Soyuz 7K-MF6 is a version of the Soyuz spacecraft and was the second Soviet spacecraft designed for space station flight, a dedicated science mission. Its only crewed flight was conducted in 1976 with Soyuz 22 of the Soyuz programme.[2]

Soyuz 7K-MF6
Soyuz 7K-MF6 and crew on a Soviet stamp
ManufacturerExperimental Design Bureau
(OKB-1)
Country of originSoviet Union
OperatorSoviet space program
ApplicationsCrewed spacecraft as Earth Observatory Station
Specifications
Launch mass6,510 kilograms (14,350 lb) [1]
Dimensions
Height
7.6 metres (25 ft)
Volume
9,000 cubic metres (320,000 cu ft)
PowerSolar arrays
output 1.3 kW
from 10 square metres (110 sq ft)
on 4-segments
EquipmentMF6
multispectral camera
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Design lifeUp to 35 days, used for 8 days
Production
StatusOut of service
Built1
Launched1
Related spacecraft
Derived fromSoyuz 7K-TM
Soyuz 7K-T


Vimpel Diamond for entrainment patch

Design and flight

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Mission Crew Launch Landing Duration Notes
Soyuz 22   Valery Bykovsky
  Vladimir Aksyonov
15 Sept 1976 23 Sept 1976 8 days Earth sciences and (possibly a) reconnaissance mission. Final crewed Soyuz spaceflight to not visit a space station[3]

The one craft of the Soyuz 7K-MF6 was modified from the original Soyuz 7K-TM/Soyuz 7K-T with the addition of observatory platform. The Soyuz 7K-MF6 flew once on Soyuz 22. Soyuz 7K-MF6 propulsion was from a KTDU-80, liquid rocket engine. Soyuz 7K-MF6 was the second Soviet manned space observatory, the first was Soyuz 13/Soyuz 7K-T-AF. Soyuz 7K-MF6/Soyuz 2 housed the MKF-6 multi-spectral camera. The spectral camera was used for photography of Earth. The multi-spectral camera was manufactured by Carl Zeiss-Jena in East Germany. The universal docking port was removed and a multispectral camera was installed in its place. The observatory equipment was added to the top of nose cone of the spacecraft. Soyuz 7K-MF6 started as the back up spacecraft for the Apollo–Soyuz project, a Soyuz ASTP craft # 74. The Soyuz ASTP was modified in 1976 to become 7K-MF6, after it was not need for the Apollo–Soyuz project that ended in 1975, which used spacecraft Soyuz 19 and Apollo CSM-111. [4][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Soyuz 22". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. NASA. 10 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ Mark Wade. "Soyuz 7K-MF6". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 14 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Spaceflight mission report: Soyuz 22". SPACEFACTS.de. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  4. ^ Mark Wade. "Baikonur LC1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
  5. ^ Dennis Newkirk (1990). Almanac of Soviet Manned Space Flight. Houston, Texas: Gulf Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87201-848-2.
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MKF-6 control panel
 
MKF-6 camera lenses