Soyuz TMA-M

Soyuz TMA-M
ManufacturerEnergia
Country of origin Russia
OperatorRoscosmos
ApplicationsISS crew transport
Specifications
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Design lifeUp to six months docked to ISS
Production
StatusRetired
Launched20
Maiden launch7 October 2010
(Soyuz TMA-01M)
Last launch18 March 2016
(Soyuz TMA-20M)
Related spacecraft
Derived fromSoyuz TMA
DerivativesSoyuz MS

The Soyuz TMA-M was a spacecraft developed by Energia and operated by Roscosmos for human spaceflight. Introduced in 2010, it is a revision of the Soyuz spacecraft with upgrades over its predecessor, the Soyuz TMA.

The primary difference between the Soyuz TMA-M and the Soyuz TMA was that it replaced several pieces of outdated equipment including the 70-kilogram (150 lb) Argon [ru] main computer[1] and its analogue avionics, many of which were no longer in production, with a new digital computer, the TsVM-101 [ru] and digital avionics.[2] The changes reduced the vehicle's total mass by 70 kilograms (150 lb).[3]

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, a member of the Soyuz TMA-01M crew, praised the spacecraft's new digital displays, noting that they made flying easier and less demanding.[4]

Additionally, power consumption was reduced throughout the ship, contributing to its overall efficiency..[2] There are also changes to the spacecraft's structure, such as replacing the magnesium alloy used in the instrument module frame with aluminium alloy,[2] to make the ship easier to manufacture.[3]

Two flight development flights were launched: Soyuz TMA-01M on Oct 7, 2010 and Soyuz TMA-02M on Jun 7, 2011. The third ship, Soyuz TMA-03M, launched on 21 December 2011 and was used for qualification tests. In addition to verifying the nominal operation of the spaceship, the testing included verification of off-nominal modes, such as manual attitude control, issuing of orbital maneuvering pulses using four berthing and attitude thrusters, and flying around the ISS in manual control mode.[5]

The TMA-M variant flew 20 missions at a cadence of four times a year before being replaced in 2016 by the Soyuz MS. For the launch schedule, see List of Russian human spaceflight missions.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Argon-16 Computer. Argon Family of Computers". Russian Virtual Computer Museum. 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Soyuz TMA-M manned transport vehicle of a new series". RKK Energia Corporation. 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Soyuz TMA-M variant". russianspaceweb.com. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  4. ^ "Three men launched into space for half-year voyage". SpaceflightNow. 2010-10-07.
  5. ^ "Soyuz TMA-M manned transport vehicle of a new series – Flight tests". RKK Energia. 2010.
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