Soyuz TM-24

Soyuz TM-24 launched from Baikonur on August 17, 1996 with commander Valeri Korzun, flight engineer Aleksandr Kaleri, and French research cosmonaut Claudie Andre-Deshays. The spacecraft docked with Mir on August 19, beginning the EO-22 resident expedition and France's Cassiopee mission. Andre-Deshays spent just over fifteen days on Mir carrying out the French research program before returning on Soyuz TM-23 with the outgoing resident crew. Korzun and Kaleri remained aboard Mir for the long-duration expedition, managing station systems, research, cargo traffic, and later Shuttle-Mir operations. Soyuz TM-24 landed in Kazakhstan on March 2, 1997 with Korzun, Kaleri, and German research cosmonaut Reinhold Ewald, who had arrived later on Soyuz TM-25. The crew list represents the launch crew and the description preserves the later return-seat change.