Table of Contents

Crew Location and Responsibilities

The Soyuz vehicle can accommodate a crew of two or three. The crew is led by a commander and is assisted during active flight by a flight engineer. A second flight engineer or a cosmonaut researcher occupies the third seat. The crew sits in custom-built, shock-absorbing, reclined seats in the descent module.

(Photo: ESA-S.Corvaja)

The crew commander sits in the middle seat and:

• is responsible for all Soyuz vehicle operations
• assumes primary responsibilities for mission completion, crew activities and crew safety
• is the ultimate authority in contingency situations
• monitors overall system and vehicle structural status
• performs all vehicle system manual and semi-manual modes
• controls/monitors vehicle dynamic operations (ascent, rendezvous, approach, docking, descent, manual attitude manoeuvres)
• maintains ground communications
• assures proper function of personal life support system
• oversees vehicle egress following landing or splashdown

The flight engineer sits to the left of the commander and:

• is primary crew, assisting the commander, and is co-pilot
• assumes primary responsibilities for vehicle systems and proper crew interaction with those systems (especially during contingencies)
• assists commander during contingency situations
• maintains operation of the radio and TV systems in nominal and contingency situations
• measures and calculates relative motion parameters should KURS (rendezvous systems) fail
• performs systems control, supervised by the commander
• assures proper function of personal life support system
• performs vehicle egress following landing or splashdown

The second flight engineer or cosmonaut researcher or passenger sits to the right of the commander and

• maintains operation of the radio and TV systems in nominal and contingency situations
• maintains ground communications
• assures proper function of personal life support system
• performs vehicle egress following landing or splashdown

The cosmonaut researcher or passenger sits to the right of the commander and

• has an assignment based on his or her level of training
• performs additional functions as instructed by the commander, flight engineer and Mission Control
• maintains ground communications
• assures proper function of personal life support system
• performs vehicle egress following landing or splashdown