Soyuz 36

Mission Profile

Overview

Soyuz 36 carried Bertalan Farkas into orbit as the first Hungarian in space, the fifth Intercosmos guest flight. A MiG-21 fighter pilot, the 30-year-old launched from Baikonur on 26 May 1980 with commander Valery Kubasov, a veteran of the Apollo–Soyuz handshake. The next day they docked with Salyut 6 and joined the record-setting residents Leonid Popov and Valery Ryumin. Over roughly a week Farkas ran the Hungarian-built Pille thermoluminescent dosimeter — later flown on Mir and the ISS — plus the Balaton metabolism study and materials and Earth-observation experiments. Following Intercosmos practice, the visiting crew swapped craft, leaving their fresh Soyuz 36 for the residents and returning to Earth aboard the older Soyuz 35 on 3 June 1980. Farkas remained Hungary's only spacefarer for forty-five years, a lasting source of national pride.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 1980-05-26

   Launch from Baikonur at 18:20 UTC with Kubasov and Farkas

2. 1980-05-27

   Docked with Salyut 6, joining the Popov/Ryumin resident crew

3. 1980-05-30

   Operated the Hungarian Pille dosimeter and Balaton metabolism experiments

4. 1980-06-03

   Returned aboard Soyuz 35, landing in Kazakhstan after ~7 days 20 hours

Key Achievements

• First Hungarian citizen in space (Bertalan Farkas)

• Fifth crewed flight of the Intercosmos guest-cosmonaut programme

• Debuted the Hungarian Pille radiation dosimeter, later used on Mir and the ISS

• Visiting crew swapped craft, returning to Earth aboard Soyuz 35

Related Missions

Sources

1. Soyuz 36 — Wikipedia
2. Soyuz 36 mission report — Spacefacts
3. Soyuz 36 — Encyclopedia Astronautica