Afghanistan
Cosmonaut – Abdul Ahad Mohmand
Flight – Soyuz TM-6, 08/29/1988
Time in space – 8d 20h 26min
Born on 1 January 1959 in Sarda village, Shangar district, Ghazni province (Afghanistan). Pashtun.
From 29 August 1988 to 7 September 1988 he was a research cosmonaut on the Soyuz TM-6 spacecraft and the Mir station, together with Vladimir Lyakhov and Valery Polyakov. On 31 August 1988, he docked with the Mir station where the main crew (Vladimir Titov, Musa Manarov) was working.
The landing of the Soyuz TM-5 spacecraft with a crew consisting of Vladimir Lyakhov and A.A. Momand was planned for midnight on 5-6 September, but problems with the orientation sensors and the braking engine forced the astronauts to stay in the cramped descent vehicle for more than a day. As a result, the landing was made just before midnight on 6-7 September. The flight lasted 8 days, 20 hours and 26 minutes.
Hero of the Soviet Union awarded the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star (09/07/1988). Awarded the Afghan Sun of Freedom Medal. Hero of the Republic of Afghanistan (1988).