Soyuz TM-28

Launch & orbit data: Designation  25429 / 98047A Launch date - time  13 Aug 1998 - 09:43:11 UT Launch site  Baikonur, LC1 Launch vehicle  Soyuz 11A511U OKB name - S/Nº  Soyuz 7K-STM (11F732) s/nº 77 Mass (kg)   Flight Crew  Padalka, Gennadi (CDR) Avdeyev, Sergei (FE) Baturin, Yuri (CR) Call Sign  Altair Backup crew  Zaletin, Kaleri, Kotov O. Earth orbit on :    - Perigee / Apogee  363 x 373 km    - Inclination  51.7°    - Period  91.9 min

Docking & landing data: Docking date - time  15 Aug 1998 - 10:56:54 UT Target spacecraft/port  Mir/Kvant Undocking date - time  27 Aug 1998 - UT Redocking date - time  27 Aug 1998 - 06:07 UT Target spacecraft/port  Mir/-X port Undocking date - time  08 Feb 1999 - 11:23 UT Redocking date - time  08 Feb 1999 - 11:39 UT Target spacecraft/port  Mir/+X Kvant port Undocking date - time  27 Feb 1999 - 22:52 UT Deorbit burn date - time  28 Feb 1999 - 01:22:13 UT Landing date - time  28 Feb 1999 - 02:14:30 UT Landing location  50°46'40"N, 67°23'20"E (Kazakstan) Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  198d 16h 31m Nbr orbits   Landing crew  Padalka, Bella  (crew TM-28 & TM-29)

Launch Crew (EO-26)

Mission details:

• Soyuz TM-28 was launched at 0943:10 UTC on Aug 13, 1998. The spacecraft, production vehicle 7K-STM 11F732 No. 77, is built by RKK Energiya and consists of a service module (priborno-agregatniy otsek), a descent module (spuskaemiy apparat) and a hab module (bitovoy otsek). Crew on this flight are air force officer Gennadiy Padalka, EO-26 crew commander; RKK Energiya engineer Sergey Avdeev, flight engineer; and cosmonaut-researcher Yuriy Baturin, who is the former head of the Russian Federation Defence Council.
• Soyuz TM-28 docked at 10:56 UTC on Aug 15 with the rear (Kvant) port of the Mir space station, which was vacated at 09:28UTC on Aug 12 by the Progress M-39 cargo ship.
• The EO-25 crew, Musabayev and Budarin, landed with Baturin on Aug 25, leaving the EO-26 crew of Padalka and Avdeyev on the station. As only one final Soyuz mission to Mir was planned, with two of the seats on that Soyuz pre-sold to Slovak and French experimenters, the return crew of Soyuz TM-28 was subject to constant replanning and revision.
• Padalka and Avdeev boarded Soyuz TM-28 on Aug 27, 1998 and undocked from the Kvant port on the Mir complex, redocking at 06:07 UTC at the front (-X) port of the PKhO transfer module. This leaves the Kvant port free for redocking of the Progress M-39 cargo ship, which undocked earlier in the month to free up a parking space.
• On Febr 08, 1999, at 11:23 UT Padalka and Avdeyev undocked from Mir′s -X port in Soyuz TM-28, and redocked at the +X Kvant port at 11:39 GMT, freeing up the front port for the Soyuz TM-29 docking.
• Finally on February 27, 1999 EO-26 commander Padalka and Slovak cosmonaut Bella undocked Soyuz TM-28 from the Kvant rear docking port at 22:52 GMT, landing in Kazakhstan on February 28 at 02:14 GMT. Avdeyev remained on Mir with the EO-27 crew delivered on Soyuz TM-29, heading for a manned space flight time record.

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel Baikonur, signed by crew and backup, send registrated.

Mil. launch cancel: 13081998, send registrated. Note: "Space Mail" cover, but not on board Mir.

Space Mail: Cover with 2 black Mir boardcancel, docking date boardcancel: 150898, signed by the crew on board.

Landing cancel Arkalyk, send registrated.