Manufacturer |
Experimental Design Bureau (OKB-1) |
---|---|
Country of origin | Soviet Union |
Operator | Soviet space program |
Applications | Crewed spacecraft as Space Observatory Station |
Specifications | |
Launch mass | 6,570 kilograms (14,480 lb) [1] |
Dimensions |
|
Power |
Solar arrays output 1.3 kW from 10 square metres (110 sq ft) on 4-segments |
Equipment | Orion 2 astrophysical camera |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Design life | Up to 35 days, used for 7.87 days |
Production | |
Status | No longer in service |
Built | 1 |
Launched | 1 |
Maiden launch |
Soyuz 13 18 December 1973 |
Last launch | Soyuz 13 |
Related spacecraft | |
Derived from | Soyuz 7K-T |
Vimpel Diamond for entrainment patch |
Soyuz 7K-T-AF [2] is a version of the Soyuz spacecraft and was the first spacecraft designed for space station flights, a dedicated science mission. Its only crewed flight was conducted in 1973 with Soyuz 13 of the Soyuz programme. [3] [2]
The one craft of the Soyuz 7K-T-AF was modified from the original Soyuz 7K-T with the addition of observatory and solar arrays. This was the second test flight of the redesigned Soyuz 7K-T, the second generation of the Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz 7K-T-AF flew once on Soyuz 13. The Soyuz 7K-T-AF was in the 7K-TM Configuration. Soyuz 7K-T-AF propulsion was from a KTDU-35, two liquid rocket engines. Soyuz 13/7K-T-AF was the first manned space observatory. Soyuz 7K-T-AF/Soyuz 13 housed the Orion 2 Space Observatory, operated by crew member Valentin Lebedev. Orion 2 Space Observatory was an Ultraviolet (UV) Telescope. The first Soviet UV Telescope was Orion 1 used on orbital station Salyut 1. The other crew member was Pyotr Klimuk. [2] [4] [5]
With the Orion 2 astrophysical telescope and camera, the crew made observations of stars in the ultraviolet light range. Also added to Soyuz 7K-T-AF was experiment that photographed spectrozonal areas of the earth's surface. Soyuz 7K-T-AF landed in snowstorm 200 kilometres (120 mi) Southwest Karaganda. [6] The observatory equipment was added to the top of nose cone of the spacecraft. The observatory equipment was mounted were the docking port is mounted on the Soyuz 7K-OKS version. [7] [8] Soyuz 22/ Soyuz 7K-MF6 spacecraft would be the next 7K-T with observatory equipment mounted at the craft's docking port. [9] [5]