Soyuz 40

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**Soyuz 40**
Mission statistics
Mission name:	Soyuz 40
Call sign:	Dnieper
Number of crew members:	2
Launch:	May 14, 1981 17:16:38 UTC Baikonur LC1
Landing:	May 22, 1981 13:58:30 UTC 225 km SE of Dzhezkazgan
Duration:	7 days, 20 h, 41 min; 52 s
Number of Orbits:	124

[edit] Crew

Leonid Popov (2)
Dumitru Prunariu - Romania (1)

[edit] Mission parameters

Mass: 6800 kg
Perigee: 198.1 km
Apogee: 287 km
Inclination: 51.6°
Period: 89.06 minutes

[edit] Mission highlights

16th expedition to Salyut 6. 9th international crew. Carried intercosmos cosmonaut from Romania. Last Soyuz Ferry flight; ended the first phase of the Intercosmos program, which concentrated on placing citizens of Soviet bloc states into space. In all, nine Intercosmos missions were launched between 1978 and 1981.

Soyuz 40 was the last of the original Soyuz spacecraft (due to its replacement by the Soyuz-T) and the last Soyuz spacecraft to dock with Salyut 6. It also ended the first phase of the Intercosmos program by carrying Romanian cosmonaut Dumitru Prunariu and Soviet cosmonaut Leonid Popov to the station. Prunariu studied Earth’s magnetic field. Earth observations had to be delayed until the last day of his flight, when Salyut 6 at last passed over Romania in daylight. During this time the crew also tested the station’s orientation system.