Salyut 6 was a
SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
orbital space station, the eighth flown as part of the Salyut programme. Launched on September 29, 1977 by a Proton rocket, the station was the first of the 'second-generation' type of
space stationA space station is an artificial structure designed for humans to live in outer space. To date, only low earth orbital stations have been implemented, otherwise known as orbital stations...
. Salyut 6 possessed several revolutionary advances over the earlier Soviet space stations, which she nevertheless resembled in overall design. These included the addition of a second docking port, a new main propulsion system and the station's primary scientific instrument, the BST-1M multispectral telescope. The addition of the second docking port made crew handovers and station resupply by unmanned
ProgressThe Progress is a Russian expendable freighter spacecraft. The spacecraft is an unmanned resupply spacecraft during its flight but upon docking with a space station it allows astronauts inside, hence it is classified manned by the manufacturer. It was derived from the Soyuz spacecraft, and is...
freighters possible for the first time, which in turn allowed the programme to evolve from short-duration station visits to long-duration expeditions, marking the beginning of the transition to multi-modular, long-term research stations in space.
From 1977 until 1982 Salyut 6 was visited by five long- and eleven short-duration crews, including cosmonauts from
Warsaw PactThe Warsaw Pact is the informal name for the mutual defense Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance subscribed by eight Communist states in Eastern Europe, that was established at the USSR’s initiative and realised on 14 May 1955, in Warsaw, Poland...
countries as part of the
IntercosmosThe Intercosmos was a space exploration program run by the Soviet Union to allow members from military forces of allied Warsaw Pact countries to participate in manned and unmanned space exploration missions...
programme. The very first long-duration crew to visit the station broke a long-standing endurance record set on board the American
SkylabSkylab was the United States' first space station, and the second space station visited by a human crew. It was also the only space station NASA launched alone...
station, staying 96 days in orbit, whilst the longest expedition lasted 185 days. These crews were responsible for carrying out the primary missions of Salyut 6, including astronomy, Earth-resources observations and the study of
human adaptation to spaceHuman physiological adaptation to the conditions of space is a challenge faced in the development of human spaceflight.The fundamental engineering problems of escaping Earth's gravity well and developing systems for in-space propulsion have been examined for well over a century, and millions of...
. Following the completion of these missions and the launch of her
successorSalyut 7 was the final space station launched into Low Earth orbit as part of the Soviet Union's Salyut Program. Launched on April 19, 1982, on a Proton rocket from Site 200/40 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the USSR, Salyut 7 was part of the transition from "monolithic" to "modular" space...
, Salyut 6 was deorbited on July 29, 1982, almost five years after her launch.
Description
Salyut 6, launched on a Proton 8K82K rocket on 1977-09-29, marked the switch from engineering development stations to routine operations, and united the most effective elements from each of the previous stations. Her navigation system, made up of the Delta semi-automatic computer to depict the station's orbit and the Kaskad system to control its orientation, was based on that used on
Salyut 4Salyut 4 was a Salyut space station launched on December 26, 1974 into an orbit with an apogee of 355 km, a perigee of 343 km and an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees. It was essentially a copy of the DOS 3, and unlike its ill-fated sibling it was a complete success...
, as was her power system, which consisted of a trio of steerable
solar panelsA photovoltaic module or photovoltaic panel is a packaged interconnected assembly of photovoltaic cells, also known as solar cells. The photovoltaic module, known more commonly as the solar panel, is then used as a component in a larger photovoltaic system to offer electricity for commercial and...
together producing a peak of 4 kilowatts of power over 51 metres². The station's thermal regulation systems, which made use of a sophisticated arrangement of insulation and radiators, was also derived from that used on Salyut 4. In addition, Salyut 6 made use of environmental systems first used on
Salyut 3Salyut 3 was launched on June 25, 1974. It was the second Almaz military space station, this one launched successfully, included in the Salyut program to disguise its true purpose....
, and controlled her orientation using gyrodenes first tested on that station.
The most important feature on Salyut 6, however, was the addition of a second docking port on the aft end of the station, which allowed two spacecraft to be docked at once. This, in turn, allowed resident crews to receive shorter, 'visiting' expeditions whilst they remained on board, and for crew handovers to take place. Such handovers, with one expedition vacating the station only after the next had arrived, permitted the long sought-after aim of continuous occupation to move a step closer. The very first long-duration crew to visit the station broke a long-standing endurance record set on board the American
SkylabSkylab was the United States' first space station, and the second space station visited by a human crew. It was also the only space station NASA launched alone...
station, staying 96 days in orbit, whilst the longest expedition lasted 185 days. Some of the visiting expeditions were flown as part of the
IntercosmosThe Intercosmos was a space exploration program run by the Soviet Union to allow members from military forces of allied Warsaw Pact countries to participate in manned and unmanned space exploration missions...
programme, with non-Soviet cosmonauts visiting the station.
Vladimír RemekVladimír Remek is the first Czechoslovak in space and the first cosmonaut from a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States. As of 2004, with the entry of the Czech Republic into the European Union Vladimír Remek is considered to be the first European astronaut...
of
CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, the first
space travellerAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
not from the US or USSR, visited Salyut 6 in 1978, and the station hosted cosmonauts from
HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
,
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
,
RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
,
CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
,
MongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and the People's Republic of China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only 24 miles from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator,...
,
VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
, and East Germany.
The rearward of the two ports was fitted with plumbing to allow the station to be refuelled by unmanned
Progress spacecraftThe Progress is a Russian expendable freighter spacecraft. The spacecraft is an unmanned resupply spacecraft during its flight but upon docking with a space station it allows astronauts inside, hence it is classified manned by the manufacturer. It was derived from the Soyuz spacecraft, and is...
. These freighters, which brought supplies and extra equipment to keep the station replenished, helped ensure that the crew were always able to carry out useful scientific work aboard the station. In all, twelve Progress flights delivered over 20 tonnes of equipment, supplies and fuel.
The addition of the extra docking port caused the adoption of the
AlmazThe Almaz program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the civilian Salyut DOS-17K program after 1971....
-derived twin-chamber propulsion system first used on Salyut 3 and
5Salyut 5 was launched on June 22, 1976 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Proton 8K82K rocket. It was the third and last Almaz military space station, included in the Salyut program to conceal its true purpose. Structurally similar to Salyut 3, it had a total mass of approximately 18-19 tons...
, with the two engine nozzles—each producing 2.9 kilonewtons of thrust—mounted peripherally on either side of the aft port. Salyut 6 introduced a Unified Propulsion System, with both the engines and the station's control thrusters running on unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and
nitrogen tetroxideDinitrogen tetroxide is the chemical compound N2O4. It forms an equilibrium mixture with nitrogen dioxide; some call this mixture dinitrogen tetroxide, some call it nitrogen dioxide. Dinitrogen tetroxide is a powerful oxidizer, highly toxic and corrosive...
, drawn from a common set of pressurised tanks, allowing the refuelling capabilities of the visiting Progress tankers to be exploited to the maximum effect. The entire engine and fuel storage assembly was contained within an unpressurised bay at the rear of the station, which was the same diameter as the main pressurised compartment. However, the replacement of the
SoyuzSoyuz ; English: Union) is a series of spacecraft designed for the Soviet space program by the Korolyov Design Bureau. The Soyuz succeeded the Voskhod spacecraft and was originally built as part of the Soviet Manned Lunar program...
engine used on previous stations with the bay meant that the station kept a similar overall length to its predecessors.
To enable
spacewalkExtra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
s, Salyut 6 was equipped with an inward-opening EVA hatch for on the side of the forward transfer compartment, which could be used as an airlock in a similar way to the system used on Salyut 4. This compartment contained two new semi-rigid spacesuits which allowed much greater flexibility than earlier suits, and could be donned within five minutes in case of an emergency. Finally, the station offered considerable improvements in living conditions over previous outposts, with machinery being soundproofed, the crews being provided with designated 'cots' for sleeping and the equipping of the station with a shower and extensive gymnasium.
Instruments
The primary instrument carried aboard the station was the BST-1M multispectral telescope, which could carry out astronomical observations in the infrared, ultraviolet and submillimetre spectra using a 1.5 metre-diameter mirror which was operated in cryogenic conditions at around −269
°CCelsius is a temperature scale that is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
. The telescope could be operated only when Salyut 6 was on the night side of the Earth, and had its cover closed for the rest of the time.
The second major instrument was the MKF-6M multispectral camera, which carried out Earth-resources observations. An improved form of a camera first tested on
Soyuz 22Soyuz 22 was 1976 Soviet manned spaceflight. It was an earth-sciences mission using a modified Soyuz spacecraft, and was also, some observers speculated, a mission to observe NATO exercises near Norway....
, the camera captured an area of 165×220
kilometreThe kilometre , symbol km is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second....
s with each image, down to a resolution of 20 metres. Each image was captured simultaneously in six bands in 1200-frame cassettes, which required regular replacement due to the fogging effects of radiation. Salyut 6 also featured a KATE-140 stereoscopic
topographic mapA topographic map is a type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods...
ping camera with a
focal lengthThe focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly it converges or diverges light. For an optical system in air, it is the distance over which initially collimated rays are brought to a focus...
of 140 milimetres, which captured images of 450×450 kilometres with a resolution of 50 metres in the visible and infrared spectra, which could be operated either remotely or by the resident crews. The photographic capabilities of the station were, therefore, extensive, and the Soviet Ministry of Agriculture had planted a number of specifically-selected crops at test sites at Salsky in the
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
and
VoronezhVoronezh is a large city in southwestern Russia, not far from Ukraine. It is located either side of the Voronezh River, twelve kilometers away from where it flows into the Don. Voronezh is the administrative center of Voronezh Oblast...
near
Lake BaikalLake Baikal is the world's second most voluminous lake, after the Caspian Sea. It is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the world with an average depth of 744.4 m and contains a total of roughly 20 percent of the world's surface fresh water...
to examine the capabilities of the cameras.
To further expand its scientific capabilities, Salyut 6 was equipped with 20 portholes for observations, two scientific airlocks to expose equipment to space or eject rubbish, and various pieces of apparatus to carry out biological experiments. Later on during her flight, a Progress spacecraft delivered an external telescope, the KRT-10 radio observatory, which incorporated a
directional antennaA directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna which radiates greater power in one or more directions allowing for increased performance on transmit and receive and reduced interference from unwanted sources....
and five
radiometerA radiometer is a device for measuring the radiant flux of electromagnetic radiation. Generally, the term “radiometer” denotes an infrared radiation detector, yet it also comprises detectors operating on any electromagnetic wavelength, e.g...
s. The antenna was deployed on the rear docking assembly, with the controller remaining inside the station, and was used for both astronomical and meteorological observations.
Support craft
Salyut 6 was primarily supported by the manned
Soyuz spacecraftSoyuz ; English: Union) is a series of spacecraft designed for the Soviet space program by the Korolyov Design Bureau. The Soyuz succeeded the Voskhod spacecraft and was originally built as part of the Soviet Manned Lunar program...
, which carried out crew rotations and would also have been used in the event of an emergency evacuation. The ferries docked automatically to the station, making use of the new Igla automatic docking system, and were used by departing crews to return to Earth at the end of their flight.
The station was the first to be able to be resupplied by the newly-developed unmanned
ProgressThe Progress is a Russian expendable freighter spacecraft. The spacecraft is an unmanned resupply spacecraft during its flight but upon docking with a space station it allows astronauts inside, hence it is classified manned by the manufacturer. It was derived from the Soyuz spacecraft, and is...
freighters, although they could only dock at the rear port, as the plumbing which allowed the spacecraft to replenish the station's fluids was not available at the front port. The freighters docked automatically to the station via the Igla, and were then opened and emptied by the cosmonauts on board, whilst transfer of fuel to the station took place automatically under supervision from the ground.
In addition to the Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, after her final crew had left, Salyut 6 was visited by an experimental transport logistics spacecraft called
Cosmos 1267Cosmos 1267 was an unmanned TKS spacecraft which docked to the Soviet space station Salyut 6 as part of tests to attach scientific expansion modules to stations in Earth orbit. The module which docked to the station was the FGB component of a TKS vehicle launched on April 25, 1981. The spacecraft's...
in 1982. The transport logistics spacecraft, known as the
TKSTKS spacecraft was designed by Vladimir Chelomei as a manned spacecraft launched with Proton rocket alternative to the Soyuz spacecraft to supply the military Almaz space station. Development began in 1965, but by the time the first flight articles were ready the Almaz programme had been abandoned...
, was originally designed for the
AlmazThe Almaz program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the civilian Salyut DOS-17K program after 1971....
programme, and proved that large modules could dock automatically with space stations, a major step toward the construction of multimodular stations such as
MirMir was a Soviet space station. Mir was the world's first consistently inhabited long-term research station in space, and the first of the third generation type of space station, constructed from 1986 to 1996 with a modular design...
and the
International Space StationThe International Space Station is an internationally developed research facility currently being assembled in Low Earth Orbit. On-orbit construction of the station began in 1998 and is scheduled to be completed by 2011, with operations continuing until at least 2015...
.
Docking operations
| Spacecraft |
Docking |
|
Port |
Undocking |
|
Duration (days) |
| Soyuz 25 Soyuz 25 was a 1977 Soviet manned space flight, the first to the new Salyut 6 space station, which had been launched 10 days earlier. However, the mission was aborted when cosmonauts Vladimir Kovalyonok and Valery Ryumin failed to engage the docking latches of the station despite five attempts...
|
10 October 1977 |
07:09 |
front |
11 October 1977 |
~08:00 |
1.03 |
| Soyuz 26 Soyuz 26 was a 1977-8 Soviet manned space flight, the first to dock successfully with the Salyut 6 space station, and the start of what would be the semi-permanent occupation of space by the Russians....
|
11 December 1977 |
06:02 |
rear |
16 January 1978 |
14:22 |
36.35 |
Soyuz 27Soyuz 27 was a 1978 Soviet manned space flight to the orbiting Salyut 6 space station. It was the third manned flight to the station, and the second successful docking...
|
11 January 1978 |
17:06 |
front |
16 March 1978 |
11:00 |
63.75 |
| Progress 1 |
22 January 1978 |
13:12 |
rear |
7 February 1978 |
08:55 |
15.82 |
| Soyuz 28 Soyuz 28 was a 1978 Soviet manned mission to the orbiting Salyut 6 space station. It was the fourth mission to the station, the third successful docking, and the second visit to the resident crew launched in Soyuz 26....
|
3 March 1978 |
20:10 |
rear |
10 March 1978 |
13:25 |
6.72 |
| Soyuz 29 Soyuz 29 was a 1978 manned Soviet space mission to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the fifth mission, the fourth successful docking, and the second long-duration crew for the orbiting station...
|
17 June 1978 |
00:58 |
front |
3 September 1978 |
11:23 |
78.43 |
Soyuz 30Soyuz 30 was a 1978 manned Soviet space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the sixth mission to and fifth successful docking at the orbiting facility...
|
29 June 1978 |
20:08 |
rear |
5 July 1978 |
13:15 |
6.71 |
| Progress 2 |
9 July 1978 |
15:59 |
rear |
2 August 1978 |
07:57 |
23.66 |
| Progress 3 |
10 August 1978 |
03:00 |
rear |
21 August 1978 |
- |
~11 |
| Soyuz 31 Soyuz 31 was a 1978 Soviet manned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the seventh mission to and sixth successful docking at the orbiting facility. The Soyuz 31 crew were the second to visit the long-duration Soyuz 29 resident crew.Soyuz 31 carried Valery Bykovsky and Sigmund Jähn,...
|
27 August 1978 |
19:37 |
rear |
7 September 1978 |
13:53 |
10.76 |
| Soyuz 31 |
7 September 1978 |
14:21 |
front |
2 November 1978 |
10:46 |
55.85 |
| Progress 4 |
6 October 1978 |
04:00 |
rear |
24 October 1978 |
16:07 |
18.50 |
| Soyuz 32 Soyuz 32 was a 1979 Soviet manned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the eighth mission to and seventh successful docking at the orbiting facility. The Soyuz 32 crew was the third long-duration crew to man the space station....
|
26 February 1979 |
08:30 |
front |
13 June 1979 |
12:51 |
107.18 |
| Progress 5 |
14 March 1979 |
10:20 |
rear |
3 April 1979 |
19:10 |
20.37 |
| Progress 6 |
15 May 1979 |
09:19 |
rear |
8 June 1979 |
11:00 |
24.07 |
| Soyuz 34 Soyuz 34 was a 1979 Soviet unmanned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was sent to supply the resident crew a reliable return vehicle after the previous flight, Soyuz 33, suffered an engine failure....
|
8 June 1979 |
23:02 |
rear |
14 June 1979 |
19:18 |
5.84 |
| Soyuz 34 |
14 June 1979 |
~19:50 |
front |
19 August 1979 |
12:08 |
65.86 |
| Progress 7 |
30 June 1979 |
14:18 |
rear |
18 July 1979 |
06:50 |
17.69 |
| Soyuz T-1 Soyuz T-1 was a 1979-80 unmanned Soviet space flight, a test flight of a new Soyuz craft which docked with the orbiting Salyut 6 space station.-Mission parameters:*Spacecraft: Soyuz 7K-ST*Mass: 6450 kg...
|
19 December 1979 |
17:05 |
front |
24 March 1980 |
00:04 |
94.29 |
| Progress 8 |
29 March 1980 |
23:01 |
rear |
25 April 1980 |
11:04 |
26.50 |
| Soyuz 35 Soyuz 35 was a 1980 Soviet manned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the tenth mission to and eighth successful docking at the orbiting facility. The Soyuz 35 crew were the fourth long-duration crew to man the space station....
|
10 April 1980 |
18:16 |
front |
3 June 1980 |
14:47 |
53.85 |
| Progress 9 |
29 April 1980 |
11:09 |
rear |
20 May 1980 |
21:51 |
21.45 |
| Soyuz 36 Soyuz 36 was the 9th expedition to Salyut 6 and the 5th mission of the Intercosmos program.-Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.Launched:...
|
27 May 1980 |
22:56 |
rear |
4 June 1980 |
18:08 |
7.86 |
| Soyuz 36 |
4 June 1980 |
19:38 |
front |
31 July 1980 |
14:55 |
56.86 |
| Soyuz T-2 Soyuz T-2 was the 10th expedition to Salyut 6.Soyuz T-2 was the first manned test flight of the new Soyuz-T. Its crew of two took over from the Argon computer system during final approach to the station, after it committed a guidance control error.-Crew:Number in parentheses indicates...
|
6 June 1980 |
18:58 |
rear |
9 June 1980 |
12:24 |
2.73 |
| Progress 10 |
1 July 1980 |
08:53 |
rear |
18 July 1980 |
01:21 |
16.69 |
| Soyuz 37 Soyuz 37 was the 11th expedition to Salyut 6, consisting of the 6th international crew of the Intercosmos program.-Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.Launched:*Viktor Gorbatko - Commander*Pham Tuân -...
|
24 June 1980 |
23:02 |
rear |
1 August 1980 |
19:43 |
7.86 |
| Soyuz 37 |
1 August 1980 |
~20:10 |
front |
11 October 1980 |
09:30 |
70.56 |
| Progress 11 |
30 September 1980 |
20:03 |
rear |
9 December 1980 |
13:23 |
69.72 |
Soyuz T-3-Crew: Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Leonid Kizim - Commander*Oleg Makarov - Flight Engineer*Gennady Strekalov - Research Cosmonaut-Backup crew:...
|
28 November 1980 |
18:54 |
front |
10 December 1980 |
09:10 |
11.59 |
| Progress 12 |
26 January 1981 |
18:56 |
rear |
19 March 1981 |
21:14 |
52.09 |
| Soyuz T-4 -Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Vladimir Kovalyonok - Commander*Viktor Savinykh - Flight Engineer-Backup crew:*Vyacheslav Zudov - Commander...
|
13 March 1981 |
23:33 |
front |
26 May 1981 |
- |
~74 |
| Soyuz 39 -Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Vladimir Dzhanibekov - Commander*Zhugderdemidiyn Gurragcha - Research Cosmonaut-Backup crew:...
|
23 March 1981 |
19:28 |
rear |
30 March 1981 |
11:22 |
|
| Soyuz 40 -Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Leonid Popov - Commander*Dumitru Prunariu - Research Cosmonaut-Backup crew:*Yuri Romanenko - Commander...
|
15 May 1981 |
21:50 |
rear |
22 May 1981 |
13:37 |
6.66 |
| Cosmos 1267 Cosmos 1267 was an unmanned TKS spacecraft which docked to the Soviet space station Salyut 6 as part of tests to attach scientific expansion modules to stations in Earth orbit. The module which docked to the station was the FGB component of a TKS vehicle launched on April 25, 1981. The spacecraft's...
|
19 June 1981 |
10:52 |
front |
permanently docked |
- |
- |
Dates and times are 24-hour Moscow TimeMoscow Time is the time zone for the city of Moscow, Russia and most of western Russia, including Saint Petersburg. It is the second westernmost of the 11 time zones of Russia....
. Source:
Station crews
| Expedition |
Crew |
Launch Date |
Flight Up |
Landing Date |
Flight Down |
Duration (days) |
Salyut 6 -
EO-1 |
Yuri Romanenko Yuri Victorovitch Romanenko is a former Soviet cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union . Over his career, Yuri Romanenko spent a total of 430 days 20 hours 21 minutes 30 seconds in space and 18 hours in space walks...
,
Georgi GrechkoGeorgi Mikhailovich Grechko was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on three space flights: Soyuz 17, Soyuz 26, and Soyuz T-14....
|
December 10, 1977
01:18:40 |
Soyuz 26 Soyuz 26 was a 1977-8 Soviet manned space flight, the first to dock successfully with the Salyut 6 space station, and the start of what would be the semi-permanent occupation of space by the Russians....
|
March 16, 1978
11:18:47 |
Soyuz 27Soyuz 27 was a 1978 Soviet manned space flight to the orbiting Salyut 6 space station. It was the third manned flight to the station, and the second successful docking...
|
96.42 |
Salyut 6 -
EP-1 |
Vladimir Dzhanibekov Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dzhanibekov is a former cosmonaut who made five flights.He was born in the remote area of Iskandar in the Tashkent region, Uzbekistan. He changed his surname from Krysin when he married to honor his wife's family belonged to a noble kin of the descendants of the medieval...
,
Oleg Makarov |
January 10, 1978
12:26:00 |
Soyuz 27Soyuz 27 was a 1978 Soviet manned space flight to the orbiting Salyut 6 space station. It was the third manned flight to the station, and the second successful docking...
|
January 16, 1978
11:24:58 |
Soyuz 26 Soyuz 26 was a 1977-8 Soviet manned space flight, the first to dock successfully with the Salyut 6 space station, and the start of what would be the semi-permanent occupation of space by the Russians....
|
5.96 |
Salyut 6 -
EP-2 |
Aleksei Gubarev Aleksei Aleksandrovich Gubarev was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on two space flights: Soyuz 17 and Soyuz 28.Gubarev graduated from the Soviet Naval Aviation School in 1952 and went on to serve with the Soviet Air Force...
,
Vladimír RemekVladimír Remek is the first Czechoslovak in space and the first cosmonaut from a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States. As of 2004, with the entry of the Czech Republic into the European Union Vladimír Remek is considered to be the first European astronaut...
- CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
|
March 2, 1978
15:28:00 |
Soyuz 28 Soyuz 28 was a 1978 Soviet manned mission to the orbiting Salyut 6 space station. It was the fourth mission to the station, the third successful docking, and the second visit to the resident crew launched in Soyuz 26....
|
March 10, 1978
13:44:00 |
Soyuz 28 Soyuz 28 was a 1978 Soviet manned mission to the orbiting Salyut 6 space station. It was the fourth mission to the station, the third successful docking, and the second visit to the resident crew launched in Soyuz 26....
|
7.93 |
Salyut 6 -
EO-2 |
Vladimir KovalyonokVladimir Vasiliyevich Kovalyonok Vladimir Vasiliyevich Kovalyonok Vladimir Vasiliyevich Kovalyonok ' onMouseout='HidePop("41757")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Aleksandr_Ivanchenkov">Aleksandr Ivanchenkov Aleksandr Sergeyevich Ivanchenkov is a retired Soviet cosmonaut who flew as Flight Engineer on Soyuz 29 and Soyuz T-6, he spent 147 days, 12 hours and 37 minutes in space....
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June 15, 1978
20:16:45 |
Soyuz 29 Soyuz 29 was a 1978 manned Soviet space mission to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the fifth mission, the fourth successful docking, and the second long-duration crew for the orbiting station...
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November 2, 1978
11:04:17 |
Soyuz 31 Soyuz 31 was a 1978 Soviet manned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the seventh mission to and sixth successful docking at the orbiting facility. The Soyuz 31 crew were the second to visit the long-duration Soyuz 29 resident crew.Soyuz 31 carried Valery Bykovsky and Sigmund Jähn,...
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139.62 |
Salyut 6 -
EP-3 |
Pyotr KlimukPyotr Ilyich Klimuk Pyotr Ilyich Klimuk Pyotr Ilyich Klimuk ' onMouseout='HidePop("22727")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Miroslaw_Hermaszewski">Miroslaw Hermaszewski Mirosław Hermaszewski , is a retired Polish Air Force officer. He became the first Pole in space when he flew aboard the Soyuz 30 spacecraft in 1978....
- PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
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June 27, 1978
15:27:21 |
Soyuz 30Soyuz 30 was a 1978 manned Soviet space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the sixth mission to and fifth successful docking at the orbiting facility...
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July 5, 1978
13:30:20 |
Soyuz 30Soyuz 30 was a 1978 manned Soviet space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the sixth mission to and fifth successful docking at the orbiting facility...
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7.92 |
Salyut 6 -
EP-4 |
Valery BykovskyValery Fyodorovich Bykovsky was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew three manned space mission space flights: Vostok 5, Soyuz 22, and Soyuz 31...
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Sigmund JähnSigmund Werner Paul Jähn is a German pilot who became the first German to fly in space as part of the Soviet Union's Intercosmos program.-Biography:Jähn was born in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz, Vogtland, Germany...
- German Democratic RepublicThe German Democratic Republic was a Communist state that originated from the Soviet Zone of occupied Germany and the Soviet sector of occupied Berlin...
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August 26, 1978
14:51:30 |
Soyuz 31 Soyuz 31 was a 1978 Soviet manned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the seventh mission to and sixth successful docking at the orbiting facility. The Soyuz 31 crew were the second to visit the long-duration Soyuz 29 resident crew.Soyuz 31 carried Valery Bykovsky and Sigmund Jähn,...
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September 3, 1978
11:40:34 |
Soyuz 29 Soyuz 29 was a 1978 manned Soviet space mission to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the fifth mission, the fourth successful docking, and the second long-duration crew for the orbiting station...
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7.87 |
Salyut 6 -
EO-3 |
Vladimir Lyakhov Vladimir Afanasiyevich Lyakhov on July 20, 1941) is a Soviet cosmonaut....
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Valery RyuminValery Victorovich Ryumin is a former Soviet cosmonaut.In 1958, he was graduated from the Kaliningrad Mechanical Engineering Technical College with the specialty "Cold Working of Metal." In 1966, he was graduated from the Department of Electronics and Computing Technology of the Moscow Forestry...
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February 25, 1979
11:53:49 |
Soyuz 32 Soyuz 32 was a 1979 Soviet manned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the eighth mission to and seventh successful docking at the orbiting facility. The Soyuz 32 crew was the third long-duration crew to man the space station....
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August 19, 1979
12:29:26 |
Soyuz 34 Soyuz 34 was a 1979 Soviet unmanned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was sent to supply the resident crew a reliable return vehicle after the previous flight, Soyuz 33, suffered an engine failure....
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175.02 |
Salyut 6 -
EO-4 |
Leonid Popov Leonid Ivanovich Popov is a former Soviet cosmonaut of Ukrainian descent.Popov was born in Oleksandriia, Kirovograd Oblast, Ukrainian SSR . He was selected as a cosmonaut on April 27, 1970, and flew as Commander on Soyuz 35, Soyuz 40 and Soyuz T-7, logging 200 days, 14 hours, and 45 minutes in...
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Valery RyuminValery Victorovich Ryumin is a former Soviet cosmonaut.In 1958, he was graduated from the Kaliningrad Mechanical Engineering Technical College with the specialty "Cold Working of Metal." In 1966, he was graduated from the Department of Electronics and Computing Technology of the Moscow Forestry...
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April 9, 1980
13:38:22 |
Soyuz 35 Soyuz 35 was a 1980 Soviet manned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the tenth mission to and eighth successful docking at the orbiting facility. The Soyuz 35 crew were the fourth long-duration crew to man the space station....
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October 11, 1980
09:49:57 |
Soyuz 37 Soyuz 37 was the 11th expedition to Salyut 6, consisting of the 6th international crew of the Intercosmos program.-Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.Launched:*Viktor Gorbatko - Commander*Pham Tuân -...
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184.84 |
Salyut 6 -
EP-5 |
Valery Kubasov,
Bertalan FarkasBertalan Farkas was the first Hungarian cosmonaut and the first Esperantist in space. He is currently the president of Airlines Service and Trade...
- HungaryHungary , in English officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Its capital is Budapest. Hungary is a member of OECD, NATO, EU, V4 and is a Schengen state...
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May 26, 1980
18:20:39 |
Soyuz 36 Soyuz 36 was the 9th expedition to Salyut 6 and the 5th mission of the Intercosmos program.-Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.Launched:...
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June 3, 1980
15:06:23 |
Soyuz 35 Soyuz 35 was a 1980 Soviet manned space flight to the Salyut 6 space station. It was the tenth mission to and eighth successful docking at the orbiting facility. The Soyuz 35 crew were the fourth long-duration crew to man the space station....
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7.87 |
Salyut 6 -
EP-6 |
Yuri Malyshev Yuri Vasilievich Malyshev was born in the village Nikolayevsk, Stalingrad Oblast , Russian SFSR on August 27, 1941. Studied in Taganrog's high school N24, 1949-1959. Married with two children. Selected as a cosmonaut on May 7, 1967. Retired on July 20, 1988...
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Vladimir AksyonovVladimir Viktorovich Aksyonov is a Soviet cosmonaut, married with two children....
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June 5, 1980
14:19:30 |
Soyuz T-2 Soyuz T-2 was the 10th expedition to Salyut 6.Soyuz T-2 was the first manned test flight of the new Soyuz-T. Its crew of two took over from the Argon computer system during final approach to the station, after it committed a guidance control error.-Crew:Number in parentheses indicates...
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June 9, 1980
12:39:00 |
Soyuz T-2 Soyuz T-2 was the 10th expedition to Salyut 6.Soyuz T-2 was the first manned test flight of the new Soyuz-T. Its crew of two took over from the Argon computer system during final approach to the station, after it committed a guidance control error.-Crew:Number in parentheses indicates...
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3.93 |
Salyut 6 -
EP-7 |
Viktor GorbatkoViktor Vassilyevich Gorbatko was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on the Soyuz 7, Soyuz 24, and Soyuz 37 missions.After leaving the space program in 1982 he taught at the Air Force Engineering Academy in Moscow....
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Pham Tuan - VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
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July 23, 1980
18:33:03 |
Soyuz 37 Soyuz 37 was the 11th expedition to Salyut 6, consisting of the 6th international crew of the Intercosmos program.-Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.Launched:*Viktor Gorbatko - Commander*Pham Tuân -...
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July 31, 1980
15:15:02 |
Soyuz 36 Soyuz 36 was the 9th expedition to Salyut 6 and the 5th mission of the Intercosmos program.-Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.Launched:...
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7.86 |
Salyut 6 -
EP-8 |
Yuri Romanenko Yuri Victorovitch Romanenko is a former Soviet cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union . Over his career, Yuri Romanenko spent a total of 430 days 20 hours 21 minutes 30 seconds in space and 18 hours in space walks...
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Arnaldo Tamayo MéndezArnaldo Tamayo Méndez was the first Cuban cosmonaut and the first person from a country in the Western Hemisphere other than the United States to travel into earth orbit. He was also the first Hispanophone and first Black person in space.Born in Guantánamo, Tamayo graduated from the Cuban Air...
- CubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island country in the Caribbean. It consists of the island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city. Cuba is home to over 11 million people and is...
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September 18, 1980
19:11:03 |
Soyuz 38 -Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Yuri Romanenko - Commander*Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez - Research Cosmonaut-Backup crew:*Yevgeni Khrunov - Commander...
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September 26, 1980
15:54:27 |
Soyuz 38 -Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Yuri Romanenko - Commander*Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez - Research Cosmonaut-Backup crew:*Yevgeni Khrunov - Commander...
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7.86 |
Salyut 6 -
EO-5 |
Leonid Kizim Leonid Denisovich Kizim is a former Soviet cosmonaut of Ukrainian descent, twice Hero of the Soviet Union ....
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Oleg Makarov
Gennady StrekalovGennadi Mikhailovich Strekalov was an Instructor-Test-Cosmonaut and Department Head at Russian aerospace firm RSC Energia. He has been decorated twice as Hero of the Soviet Union...
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November 27, 1980
14:18:28 |
Soyuz T-3-Crew: Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Leonid Kizim - Commander*Oleg Makarov - Flight Engineer*Gennady Strekalov - Research Cosmonaut-Backup crew:...
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December 10, 1980
09:26:10 |
Soyuz T-3-Crew: Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Leonid Kizim - Commander*Oleg Makarov - Flight Engineer*Gennady Strekalov - Research Cosmonaut-Backup crew:...
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12.80 |
Salyut 6 -
EO-6 |
Vladimir KovalyonokVladimir Vasiliyevich Kovalyonok Vladimir Vasiliyevich Kovalyonok Vladimir Vasiliyevich Kovalyonok ' onMouseout='HidePop("12136")' href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Viktor_Savinykh">Viktor Savinykh Viktor Petrovich Savinykh was born in Berezkiny, Kirov Oblast, Russian SFSR on March 7, 1940. Married with one child. Selected as a cosmonaut on December 1, 1978. Retired on February 9, 1989.Flew as Flight Engineer on Soyuz T-4, Soyuz T-13 and Soyuz TM-5....
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March 12, 1981
19:00:11 |
Soyuz T-4 -Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Vladimir Kovalyonok - Commander*Viktor Savinykh - Flight Engineer-Backup crew:*Vyacheslav Zudov - Commander...
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May 26, 1981
12:37:34 |
Soyuz T-4 -Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Vladimir Kovalyonok - Commander*Viktor Savinykh - Flight Engineer-Backup crew:*Vyacheslav Zudov - Commander...
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74.73 |
Salyut 6 -
EP-9 |
Vladimir Dzhanibekov Vladimir Aleksandrovich Dzhanibekov is a former cosmonaut who made five flights.He was born in the remote area of Iskandar in the Tashkent region, Uzbekistan. He changed his surname from Krysin when he married to honor his wife's family belonged to a noble kin of the descendants of the medieval...
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Jugderdemidiyn Gurragcha - MongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and the People's Republic of China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only 24 miles from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator,...
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March 22, 1981
14:58:55 |
Soyuz 39 -Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Vladimir Dzhanibekov - Commander*Zhugderdemidiyn Gurragcha - Research Cosmonaut-Backup crew:...
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March 30, 1981
11:40:58 |
Soyuz 39 -Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Vladimir Dzhanibekov - Commander*Zhugderdemidiyn Gurragcha - Research Cosmonaut-Backup crew:...
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7.86 |
Salyut 6 -
EP-10 |
Leonid Popov Leonid Ivanovich Popov is a former Soviet cosmonaut of Ukrainian descent.Popov was born in Oleksandriia, Kirovograd Oblast, Ukrainian SSR . He was selected as a cosmonaut on April 27, 1970, and flew as Commander on Soyuz 35, Soyuz 40 and Soyuz T-7, logging 200 days, 14 hours, and 45 minutes in...
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Dumitru PrunariuDumitru-Dorin Prunariu is a retired Romanian astronaut who flew aboard Soyuz 40.Born on September 27, 1952 in Braşov, Romania, Prunariu graduated from the Physics and Mathematics high school in Braşov in 1971 and from the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest in 1976, obtaining a degree in Aerospace...
- RomaniaRomania is a country located in Southeastern and Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea. Almost all of the Danube Delta is located within its territory...
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May 14, 1981
17:16:38 |
Soyuz 40 -Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Leonid Popov - Commander*Dumitru Prunariu - Research Cosmonaut-Backup crew:*Yuri Romanenko - Commander...
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May 22, 1981
13:58:30 |
Soyuz 40 -Crew:Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.*Leonid Popov - Commander*Dumitru Prunariu - Research Cosmonaut-Backup crew:*Yuri Romanenko - Commander...
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7.86 |
Dates and times are 24-hour Coordinated Universal TimeCoordinated Universal Time , ) is a time standard based on International Atomic Time with leap seconds added at irregular intervals to compensate for the Earth's slowing rotation...
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Spacewalks
| EVA |
Spacewalkers |
Date |
EVA Start |
EVA End |
Duration
(hours) |
Comments |
| Salyut 6 - PE-1 |
Romanenko & Grechko |
19 December 1977 |
21:36 |
23:04 |
1:28 |
Test of Orlan-D thumb|right|250px|Cosmonaut [[Salizhan Sharipov]] poses with an Orlan space suit on the International Space Station. An Orlan space suit is a series of semi-rigid space suit models designed and built by NPP Zvezda...
spacesuit, inspection of docking apparatus and Medusa cassette deployment. |
| Salyut 6 - PE-2 |
Kovalyonok & Ivanchenkov |
29 July 1978 |
04:00 |
06:20 |
2:05 |
Retrieval of Medusa cassette and passive micrometeoroid detector, deployment of radiation detector & new experimental cassettes. |
| Salyut 6 - PE-3 |
Ryumin & Lyakhov |
15 August 1979 |
14:16 |
15:39 |
1:23 |
Removal of KRT-10 radio telescope dish, retrieval of experiment cassettes. |
Dates and times are 24-hour Coordinated Universal TimeCoordinated Universal Time , ) is a time standard based on International Atomic Time with leap seconds added at irregular intervals to compensate for the Earth's slowing rotation...
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