7 • Soyuz-T 11
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August 16-26, 1984
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Salyut 7 • Soyuz-T 11
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August 26-October 2, 1984
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Salyut 7
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October 2, 1984-June 8, 1985
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Salyut 7 comatose. In February the Salyut 7 space station abruptly ceased
communicating with the TsUP. On March 2 the Soviet newspaper Pravda printed the following announcement:
- In view of the fact that the planned program of work on Salyut 7 has been fulfilled completely, at the present time the station has been deactivated and is continuing its flight in automatic mode.[1]
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2.8.3.4 Salyut 7 Principal Expedition 4
Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Viktor Savinykh
Crew code name—Pamir
Soyuz-T 13, June 6-September 26, 1985
112 days in space
Savinykh remained aboard Salyut 7 when Dzhanibekov departed in Soyuz-T 13.
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Salyut 7 • Soyuz-T 13
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June 8-23, 1985
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Salyut 7 revived. The March 2 announcement notwithstanding, by the end of March the Soviets resolved to attempt a Salyut 7 rescue. The effort turned out to be one of the most impressive feats of in-space repairs in history. As the Pamirs approached the inert station, they saw that its solar arrays were pointing randomly as it rolled slowly about its long axis. They used a handheld laser range finder to judge their distance, and conducted a fly-around inspection to be certain the exterior was intact. Dzhanibekov noted that the thermal blankets on the transfer compartment had turned a dull gray from prolonged exposure to sunlight. Upon achieving hard dock—the first time a Soyuz docked with an inactive station—the crew confirmed through the electrical connectors in the docking collars that the Salyut 7 electrical system was dead. They carefully sampled the air in the station before opening the hatch. The station air was
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- ↑ Pravda, March 2, 1985, p. 2. Translated in Nicholas Johnson, The Soviet Year in Space: 1985, Teledyne Brown Engineering, 1986, p. 54.