astronomy

Soyuz TMA-20M

Soyuz TMA-20M is a astronomy 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-20M rather than just read about it. In short: Soyuz TMA-20M was a 2016 Russian Soyuz spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS). It transported three members of the Expedition 47 crew to the ISS.

Key takeaways

Soyuz TMA-20M belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Soyuz TMA-20M to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Soyuz TMA-20M from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Soyuz TMA-20M was a 2016 Russian Soyuz spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS). It transported three members of the Expedition 47 crew to the ISS. TMA-20M was the 129th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft. The crew consisted of a Russian commander and flight engineer, as well as an American flight engineer. It was the final flight of the Soyuz TMA-M design, being replaced by the Soyuz MS in 2016.

Crew

Backup crew

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Soyuz TMA-20M

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Soyuz TMA-20M claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, 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-20M 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-20M 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-20M

In research: Soyuz TMA-20M appears in astronomy 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-20M 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-20M is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2016 in Russia, Crewed Soyuz missions, Fully civilian crewed orbital spaceflights, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Soyuz TMA-20M 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-20M in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Soyuz TMA-20M 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-20M out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Soyuz TMA-20M in simple terms?

Soyuz TMA-20M was a 2016 Russian Soyuz spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS). It transported three members of the Expedition 47 crew to the ISS.

Why does Soyuz TMA-20M matter?

Because it connects several astronomy 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-20M?

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-20M.