Soyuz 6
Encyclopedia
Soyuz 6 was part of a joint mission with Soyuz 7
and Soyuz 8
that saw three Soyuz spacecraft
in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonaut
s. The crew of Georgi Shonin
and Valeri Kubasov
were meant to take high-quality movie photography of Soyuz 7
and Soyuz 8
docking but the rendezvous systems on all three spacecraft failed.
It is still not known exactly what the actual problem was, but it is often quoted as being a helium
pressurization integrity test. The version of Soyuz 7K-OK
spacecraft used for the missions carried a torus
shaped docking electronics equipment housing surrounding the motor assembly on the back of the service module. This is thought to have been pressurized with helium to provide a benign environment for the electronics. It was then jettisoned after docking to lower the mass of the spacecraft for reentry. What went wrong with the electronics on all three spacecraft is still not known.
The crew was made up of Georgi Shonin
and Valeri Kubasov
, who carried out important experiments in space welding
. They tested three methods: using an electron
beam, a low pressure plasma arc and a consumable electrode
. The apparatus was designed at the E. O. Paton Electric Welding Institute
, Kiev
, Ukraine
. The weld quality was said to be in no way inferior to that of Earth based welds.
After 80 orbits of the Earth they landed on October 16, 1969, 180 km (111.8 mi) northwest of Karaganda
, Kazakhstan
.
The radio call sign of the spacecraft was , referring to the Greek hero Antaeus
, but more important, at the time of the flight, however, it was also the name of the largest practicable aircraft, the Soviet Antonov 22, made in Ukraine. But unlike the call signs of Soyuz 7
and Soyuz 8
, this was not the name of a squadron in Soviet military training, of uncertain role, for the one that begins with the letter 'a' is , meaning Active.
Soyuz 7
Soyuz 7 was part of a joint mission with Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 8 that saw three Soyuz spacecraft in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonauts....
and Soyuz 8
Soyuz 8
Soyuz 8 was part of a joint mission with Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 7 that saw three Soyuz spacecraft in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonauts....
that saw three Soyuz spacecraft
Soyuz spacecraft
Soyuz , Union) is a series of spacecraft initially designed for the Soviet space programme by the Korolyov Design Bureau in the 1960s, and still in service today...
in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s. The crew of Georgi Shonin
Georgi Shonin
Georgy Stepanovich Shonin was a Soviet cosmonaut, who flew on the Soyuz 6 space mission....
and Valeri Kubasov
Valeri Kubasov
Valeri Nikolayevich Kubasov was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on two missions in the Soyuz programme as a flight engineer: Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 19 , and commanded Soyuz 36 in the Intercosmos programme. On 21 July 1975, Soviet Soyuz module landed in Kazakhstan at-5:51pm and Valeriy Kubasov was the first...
were meant to take high-quality movie photography of Soyuz 7
Soyuz 7
Soyuz 7 was part of a joint mission with Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 8 that saw three Soyuz spacecraft in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonauts....
and Soyuz 8
Soyuz 8
Soyuz 8 was part of a joint mission with Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 7 that saw three Soyuz spacecraft in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonauts....
docking but the rendezvous systems on all three spacecraft failed.
It is still not known exactly what the actual problem was, but it is often quoted as being a helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
pressurization integrity test. The version of Soyuz 7K-OK
Soyuz 7K-OK
The manned Soyuz spacecraft can be classified into design generations. Soyuz 1 through Soyuz 11 were first-generation vehicles, carrying a crew of up to three without spacesuits and distinguished from those following by their bent solar panels and their use of the Igla automatic docking navigation...
spacecraft used for the missions carried a torus
Torus
In geometry, a torus is a surface of revolution generated by revolving a circle in three dimensional space about an axis coplanar with the circle...
shaped docking electronics equipment housing surrounding the motor assembly on the back of the service module. This is thought to have been pressurized with helium to provide a benign environment for the electronics. It was then jettisoned after docking to lower the mass of the spacecraft for reentry. What went wrong with the electronics on all three spacecraft is still not known.
The crew was made up of Georgi Shonin
Georgi Shonin
Georgy Stepanovich Shonin was a Soviet cosmonaut, who flew on the Soyuz 6 space mission....
and Valeri Kubasov
Valeri Kubasov
Valeri Nikolayevich Kubasov was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on two missions in the Soyuz programme as a flight engineer: Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 19 , and commanded Soyuz 36 in the Intercosmos programme. On 21 July 1975, Soviet Soyuz module landed in Kazakhstan at-5:51pm and Valeriy Kubasov was the first...
, who carried out important experiments in space welding
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
. They tested three methods: using an electron
Electron
The electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
beam, a low pressure plasma arc and a consumable electrode
Electrode
An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit...
. The apparatus was designed at the E. O. Paton Electric Welding Institute
E. O. Paton Electric Welding Institute
E. O. Paton Electric Welding Institute is a welding research institution situated in Kiev, Ukraine. It is named after its founder, Professor Evgeny Paton.The institute was established in 1934 following the decree of Ukainian Academy of Sciences...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. The weld quality was said to be in no way inferior to that of Earth based welds.
After 80 orbits of the Earth they landed on October 16, 1969, 180 km (111.8 mi) northwest of Karaganda
Karaganda
Karagandy , more commonly known by its Russian name Karaganda, , is the capital of Karagandy Province in Kazakhstan. It is the fourth most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty , Astana and Shymkent, with a population of 471,800 . In the 1940s up to 70% of the city's inhabitants were ethnic...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
.
The radio call sign of the spacecraft was , referring to the Greek hero Antaeus
Antaeus
Antaeus in Greek and Berber mythology was a half-giant, the son of Poseidon and Gaia, whose wife was Tinjis. Antaeus had a daughter named Alceis or Barce.-Mythology:...
, but more important, at the time of the flight, however, it was also the name of the largest practicable aircraft, the Soviet Antonov 22, made in Ukraine. But unlike the call signs of Soyuz 7
Soyuz 7
Soyuz 7 was part of a joint mission with Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 8 that saw three Soyuz spacecraft in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonauts....
and Soyuz 8
Soyuz 8
Soyuz 8 was part of a joint mission with Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 7 that saw three Soyuz spacecraft in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonauts....
, this was not the name of a squadron in Soviet military training, of uncertain role, for the one that begins with the letter 'a' is , meaning Active.
Crew
Backup crew
Reserve crew
Mission parameters
- Mass: 6577 kg (14,499.8 lb)
- Perigee: 212 km (131.7 mi)
- Apogee: 218 km (135.5 mi)
- Inclination: 51.6°
- Period: 88.8 min
Sources
- http://www.astronautix.com/flights/soyuz6.htm
- http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/trackind/soyuz678/soyuz678.html