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Soyuz TM-3

Soyuz TM-3 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Soyuz TM-3 rather than just read about it. In short: Soyuz TM-3 was the third crewed spaceflight to visit the Soviet space station Mir, following Soyuz T-15 and Soyuz TM-2. It was launched in July 1987, during the long duration expedition Mir EO-2, and acted as a lifeboat for the second segment of that expedition.

Soyuz TM-3 — main illustration
Soyuz TM-3 — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Soyuz TM-3 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Soyuz TM-3 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Soyuz TM-3 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Soyuz TM-3 was the third crewed spaceflight to visit the Soviet space station Mir, following Soyuz T-15 and Soyuz TM-2. It was launched in July 1987, during the long duration expedition Mir EO-2, and acted as a lifeboat for the second segment of that expedition. There were three people aboard the spacecraft at launch, including the two man crew of the week-long mission Mir EP-1, consisting of Soviet cosmonaut Aleksandr Viktorenko and Syrian Muhammed Faris. Faris was the first Syrian to travel to space, and as of July 2025, the only one. The third cosmonaut launched was Aleksandr Aleksandrov, who would replace one of the long duration crew members Aleksandr Laveykin of Mir EO-2. Laveykin had been diagnosed by ground-based doctors to have minor heart problems, so he returned to Earth with the EP-1 crew in Soyuz TM-2. Soyuz TM-3 landed near the end of December 1987, landing both members of the EO-2 crew, as well as potential Buran pilot Anatoli Levchenko, who had been launched to Mir a week earlier aboard Soyuz TM-4.

Crew

Mission parameters Mass: 7100 kg Perigee: 297 km Apogee: 353 km Inclination: 51.6° Period: 91.0 minutes

References

Illustrations

Soyuz TM-3 illustration
Soyuz TM-3 illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Soyuz TM-3

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Soyuz TM-3 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Soyuz TM-3 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Soyuz TM-3 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Soyuz TM-3

In research
Soyuz TM-3 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Soyuz TM-3 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Soyuz TM-3 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1987 in Syria, 1987 in spaceflight, 1987 in the Soviet Union, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Soyuz TM-3 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Soyuz TM-3 in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Soyuz TM-3 means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Soyuz TM-3 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Soyuz TM-3 in simple terms?

Soyuz TM-3 was the third crewed spaceflight to visit the Soviet space station Mir, following Soyuz T-15 and Soyuz TM-2. It was launched in July 1987, during the long duration expedition Mir EO-2, and acted as a lifeboat for the second segment of that expedition.

Why does Soyuz TM-3 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Soyuz TM-3?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Soyuz TM-3.

Tags

  • 1987 in Syria
  • 1987 in spaceflight
  • 1987 in the Soviet Union
  • Crewed Soyuz missions
  • Human spaceflights to Mir
  • Interkosmos program
  • Soviet Union–Syria relations
  • Spacecraft launched in 1987
  • Spacecraft which reentered in 1987

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