Muhammed Faris, born May 26, 1951 in Aleppo, Syria, went into space aboard Soyuz TM-3 to Mir in July 1987. He remained on board as part of Mir EP-1 for about a week before returning to Earth on Soyuz TM-2.
He returned to Syria after the mission and defected from the regime, joining the opposition.
Soyuz TM-3 crew (L-R): Muhammed Faris, Aleksandr Aleksandrov, Alexander Viktorentko
Soyuz TM-3, launched July 22, 1987, was the third manned spacecraft to visit the space station Mir. Its crew consisted of Commander Alexander Viktorenko, Flight Engineer Aleksandr Aleksandrov, and research cosmonaut Muhammed Faris, first Syrian astronaut.
Viktorenko and Faris stayed on board approximately a week (Mir EP-1) and returned on Soyuz TM-2, but Aleksandrov stayed aboard as part of Mir EO-2.
Soyuz TM-3 returned to Earth December 29 with Yuri Romanenko, Aleksandrov and Anatoli Levchenko.
Aleksandr Viktorenko, born March 29, 1947 in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of four Soyuz missions.
His first mission was as Commander of Soyuz TM-3, which launched July 1987 to the space station Mir. The flight was notable since fellow cosmonaut Muhammed Faris, was the first Syrian in space. They made up the crew of Mir EP-1, but they were not a long-term duration crew. They returned aboard Soyuz TM-2 about a week later.
His second mission was also as Commander aboard Soyuz TM-8 to Mir. He and fellow cosmonaut Aleksandr Serebrov were the 5th long term crew, Mir EO-5. They launched September 5, 1989 and returned February 19, 1990, after 166 days in space.
His third flight as commander was aboard Soyuz TM-14 to Mir, which launched March 17, 1992. It was the first Russian mission after the collapse of the Soviet Union. With Aleksandr Kaleri, they made up Mir EO-11 and retunred to Earth August 10, after 149 days in space.
Viktorenko's fourth and final mission was Commander on Soyuz TM-20 to Mir in October 1994, where he and Yelena Kondakova were crew Mir EO-17. They returned to Earth in March 1995 after 169 days in space.
In total, Viktorenko has spent a total of 489 days in space. He retired May 30, 1997.
