6
$\begingroup$

According to this answer, Columbia is the only Space Shuttle not to have docked with more than one space station. For the other shuttles, I think at least most of the time they only docked with one space station per mission. But I'm not sure.

In total, how many times has any spacecraft docked with two or more different space stations during a single mission?

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
0

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
13
$\begingroup$

When USSR were in the final stages of putting Mir in to orbit, Salyut 7 was still in orbit containing many devices and equipment that the USSR wanted on Mir.

So on 13th March 1986 the Soyuz T-15 launched, docking with Mir. On the 5th May 1986 it then undocked for the first time from Mir, and travelled to the orbiting Salyut 7 space station and docked successfully on the 6th May. It then undocked from Salyut 7 on the 25th June, docking with Mir again on the 26th June. Soyuz T-15 undocked from Mir for the final time on the 16th July.

It also remains the first and only time where a space craft has travelled back and forth between two places in space.

More information can be found here about the mission.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
3
  • $\begingroup$ Great answer; "once"! Thanks for the description. Can you consider adding those figures into your answer? Sooner or later link rot can happen. If you need some help, let me know. I think those plots are fascinating, really show quite a "dance of the spacecraft"! $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Jul 7, 2017 at 15:17
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I will at some point in the next few days :) $\endgroup$
    – mickburkejnr
    Commented Jul 7, 2017 at 20:27
  • $\begingroup$ Not only does this answer have information about the flight, it also correctly answers the question How many times...? $\endgroup$
    – FKEinternet
    Commented Jul 8, 2017 at 20:27
8
$\begingroup$

The transition between the Salyut 7 station to Mir, had Soyuz T-15 transfer between Mir and Salyut 7.

They launched and docked with Mir, then departed and docked with Salyut-7, picking up some equipment, and then departed and returned to the nascent Mir space station.

They had to adjust the orbits of Salyut 7 to make the transfer less fuel intensive, and thus make it possible.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
2
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ I'm not going to accept a one-sentence, unsupported/zero-link, grammatically flawed sentence as the answer. I'll post one myself tomorrow if nobody else does. This is a really fascinating mission and was quite a record-breaker in space exploration history, and deserves more than fourteen words. On another note, the question is "How many times...?" $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Jul 6, 2017 at 16:53
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ We typically scold new users for not adding supporting information to their answers, or posting answers that do not actually answer the question, often changing their answers to comments and/or down voting until they make an effort. But we up vote 40k people doing the same thing rather than expecting them to set a good example because... why? I keep forgetting. $\endgroup$
    – uhoh
    Commented Jul 6, 2017 at 17:26

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.