Launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome; landing
76 km northnortheast of Arkalyk.
It was the first mission under Russian
lead with three cosmonauts from three different countries. Two crew seats had
been sold (to Slovakia and France). This meant that Russian
Flight
Engineer Sergei
Avdeyev already aboard MIR would have to accept a double
length assignment. Following a two day solo flight the Soyuz docked with the
MIR space station on February 22, 1999.
Ivan
Bella, the first Slovak in space, carried out the Stefanik
research program. Viktor
Afanasiyev and Jean-Pierre
Haigneré became together with Sergei
Avdeyev the
27th resident crew of
MIR.
Progress M-41 docked uneventfully with the MIR complex on
April 04, 1999. It also delivered the Sputnik-99 amateur radio
satellite.
The first
EVA was
conducted by Viktor
Afanasiyev and Jean-Pierre
Haigneré on April 16, 1999 (6h 19m). Jean-Pierre
Haigneré launched by hand the Sputnik-99 amateur radio
satellite which was delivered to MIR by Progress M-41. In addition the
cosmonauts installed experiments at the outer surface of the complex and
retrieved experiments which had been installed in the past from
there.
Progress M-42 docked with the space station on July 19, 1999. It
delivered supplies to the crew of the MIR complex.
Viktor
Afanasiyev and Sergei
Avdeyev performed a second
EVA on July 23,
1999 (6h 07m). The cosmonauts installed a new experimental 6-meter antenna but
failed to deploy it. Viktor
Afanasiyev was only able to open the antenna for 80 or 90%.
In addition during the EVA the cosmonauts had to retrieve some experiments from
the outer surface. They succeeded to do so with the experiments Exobiology and
Dvikon. The
EVA
ended in a great hurry due to a failure of the thermoregulation in the
spacesuit of Viktor
Afanasiyev. A filter was overheated.
A third an final
EVA was
performed by Viktor
Afanasiyev and Sergei
Avdeyev on July 28, 1999 (5h 22m). This time the unfolding of
the antenna was successful.
