Human Spaceflights

International Flight No. 299

Soyuz TMA-17M

Antares

Russia

Russia
Patch Soyuz TMA-17M Patch Soyuz TMA-17M

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Launch, orbit and landing data

Launch date:  22.07.2015
Launch time:  21:02:44.618 UTC
Launch site:  Baikonur
Launch pad:  1
Altitude:  398 - 410 km
Inclination:  51.64°
Docking ISS:  23.07.2015, 02:45:07 UTC
Undocking ISS:  11.12.2015, 09:49:35 UTC
Landing date:  11.12.2015
Landing time:  13:12:30.4 UTC
Landing site:  48°27'31.74" N, 69°11'06.12" E

walkout photo

Crew Soyuz TMA-17M

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alternative crew photo

alternative crew photo

alternative crew photo

alternative crew photo

Crew

No.   Surname Given names Position Flight No. Duration Orbits
1  Kononenko  Oleg Dmitriyevich  Commander 3 141d 16h 09m 46s  2207 
2  Yui  Kimiya  Flight Engineer 1 141d 16h 09m 46s  2207 
3  Lindgren  Kjell Norwood  Flight Engineer 1 141d 16h 09m 46s  2207 

Crew seating arrangement

Launch
1  Kononenko
2  Yui
3  Lindgren
Soyuz TMA spacecraft
Landing
1  Kononenko
2  Yui
3  Lindgren

Backup Crew

No.   Surname Given names Position
1  Malenchenko  Yuri Ivanovich  Commander
2 United Kingdom  Peake  Timothy Nigel  Flight Engineer
3  Kopra  Timothy Lennart  Flight Engineer
Crew Soyuz TMA-17M backup
Patch Soyuz TMA-17M backup

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Hardware

Launch vehicle:  Soyuz-FG (No. 17M136S G15000-052)
Spacecraft:  Soyuz TMA-17M (TMA-M No. 717)

Flight

Launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. ISS Expedition 44 / 45. Landing 132 km northeast of Dzheskasgan.

Following an only six-hours solo flight Soyuz TMA-17M docked to ISS on July 23, 2015. Oleg Kononenko, Kimiya Yui and Kjell Lindgren became the ISS Expedition 44 (together with ISS Expedition 43 crew members Gennadi Padalka, Mikhail Korniyenko and Scott Kelly).

The Soyuz spacecraft is composed of three elements attached end-to-end - the Orbital Module, the Descent Module and the Instrumentation/Propulsion Module. The crew occupied the central element, the Descent Module. The other two modules are jettisoned prior to re-entry. They burn up in the atmosphere, so only the Descent Module returned to Earth.
The deorbit burn lasted 280 seconds. Having shed two-thirds of its mass, the Soyuz reached Entry Interface - a point 400,000 feet (121.9 kilometers) above the Earth, where friction due to the thickening atmosphere began to heat its outer surfaces. With only 23 minutes left before it lands on the grassy plains of central Asia, attention in the module turned to slowing its rate of descent.
Eight minutes later, the spacecraft was streaking through the sky at a rate of 755 feet (230 meters) per second. Before it touched down, its speed slowed to only 5 feet (1.5 meter) per second, and it lands at an even lower speed than that. Several onboard features ensure that the vehicle and crew land safely and in relative comfort.
Four parachutes, deployed 15 minutes before landing, dramatically slowed the vehicle's rate of descent. Two pilot parachutes were the first to be released, and a drogue chute attached to the second one followed immediately after. The drogue, measuring 24 square meters (258 square feet) in area, slowed the rate of descent from 755 feet (230 meters) per second to 262 feet (80 meters) per second.
The main parachute was the last to emerge. It is the largest chute, with a surface area of 10,764 square feet (1,000 square meters). Its harnesses shifted the vehicle's attitude to a 30-degree angle relative to the ground, dissipating heat, and then shifted it again to a straight vertical descent prior to landing.
The main chute slowed the Soyuz to a descent rate of only 24 feet (7.3 meters) per second, which is still too fast for a comfortable landing. One second before touchdown, two sets of three small engines on the bottom of the vehicle fired, slowing the vehicle to soften the landing.

Graphics / Photos

Soyuz TMA spacecraft Soyuz TMA landing module
crew in training Soyuz TMA-17M rollout
Soyuz TMA-17M rollout Soyuz TMA-17M erection
Soyuz TMA-17M erection Soyuz TMA-17M on the launch pad
Soyuz TMA-17M on the launch pad Soyuz TMA-17M launch
Soyuz TMA-17M recovery Soyuz TMA-17M recovery

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Last update on March 29, 2020.

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