Gorbatko

Tuan

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Salyut 6 Engines Credit - © Mark Wade

23 July 1980 18:33 GMT. Landing Date: 1980-07-31 15:15:00 PM. Flight Time: 7.86 days. Alternate Name: Soyuz 37. Flight Up: Soyuz 37. Flight Back: Soyuz 36. Call Sign: Terek (Terek - river in the Caucasus). Crew: Gorbatko, Tuan. Backup Crew: Bykovsky, Liem. Program: Salyut 6.

Of note: First Vietnamese astronaut. Soyuz 37 transported to the Salyut-6 station the sixth international crew under the Intercosmos programme, comprising V V Gorbatko (USSR) and Pham Tuan (Viet Nam), to conduct scientific research and experiments. Tuan’s experiments involved observing Vietnam from space, life sciences (including tests of growth of Vietnamese azolla water ferns, with application to future closed-loop life support systems), and materials processing.

• 1980 Jul 23 - Soyuz 37  Crew: Gorbatko, Tuan. Spacecraft: Soyuz 7K-T. Payload: Soyuz 7K-T s/n 53. Mass: 6,800 kg (14,900 lb). Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Duration: 79.64 days. Perigee: 190 km (110 mi). Apogee: 273 km (169 mi). Inclination: 51.50 deg. Period: 89.10 min.

  Manned two crew. Transported to the Salyut-6 station the sixth international crew under the Intercosmos programme, comprising V V Gorbatko (USSR) and Pham Tuan (Viet Nam), to conduct scientific research and experiments. Returned crew of Soyuz 35 to Earth. Recovered October 11, 1980 9:50 GMT.

• 1980 Jul 31 - Landing of Soyuz 36 

  Soyuz 36 landed at 15:15 GMT with the crew of Gorbatko and Tuan aboard.