Soyuz 4

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Mission dates
Mission: Soyuz 4
COSPAR-ID : 1969-004A
Spacecraft: Soyuz 7K-OK (A) ( GRAU index  11F615)
serial number 12
Dimensions: 6575 kg
Launcher: Soyuz (GRAY index 11A511)
Call sign: Russian Амур (" Amur ")
Crew: 1 on take-off
3 on landing
Begin: January 14, 1969, 07:30:00  UTC
Starting place: Baikonur 31/6
Space station: Soyuz 5
Coupling: January 16, 1969, 08:20 UTC
Decoupling: January 16, 1969, 12:55 UTC
Duration on Soyuz 5: 4h 35m
Number of EVA : 1
Landing: January 17, 1969, 06:50:47 UTC
Landing place: 100 km southwest of Karaganda
Flight duration: 2d 23h 20m 47s
Earth orbits: 48
Rotation time : 88.7 min
Apogee : 223 km
Perigee : 205 km
◄ Before / After ►
Soyuz 3
(manned) 		Soyuz 5
(manned)

Soyuz 4 is the mission name for the flight of a Soviet Soyuz spaceship that started on January 14, 1969 . It was the third manned flight of a Soyuz spaceship and the twelfth flight in the Soviet Soyuz program.

crew

Starting crew

Replacement crew

The support team consisted of Georgi Timofejewitsch Dobrowolski .

Return crew

Mission overview

Soyuz 4 was part of a joint mission with the spacecraft Soyuz 5 , which was launched one day later , whereby four cosmonauts were in space at the same time.

Another day later, on January 16, 1969, the two spaceships carried out the first coupling of two manned spacecraft. Both spaceships were electrically and mechanically connected to each other, but had no access hatch to the other spaceship. While Alexei Jelissejew and Jewgeni Chrunow put on their spacesuits in Soyuz 5 and got out into space to get to Soyuz 4, the orbital module of Soyuz 4 was depressurized as it was to serve as an entry lock for the two cosmonauts. After about an hour, Schatalow was able to greet his two visitors after the orbital module had reached its cabin pressure again.

After the two spaceships were coupled to each other for 4 hours and 35 minutes, they separated again and began separate descents.

This mission demonstrated the possibility that the steps necessary for the Soviet lunar program could be carried out in space. The plan envisaged a single cosmonaut who was to get back into the spacecraft via a space exit from the landing module. In contrast to the Apollo spacecraft , the Soviet model did not have a connection tunnel between the landing and command module.

On 24 January 1969, the crews of both spacecraft should the then Soviet Communist Party - Secretary Leonid Brezhnev during a welcoming ceremony in front of the Kremlin meeting. This was prevented by an assassination attempt on the Soviet party leader. Second Lieutenant Viktor Ilyin fired eight times at the convoy, but by mistake he did not aim at Brezhnev's car, but at the one in which the cosmonauts Georgi Beregovoy , Alexei Leonov , Andrijan Nikolayev and Valentina Tereshkova were sitting. The driver of the car was killed, a driver of the motorcycle escort, Beregovoy and Nikolayev were slightly injured, the latter was able to stop the vehicle. Brezhnev's car then drove past the Soyuz 4 and 5 crews waiting in the stands.

See also

Web links