After the disaster in which Vladimir Komarov crashed in the Soyuz 1 spaceship, the emphasis shifted again for a short period to unmanned flights, the purpose of which was to test the space rendezvous technology that was later implemented in pairs and triplets of Soyuz spaceships
Cosmos 186 and 188
Before the docking of manned Russian spacecraft, meetings and docking of unmanned spacecraft were preceded. The first pair of spacecraft to perform these maneuvers was the Cosmos series. Cosmos 186 launched on October 27, 1967 and Cosmos 188 launched on October 30. The two spacecraft are similar in shape to the Soyuz spacecraft and are capable of carrying five people. The guidance of the spacecraft was done by computers and they were monitored by television. The spaceships had special equipment for meetings and attachment by means of radio. The docking maneuver was done on October 30, the day Cosmos 188 was launched. The attached spacecraft flew together for 3.5 hours in an elliptical orbit whose distance from the ground is 200-267 km and the duration of the entire lap is 88.97 minutes. According to an order, the spaceships were separated from each other and changed their course. Cosmos 188 landed on November 2 and Cosmos 186 landed on October 31. The spacecraft circled the Earth 65 times.
Cosmos 212 and 213
Russian space scientists repeated the docking maneuvers with the launch of the Cosmos 212 and Cosmos 213 spacecraft. Cosmos 212 was launched on April 14, 1968. This spacecraft was the smaller of the two. It was equipped with a television camera. Cosmos 213 which was launched a day later on April 15. This spacecraft had a radar and a computer. Its trajectory was slightly different from that of Cosmos 212. On April 15. The two spacecraft were connected according to instructions from the control center. In most phases the docking was similar to that of Cosmos 186 and Cosmos 188. Cosmos 212 was the active spacecraft. She chased Cosmos 213 at a speed of 8 km/h. The approach and docking maneuvers were carried out with great precision and were fully filmed by the television cameras of Cosmos 212. The two spacecraft flew together for 4 hours and then separated. Each one moved to a different track and operated within the framework of the experiments intended for her. On April 20, the spaceships landed.
Soyuz 2 and Soyuz 3
Daylight on October 25, 1968, the unmanned Soyuz 2 spacecraft was launched. The flight path was 185-224 km, the angle of inclination 51.7 degrees and the duration of the lap 88.5 minutes. A day later, Soyuz 3 was launched with the astronaut Giorgi Bergboy. The flight path is 225-205 km, the angle of inclination is 51.7 degrees and the length of the lap is 88.6 degrees. At the time of launch Bergboy's heart rate was 100 per minute and the breathing rate was 30 times per minute. Upon entering the track it was more peaceful. The Russians faced two goals in this operation:
A. Develop a method for attaching spacecraft.
B. To examine the control system operated by the astronaut when the two spacecraft are close to each other.
In this operation, three experiments were conducted, two approach experiments, the longest of which was 90 minutes, and a change of the spacecraft's trajectory. All experiments were conducted on the same day. The first approach took place at the beginning of Bergboy's flight in the first lap. The approach was made using an automatic system controlled from the ground. The radar antenna measured the ever-shrinking distance between the bodies of the bodies and transferred this data to the computer. According to his instructions, the spacecraft's engines were started. At a distance of 200 meters, Bergboy took command, instead of passing instructions to the spacecraft's systems. The computer displayed its data on the control panel.
According to these data, Bargavoy navigated the spacecraft to perform the maneuver. Bergboy made use of two levers, one turned on the engine and accelerated or slowed it down and the other determined the number of revolutions of the common center of gravity of the two spacecraft. At the end of the maneuver the distance between the spaceships was a few meters. Bergboy performed independent operations and activated the spacecraft's control system. to locate the execution of the maneuvers. The entire maneuver was broadcast on television. On October 28, Soyuz 2 was landed without incident. She stayed in space for 72 hours and 30 minutes.
On the fifth lap of Soyuz 3, the spacecraft moved away from each other. Bergboy opened the hatch of the take-off and landing cabin, entered the orbital cabin, lay down on the couch and fell asleep. His heart rate was 56-60 and the breathing rate was 16. All the while the spacecraft was being navigated and monitored by the control center. After waking up, Bergboy performed calisthenics for 25 minutes and ate breakfast. Bergboy was later instructed to perform additional rendezvous maneuvers. Soyuz 2 kept its original orbit. Soyuz 3 was in a different orbit and at a distance of 565 km from it. Up to a distance of 200 meters the operation was conducted from the ground. At this distance Bergboy took command as in the previous maneuver.
At the end of the joint maneuvers with Soyuz 2, Bargaboy was freed for scientific experiments and observations. In the 33rd lap he reported three forest fires near the equator, discovered three lightning storms, noticed several hurricanes and noticed several storms that look like a vortex funnel in the cloud layers and made astronomical observations. In the same lap he changed the flight path to 244-196 km and changed the attribution of the spacecraft so that the sun shelves were directed towards the sun.
On October 28, Bargavoy made a television broadcast. Medical tests conducted on the fourth day of the flight showed that the heart rate was 63-68 and the breathing rate 15-12. Another TV broadcast took place. On October 30, Soyuz 3 landed in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Bergboy circled the earth 64 times in a time of 94 hours and 51 minutes. During his flight he performed geophysical, astronomical, biomedical experiments, navigation and meteorological observations. Communication satellites were used to contact the spacecraft.
Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5
At the same time as Apollo 8's flight to the moon, the Soviet Union conducted a manned docking exercise. The spacecraft that participated in this maneuver were Soyuz 4 which was launched on January 14, 1969 and Soyuz 5 was launched a day later. The pilot of Soyuz 4 was Vladimir Shtalov. It circled the Earth in an orbit whose distance from the ground is 225-173 km, the angle of inclination is 51.7 degrees and the duration of the orbit is 88.3 minutes. At the beginning of the flight, Stallov performed navigational exercises and transmitted a television broadcast for several minutes. During the entire flight he was engaged in medical research and followed the Earth's horizon. In the fifth lap, the flight path was changed to 237-207 km.
On the 16th lap of Soyuz 4, Soyuz 5 was launched. There were three astronauts in the spacecraft and they are Yevgeny Khronov, Boris Velinov and Alexei Ilisayev. At the beginning of the flight, the spacecraft moves in an elliptical orbit whose distance from the ground is 200-230 km, the angle of inclination is 51.7 degrees and the duration of the orbit is 88.5 minutes. Later, the flight route was changed to 253-210 km and the lap lasted 89 minutes. A live TV broadcast is also provided in this spaceship. On January 16, Soyuz 4 changed its flight path to 210-253 km. The task assigned to the two spacecraft was to attach and transfer astronauts from one spacecraft to the other. Soyuz 5 played a passive role during docking. The attachment itself was done in several stages. Up to a distance of 100 meters from each other, these tasks were carried out on January 16 with complete success. The approach was made using signals from the ground. Earlier the distance was reduced to 8 km and then to 5 km. When the spacecraft were at a distance of 100 meters from each other, Stalov performed the final maneuvers and performed the attachment operations manually. The spaceships were closely attached to each other and their electrical circuits were connected. These operations were done 48 hours and 41 minutes after the launch of Soyuz 4. The spacecraft circled the Earth close to each other for 4 hours and 37 minutes. The entire coffee lasted 89 minutes on a course whose distance from the ground is 250-209 km. All the while Khronov, an engineer by profession, conducted tests on the adhesion mechanisms and the mechanical connections of the spacecraft. He used a sextant to determine the attribution of certain stars, studied how radio waves travel through the ionosphere and performed other experiments.
The space scientists described this operation as "establishing the first experimental laboratory in space". For the establishment of this laboratory, the flight engineers performed a series of complicated maneuvers, some of the maneuvers were done from the ground and some by the spacecraft crews. The maneuvers were coordinated with the help of monitoring stations assisted by special ships that sailed in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Guinea, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. A computer unit was established that compiled all the data. Apart from that, the spacecraft were aided by small computers that allowed their pilots to make separate changes.
On the 35th lap of Soyuz 4 Khronov and Ilyisaev began preparations for the transfer to Soyuz 4. They and their colleague Volinov entered the orbital chamber. Volinov helped them put on the space suits. Wearing the suits was not easy due to the lack of weight, although they were held by the handles on the side of the spaceship. After putting on the spacesuits, Volinov returned to the take-off and landing compartment and closed the hatch. The hatch of the orbital compartment opened and the astronauts got out. They delivered to Soyuz four letters from relatives, other astronauts and also some newspapers.
The transition from Soyuz 5 to Soyuz 4 lasted 3 hours and 35 minutes. After the tie-up, Khronov went out first followed by Ilysiav. Before entering Soyuz 4, they stayed outside the spacecraft for 37 minutes conducting various experiments, observations and studies. Khronov inspected the transit chambers, the space suit and its survival case. He observed celestial bodies and the Earth, made ordinary photographs and used a motion picture film. When they entered Soyuz 4 they locked the exit door and removed the spacesuits with the help of Stalov. A short time later the spaceships were separated from each other. Stalov Volinov turned the spaceship at an angle of 90 degrees, so that it was possible to observe the skylights of one spaceship at a time.
The transition between the spaceships was broadcast on television. A portable camera could be seen that was transferred to Yilisiav from Soyuz 4 when he left Soyuz 5. During the flight, the astronauts walked freely between the takeoff and landing compartment and the orbital compartment. The space suits were new and sophisticated to such an extent that they solved the breathing problems and freed their wearers from the cable connecting them to the spacecraft. They were equipped with an independent existence system that includes a system for supplying electricity, heating elements, a fan for pumping heated or cooled air into the garment and a system for regulating the temperature. The entire system is packed in a backpack. The suits themselves are comfortable and flexible.
Soyuz 4 circled the Earth 48 times in a time of 71 hours and 14 minutes. Stalov landed her on January 17. Soyuz 5 landed 25 hours later. It circled the earth 50 times in 72 hours and 46 minutes. It landed 600 km northwest of the Bikonor Space Center.
Squadron in space: Soyuz 6, Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8
The Soviet Union launched three Soyuz spacecraft to orbit the Earth: Soyuz 6, Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8. The entire operation lasted eight days. It began with the launch of Soyuz 6 on October 11, 1969 and ended with the landing of Soyuz 8 on October 18. The three spacecraft were launched 24 hours apart.
Soyuz 6 on October 11, 1969
Soyuz 7 on October 12, 1969
Soyuz 8 on October 13, 1969
Seven astronauts took part in this journey, two teams of two astronauts each and one team of three astronauts.
Soyuz 6: Giorgi Shonin, spacecraft commander, Valery Kobsov, flight commander.
Soyuz 7: Anatoly Filipchenko, Viktor Govetko and Dr. Vladislav Volkov research engineer.
Soyuz 8: Vladimir Shatalov, the squadron commander, and Dr. Alexey Yelisayev.
The spacecraft teams were assigned many and varied tasks and they had to fulfill them in cooperation among themselves, cooperation with ground teams and tasks which each team performs separately. At the beginning of the journey there were differences of opinion between the crews of the spaceships, but after a short time they reached consensus. These are the tasks assigned to the astronauts:
1. Examine a sophisticated model of the Soyuz spacecraft and examine the entire system in the spacecraft.
2. Perfect the systems for personal control, direction and stabilization of spacecraft in a peripheral orbit and in complicated flight conditions.
3. Examine independent and automatic means of navigation.
4. Conduct a joint maneuver to improve guided space systems.
5. Guide three spaceships at the same time.
6. To conduct visual observations and photography of the earth and the stars with special emphasis on the national economic benefit that may grow from this. The observations and photographs were also used to estimate varying distances using different methods. These data were necessary to solve various problems that required perfecting autonomous operations in the process of installing long-lived space laboratories.
7. To conduct scientific observations and extensive photographs of the earth of geographical and geological importance.
8. To study the Earth's atmosphere with the aim of applying this knowledge to agriculture and the national economy.
9. A compass research program for the three spacecraft in space.
10. To conduct technical experiments, including the examination of various welding methods under conditions of lack of air and weightlessness.
11. Conduct medical and biological investigations - the effect of radiation on man in space, psycho-physical tests to test the effect of weightlessness.
12. To provide a lot of information for future flights and to perfect the equipment in space flights.
In an interview before the flight, Yelisayev said: "We will conduct experiments that will lead to even bigger space stations. This time there may not be a need for space travel from spacecraft to spacecraft, as each spacecraft has its own set of scientific equipment.
October 11 - On this day, the operation began with the launch of Soyuz 6. The spacecraft entered an elliptical orbit with a distance from the ground of 186-223 km, an inclination angle of 51.7 degrees and a orbital period of 88.36 minutes. When the spacecraft entered orbit, the team began to fulfill the research and experiments plan. That day the astronauts were engaged in medical tests and geological investigations. On the second lap, when the solar panels were deployed, Shonin maneuvered the spaceship so that it faced the sun. The flight path was later changed. When contact with Earth was lost, the astronauts entered the orbital chamber to sleep.
A television broadcast was conducted from the spaceship. This transmission was short and accompanied by interruptions. The launch itself was also televised. Since the first transmission was not clear, another transmission was made in which Shunin was seen writing notes in the spaceship's journal. The spacecraft did not have attachment equipment and automatic systems for meetings in space, equipment that was present in Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8. The spacecraft had a large amount of scientific equipment, some of it new, and an additional supply of fuel to enable extensive maneuvering in space.
October 12 - On this day, Soyuz 7 was launched. The spacecraft entered an almost circular orbit with a distance from the ground of 226-227 km, the angle of inclination 51.7 degrees and the length of the orbit 88.7 degrees. The launch was televised. The orbit of Soyuz 6 at the time of launch was 194-230 km, the angle of inclination 51.7 degrees and the length of the lap 88.6 degrees. At the same moment that Soyuz 7 entered orbit, contact was made between it and Soyuz 6. On this day, Soyuz 7 conducted a series of scientific and technical experiments and studies (welding), especially maneuvers, navigation in a group flight, observations of stars and the Earth's horizon, testing the brightness of the stars and the light intensity of the sun, and experiments on man's ability to adapt to weightlessness conditions.
After eight hours of sleep, the Soyuz 6 pilots performed medical examinations, ate breakfast and checked the spacecraft's systems. The spacecraft crew used manual control to complete tests of the automated systems that determine the stability of the spacecraft in relation to the stars. On the 14th lap of Soyuz 6 Shonin performed maneuvering exercises with the spacecraft while performing planetary navigation. Kubsov made measurements with the sextant. Comparing his calculations with those of the control center showed that he was not far wrong. Through the portholes of the orbiter he photographed beaches in the Caspian Sea and the Volga Delta, forests in the center of the Soviet Union and cloud formations. These photographs and unmanned satellite photographs are of geological and meteorological importance. On the 21st lap of Soyuz 6, some complications occurred in the spacecraft and the astronauts fixed them. On the 32nd lap, Soyuz 6 changed its course. The experiments of the two spaceships on this day had a geological and geographical character.
October 13 - On this day, Soyuz 8 was launched. The spacecraft entered an orbit whose distance from the ground is 225 - 205 km. This orbit is almost identical to that of Soyuz 7, the angle of inclination is 51.7 degrees and the duration of the orbit is 88.6 minutes. As the spacecraft entered orbit, its pilots contacted Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 7. The launch was televised. Soyuz 6 commander Shunin received instructions on what maneuvers he should perform to approach Soyuz 8. Close to the launch date. The change of course was made on the 32nd lap. The Soyuz 6 pilots, after waking up, checked the spacecraft's systems and performed several experiments. Some of the experiments were performed during a tight structure flight with Soyuz 7.
October 14 - until eye contact was established between the three spacecraft, the radio contact was partially made through the communication satellite Molenie 1. Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8 performed approach maneuvers several times while watching each other, taking pictures and recording each other. The goal was to determine the degree of visibility of objects from different distances and to test the possibilities of transmitting information through light signals using visual methods and other means. The spacecraft tested the automatic and non-automatic control systems and made observations of the globe and photographed it.
Stalov performed the maneuvers once automatically and once manually. Communication with the control center exists even when the spacecraft are out of range of the control center when the spacecraft are flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The connection was made through the "Yuri Gagarin" communication ship. Seven other communication ships that formed a surveillance network are "Morzovi-Ast" "Navial", "Bazitsa", "Dulinsk", "Restuna", "Kagosiv" and "Borovitsa". Today there was a short TV broadcast from Soyuz 6.
October 15 - Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8 continued their approach maneuvers. The maneuvers were performed automatically and manually. They reduced the distance from 3 km to 500 meters while Soyuz 6 follows them. The astronauts in the two spaceships greeted each other with the movement of the solar shelves. The spaceships flew in this structure for several hours and changed their position in the structure twice. The front moved back and the rear moved forward. Between one maneuver and the other, the Soyuz 6 team performed medical experiments including testing the vestibular mechanism of the inner ear functions under conditions of weightlessness. Kobsov continued to photograph large areas of the Earth and storms. Philippchenko, Volkov and Govatsko made astronomical observations and photographs. Stalov and Yalisiyav made course corrections.
At the end of the maneuvers, the spaceships flew in a trajectory that is 220-225 km from the ground. The angle of inclination is 51.7 degrees and the duration of the lap is 88.6 minutes. At that time the distance between Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8 was 500 meters and the distance of Soyuz 6 is a little greater. Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 7 carried out extensive geological studies in cooperation with researchers on the ground. The astronauts photographed the vast area between the Caspian Sea and the Ural Sea and at the same time planes manned by geologists and physicists photographed this area. The astronauts also made observations of mountainous areas, followed the movement of clouds and their formation over the Pacific Ocean. Additional experiments were performed.
October 16 - The distance between the spaceships was increased. On the 77th lap of Soyuz 6's flight, welding experiments were conducted. Shunin closed the hatch of the take-off and landing compartment and vented the air from the orbital compartment. Kobsov then activated the remote controlled welding equipment. The welding equipment is of the "Vulcan" type in which two parts:
A. A part containing the devices for three types of welding.
1. Low pressure reduced electric arc welding.
2. Electron beam welding - Shunin and Kobsov used an electron beam with a power of one kilowatt to weld titanium and stainless steel plates to melt metals, glass and plastic.
3. Burning electrode welding - an electric current was passed through a metal rod to melt it, so that the liquid metal would be used to connect the welded parts. These experiments were not very successful. The weightlessness conditions and other factors resulted in the formation of excessively large droplets of the liquid metal, so that the welded area was too thick. The welding process itself progressed very slowly. In the end, even with this method, strong welds are free from gas bubbles.
B. In this part are the electrical power source, control devices, measuring devices and radios.
The welding equipment for the two parts was stored in a chamber filled with nitrogen, so that it floated inside. An electrical cable used for control allows control and connects it to the spacecraft. This equipment can also operate when attached to the outer wall of the spacecraft. After the welding, air was injected into the orbital chamber and Kobsov entered it to see the results of the experiments. At the end of the experiments, the spacecraft landed 180 km southwest of Karaganda. Soyuz 6 orbited the Earth for 118 hours and 42 minutes. Soyuz 8 crew member Stalov changed the flight path twice to test the control systems.
October 17 - Soyuz 7 performed additional approach maneuvers with Soyuz 8. At the end of the maneuvers and after 79 laps, the spacecraft landed 155 km southwest of Karaganda, 25 km from the landing site of Soyuz 6. After the maneuvers, the orbit of Soyuz 8 was 190-256 km, the angle of inclination 51.7 degrees and the duration of the lap 88.95 minutes. Soyuz 8 continued after the landing of Soyuz 7 in medical studies and photographing areas of geological importance.
October 18 - the entire operation ended with the landing of Soyuz 8 150 km north of Karaganda.
epilogue
The three spacecraft conducted over 30 maneuvers during which unexpected difficulties were discovered. More than once, fights broke out between the astronauts. During the flight Shonin followed the movement of clouds that formed over Kazakhstan. He reported a typhoon on the coast of Mexico, discovered a strong storm over forested plains in Kazakhstan not far from the Soyuz 6 landing site. He discovered that the wind at the landing site would weaken and that there was no need to look for another landing site. The three teams were tracking a hurricane west of Mexico and two tropical storms in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In later reports, the Russians said that in their opinion welding is easier to do than with bolts and nuts that are tightened, requiring rotary movements that are difficult to perform in conditions of weightlessness.
Moscow time schedule
Spacecraft Launch Date Launch Time Landing Date Landing Time
Soyuz 6 11.10 14:10 16.10 12:52
Soyuz 7 12.10 13:45 17.10 12:26
Soyuz 8 13.10 13:29 18.10 12:10
