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| Crew & Mission |
Left: Aleksandr Kaleri, Valeri Korzun and Claudie André-Deshays in their training Sokols. Right: The original TM-24 crew of Pavel Vinogradov, Gennadi Manakov and Claudie André-Deshays during training.
The launch of Soyuz TM-24 was originally planned for July 6, 1996 with commander Gennadi Manakov, flight engineer Pavel Vinogradov and French research cosmonaut Claudie André-Deshays. Deshays would return with the EO-21 crew on July 22; Manakov and Vinogradov would return to Earth on December 29, 1996. In May, the launch of Soyuz TM-24 was delayed to August 14 due to problems with the Soyuz boosters and again to August 17 at the end of July.
Soyuz TM-24 (callsign 'Frigate') was indeed launched on August 17, 1996, but not with Gennadi Manakov and Pavel Vinogradov aboard. On August 9, eight days before launch, Manakov was diagnosed with a serious heart problem. French research cosmonaut Claudie André-Deshays was now flying with commander Valeri Korzun and flight engineer Aleksandr Kaleri. The capsule docked to the Mir front port on August 19, 1996. The TM-24 crew were received by the EO-21 crew Yuri Onufriyenko, Yuri Usachev and Shannon Lucid.
Following a two week handover period, in which Deshays conducted her 'Cassiopée' mission for the French space organisation CNES, Onufrienko, Usachev and Deshays left the station on September 2, 1996, aboard Soyuz TM-23.With the aft (Kvant-1) docking port now unoccupied, Korzun, Kaleri and Lucid received the Progress-32 one day later.
On September 19, 1996, Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-79) docked to Mir at the Kristall Docking Module - replacing John Blaha with Shannon Lucid. Atlantis undocked on September 24, 1996. Undocking of the Progress-32 from the aft port followed on November 20, 1996, followed by the arrival of Progress-33 on November 22, 1996.
On December 2, 1996, Korzun and Kaleri performed a six-hour spacewalk to install extra cables and contacts to double the power-outlet of a solar panel that Onufrieno and Usachev had installed on the outer surface of Kvant-1 in May. A second, 6.5 hour walk on December 9, 1996 was performed to install a truss construction and to replace the Kurs docking antenna.
On January 15, 1997, the crew received Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-81) for a second time, exchanging John Blaha for Jerry Linenger. Atlantis undocked on January 20, 1997.
On February 6, 1997, Progress-33 was undocked. The crew boarded Soyuz TM-24 on February 7, 1997 to fly the capsule around the complex and dock it to the now free aft docking port, making room at the front port for Soyuz TM-25, which arrived on February 12, 1997, with commander Vasili Tsibliyev, flight engineer Aleksandr Lazutkin and German research cosmonaut Reinhold Ewald.
Ewald, Korzun and Kaleri left Mir on March 2, 1997 aboard Soyuz TM-24 and landed 130 km east of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, the same day. Total mission duration for Korzun and Kaleri was 196 days, 17 hours.
| The Flight Sokols |
Left: The TM-24 crew in their flight Sokols. The Russians were only wearing the generic Shuttle-Mir patch. Right: Claudie André-Deshays was wearing the Cassiopée mission patch.
Left: John Blaha wearing his Sokol suit aboard Mir. Right: Korzun and Kaleri wearing their Sokols in one of the Soyuz vessels. .
| IVA Wear |
Left: EO-21 crewmember Yuri Usachev (wearing his new Mir-outfit) with Claudie André-Deshays during the EO-21/EO-22 handover period. Shannon Lucid is visible at right. Right: The new EO-22 crew (top) with NASA-2 crewmember Shannon Lucid (soon to be replaced by John Blaha) and the EO-21/TM-23 landing crew (bottom).
Left: Korzun wearing his PK-14 jumpsuit, Aleksander Kaleri wearing his Penguin suit. Right: Korzun wearing his Penguin suit.
Left: EO-22 crewmember Valeri Korzun, wearing his new Mir-outfit, with parting NASA-3 crewmember John Blaha (right) and visiting STS-81 Shuttlenaut Jeff Wisoff. Note that Blaha is a little 'overheated'. Right: newly arrived NASA-4 cremmember Jerry Linenger solved the problem by cutting off his Penguin sleeves.
| The Orlan EVA-suits |
Kaleri and Korzun wearing their EVA undergarment.
The two cosmonauts performed two spacewalks. Korzun was wearing red-striped Orlan DMA-27, used before three times by Vladimir Dezhurov om EO-18 and three times by Solovyev on EO-19.
Kaleri was wearing blue striped DMA-26, used twice before by Thomas Reiter on EO-20 and six times by Usachev on EO-22.
| EO-22 / TM-24 Crew Patches |
Left: The original fax from Novosti Kosmonavtiki. Center: The Cyrillic Manakov-version. Right: The Latin Manakov-version.
Left: John Blaha wearing the Latin version of the EO-22 Manakov patch at arrival for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test at Kennedy Space Center on August 25, 1996. Right: Blaha wearing the Latin version of the EO-22 Korzun patch at arrival for launch at the Kennedy Space Center on September 13, 1996.
Like other international missions, the CNES Cassiopée mission logo was adopted as the official mission patch. It did not stop Novosti Kosmonavtiki designing a Soyuz TM-24 "launchpatch" and an EO-22 "expedition patch." The launchpatch, with the Eifel tower, was sketched by Oleg Shinkovich. The circular mission patch was done by Konstantin Lantratov. Both designs were faxed to Spaceview Operations in the Netherlands and embroidered by Aviation Patch Supplies in Soest, the Netherlands.
The EO-21 patch had been a great succes - it was worn by Yuri Onufrienko and Yuri Usachev on their Penguin suits. Some bad luck was involved this time: one week before the mission - with the patches already sewn - it was announced that Russian crewmembers Gennadi Manakov and Pavel Vinogradov were replaced by their back-ups Valeri Korzun and Aleksandr Kaleri, because Manakov had fallen ill.
A re-run of the patches was done, but they were not finished in time for the crew to wear them. Still, John Blaha was wearing the first version of the patch on his T-38 flightsuit during the STS-79 Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test, which was conducted during EO-22's first week in space. When the STS-79 crew arrived for launch three weeks later, Blaha had replaced the patch with the correct Korzun-version.
We know for sure that Blaha's flightsuit with the patch was flown with him aboard Mir. We have no indication, however, that Korzun, Kaleri or André-Deshays were ever presented the patches during their mission.
Left: The original fax with TM-24 design from Novosti Kosmonavtiki. Center: The Cyrillic Manakov-version. Right: The Cyrillic Korzun-version.
| Personal Patches |
Left: Korzun's personal Molachanov patch. Right: Kaleri's personal Molchanov-patch.
Left: Manakov's personal Russian-made patch. Center: Vinogradov's personal Russian-made patch. Right: Vinogradov's personal Molchanov-patch.
| Availability |
Left: The Stewart Aviation souvenir Cassiopée patch. Note it does not include the color green. Center: Stewart Aviation souvenir EO-22 patch. Right: Stewart Aviation Souvenir TM-24 patch. Note that both patches do not have the copyright notice and that the Cyrillic "U" in Korzun is mistakenly spelled "V" instead of "Y". Also, the final "E" sound in Deshays is spelled "3" ("Z").