science

Soyuz TMA-1

Soyuz TMA-1 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 TMA-1 rather than just read about it. In short: Soyuz TMA-1, also catalogued as Soyuz TM-35, was a 2002 Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched by a Soyuz FG launch vehicle with a Russian-Belgian cosmonaut crew blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This was the fifth Russian Soyuz spacecraft to fly to the ISS.

Key takeaways

Soyuz TMA-1 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 TMA-1 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Soyuz TMA-1 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Soyuz TMA-1, also catalogued as Soyuz TM-35, was a 2002 Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched by a Soyuz FG launch vehicle with a Russian-Belgian cosmonaut crew blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This was the fifth Russian Soyuz spacecraft to fly to the ISS. It was also the first flight of the TMA-class Soyuz spacecraft. Soyuz TM-34 was the last of the prior Soyuz-TM spacecraft to be launched. The European segment of the mission was called "Odissea".

Crew

Mission parameters Mass: 7,220 kg (15,910 lb), gross Perigee: 193 km Apogee: 235 km Inclination: 51.6° Period: 88.7 minutes

Docking with ISS Docked to ISS: November 1, 2002, 05:01 UTC (to Pirs module) Undocked from ISS: May 3, 2003, 22:43 UTC (from Pirs module)

Specifications Section ref: Astro Gross mass: 7,220 kg (15,910 lb). Unfuelled mass: 6,320 kg (13,930 lb). Height: 6.98 m (22.90 ft). Diameter: 2.20 m (7.20 ft). Span: 10.70 m (35.10 ft). Thrust: 3.92 kN (881 lbf). Specific impulse: 305 s.

Mission highlights In the spring of 2001, a taxi mission to the space station was being scheduled to take place in October 2002. At first the crew was to be commander Sergei Zalyotin and flight engineer Frank De Winne; however, a report released in February 2002 stated that American musician Lance Bass was interested in joining the crew for a one-week mission on board the Russian spacecraft. The mission began to fall through, and by September 2002 they had discontinued the training of Lance Bass due to the mission organizers' failure to meet the terms of the contract. They filled the vacant seat left by Lance Bass with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Lonchakov. While the Soyuz TMA-1 was on orbit, the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred and required a change in crew changeout process. The Soyuz system became the sole method for crew to launch to and return from the ISS until the space shuttle was returned to service in July 2005. Soyuz TMA-1 disembarked from ISS on May 4, 2003 and immediately began its return to Earth, marking the first entry and descent for this Soyuz class. A technical malfunction caused the Soyuz control system to abandon the gentler controlled entry and descent and instead fall back to the harsher ballistic reentry and descent. This resulted in a steep and off target landing of the spacecraft. The craft landed 300 miles short of the planned area, and the crew was subjected to severe acceleration loads. Communication with the Soyuz was lost because one antenna was ripped off during descent, and two more did not deploy. The crew regained communications through an emergency transmitter after landing. Due to this event, future crews would be provided with a satellite phone to establish contact with recovery forces. Subsequent Soyuz TMA missions were able to successfully execute controlled reentries until the Soyuz TMA-10 and Soyuz TMA-11 missions which both also reverted to ballistic descents. Don Pettit, concerned that the film documenting his science experiments on the ISS would be damaged by space radiation before the next Shuttle could bring it home, decided to secure the film and other items in a 20-kilogram (44 lb) pack he placed on his chest during reentry. While a normal Soyuz entry involves 3 G's, the ballistic reentry subjecting the crew to over 8 G's. This extreme force made the pack feel like a 160-kilogram (350 lb) weight pressing down on Pettit's chest. Pettit was left exhausted and reportedly dislocated a shoulder, but the space agencies downplayed the situation saying the astronauts were in good shape.

References

Footnotes

External links

NASA.gov: Expedition 21 and Soyuz TMA-1 Archived 2013-11-12 at the Wayback Machine

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Soyuz TMA-1

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Soyuz TMA-1 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 TMA-1 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 TMA-1 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 TMA-1

In research: Soyuz TMA-1 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 TMA-1 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 TMA-1 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Crewed Soyuz missions, Human spaceflights to the International Space Station, Spacecraft launched by Soyuz-FG rockets, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Soyuz TMA-1 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 TMA-1 in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Soyuz TMA-1 in simple terms?

Why does Soyuz TMA-1 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 TMA-1?

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 TMA-1.