Soyuz 14

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Soyuz 14
Mission statistics
Mission name Soyuz 14
Crew size 2
Call sign Беркут (Berkut - "Golden Eagle")
Launch date July 3, 1974
18:51:08 UTC
Gagarin's Start
Landing July 19, 1974
12:21:36 UTC
140km SE of Dzhezkazgan
Mission duration 15d/17:30:28
Number of orbits 255
Related missions
Previous mission Next mission
Soyuz 13 Soyuz 15

Contents

[edit] Crew

Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.

[edit] Backup crew

[edit] Reserve crew

[edit] Mission parameters

  • Mass: 6,800 kg
  • Perigee: 195 km
  • Apogee: 217 km
  • Inclination: 51.6°
  • Period: 88.6 min

[edit] Mission highlights

Soyuz 14 carried cosmonauts Yuri Artyukhin and Pavel Popovich to the Salyut 3 space station. The mission was part of the Soviet Union's Almaz programme to evaluate military applications of human spaceflight. At the time, however, the military nature of this mission and the station itself were not acknowledged by Soviet authorities.

The crew tested the suitability of Salyut 3 as a manned military reconnaissance satellite. They also tested Almaz station systems, such as the solar arrays. The cosmonauts exercised for 2 hours each day to counter the effects of weightlessness. Because of this, they were able to climb from their Soyuz Ferry descent module without assistance at the end of their flight.

During their two-week stay on the station, the cosmonauts undertook military reconnaissance tasks and various biomedical experiments. All mission objectives were reportedly met.