Soyuz 39

Mission Profile

Overview

Soyuz 39 carried Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa to Salyut 6, making him the first Mongolian citizen and the second Asian to fly in space. A military engineer specialising in aircraft instruments, Gürragchaa flew under Interkosmos with veteran commander Vladimir Dzhanibekov. Launched on 22 March 1981, they docked at the station's aft port the next day and joined the resident EO-6 crew, Vladimir Kovalyonok and Viktor Savinykh. Across nearly eight days Gürragchaa and Dzhanibekov ran roughly 30 experiments in astrophysics, materials science, biology and Earth observation — including the Illuminator and Gologramma studies of viewport degradation, cosmic-ray detection, and extensive imaging of Mongolian territory for geology and agriculture. The crew returned in their own Soyuz 39 on 30 March, and Gürragchaa became a lasting national symbol; a Mongolian word coined for the flight, "sansar," entered popular use.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 1981-03-22

   Launch from Baikonur at 14:58 UTC; Gürragchaa becomes the first Mongolian in space

2. 1981-03-23

   Docking with Salyut 6, joining resident crew Vladimir Kovalyonok and Viktor Savinykh

3. 1981-03-24

   Cosmic-ray detectors installed; Illuminator and Gologramma viewport studies begin

4. 1981-03-28

   Extensive Earth-observation imaging of Mongolia for geology and agriculture

5. 1981-03-30

   Undocking and landing 175 km SE of Dzhezkazgan after 7 days 20 hours in space

Key Achievements

• First Mongolian citizen in space

• Second Asian to fly in space

• Conducted ~30 joint Soviet-Mongolian experiments aboard Salyut 6

• Carried out extensive Earth-observation imaging of Mongolia

Related Missions

Sources

1. Wikipedia — Soyuz 39
2. Britannica — Jugderdemidiin Gurragcha