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A sphere-shaped habitation module was originally designed to provide additional comfort for the crew during the orbital flight. In addition, by being a forward docking section of the spacecraft, the habitation module provides additional safety distance for the crew during rendezvous with space station. In most cases but not always, the docking hardware, a transfer hatch and the antenna are located in the front of the habitation module. The opposite end of the module is connected to the reentry capsule with a transfer hatch. Finally a third hatch, enables the habitation module to serve as an airlock, in case the crew needs to get outside the spacecraft in orbit. In this case, spacewalking cosmonauts dressed in spacesuits can let the air out of the habitation module, while leaving the reentry capsule of the Soyuz pressurized. Spacewalks from the habitation module, are also possible, when the Soyuz is docked to the space station. The same hatch also serves as an entry point for the crew, when they board the ship during training or on the launch pad. The habitation module also contains toilet, docking avionics and communications gear. In several "solo" missions in the 1970s, (not involving rendezvous with other spacecraft), the docking hardware in the habitation module was replaced with a custom-built payload section. During the evolution of the spacecraft a special blister was introduced, providing the crew with the forward view. Originally, the habitation module was designed to separate from the reentry capsule prior to a reentry maneuver at the end of the mission. However in the wake of a flight anomaly in 1988, the module would only be jettisoned after the braking maneuver, despite an extra propellant required to push the whole spacecraft off the orbit. Known specifications of the habitation module (Soyuz TM version):
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PICTURE GALLERY
Technician assembles hardware inside the habitation module of the Soyuz spacecraft circa 1970. Click to enlarge. Credit: 152
The processing crew install protective ring on the docking port of the Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft. A blister with the front view window on the habitation module is clearly visible. Credit: RKK Energia |
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