Soyuz TMA-12M was a 2014 flight to the International Space Station. It transported three members of the Expedition 39 crew to the International Space Station. TMA-12M was the 121st flight of a Soyuz spacecraft since the first in 1967 and the 38th Soyuz mission to the ISS.
After a successful launch on 25 March 2014, docking was scheduled to occur on 26 March via the relatively new six-hour duration orbital trajectory. In the event, one of the orbital burns scheduled to refine the trajectory did not occur as planned, due to an attitude control problem in which the spacecraft was incorrectly oriented. The rendezvous phase was subsequently replanned to the formerly-used two-day trajectory. Accordingly, TMA-12M arrived at the ISS on 27 March. The Soyuz remained docked to the ISS to serve as an emergency escape vehicle until undocking and landing as scheduled on 11 September 2014.
The Soyuz TMA-12M mission patch shows the entire cycle of the spacecraft's flight. Liftoff is depicted showing the launch vehicle from a dramatic angle, flying into a starry sky towards the silhouette of the International Space Station. The six larger stars represent the six-member crew of ISS. The scene is framed by the Soyuz landing apparatus, suspended under the large canopy of the main parachute. The crew names are incorporated in the orange bands on the white parachute.
