Mir EO-8

Mission Profile

Overview

Mir's eighth resident crew, commander Viktor Afanasyev and veteran flight engineer Musa Manarov, launched on Soyuz TM-11 on 2 December 1990, sharing the cramped descent module with a paying passenger: Japanese television journalist Toyohiro Akiyama. Akiyama, sponsored by TBS, became the first Japanese citizen in space and the first journalist to fly, broadcasting daily reports before returning a week later with the previous crew. For Manarov, a year-in-space veteran, this was a second tour; he and Afanasyev settled in for nearly six months, conducting three spacewalks including work on the Kristall module's damaged hatch and assembling a strut to repair an EVA hatch. From orbit they watched the smoke and oil-spill plumes of the Gulf War. They were relieved by the EO-9 crew and landed on 26 May 1991.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 1990-12-02

   Soyuz TM-11 launches Afanasyev, Manarov, and journalist Toyohiro Akiyama

2. 1990-12-10

   Akiyama returns aboard Soyuz TM-10, the first Japanese citizen and first journalist in space

3. 1991-01-07

   First of three EVAs begins, including repairs to the Kristall module hatch

4. 1991-05-26

   Afanasyev and Manarov land after about 175 days in orbit

Key Achievements

• Carried Toyohiro Akiyama, the first Japanese citizen and first journalist in space

• Second spaceflight for year-in-space veteran Musa Manarov

• Three EVAs including repairs to the Kristall module hatch

Related Missions

Sources

1. Wikipedia — Mir EO-8
2. Wikipedia — Soyuz TM-11