A History of Manned Space Missions
| Mission (Country) |
Craft | Launch Date | Crew | Mission Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vostok-1 (USSR) |
Kedr (Cedar) | April 12, 1961 | Gagarin | Cosmonaut Yuri Garagin became the first human in space. |
| Mercury-3 (USA) |
Freedom 7 | May 5, 1961 | Shepard | Alan Shepard became the first American in space during a fifteen minute sub-orbital flight |
| Mercury-4 (USA) |
Liberty Bell-7 | July 21, 1961 | Grissom | The second US sub-orbital flight, reaching an altitude of 126 miles |
| Vostok-2 (USSR) |
Orel (Eagle) | August 6, 1961 | Titov | Titov was the first to spend an entire day in space. |
| Mercury-6 (USA) |
Friendship 7 | February 20,1962 | Glenn | The first US manned orbital flight at an orbit 100-162 miles from the Earth. |
| Mercury-7 (USA) |
Aurora 7 | May 24, 1962 | Carpenter | The second US manned orbital flight which orbited the Earth three times. |
| Vostok-3 (USSR) |
Sokol (Falcon) | August 11, 1962 | Nikolayev | First four-day flight and first "group" flight with Vostok-4. |
| Vostok-4 (USSR) |
Berkut (Golden Eagle) | August 12, 1962 | Popovich | The other half of the first "group" flight. Vostok-4 came within five miles of Vostok-3. |
| Mercury-8 (USA) |
Sigma 7 | October 3, 1962 | Schirra | Walter Schirra orbited the Earth six times during this 9 hour mission. |
| Mercury 9 (USA) |
Faith 7 | May 15, 1963 | Cooper | Cooper pilots the longest and last Mercury mission, totalling 34 hours in space. |
| Vostok 5 (USSR) |
Yastreb (Hawk) | June 14, 1963 | Bykovsky | Bykovsky set an endurance record of 5 days in space. |
| Vostok 6 (USSR) |
Chaika (Seagull) | June 16,1963 | Tereshkova | This mission marked the first woman in space. |
| Voskhod 1 (USSR) |
Rubin (Ruby) | October 12, 1964 | Komarov Feoktistov Yegorov |
The first space crew, with one pilot and two passengers. The capsule was so crowded that the crew did not wear spacesuits. All suffered from space sickness. |
| Voskhod 2 (USSR) |
Almaz (Diamond) | March 18, 1965 | Belyavyev Leonov |
Leonov became the first person to walk in space. They landed far from their designated spot and ended up in the Ural mountains. It took two days for the rescue team to find them. |
| Gemini-Titan 3 (USA) |
Molly Brown | March 23, 1965 | Grissom Young |
Starting the Gemini program, this spacecraft was the first to carry a computer for guidance and was powered by rocket. The manueverability of this craft led to the eventual rendezvous and docking of vehicles in space. |
| Gemini-Titan 4 (USA) |
Gemini 4 | June 3, 1965 | McDivitt White |
This mission set a four-day endurance record. White made the first American spacewalk for 21 minutes. |
| Gemini-Titan 5 (USA) |
Gemini 5 | August 21, 1965 | Cooper Conrad |
Cooper and Conrad set the world endurance record by spending 8 days in orbit. This proved that humans could survive in space long enough to travel to the moon and back. |
| Gemini-Titan 7 (USA) |
Gemini 7 | December 4, 1965 | Borman Lovell |
This mission set yet another endurance record of 13 days and made the first American rendezvous between two manned spacecraft with Gemini 6 |
| Gemini-Titan 6-A (USA) |
Gemini 6 | December 15,1965 | Schirra Stafford |
Gemini 6 rendezvoused with Gemini 7 coming within one foot of the other. |
| Gemini-Titan 8 (USA) |
Gemini 8 | March 16,1966 | Armstrong Scott |
Armstrong and Scott perform the first docking in space with another space vehicle - an Agena target rocket. The mission was prematurely terminated after only 10 hours and 41 minutes due to problems with a stuck thruster. |
| Gemini-Titan 9-A (USA) |
Gemini 9 | June 3,1966 | Stafford Cernan |
Gemini 9 rendezvoused with the Augmented Target Docking Adaptor, but were unable to dock with the vehicle. |
| Gemini-Titan 10 (USA) |
Gemini 10 | July 18,1966 | Young Collins |
Gemini 10 reached a record altitude of 468 miles (752km). The craft rendevoused and docked two different Agena targets and Collins performed two spacewalks. |
| Gemini-Titan 11 (USA) |
Gemini 11 | September 12, 1966 | Conrad Gordon |
Gemini made the first American autopilot reentry and landing. A new record altitude was made of 850 miles (1360km). Gemini made a rendezvous and docking with a target Agena and Gordon made two spacewalks. |
| Gemini-Titan 12 (USA) |
Gemini 12 | November 11, 1966 | Lovell Aldrin |
In this last Gemini mission, Aldrin made three spacewalks totaling 5.5 hours. He performed several simple tasks with tools outside the spacecraft. |
| Apollo-Saturn 204 (USA) |
Apollo 1 | January 27, 1967 | Grissom White Chaffee |
While training for a fourteen-day mission scheduled for launch in February, astronauts Grissom, White, and Chaffee were killed in a fire aboard the Apollo 1. |
| Soyuz 1 (USSR) |
Rubin (Ruby) | April 23, 1967 | Komarov | Cosmonaut Komarov launches the first Soyuz mission. The spacecraft experienced problems in maintaining its orientation. When Komarov attempted a reentry, Soyuz 1 crashed and killed him. |
| Apollo-Saturn 7 (USA) |
Apollo 7 | October 11, 1968 | Schirra Eisele Cunningham |
The Apollo spacecraft makes its first flight as the astronauts perform several tests during its 11 days in orbit. The first live television pictures from space occurs on this mission. |
| Soyuz 3 (USSR) |
Argon | October 26,1968 | Beregovoy | First manned flight of the redesigned Soyuz craft. The mission completed a rendezvous with the unmanned Soyuz 2. |
| Apollo-Saturn 8 (USA) |
Apollo 8 | December 21, 1968 | ,Borman Lovell Anders |
This Saturn 5 rocket sent the astronauts to the far side of the moon, a first in manned flight. They made ten orbits around the moon on this most powerful rocket ever used in manned flight. |
| Soyuz 4 (USSR) |
Amur | January 14,1969 | Shatalov | Soyuz 4 was joined by Soyuz 5 on January 15. Shatalov piloted the rendevous and docking on January 16 with Soyuz 5 and then Yeliseyev and Khrunov took a spacewalk over to Soyuz 4. The three returned to Earth together. |
| Soyuz 5 (USSR) |
Baikal | January 15, 1969 | Volynov Yeliseyev Khrunov |
Soyuz 5 was docked by Soyuz 4. Yeliseyev and Khrunov transferred over to vSoyuz 4 and Volynov returned to earth alone. |
| Apollo-Saturn 9 (USA) |
Apollo 9 cm: Gumdrop lm: Spider |
March 3, 1969 | McDivitt Scott Schweickart |
McDivitt and Schweickart made the first manned test of the lunar module (lm), while Scott remained aboard the command module (cm). |
| Apollo-Saturn 10 (USA) |
Apollo 10 cm: Charlie Brown lm: Snoopy |
May 18, 1969 | Stafford Young Cernan |
This mission was a dress rehearsal for a lunar landing. The lunar module came within 10 miles of the surface of the moon and took photographs of the Apollo 11 landing site. |
| Apollo-Saturn 11 (USA) |
Apollo 11 cm: Columbia lm: Eagle |
July 16, 1969 | Armstrong Collins Aldrin |
Apollo 11 successfully completed the first manned mission to the lunar surface. At 10:56am on July 20, Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon, joined 18 minutes by Aldrin. Armstrong and Aldrin remained on the surface for 20 hours and took a two-hour moonwalk. |
| Soyuz 6 (USSR) |
Antei (Anteus) | October 11, 1969 | Shonin Kubasov |
Soyuz 6, 7, and 8 were launched within a day of each other, putting a total of seven cosmonauts in space at the same time for a joint mission. Kubasov performed the first space welding experiment. |
| Soyuz 7 (USSR) |
Buran (Snowstorm) | October 12, 1969 | Filipchenko Volkov Gorbatko |
Soyuz 6, 7, and 8 were launched within a day of each other, putting a total of seven cosmonauts in space at the same time for a joint mission. |
| Soyuz 8 (USSR) |
Granit (Granite) | October 13, 1969 | Shatalov Yeliseyev |
Soyuz 6, 7, and 8 were launched within a day of each other, putting a total of seven cosmonauts in space at the same time for a joint mission. |
| Apollo-Saturn 12 (USA) |
Apollo 12 cm: Yankee Clipper lm: Intrepid |
November 14, 1969 | Conrad Gordon Bean |
Apollo 12 made the second landing on the moon. Conrad and Bean collected 31 kilograms of lunar rock and soil, and retrieved parts of the unmanned Surveyor 3 spacecraft. |
| Apollo-Saturn 13 (USA) |
Apollo 13 cm: Odyssey lm: Aquarius |
April 11, 1970 | Lovell Swigert Haise |
The third manned lunar landing was aborted due to an explosion aboard the command module on April 13. Lovell, Swigert, and Haise used the lunar module as a lifeboat. Through the heroic work of the astronauts and ground engineers, the spacecraft and crew returned safely to Earth. |
| Soyuz 9 (USSR) |
Sokol (Falcon) | June 1, 1970 | Nikolayev Sevastyanov |
This eighteen-day flight set a new endurance record. However, the two astronauts had to be carried from the spacecraft after landing. |
| Apollo-Saturn 14 (USA) |
Apollo 14 cm: Kitty Hawk lm: Antares |
January 31, 1971 | Shepard Roosa Mitchell |
Apollo 14 was the third successful lunar landing mission. This mission was the first to use a tool cart on the moon, for the collection of more rock and soil samples. |
| Soyuz 10 (USSR) |
Granit (Granite) | April 23, 1971 | Shatalov Yeliseyev Rukavishnikov |
Soyuz 10 was launched four days after Salyut, the first Soviet space station. The cosmonauts docked the station, but were unable to enter. |
| Soyuz 11 (USSR) |
Yantar (Amber) | June 6, 1971 | Dobrovolsky Volkov Patsayev |
These cosmonauts became the first crew of the Salyut 1 space station. They were in orbit for 24 days, completing experiments, observations, and other tasks. The mission ended in tragedy when all three cosmonauts were killed by a sudden cabin leak on Yantar prior to their return to Earth. |
| Apollo-Saturn 15 (USA) |
Apollo 15 cm: Endeavour lm: Falcon |
July 26, 1971 | Scott Worden Irwin |
Scott and Irwin became the first astronauts to use the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the fourth successful lunar landing. |
| Apollo-Saturn 16 (USA) |
Apollo 16 cm: Casper lm: Orion |
April 16, 1972 | Young Mattingly Duke |
Young and Duke visited the previously unexplored lunar highlands, using the Lunar Rover a second time. |
| Apollo-Saturn 17 (USA) |
Apollo 17 cm: Challenger lm: America |
December 7, 1972 | Cernan Evans Schmitt |
Apollo 17 was the last lunar landing mission. Cernan and Schmitt completed three moon walks, obtained rock and soil samples, and used a lunar rover to cover more than 18 miles (30km) of territory. |
| Skylab SL-2 (USA) |
Skylab | May 25, 1973 | Conrad Kerwin Weitz |
The first American laboratory in space, Skylab, was launched on the last Saturn 5 rocket, to be joined on May 25 by its crew: Conrad, Weitz (the first American physician-astronaut), and Kerwin. The crew made repairs to the lab which was damaged during launch. They spent 28 days in space performing experiments and observations. |
| Skylab SL-3 (USA) |
Skylab | July 23, 1973 | Bean Garriott Lousma |
These astronauts became the second crew of Skylab. After a period of severe motion sickness, the crew settled down to a regular schedule of experiments and observations, spending 60 days in orbit. |
| Soyuz 12(USSR) | Urals | September 27, 1973 | Lazarev |
Using a redesigned spacecraft, Soyuz 12 went through a systems check on a two-day mission. The cosmonauts of this mission became the first to wear spacesuits in flight since 1965. |
| Skylab SL-4 (USA) |
Skylab | November 15, 1973 | Carr Gibson Pogue |
These astronauts became the final crew of Skylab, completing an 84-day mission of experiments and observations. They obtained observations of Comet Kohoutek, as well as an impressive solar flare. They returned safely on February 8, 1974. Skylab itself re-entered the Earth's atmosphere in 1979 and broke into numerous pieces which scattered over the Pacific Ocean and Australia. |
| Soyuz 13 (USSR) |
Kavkaz (Caucasus) | December 18,1973 | Klimuk Lebedev |
Soyuz 13 carried the Orion astrophysical observatory, which was never deployed to the Salyut space station. Klimuk and Lebedev observed Comet Kahoutek as did the Skylab astronauts. It was the first time that Soviet and American space travelers were in orbit simultaneously. |
| Soyuz 14 (USSR) |
Berkut (Golden Eagle) | July 3, 1974 | Popovich Artyukhin |
These two astronauts conducted the USSR's first successful space station mission, spending 14 days aboard Salyut 3. |
| Soyuz 15 (USSR) |
Dunai (Danube) | August 26, 1974 | Sarafanov Demin |
Soyuz 15 had to cut its trip to Salyut 3 for a two-week mission short when their guidance system failed. They returned to Earth safely. |
| Soyuz 16 (USSR) |
Buran (Snowstorm) | December 2, 1974 | Filipchenko Rukavishnikov |
This mission was a dress rehearsal for the Soviet-American flight scheduled for July 1975. NASA ground stations tracked Soyuz 16 after launch. |
| Soyuz 17 (USSR) |
Zenit (Zenith) | January 11, 1975 | Gubarev Grechko |
Gubarev and Grechko conducted experiments aboard Salyut 4 for 29 days. |
| Soyuz 18 (USSR) |
Kavkaz (Caucasus) | May 24, 1975 | Klimuk Sevastyanov |
Klimuk and Sevastyanov docked Salyut 4 and spent 61 days in orbit performing experiments. |
| Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (USA-USSR) |
Apollo/Soyuz | July 15, 1975 | Leonov Kubasov Stafford Brand Slayton |
A joint mission to link the last Apollo spacecraft with the Soyuz 19 spacecraft. Soyuz 19 lifted off first. Seven hours later Apollo lifted off. A rendezvous and docking with the Soyuz 19 spacecraft occured on July 17, and the two crews shake hands and begin two days of activities together. The spacecrafts separated on July 19, with Soyuz returning to Earth on July 21 followed by Apollo on July 24. |
| Soyuz 21 (USSR) |
Baikal | July 6, 1976 | Volynov Zholobov |
The two cosmonauts spent 49 days in space for a mission devoted to manufacturing and military stuff. They returned three weeks early due to physical and psychological problems. |
| Soyuz 22 (USSR) |
Yastreb (Hawk) | September 15, 1976 | Bykovsky Aksenov |
Soyuz 22 made observations of the Earth's surface with the East German-built MKF-6 camera. |
| Soyuz 23 (USSR) |
Rodon | October 14, 1976 | Zudov Rozhdestvensky |
Soyuz 23 made the first Soviet splashdown when its guidance system malfunctioned during an attempted docking of Salyut 5. |
| Soyuz 24 (USSR) |
Terek | February 7, 1977 | Gorbatko Glazkov |
These two cosmonauts spent 17 days aboard Salyut 5 in a mission to collect military photos. |
| Soyuz 26 (USSR) |
Taimyr | December 10, 1977 | Romanenko Grechko |
Romanenko and Grechko set a space endurance record aboard Salyut 6, spending 96 days in space. They were visited by two teams of cosmonauts and received supplies from an unmanned Progress spacecraft. They returned to Earth aboard Soyuz 27. |
| Soyuz 27 (USSR) |
Pamir | January 10, 1978 | Dzhanibekov |
Dzhanibekow and Makarov docked Sakyut 6, swapped spacecraft with Romanenko and Grechko, and returned to Earth in Soyuz 26 after five days. |
| Soyuz 28 (USSR) |
Zenit (Zenith) | March 2, 1978 | Gubarev Remek |
Czechoslovakian Remek became the first non-American, non-Soviet in space. He and Gubarev joined the other cosmonauts aboard Salyut 6 and spent seven days doing experiments. |
| Soyuz 29 (USSR) |
Foton (Photon) | June 15, 1978 | Kovalenok Ivanchenkov |
These two cosmonauts set a new endurance record of 136 days in space as the second crew of Salyut 6. They were visited by two teams of cosmonauts and received supplies from three Progess spacecraft. They returned aboard Soyuz 31. |
| Soyuz 30 (USSR) |
Kavkaz (Caucasus) | June 27, 1978 | Klimuk Hermaszewski |
Hermaszewski became the first Polish cosmonaut in space. He and Klimuk spent a week aboard Salyut 6 performing experiments. |
| Soyuz 31 (USSR) |
Yastreb (Hawk) | August 26, 1978 | Bykovsky Jaehn |
Jaehn became the first German space traveler. He and Bykovsky spent a week aboard Salyut 6 performing experiments. |
| Soyuz 32 (USSR) |
Proton | February 25, 1979 | Lyakhov Ryumin |
Lyakhov and Ryumin set another endurance record of 175 days in space as the third crew of Salyut 6. Some of their work included observations with a KT-10 radio telescope. They returned aboard Soyuz 34, which had been launched unmanned. |
| Soyuz 35 (USSR) |
Dnepr (Dnieper) | April 9, 1980 | Popov Ryumin |
Ryumin and Popov spent six months in space as the fourth crew of Salyut 6. |
| Soyuz 36 (USSR) |
Orion | May 26, 1980 | Kubasov Farkas |
Farkas, the first Hungarian in space, and Kubasov visited Salyut 6 on their mission of 7 days. |
| Soyuz T-2 (USSR) |
Yupiter (Jupiter) | June 5, 1980 | Malyshev Aksenov |
This mission performed the first test flight of an improved Soyuz. The new guidance system failed on approach to Salyut 6, but the astronauts were able to dock at Salyut 6 and spend three days with their fellow comrades. |
| Soyuz 37 (USSR) |
Terek | July 23, 1980 | Gorbatko Tuan |
Tuan became the first Vietnamese in space as he and Gorbatko visited Salyut 6 and made a commemoration of the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics. |
| Soyuz 38 (USSR) |
Taimyr | September 18, 1980 | Romanenko Mendez |
Mendez became the first Cuban in space as he and Romanenko visited Salyut 6 for a week. |
| Soyuz T-3 (USSR) |
Mayak (Beacon) | November 27, 1980 | Kizim Makarov Strekalov |
During this 12-day mission, the cosmonauts made repairs to Salyut 6 in preparation for the fifth crew. |
| Soyuz T-4 (USSR) |
Foton | March 12, 1981 | Kovalenok Savinykh |
Kovalenok and Savinykh became the fifth crew of Salyut 6. Salyut 6 had well exceeded its design lifetime, but the cosmonauts spent 74 days there performing experiments and having guests (fellow cosmonauts, of course). |
| Soyuz 39 (USSR) |
Pamir | March 22, 1981 | Dzhanibekov Gurragcha |
Gurragcha became the first Mongolian in space as he and Dzhanibekov visited Salyut 6 for a 7-day mission. |
| STS-1 (USA) |
Columbia | April 12, 1981 | Young Crippen |
The first winged, reusable spacecraft, now known as Space Shuttle, to be launched. |
| Soyuz 40 (USSR) |
Dnepr | May 14, 1981 | Popov Prunariu |
The first Romanian in space, Prunariu and Soviet Popov spent seven days aboard Salyut 6. |
| STS-2 (USA) |
Columbia | November 12, 1981 | Engle Truly |
The second flight of Shuttle Columbia. Technical problems shortened the mission from five to two days. |
| STS-3 (USA) |
Columbia | March 22, 1982 | Lousma Fullerton |
The third Columbia Shuttle flight test. |
| Soyuz T-5 (USSR) |
Elbrus | May 13, 1982 | Berezovoy Lebedev |
Berezovoy and Lebedev spent an unprecedented 7 months in space aboard the new space station, Salyut 7. During their mission they deployed a scientific satellite and performed several spacewalks. |
| Soyuz T-6 (USSR) |
Pamir | June 24, 1982 | Dzhanibekov Ivanchenkov |
Chretien became the first French and Western European to go into space aboard a Soviet vehicle. The three cosmonauts spent 7 days aboard Salyut 7. |
| STS-4 (USA) |
Columbia | June 27, 1982 | Mattingly Hartsfield |
The fourth and final Shuttle flight test carried a Department of Defense experiment and the first commercial experiment. |
| Soyuz T-7 (USSR) |
Dnepr | August 19, 1982 | Popov Serebrov Savitskaya |
Savitskaya became the second woman in space as she and fellow cosmonauts visited Salyut 7 for a 7 day mission. |
|
STS-5 (USA) |
Columbia | November 11, 1982 | Brand Overmyer Allen Lenoir |
First operational flight of the Space Shuttle and the first manned spacecraft to carry four crewmembers. |
| STS-6 (USA) |
Challenger | April 4, 1983 | Weitz Karol Bobko Musgrave Peterson |
First flight of Shuttle Challenger. The first spacewalk of the shuttle program was performed. |
| STS-7 (USA) |
Challenger | June 18, 1983 | Crippen Hauck Fabian Ride Thagard |
Ride became the first American woman to make a space flight. The five-person crew that deployed three satellites. |
| Soyuz T-9 (USSR) |
Proton | June 27, 1983 | Lyakhov Alexandrov |
Lyakhov and Alexandrov spent five months aboard the Salyut 7/Kosmos 1443 complex. Salyut 7 suffered a massive fuel leak that almost disabled the station and forced the cosmonauts to make two spacewalks for repairs. They returned safely to Earth on Novermber 23. |
| STS-8 (USA) |
Challenger | April 30, 1983 | Truly Brandenstein Bluford Gardner Thornton |
Bluford became the first African-American to go into space. First nighttime launch and landing in the Shuttle program. |
| STS-9 (USA) |
Columbia, Spacelab | November 28, 1983 | Young Shaw Garriott Parker Lichtenberg Merbold |
First flight of the European Space Agency's Spacelab. Scientists of the crew conducted 72 experiments. |
| 41-B (USA) |
Challenger | February 3, 1984 | Brand Gibson McNair Stewart McCandless |
The first untethered spacewalk in history was made using the manned maneuvering unit (MMU). |
| Soyuz T-10 (USSR) |
Mayak | February 8, 1984 | Kizim Solovyov Atkov |
Kizim, Solovyov, and Atkov set a new endurance record by spending eight months aboard Salyut 7. They spent most of their time doing medical research. |
| Soyuz T-11 (USSR) |
Yupiter | April 3, 1984 | Malyshev Strekalov Sharma |
Sharma became the first astronaut from India to make a spaceflight as he and his fellow cosmonauts spent a week aboard Salyut 7. |
| 41-C (USA) |
Challenger | April 6, 1984 | Crippen Scobee Hart van Hoften Nelson |
This mission accomplished the first capture, repair, and redeployment of a satellite. The astronauts also deployed the long-duration exposure facility (LDEF). |
| Soyuz T-12 (USSR) |
Pamir | July 17, 1984 | Dzhanibekov Savitskaya |
Savitskaya became the first woman to make a spacewalk during this 11-day resupply mission to Salyut 7. |
| 41-D (USA) |
Discovery | August 30, 1984 | Hartsfield Coats Mullane Hawley Resnik Walker |
First flight of the Shuttle Discovery. The Continuous Flow Electrophoresis Experiment was done and three satellites were deployed. |
| 41-G (USA) |
Challenger | October 5, 1984 | Crippen McBride Sullivan Ride Leestma Scully-Power Garneau |
First crew of seven. The astronauts deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite. Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space. |
| 51-A (USA) |
Discovery | November 8, 1984 | Hauck Walker Allen Fisher Gardner |
Two new satellites were launched and two broken satellites were retrieved. |
| 51-C (USA) |
Discovery | January 24, 1985 | Mattingly Shriver Onizuka Buchli Payton |
The first classified U.S. Department of Defense Shuttle mission. |
| 51-D (USA) |
Discovery | April 12, 1985 | Bobko Williams Seddon Griggs Hoffman Walker Garn |
This mission deployed a communications satellite. |
| 51-B (USA) |
Challenger, Spacelab | April 29, 1985 | Overmyer Gregory Lind Thagard Thornton Wang van den Berg |
Spacelab 3, the first life sciences and space manufacturing Spacelab mission. 14 experiments were carried out. |
| Soyuz T-13 (USSR) |
Pamir | June 6 1985 | Dzhanibekov Savinykh |
These two cosmonauts restored the dead Salyut 7 by spending 112 days performing repairs on the space station. |
| 51-G (USA) |
Discovery | June 17, 1985 | Brandenstein Creighton Fabian Nagel Lucid Baudry Al-Saud |
The first tri-national space crew deployed three satellites. Nagel became the 100th American in space. |
| 51-F (USA) |
Challenger, Spacelab | July 29, 1985 | Fullerton Bridges Henize Musgrave England Acton Bartoe |
Spacelab 2 carried experiments in life sciences, plasma physics, astronomy, and solar physics. |
| 51-I (USA) |
Discovery | August 27, 1985 | Engle Covey van Hoften Lounge Fisher |
The astronauts deployed two satellites, then retrieved and repaired a third. |
| Soyuz T-14 (USSR) |
Cheget | September 17, 1985 | Vasyutin Grechko Volkov |
Soyuz T-14 was the first "relief mission" in space history. They replaced Savinykh and Dzhanibekov of Soyuz T-13. |
| 51-J (USA) |
Atlantis | October 3, 1985 | Bobko Grabe Hilmers Stewart Pailes |
The first flight of Shuttle Atlantis was the second classified Department of Defense Shuttle mission. |
| 61-A (USA) |
Challenger, Spacelab D1 | October 30, 1985 | Hartsfield Nagel Dunbar Buchli Bluford Furrer Messerschmid Ockels |
Spacelab D1 was controlled by the West German Federal Aerospace Research Establishment (DFVLR). It carried experiments concerning materials processing, communications, and microgravity. |
| 61-B (USA) |
Atlantis | November 26, 1985 | Shaw O'Connor Ross Cleave Spring Walker Neri Vela |
The crew of Mission 61-B tested space construction techniques. |
| 61-C (USA) |
Columbia | January 12, 1986 | Gibson Bolden Nelson Hawley Chang-Diaz Cenker |
This mission had lots of problems and had to be shortened. |
| 51-L (USA) |
Challenger | January 28, 1986 | Scobee Smith Onizuka Resnik McNair Jarvis McAuliffe |
All seven crew members were killed when Challenger exploded 75 seconds after launch. McAuliffe was to be the first teacher in space. |
| Soyuz T-15 (USSR) |
Mayak | March 13, 1986 | Kizim Solovyov |
The 125-day Soyuz T-15 mission was one of the most difficult and successful missions in Soviet space history. Kizim and Solovyov activated the new Mir space station and then transferred over to Salyut 7 where they performed two spacewalks. Then they flew back to the Mir space station to perform some system tests. |
| Soyuz TM-2 (USSR) |
Taimyr | February 6, 1987 | Romanenko Laveikin |
Romanenko and Laveikin made up the second resident Mir crew. Romanenko spent 326 days aboard the station while Laveikin spent 174 days there. |
| Soyuz TM-3 (USSR) |
Vityaz (Knight) | July 22, 1987 | Viktorenko Alexandrov Faris |
Faris became the first Syrian in space as he and his fellow cosmonauts spent seven days in space. Alexandrov replaced Laveikin on the Mir station, spending 160 days in space. |
| Soyuz TM-4 (USSR) |
Okean | December 21, 1987 | Titov Manarov Levchenko |
Titov and Manarov completed the first year-long mission when they became the third Mir crew. They performed three spacewalks, and several manufacturing and astronomical instruments. |
| Soyuz TM-5 (USSR) |
Rodnik (Spring) | June 7, 1988 | Solovyov Savinykh Alexandrov |
The first Bulgarian in space, Alexandrov and his fellow cosmonauts performed experiments for Bulgaria. |
| Soyuz TM-6 (USSR) |
Proton | August 29, 1988 | Lyakhov Polyakov Mohmand |
Mohmand became the first space traveler for Afghanistan as he and his fellow cosmonauts visited the Mir station for seven days. Polyakov stayed on Mir for 240 days to monitor the health of the resident crew. |
| STS-26 (USA) |
Discovery | September 29, 1988 | Hauck Covey Lounge Hilmers Nelson |
The Shuttle program's return to flight after the Challenger disaster. |
| Soyuz TM-7 (USSR) |
Donbass | November 26, 1988 | Volkov Krikalev |
The new crew for the Mir station recorded the first international spacewalk of French Chretien and Soviet Volkov. Chretien returned after 24 days while the others stayed on Mir for 150. |
| STS-27 (USA) |
Atlantis | December 2, 1988 | Gibson Gardner Mullane Ross Shepherd |
The third classified Department of Defense Shuttle mission. |
| STS-29 (USA) |
Discovery | March 13, 1989 | Coats Blaha Buchli Springer Bagian |
This mission deployed the third tracking and data relay satellite into orbit. |
| STS-30 (USA) |
Atlantis | May 4, 1989 | Walker Grabe Thagard Cleave Lee |
Deployed the radar mapping space probe Magellan, sending it on a nine-month voyage to Venus. |
| STS-28 (USA) |
Columbia | August 13, 1989 | Shaw Richards Leestma Adamson Brown |
The fourth classified Department of Defense Shuttle mission. |
| Soyuz TM-8 (USSR) |
Vityaz (Knight) | September 6, 1989 | Viktorenko Serebrov |
This fifth Mir crew spent 166 days in space. The crew added the Kvant 2 module to the station and also conducted the first tests of the Soviet manned manuevering unit during spacewalks. |
| STS-34 (USA) |
Atlantis | October 18, 1989 | Williams McCulley Lucid Chang-Diaz Baker |
Deployed the space probe Galileo, sending it on its five-year mission to Jupiter. |
| STS-33 (USA) |
Discovery | November 22, 1989 | Gregory Blaha Carter Musgrave Thornton |
The fifth Department of Defense Shuttle mission. |
| STS-32 (USA) |
Columbia | January 9, 1990 | Brandenstein Wetherbee Dunbar Ivins Low |
This Shuttle mission deployed the Syncom IV-5 (Leasat) and returned the Long Duration Explosure Facility to Earth. |
| Soyuz TM-9 (USSR) |
Rodnik | February 11, 1990 | Solovyov Balandin |
Solovyov and Balandin became the sixth Mir crew as they spent over 179 days in space. |
| STS-36 (USA) |
Atlantis | February 28, 1990 | Creighton Casper Hilmers Mullane Thuot |
The sixth classified Department of Defense Shuttle mission. |
| STS-31 (USA) |
Discovery | April 24, 1990 | Shriver Bolden McCandless Hawley Sullivan |
Deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. |
| Soyuz TM-10 (USSR) |
Vulkan | August 1, 1990 | Manakov Strekalov |
The seventh Mir crew spent over 131 days in space. |
| STS-41 (USA) |
Discovery | October 6, 1990 | Richards Cabana Melnick Shepherd Akers |
Deployed the Ulysses space probe, sending it on a journey around the poles of the sun. |
| STS-38 (USA) |
Atlantis | November 15, 1990 | Covey Culbertson Springer Meade Gemar |
The last classified Department of Defense Shuttle mission. |
| STS-35 (USA) |
Columbia | December 2, 1990 | Brand Gardner Hoffman Lounge Parker |
This Spacelab mission performed astronomical experiments with the Astro 1 Spacelab. |
| Soyuz TM-11 (USSR) |
Derbent | December 2, 1990 | Afanasyev Manarov Akiyama |
The first Soviet commercial passenger, Japanese newsman Akiyama spent 7 days with his fellow cosmonauts. Afanasyev and Manarov stayed at Mir as the eighth crew for 175 days. |
| STS-37 (USA) |
Atlantis | April 5, 1991 | Nagel Cameron Godwin Ross Apt |
Deployed the Gamma Ray Observatory. |
| STS-39 (USA) |
Discovery | April 28,1991 | Coats Hammond Harbaugh McMonagle Bluford Veach Hieb |
This unclassified Department of Defense Shuttle mission was devoted to military scientific experiments. |
