The year was a distinct improvement on 1983 - major success all the way through: Cosmonauts Kizim, Atkov and Solovyov set a new endurance record of 236 days, something that had been planned for 1983 but was curtailed by the Soyuz T-8 failure to dock.
Operationally, everything seemed to go by the book with the long stay crew playing host to two sets of visitors including Rakesh Sharma of India. The Soviet-Indian launch was a live television event.
Svetlana Savitskaya made a second trip into space and became the first woman to take part in an EVA when she stepped outside Salyut 7 with Vladimir Dzhanibekov.
There was serious work to be done in order to stem a leak in Salyut 7's rocket motor system. No less than five EVAs were needed to effect the necessary repairs.
Date |
Time (UTC) |
Event |
1984 Feb 8 |
12:07 |
Soyuz T-10 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 198 x 219 kilometre orbit with cosmonauts Leonid Kizim, Vladimir Solovyev and Oleg Atkov aboard |
1984 Feb 9 |
14:43 |
Soyuz T-10 docks at the forward port of Salyut 7 - orbit is 289 x 297 kilometres |
1984 Feb 21 |
06:46 |
Progress 19 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 185 x 245 kilometre orbit |
1984 Feb 23 |
08:21 |
Progress 19 docks at the aft port of Salyut 7 - orbit is 282 x 286 kilometres |
1984 Mar 31 |
09:40 |
Progress 19 undocks |
1984 Apr 1 |
18:18 |
Progress 19 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry |
1984 Apr 1 |
19:05 |
Approx time - Progress 19 enters the Earth atmosphere above the southern Pacific Ocean and is destroyed by frictional heating |
1984 Apr 3 |
13:08 |
Soyuz T-11 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 196 x 223 kilometre orbit with cosmonauts Yuri Malyshev, Gennady Strekalov and Rakesh Sharma (India) aboard |
1984 Apr 4 |
14:31 |
Soyuz T-11 docks at the aft port of Salyut 7 - orbit is 284 x 296 kilometres |
1984 Apr 11 |
07:33 |
Soyuz T-10 undocks with the Soviet/Indian crew aboard |
1984 Apr 11 |
10:48 |
Soyuz T-10 lands - 46 kilometres east of Arkalyk |
1984 Apr 13 |
10:27 |
Kizim, Solovyev and Atkov undock Soyuz T-11, wait for Salyut 7 to execute a 180 degree turn, and re-dock at the forward port of Salyut 7 |
1984 Apr 15 |
08:13 |
Progress 20 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 186 x 260 kilometre orbit |
1984 Apr 17 |
09:22 |
Progress 20 docks at the aft port of Salyut 7 - orbit is 278 x 290 kilometres |
1984 Apr 23 |
04:31 |
Kizim and Solovyev start a space walk to repair a leak in an oxidiser line feeding Salyut 7 rocket engines - Progress 20 design includes a special platform to simplify access to the rear of Salyut 7 |
1984 Apr 23 |
08:46 |
Kizim and Solovyev complete space walk after 4 hr-15 min |
1984 Apr 26 |
02:40 |
Kizim and Solovyev start a space walk to continue the engine repairs |
1984 Apr 26 |
07:36 |
Kizim and Solovyev complete space walk after 4 hr-56 min |
1984 Apr 29 |
01:35 |
Kizim and Solovyev start space walk to continue the engine repairs |
1984 Apr 29 |
04:20 |
Kizim and Solovyev complete space walk after start 2 hr-45 min |
1984 May 3 |
23:15 |
Kizim and Solovyev start space walk to continue the engine repairs (the work was finalised on Aug 8) |
1984 May 4 |
02:30 |
Kizim and Solovyev complete space walk after 2 hr-45 min |
1984 May 6 |
17:46 |
Progress 20 undocks |
1984 May 7 |
00:32 |
Progress 20 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry |
1984 May 7 |
01:15 |
Approx time - Progress 20 enters the Earth atmosphere above the southern Pacific Ocean and is destroyed by frictional heating |
1984 May 7 |
22:47 |
Progress 21 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 190 x 243 kilometre orbit |
1984 May 10 |
00:10 |
Progress 21 docks at the aft port of Salyut 7 - orbit is 276 x 316 kilometres |
1984 May 18 |
17:52 |
Kizim and Solovyev start a space walk to add extra banks of solar cells to the right hand (when facing forward) of Salyut 7 three solar panels |
1984 May 18 |
20:57 |
Kizim and Solovyev complete space walk after 3 hr-5 min |
1984 May 26 |
09:41 |
Progress 21 undocks |
1984 May 26 |
15:01 |
Progress 21 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry |
1984 May 26 |
15:45 |
Approx time - Progress 21 enters the Earth atmosphere above the southern Pacific Ocean and is destroyed by frictional heating |
1984 May 28 |
14:13 |
Progress 22 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 188 x 244 kilometre orbit |
1984 May 30 |
15:47 |
Progress 22 docks at the aft port of Salyut 7 - orbit is 334 x 358 kilometres |
1984 Jul 15 |
13:36 |
Progress 22 undocks |
1984 Jul 15 |
18:52 |
Progress 22 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry |
1984 Jul 15 |
19:35 |
Approx time - Progress 22 enters the Earth atmosphere above the southern Pacific Ocean and is destroyed by frictional heating |
1984 Jul 17 |
17:40 |
Soyuz T-12 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 198 x 225 kilometre orbit with Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Svetlana Savitskaya and Igor Volk (Buran test pilot) |
1984 Jul 18 |
19:17 |
Soyuz T-12 docks at the aft port of Salyut 7 - orbit is 334 x 354 kilometres |
1984 Jul 25 |
14:55 |
Dzhanibekov and Savitskaya (the first woman to do so) start space walk to perform a number of technical experiments |
1984 Jul 25 |
18:30 |
Dzhanibekov and Savitskaya complete space walk after 3 hr-35 min |
1984 Jul 29 |
09:38 |
Soyuz T-12 undocks with its original crew of Dzhanibekov, Savitskaya and Volk aboard |
1984 Jul 29 |
12:55 |
Soyuz T-12 lands - 140 kilometres south-east of Dzhezhkazgan |
1984 Aug 8 |
08:46 |
Kizim and Solovyev start space walk to perform the final elements of repair work on Salyut 7 rocket engines |
1984 Aug 8 |
13:46 |
Approx time - Kizim and Solovyev complete space walk after about 5 hrs |
1984 Aug 14 |
06:28 |
Progress 23 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 186 x 250 kilometre orbit |
1984 Aug 16 |
08:11 |
Progress 23 docks at the aft port of Salyut 7 - orbit is 341 x 369 kilometres |
1984 Aug 26 |
16:13 |
Progress 23 undocks |
1984 Aug 28 |
01:28 |
Progress 23 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry |
1984 Aug 28 |
02:15 |
Approx time - Progress 23 enters the Earth atmosphere above the southern Pacific Ocean and is destroyed by frictional heating |
1984 Oct 2 |
07:38 |
Soyuz T-11 undocks with Kizim, Solovyev and Atkov aboard |
1984 Oct 2 |
10:56 |
Soyuz T-11 lands - 145 kilometres south-east of Dzhezhkazgan - Kizim, Solovyev and Atkov have set a new space endurance record of 237 days |
1985 Jun 21 |
00:40 |
Progress 24 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 190 x 240 kilometre orbit |
1985 Jun 23 |
02:54 |
Progress 24 docks at the aft port of Salyut 7 - orbit is 354 x 360 kilometres |
1985 Jul 15 |
12:28 |
Progress 24 undocks |
1985 Jul 15 |
22:34 |
Progress 24 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry |
1985 Jul 15 |
23:10 |
Approx time - Progress 24 enters the Earth atmosphere above the southern Pacific Ocean and is destroyed by frictional heating |
1985 Jul 19 |
13:05 |
Cosmos 1669, a Progress type cargo-ferry, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 188 x 246 kilometre orbit |
1985 Jul 21 |
15:05 |
Cosmos 1669 docks at the aft port of Salyut 7 - orbit is 354 x 358 kilometres |
1985 Aug 8 |
08:46 |
Dzhanibekov and Savinikh start space walk to add extra banks of solar cells to Salyut 7 left hand (when facing forward) solar panel |
1985 Aug 8 |
13:46 |
Approx time - Dzhanibekov and Savinikh complete space walk after about 5 hrs |
1985 Aug 28 |
21:50 |
Cosmos 1669 undocks for a second and final time, having already flown freely for a short time and re-docked as part of a systems test |
1985 Aug 30 |
01:20 |
Cosmos 1669 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry |
1985 Aug 30 |
02:05 |
Approx time - Cosmos 1669 enters the Earth atmosphere above the southern Pacific Ocean and is destroyed by frictional heating |