In July 1984, Volk flew aboard Soyuz T-12, intended to give him some experience in space. With Volks's participation as Research Cosmonaut on the 7th expedition to Salyut 7, one goal of the mission was to evaluate the effects of long-duration spaceflight on a pilot skills and ability to fly and land an aeroplane safely (in order to prove Volk's ability to control Space Shuttle Buran atmospheric segment of flight). At the time of the Soyuz T-12 mission the Buran program was still a state secret. The appearance of Volk as a crew member caused some, including the British Interplanetary Society magazine "Spaceflight", to ask why a test pilot was occupying a Soyuz seat usually reserved for researchers or foreign cosmonauts.