Image: NASA (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
Mir EO-26/27
Mission Profile
| Launch date | 1998-08-13 |
|---|---|
| Launch site | Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1/5 (Gagarin's Start) |
| Launch vehicle | Soyuz-U |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz TM-28 (launch) / Soyuz TM-29 (return) |
| Target | Low Earth Orbit |
| Type | Crewed |
| End date | 1999-08-28 |
| Duration | 379 days 14 hours (Avdeyev) |
| Partners | France (CNES — Perseus), Slovakia (Štefánik) |
Overview
This was the marathon that put Sergei Avdeyev into the record books. He launched on Soyuz TM-28 on 13 August 1998 as flight engineer of Mir's 26th expedition with commander Gennady Padalka and Russian politician-cosmonaut Yuri Baturin, then stayed aboard when Padalka handed over to the EO-27 crew. From February 1999 Avdeyev served alongside commander Viktor Afanasyev and French CNES spationaut Jean-Pierre Haigneré, whose arrival on Soyuz TM-29 also briefly carried Slovakia's first cosmonaut, Ivan Bella. Avdeyev rode the same Soyuz TM-29 home on 28 August 1999, having spent 379 days in space on a single flight, the longest single spaceflight then recorded. Combined with his two earlier Mir tours, he reached roughly 747 days off Earth, the cumulative human record at the time.
Crew
Sergei Avdeyev
Flight Engineer (EO-26 and EO-27)
379-day single-flight record; ~747 cumulative days, a human record at the time
Gennady Padalka
Commander, EO-26
Returned on Soyuz TM-28 in February 1999
Viktor Afanasyev
Commander, EO-27
Arrived on Soyuz TM-29 in February 1999
Jean-Pierre Haigneré
Flight Engineer (CNES, EO-27)
French spationaut; Perseus mission
Yuri Baturin
Research Cosmonaut (EO-26 visiting)
Russian politician; returned on Soyuz TM-27
Ivan Bella
Research Cosmonaut (EO-27 visiting)
First Slovak citizen in space; returned on Soyuz TM-28
Key Milestones
1998-08-13
Soyuz TM-28 launches Padalka, Avdeyev, and politician-cosmonaut Yuri Baturin (EO-26)
1999-02-20
Soyuz TM-29 delivers Afanasyev, Haigneré, and Slovakia's first cosmonaut Ivan Bella, beginning EO-27
1999-02-28
Padalka returns on Soyuz TM-28; Avdeyev stays on for the EO-27 segment
1999-08-28
Avdeyev lands on Soyuz TM-29 after 379 days, a single-flight endurance record
Key Achievements
Sergei Avdeyev set the single-flight endurance record at 379 days
Avdeyev reached ~747 cumulative days, the human record at the time
Carried Ivan Bella, the first Slovak citizen in space
Spanned two principal expeditions and the French CNES Perseus mission
