@S1-A.ARPA,@MIT-MC.ARPA:glenn@ll-vlsi (09/21/85)
From: glenn@ll-vlsi.arpa (Glenn Chapman)
The Soviet Soyuz T-14 spacecraft docked with the Salyut 7 space station
yesterday (Sept 18). This mission, though not talked about in the news media,
is already showing several interesting features. First the Russians have
announced that this will be a eight day visit and that the returning crew will
bring back the Soyuz T-13 craft. They have never given out that type of
data at the time of docking before. Secondly one T-14 crew member,
G. Grechko, will be staying behind on the Salyut with the crew that has already
been there for about 100 days. Grechko has previously spent time on Salyut 4
and 6, while the returning crew are both rookies. This is the first time
a new crew member has been added to space station mission that is already
under way. In deed this is the type of thing one would see in a permently
manned space station! Thirdly the exchange of the Soyuz's suggests that this
Salyut will be manned for at least another 100 days. If the new Soyuz is
taken to it's full rated time in orbit (about 180 days) it would mean that they
may not be comming down before March '86. That would give the original Salyut
crew a 280 odd day mission, and a new world's record for time in orbit
(about 18% greater than the previous 237 day record). Finally to mount
this type of mission suggests that the Salyut 8 replacement station, which
was expected to be launched this year, probably will not be put in orbit for
a while longer.
At this rate the Russians will beat us to the permanently manned space station
by about 7 or 8 years. Depressing isn't it.
Glenn Chapman