Image: NASA (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
Mir EO-20
Mission Profile
| Launch date | 1995-09-03 |
|---|---|
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1/5 (Gagarin's Start) |
| Launch vehicle | Soyuz-U |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz TM-22 |
| Target | Low Earth Orbit |
| Type | Crewed |
| End date | 1996-02-29 |
| Duration | 179 days 1 hour |
| Partners | ESA (Euromir 95), Germany (DLR) |
Overview
Mir's twentieth expedition was the flagship of the Euromir 95 programme, the longest European mission of its era. Commander Yuri Gidzenko and flight engineer Sergei Avdeyev launched on Soyuz TM-22 on 3 September 1995 alongside German ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter, the first ESA astronaut to make a long-duration flight and the first German to walk in space. Reiter logged 179 days and two EVAs, running roughly 40 European experiments in materials science, biology and medicine while the station also juggled visits from the U.S. Space Shuttle during the Shuttle-Mir era. The originally planned 135-day stay was extended by 44 days to maximise the science return. The three-man crew, now seasoned together, undocked and landed near Arkalyk on 29 February 1996, capping a mission that proved Europe could sustain crews in orbit for half a year.
Crew
Yuri Gidzenko
Commander
First spaceflight; later commanded ISS Expedition 1
Sergei Avdeyev
Flight Engineer
Second of three Mir flights
Thomas Reiter
Flight Engineer (ESA, Euromir 95)
First ESA astronaut on a long-duration flight; first German to perform an EVA
Key Milestones
1995-09-03
Soyuz TM-22 launches Gidzenko, Avdeyev, and ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter (Euromir 95)
1995-10-17
Mission extended by 44 days beyond the planned 135-day duration
1995-10-20
Reiter becomes the first German to perform a spacewalk
1996-02-29
Crew lands near Arkalyk after about 179 days in orbit
Key Achievements
Euromir 95: longest European crewed mission of its era at 179 days
Thomas Reiter was the first ESA astronaut on a long-duration flight and first German to spacewalk
Roughly 40 European experiments across materials, biology and medicine
