posted 04-26-2019 08:50 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Cozmosis22:
In your recent Soyuz 26, 27, 28 set it looks like Georgi Grechko is quite the popular guy and appears to be on all three cards. Is there a particular reason why you are not identifying the cosmonauts in the photos?

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I picked the Soyuz 26 photo of Grechko because I really like it. It was an interesting photo of him floating inside Salyut 6 and it gives a good feel of the size of the station and what it looked like inside.

posted 05-02-2019 06:38 PM               

#98 Soyuz 29

#99 Soyuz 30

#100 Soyuz 31

posted 05-06-2019 05:21 PM               

#101 Soyuz 32

#102 Soyuz 33

#103 Soyuz 34

posted 05-07-2019 01:42 PM               

#104 Soyuz 35

#105 Soyuz 36

#106 Soyuz T-2

#107 Soyuz 37

#108 Soyuz 38

#109 Soyuz T-3

posted 05-12-2019 12:43 PM               

#110 Soyuz T-4

#111 Soyuz 39

#112 STS-1

#113 Soyuz 40

#114 STS-2

posted 05-15-2019 12:29 PM               

#115 STS-3

#116 Salyut 7

#117 Soyuz T-5

#118 Soyuz T-6

#119 STS-4

#120 Soyuz T-7

#121 STS-5

posted 05-17-2019 07:11 PM               

However, the final USSR flight was Soyuz TM-13 in 1991... and the first Chinese flight didn't happen until 2003. So there is a large enough gap there in the set where I don't think there will be any confusion.

posted 05-21-2019 01:39 PM               

#122 STS-6

#123 Soyuz T-8

#124 STS-7

#125 Soyuz T-9

#126 STS-8

#127 Soyuz T-10A

#128 STS-9

posted 05-27-2019 05:51 PM               

It's also been extremely educational. I love learning about manned spaceflight, but I've always gotten a bit overwhelmed with the Russian space station flights and the shuttle because there were so many, they kinda blended together in my mind. This project is forcing me to really digest each mission and pull out a couple small details that made each flight unique. I have very limited sentence space on the back of each card so learning about the specifics of the flight and being brief has been a great learning experience.

posted 05-29-2019 11:32 PM               

#129 STS-41-B

#130 Soyuz T-10

#131 Soyuz T-11

#132 STS-41-C

#133 Soyuz T-12

#134 STS-41-D

#135 STS-41-G

#136 STS-51-A

posted 06-04-2019 01:01 PM               

This week is 1985, which is a special year for me because it was the year of my birth. By an astonishing coincidence, my favorite spaceflight in history was the first I was on this Earth for: Soyuz T-13. I think it's an amazing story that doesn't get told enough.

The Soyuz T-13 card was especially challenging for me because there was so much I wanted to say about the mission, but so little room on the back of the card.

But, here they are. I hope you enjoy them:

#137 STS-51-C

#138 STS-51-D

#139 STS-51-B

#140 Soyuz T-13

#141 STS-51-G

#142 STS-51-F

#143 STS-51-I

#144 Soyuz T-14

#145 STS-51-J

#146 STS-61-A

#147 STS-61-B

posted 06-11-2019 10:08 AM               

This week we have 1986. 1986 would have a tragic ending for NASA. The second shuttle launch of the year would end 73 seconds after launch resulting in the loss of Challenger and her seven member crew. STS-61-C commander Robert Gibson would later call this the "The End of Innocence" for the shuttle program.

Meanwhile, half way around the world... the USSR was beginning a new era of space exploration. The Soviet's launched their Mir Space Station would redefine how we lived in space.

I hope you enjoy:

#148 STS-61-C

#149 STS-51-L

#150 Mir Core Module

#151 Soyuz T-15

posted 06-17-2019 03:59 PM               

#152 Soyuz TM-2

#153 Kvant-1

#154 Soyuz TM-3

#155 Soyuz TM-4

posted 06-24-2019 03:16 PM               

This week is 1988.

1988 began with the year long Mir EO-3 mission having recently gotten underway. They would be visited by a pair of Soyuz spacecraft bring them fresh capsules and foreign visitors. They would be replaced onboard by EO-4 just before the end of the year.

NASA, having spent nearly three years redesigning components and protocols for the shuttle returned to flight with STS-26 in September. It would be the first two U.S. shuttle flights in 1988, the second nearly ending in disaster.

In addition, a unique event in space for 1988 — the launch of the Soviet Shuttle Buran in November. Intended to be the first test flight of a new program, Buran flew two orbits unmanned before landing. A promising program which would never fly again.

#156 Soyuz TM-5

#157 Soyuz TM-6

#158 STS-26

#159 Buran

#160 Soyuz TM-7

#161 STS-27

posted 07-01-2019 04:38 PM               

In 1989 the Space Shuttle Program was starting to get going again. The Shuttle would launch five times in 1989: one mission to deploy a TDRS Satellite, two missions to deploy planetary probes, and two missions dedicated to the DoD.

Meanwhile, Mir was slowing down a bit. Beginning in 1987 with the Mir EO-2 mission, the Soviet plan was to keep Mir occupied and establish a permanent residence in space. Only two years into the effort, they decided to put it on hold. The problem was, Mir Modules were delayed. It was decided to bring the crew onboard the station in the early part of 1989 home (EO-4) until additional modules were ready. This resulted in Mir being empty for 5 months. However, beginning with EO-5, Mir would remain occupied for nearly a decade.

#162 STS-29

#163 STS-30

#164 STS-28

#165 Soyuz TM-8

#166 STS-34

#167 STS-33

#168 Kvant-2

posted 07-08-2019 01:38 PM               

1990 was a big year for the Space Shuttle Program. The shuttle was launched six times with three of those missions having large landmark events.

This began with STS-32 retrieving the LDEF from orbit. Originally deployed by STS-41-C in 1984, it had remained in orbit far longer than planned and was soon to be lost if not recovered.

STS-31 deployed the long awaited, and way over budget Hubble Space Telescope. Unfortunately, the results were not what was expected.

Finally, STS-35 flew at the end of the year with ASTRO-1. Delayed nearly 5 years, the long awaited astronomy research flight finally left the ground in December.

Additionally, a pair of DOD missions flew and the Ulysses was deployed.

For the USSR, the story was a bit different. Mir remained manned during the entire year and the outpost was expanded...but financial issues began to show. The USSR was beginning to collapse and as a result the space program's budget started to struggle. Towards the end of the year, the first commercial space traveler was flown to help finance the program.

#169 STS-32

#170 Soyuz TM-9

#171 STS-36

#172 STS-31

#173 Kristall

#174 Soyuz TM-10

#175 STS-41

#176 STS-38

#177 STS-35

#178 Soyuz TM-11

posted 07-15-2019 03:28 PM               

The Space Shuttle made six flights into orbit in 1991: Atlantis flew three mission, Discovery flew two, and Columbia flew one. A pair of missions were dedicated to the DoD, one deployed the Gamma Ray Observatory, one deploted a TDRS satellite, while the other two focused on scientific studies in space.

For 1991, economic issues continued to plaque the USSR and by extension the space program. Mir would remained manned throughout the year and EO-9 arrived on Soyuz TM-12. In an effort to continue funding the program, a British funded cosmonaut flew onboard as well. When her funding fell apart, she was still flown in the hopes foster good relationships with other nations.

In October, Soyuz TM-13 was launched which was originally scheduled to replace the entire EO-9 crew with EO-10. However, Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalyov's seat was sold to Austria to allow one of their researchers to fly. As a result, Krikalyov would extend into EO-10 and only the station's commander was replaced.

As it turned out, Soyuz TM-13 would be the final manned mission launched by the USSR. While EO-10 was in orbit, the USSR collapsed.

Here are the cards. I hope you enjoy them.

#179 STS-37

#180 STS-39

#181 Soyuz TM-12

#182 STS-40

#183 STS-43

#184 STS-48

#185 Soyuz TM-13

#186 STS-44