Akiyama

---

2 December 1990 08:13 GMT. Landing Date: 1990-12-10 06:07:48 PM. Flight Time: 7.91 days. Alternate Name: Soyuz TM-11 (Akiyama). Flight Up: Soyuz TM-11. Flight Back: Soyuz TM-10. Call Sign: Derbent (Derbent - Russian city). Crew: Akiyama. Backup Crew: Kikuchi. Program: Mir.

Of note: First Japanese astronaut. The Mir Expedition EO-8 crew of V M Afanasyev, M Kh Manarov was transported to the Mir orbital station by Soyuz TM-11, together with T Akiyami (Japan) for the purpose of carrying out joint work with the cosmonauts G M Manakov and G M Strekalov. The launch was funded jointly with the private Japanese company TBS. The Japanese television network ended up paying $ 28 million for the first commercial flight to Mir to put Akiyama, the first journalist in space aboard Soyuz TM-11. Akiyama returned to earth on Soyuz TM-10 with the Mir EO-7 crew after a week in space.

Narrative (adapted from D S F Portree's Mir Hardware Heritage, NASA RP-1357, 1995)

Akiyama’s network, the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), paid for the flight. The Soviets called this their first commercial spaceflight and claimed to have earned $14 million. The journalist was scheduled to make one 10-min TV broadcast and two 20-min radio broadcasts each day. Electrical power and video and TV system incompatibilities forced the Japanese to make extensive use of converters. His equipment, which weighed about 170 kg, was delivered by Progress-M spacecraft and set up in advance by Manakov and Strekalov. On December 5 Akiyama’s couch was transferred to Soyuz TM-10. On December 8 Manakov and Strekalov commenced loading Soyuz TM-10’s descent module with film and experiment results. TBS broadcast the landing of the EO-7 crew together with Akiyama live from Kazakhstan.

• 1990 Dec 2 - Soyuz TM-11  Crew: Afanasyev, Akiyama, Manarov. Spacecraft: Soyuz TM. Payload: Soyuz TM 11F732 s/n 61. Mass: 7,150 kg (15,760 lb). Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Duration: 175.08 days. Perigee: 367 km (228 mi). Apogee: 400 km (240 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 92.20 min.

  Docked with Mir. Mir Expedition EO-08. Transported to the Mir manned orbital station the international crew consisting of the cosmonauts V M Afanasyev, M Kh Manarov, and T Akiyami (Japan) for the purpose of carrying out joint work with the cosmonauts G M Manakov and G M Strekalov. Launched jointly with the private Japanese company TBS. The Japanese television network ended up paying $ 28 million for the first commercial flight to Mir to put Akiyama, the first journalist in space aboard Soyuz TM-11. Akiyama made daily television broadcasts.

• 1990 Dec 10 - Landing of Soyuz TM-10 

  Soyuz TM-10 landed at 06:07 GMT, 69 km NW Arkalyk, with the crew of Akiyama, Manakov and Strekalov aboard.