Soyuz TMA-11

{{Infobox spaceflight

| name = Soyuz TMA-11

| image = File:Expedition 16 Soyuz Launch.JPG

| image_caption =

| insignia = Soyuz TMA-11 Patch.png

| mission_type =

| operator = Roscosmos

| COSPAR_ID = 2007-045A

| SATCAT =

| mission_duration = 191 days, 19 hours, 17 minutes

| distance_travelled =

| orbits_completed =

| spacecraft =

| spacecraft_type = Soyuz-TMA 11F732

| manufacturer = Energia

| launch_mass =

| landing_mass =

| launch_date = {{Start date text|October 10, 2007, 13:22:39|timezone=yes}} UTC

| launch_rocket = Soyuz-FG

| launch_site = Baikonur 1/5

| landing_date = {{End date text|April 19, 2008, 08:30|timezone=yes}} UTC

| landing_site =

| crew_size = 3

| crew_members = Yuri Malenchenko
Peggy A. Whitson

| crew_launching = Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor

| crew_landing = Yi So-Yeon

| crew_callsign =

| crew_photo = Sozuztma11crew.jpg

| crew_photo_caption = From left to right: Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, Yuri Malenchenko, Peggy Whitson

| orbit_epoch =

| orbit_reference = Geocentric

| orbit_regime = Low Earth

| orbit_periapsis =

| orbit_apoapsis =

| orbit_inclination = 51.6 degrees

| orbit_period =

| apsis = gee

| docking =

{{Infobox spaceflight/Dock

| docking_target = ISS

| docking_type = dock

| docking_port = Zarya

| docking_date = 12 October 2007
14:50 UTC

| undocking_date = 19 April 2008
05:06 UTC

| time_docked = {{time interval|12 October 2007 14:50|19 April 2008 05:06|show=dhm|abbr=on}}

}}

| previous_mission = Soyuz TMA-10

| next_mission = Soyuz TMA-12

| programme = Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions)

}}

Soyuz TMA-11 was a human spaceflight mission using a Soyuz-TMA spacecraft to transport personnel to and from the International Space Station (ISS). The mission began at 13:22 UTC on October 10, 2007, when the spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by a Soyuz FG launch vehicle. It brought to the station two members of the ISS Expedition 16 crew, as well as Sheikh Muszaphar, the first Malaysian in space. TMA-11 remained at the station as an escape craft, and returned safely to Earth on April 19, 2008, after it had been replaced by Soyuz TMA-12. Although the vehicle landed safely, it suffered a partial separation failure which caused a ballistic re-entry that in turn caused it to land 475 km from the intended landing point.

Crew

{{Spaceflight crew

|position1 = Commander

|crew1_up = {{Flagicon|RUS}} Yuri Malenchenko, Roscosmos

|flights1_up = Fourth

|expedition1_up = Expedition 16

|position2 = Flight Engineer

|crew2_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} Peggy Whitson, NASA

|flights2_up = Second

|expedition2_up = Expedition 16

|position3 = Spaceflight Participant

|crew3_up = {{Flagicon|MYS}} Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, ANGKASA{{cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL1016094020071010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012021539/http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL1016094020071010|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 12, 2007|title=Russian rocket launches first Malaysian into space|access-date=October 10, 2007|publisher=Reuters|author=Shavkat Rakhmatullayev | date=October 10, 2007}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3756666 |title=Soyuz Craft Lands Safely in Kazakhstan |access-date=October 21, 2007 |publisher=ABC News |year=2007 |agency=Associated Press |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608185954/http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3756666 |archive-date=June 8, 2009 }}

|flights3_up = Only

|crew3_down = {{Flagicon|KOR}} Yi So-Yeon, KAP{{Cite web|url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2007/10/129_11545.html |title=Sputnik and Arirang: 50 Years of Space Exploration and Korea |access-date=October 30, 2007 |publisher=The Korea Times |year=2007 |author=Cho Jin-seo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016212951/http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2007/10/129_11545.html |archive-date=October 16, 2007 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna20603075|title=S. Korean astronaut to fly to space station|access-date=October 30, 2007|publisher=NBC News|year=2007|agency=Associated Press}}

|flights3_down = Only

}}

= Backup crew =

{{Spaceflight crew

|position1 = Commander

|crew1_up = {{Flagicon|RUS}} Salizhan Sharipov, Roscosmos

|position2 = Flight Engineer

|crew2_up = {{Flagicon|USA}} Michael Fincke, NASA

|position3 = Spaceflight Participant

|crew3_up = {{Flagicon|MYS}} Faiz Khaleed, ANGKASA{{cite web | url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/jul/HQ_M07087_ISS_briefing.html | title= NASA Holds Briefing With First Female Station Commander and Crew|author=NASA|publisher=NASA|date=2007-07-17}}

|crew3_down = {{Flagicon|KOR}} Ko San, KAP

}}

=Crew notes=

Sheikh Muszaphar flew as a guest of the Russian government.{{Cite web|url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/station/exp16/071012dock.html|title=New crew arrives at station aboard Soyuz capsule|access-date=December 20, 2007|publisher=Spaceflight Now|year=2007|author=William Harwood for CBS News}} Under this program, in exchange for the multi-billion purchase of fighter jets by Malaysia, the Russian Federation bore the cost of training two Malaysians for space travel and for sending one to the ISS.

Sheikh Muszaphar's role aboard the Soyuz is referred to as a Spaceflight Participant in English-language Russian Federal Space Agency and NASA documents and press briefings.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/sep/HQ_M07122_Exp_15_and_16_crew_exchange_prt.htm|title=NASA TV Coverage Set for Space Station Crew Exchange|access-date=October 10, 2007|publisher=NASA|year=2007|author=NASA}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna20575522|title=Russian tycoon-explorer may go into space|access-date=October 10, 2007|publisher=NBC News|year=2007|author=MSNBC}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.federalspace.ru/Member.asp?screwID=40 |title=Biography of Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor in Russian Federal Space Agency Website |access-date=October 12, 2007 |publisher=Russian Federal Space Agency |year=2007 |author=Russian Federal Space Agency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027161302/http://www.federalspace.ru/Member.asp?screwID=40 |archive-date=October 27, 2007 |url-status=dead }}

This caused some confusion among the public, since the term Spaceflight Participant is also used for space tourists. Speaking to Malaysian media outlets, Alexander Karchava, the Russian ambassador to Malaysia, stated that Sheikh Muszaphar is a "fully-fledged cosmonaut".{{Cite web|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/10/4/nation/19072942&sec=nation|title=Russian envoy confirms that Malaysian is not a 'mere passenger'|access-date=October 4, 2007|publisher=TheStar|year=2007|author=theStar}} In an interview with the Malaysian Star newspaper, Robert Gibson, a retired NASA astronaut, shared his opinion that Sheikh Muszaphar is fully qualified as an astronaut, and as such, he should be called one. Gibson also said he regarded Sheikh Muszaphar as a peer.{{Cite web|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/10/11/nation/19142225&sec=nation|title=Malaysian a full-fledged cosmonaut, says ex-astronaut|access-date=October 11, 2007|publisher=TheStar|year=2007|author=TheStar|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013073233/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F10%2F11%2Fnation%2F19142225&sec=nation|archive-date=October 13, 2007}}

Mission highlights

File:ISS-16 Soyuz TMA-11 arrival.jpg

The launch, which took place at 13:22 UTC (5:22 p.m. Moscow time) on October 10, 2007, "Went off successfully and without a hitch" according to a Russian official.

{{cite news | url = http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL1016094020071010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071012021539/http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKL1016094020071010 | url-status = dead | archive-date = October 12, 2007 | title = Russian rocket launches first Malaysian into space | publisher = Reuters|author=Shavkat Rakhmatullayev|date=2007-10-10}} In Malaysia, crowds in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur cheered as they watched the live launch broadcast on television sets in Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square). The giant screen originally set up for this purpose failed to function properly.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/10/11/nation/19142489&sec=nation|title=Angkasawan's restaurant staff host celebration|access-date=December 20, 2007|work=The Star|year=2007|author=The Star|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013120747/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2007%2F10%2F11%2Fnation%2F19142489&sec=nation|archive-date=October 13, 2007}}

The Soyuz TMA-11 docking to the ISS occurred at 14:50 UTC on October 12, 2007.{{Cite web|url=http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/exp8_dock_031020.html|title=Soyuz Craft Docks With International Space Station |access-date=December 20, 2007|publisher=Space.com|year=2007|author=Vladamir Isachenkov}}

=Ballistic reentry=

The spacecraft landed in Kazakhstan on April 19, 2008. Similar to Soyuz TMA-1 / Expedition 6 and Soyuz TMA-10 / Expedition 15, the Soyuz performed a ballistic reentry, a reentry steeper than a normal reentry, due to a malfunction and landed 475 km from the intended landing point. This was the second such event in a row for Soyuz TMA. Although the crew were recovered with no serious injuries, the spacecraft's hatch and antenna suffered burn damage during the unusual reentry. Yi So-yeon was hospitalized after her return to South Korea. The South Korean Science Ministry stated that the astronaut had a minor injury to her neck muscles and had bruised her spinal column.{{cite web| url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24386004/| title=Great ball of fire! Nomads saved astronauts |author=Lee Ji-yeon |website=MSNBC |date=30 April 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506122713/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24386004/ |archive-date=2008-05-06}}[http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=space&id=news/Southkor050208.xml&headline=South%20Korean%20Astronaut%20Hospitalized "South Korean Astronaut Hospitalized"], Aviation Week, May 2, 2008 The Russian news agency Interfax reported the ship may have entered the atmosphere hatch-first.[http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJitDZhZSzTx3L37XQOplAlh8fGQD90725NO4 Soyuz crew was in danger during descent] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501193914/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJitDZhZSzTx3L37XQOplAlh8fGQD90725NO4 |date=May 1, 2008 }}

Anatoly Perminov, the head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, speculated that the ballistic reentry was connected to a Russian nautical superstition that having more women than men on a craft was unlucky.{{cite news|title=With partners like these…|author=Jeff Foust|date=20 April 2008|url=http://www.spacepolitics.com/2008/04/20/with-partners-like-these/|website=spacepolitics.com|access-date=March 19, 2023}} The return flight of Soyuz TMA-11 was the first time two women flew together on board a Soyuz, and it was the first time women outnumbered men aboard a spacecraft since Valentina Tereshkova's solo flight in 1963. "This isn't discrimination," Perminov stated when challenged on the point. "I'm just saying that when a majority [of the crew] is female, sometimes certain kinds of unsanctioned behaviour or something else occurs." Perminov said he would try to ensure that the number of women would not exceed the number of men in the future.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/russian-space-capsule-misses-landing-by-420-km-1.290286 |title=Russian space capsule misses landing by 420 km |date=19 April 2008 |access-date=2008-04-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510200538/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080419/soyuz_landing_080419/20080419 |archive-date=2008-05-10 |url-status=live }}

On May 24, 2008, the Russian Federal Space Agency announced that it had determined that during reentry, the spacecraft's service module did not separate as a result of one of five pyro-bolts malfunctioning, so it entered the atmosphere nose-first. As the craft aerobraked, the service module was eventually detached, allowing the remaining descent module to flip around 180° and place its ablative heat shield towards the peak heating.{{cite web|title=Soyuz TMA-11|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-tma-11.htm|website=spacefacts.de|access-date=March 20, 2023}} The root cause of the pyro-bolt failure was not definitively determined, but the Russian investigation concluded that long-term exposure to the electrical environment surrounding the ISS may have damaged the firing system. A similar anomaly of a service module remaining attached during re-entry occurred during Soyuz 5 in 1969.

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20070526101034/http://www.angkasawan.com.my/ National Angkasawan Programme]
{{cite web | url = http://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/researches/angkasa.html | title = Experimental Program for ANGKASA MSM Project | publisher = RSC Energia | access-date = 2007-12-20 | archive-date = 2019-11-08 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191108094433/https://www.energia.ru/eng/iss/researches/angkasa.html | url-status = dead }}

Category:Crewed Soyuz missions

Category:Spacecraft launched in 2007

Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 2008

Category:Spacecraft launched by Soyuz-FG rockets

Soyuz&nbsp;TMA-11