Soyuz TM-27 was the 35th mission and the 25th long-duration expedition to Mir space station. It was also a part of the US/Russian Shuttle-Mir Program. The mission began on January 29, 1998, 16:33:42 UTC, launching Commander Talgat Musabayev, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and Research Cosmonaut Léopold Eyharts into orbit. They docked with Mir two days later. During their stay there, cosmonauts performed several EVAs and various scientific experiments in medicine, biotechnology, Earth sciences etc. Station crew was visited by several Progress resupply spacecrafts, STS-91, and welcomed aboard Soyuz TM-28 with the next expedition crew. The mission concluded with a safe landing back on Earth on August 25, 1998, 05:24:44 UTC.