Soyuz 5

Soyuz 5

Model of Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 after performing the first docking of two manned spacecraft on 16 January 1969
Mission type	Test flight
Mission duration	3 days, 54 minutes, 15 seconds
Orbits completed	49
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Soyuz 7K-OK(P)
Manufacturer	OKB-1
Launch mass	6,585 kilograms (14,517 lb)
Crew
Crew size	3 up 1 down
Members	Boris Volynov
Launching	Aleksei Yeliseyev Yevgeny Khrunov
Callsign	Байкал (Baikal - "Lake Baikal")
Start of mission
Launch date	January 15, 1969, 07:04:57 (1969-01-15UTC07:04:57Z) UTC
Rocket	Soyuz
Launch site	Baikonur 1/5[1]
End of mission
Landing date	January 18, 1969, 07:59:12 (1969-01-18UTC07:59:13Z) UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee	196 kilometres (122 mi)
Apogee	212 kilometres (132 mi)
Inclination	51.7 degrees
Period	88.6 minutes
Docking with Soyuz 4
Docking date	16 January 1969, 08:20 UTC
Undocking date	16 January 1969, 12:55 UTC
Time docked	4 hours, 35 minutes
Soyuz programme (Manned missions) ← Soyuz 4 Soyuz 6 →

Soyuz 5 (Russian: Союз 5, Union 5) was a Soyuz mission using the Soyuz 7K-OK spacecraft launched by the Soviet Union on January 15, 1969, which docked with Soyuz 4 in orbit. It was the first-ever docking of two manned spacecraft of any nation, and the first-ever transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another of any nation, the only time a transfer was accomplished with a space walk – two months before the US Apollo 9 performed the first ever internal crew transfer.

The flight was also memorable for its dramatic re-entry. The craft's service module did not separate, so it entered the atmosphere nose-first, leaving cosmonaut Boris Volynov hanging by his restraining straps. As the craft aerobraked, the atmosphere burned through the module. But the craft righted itself before the escape hatch was burned through. Then, the parachute lines tangled and the landing rockets failed, resulting in a hard landing which broke Volynov's teeth.

Crew

Backup crew

Reserve crew

Mission parameters

• Mass: 6,585 kg (14,517 lb)
• Perigee: 196 km (122 mi)
• Apogee: 212 km (132 mi)
• Inclination: 51.7°
• Period: 88.6 minutes

Space walk

• Yeliseyev and Khrunov - EVA 1
• EVA 1 Start: January 16, 1969
• EVA 1 End: January 16, 01:15 UTC
• Duration: 37 minutes

Mission highlights

Model of Soyuz 5 approaching Soyuz 4 prior to the first docking of two manned spacecraft on 16 January 1969

Volynov remained behind on Soyuz 5, and returned to Earth in a remarkable re-entry. The service module of the Soyuz failed to separate after retrofire, but by that point it was too late to abort. While this had occurred on various Vostok and Voskhod flights, it was a much more serious problem for Volynov, as the Soyuz service module was much larger than the small retropack the earlier vehicles employed.

When the Soyuz started aerobraking in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, the combined spacecraft sought the most aerodynamically stable position - nose forward, with the heavy descent module facing directly into the air stream with only its light metal entry hatch at the front to protect it. The gaskets sealing the hatch began to burn, filling the compartment with dangerous fumes. The deceleration, while normal for reentry, pulled Volynov outward against his harness rather than against the padded seat. Fortunately, as the thermal and aerodynamic stresses on the combined craft increased, struts between the descent and service modules broke off or burned through before the hatch failed. The descent module immediately righted itself once the service module was gone, with the heat shield forward to take the brunt of re-entry.

There was one final problem in store for Volynov when the parachute cables partially tangled and the soft-landing rockets failed, resulting in a hard impact which broke his teeth. The capsule came down in the Ural Mountains 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) southwest of Kustani, near Orenburg, Russia, far short of its target landing site in Kazakhstan. The local temperature was −38 °C (−36 °F), and knowing that it would be many hours before rescue teams could reach him, Volynov abandoned the capsule and walked for several kilometers to find shelter at a local peasant's house. It would be seven years until Volynov flew again, on Soyuz 21.

A similar incident occurred decades later with Soyuz TMA-11, though the latter's landing was not as rough.

EVA details

The mission had Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) objectives similar to those planned for Apollo 9. Soyuz 4 launched first, and was the active vehicle in the docking with Soyuz 5. The news agency TASS stated that: "there was a mutual mechanical coupling of the ships . . . and their electrical circuits were connected. Thus, the world’s first experimental cosmic station with four compartments for the crew was assembled and began functioning."

Moscow TV carried the cosmonauts' EVA preparations live. Khrunov and Yeliseyev put on their Yastreb ("hawk") suits in the Soyuz 5 orbital module with aid from Commander Boris Volynov. Yastreb suit design commenced in 1965, shortly after Alexei Leonov's difficult EVA. Leonov served as consultant for the design process, which was complete during 1966. Suit fabrication and testing occurred in 1967, but the Soyuz 1 accident in April of that year and Soyuz docking difficulties on the Soyuz 2 and Soyuz 3 missions delayed their use in space until Soyuz 4-Soyuz 5. To prevent the suit ballooning, Yastreb used a pulley-and-cable articulation system. Wide metal rings around the gray nylon canvas undersuit's upper arms served as anchors for the upper body articulation system. Yastreb had a regenerative life support system in a rectangular white metal box placed on the chest and abdomen to facilitate movement through Soyuz hatchways.

Volynov checked out Khrunov and Yeliseyev’s life support and communications systems before returning to the descent module, sealing the hatch, and depressurizing the orbital module. Khrunov went out first, transferring to the Soyuz 4 orbital module while the docked spacecraft were out of radio contact with the Soviet Union over South America. Yeliseyev transferred while the spacecraft were over the Soviet Union. They closed the Soyuz 4 orbital module hatch behind them, then Soyuz 4 Commander Vladimir Shatalov repressurized the orbital module and entered to help Khrunov and Yeliseyev get out of their suits. The spacewalkers delivered newspapers, letters, and telegrams printed after Shatalov lifted off to help prove that the transfer took place. Soyuz 4 and 5 separated after only 4 h 35 min together.

See also

• List of spacewalks
• Soviet moonshot

References

External links

• Flight Journal: "Soyuz 5's Flaming Return" by James Oberg
• Encyclopedia Astronautica on Soyuz 5
• Союз-4 и Союз-5 (1969), a 20 minute documentation in Russian language, available on Youtube.com

v t e Soviet manned lunar programs Launch vehicles and upper stages N1 rocket Proton rocket Block D Spacecraft LK-1 VA spacecraft LK-700 Zond (Soyuz 7K-L1) Zond-M (Soyuz 7K-L1S) Zond-LOK (Soyuz 7K-L1E) LOK (Soyuz 7K-L3) LK Lander Other hardware Lunokhod-LK Krechet Soyuz docking tests Soyuz 1, Soyuz 2A Soyuz 2, Soyuz 3 Soyuz 4, Soyuz 5 Soyuz 6, Soyuz 7, Soyuz 8 Soyuz Kontakt 1, 2 Zond (7K-L1/L1S) lunar flyby missions Kosmos 146 Kosmos 154 Zond 1967A Zond 1967B Zond 4 Zond 1968A Zond 1968B Zond 5 Zond 6 Zond 1969A Zond-M 1 (L1S 1) Zond-M 2 (L1S 2) Zond 7 Zond 8 Zond 9 Zond 10 LOK (7K-LOK/L1E) test missions Kosmos 382 (Zond-LOK 2) Zond-LOK 1 LOK 1 LOK 2 LK Lander (T2K) test missions Kosmos 379 Kosmos 382 Kosmos 398 Kosmos 434 LK 1

v t e Soyuz programme Main topics Soyuz (rocket family) Soyuz (spacecraft) List of Soviet manned space missions List of Russian manned space missions Unmanned missions Kosmos 133 Kosmos 140 Kosmos 186 Kosmos 188 Kosmos 212 Kosmos 213 Kosmos 238 Soyuz 2 Kosmos 379 Kosmos 396 Kosmos 434 Kosmos 496 Kosmos 573 Kosmos 613 Kosmos 638 Kosmos 656 Kosmos 670 Kosmos 672 Kosmos 772 Soyuz 20 Kosmos 869 Kosmos 1001 Soyuz 32 (at landing) Kosmos 1074 Soyuz 34 (at start) Soyuz T-1 Soyuz TM-1 Manned missions Past Soyuz 7K-OK (1967–1970) 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Soyuz 7K-OKS (1971) 10 11 Soyuz 7K-T (1973–1981) 12 13 14 15 17 18a 18 21 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 (at start) 33 34 (at landing) 35 36 37 38 39 40 Soyuz 7K-TM (1974–1976) 16 19 22 Soyuz-T (1976–1986) T-2 T-3 T-4 T-5 T-6 T-7 T-8 T-9 T-10-1 T-10 T-11 T-12 T-13 T-14 T-15 Soyuz-TM (1986–2003) TM-2 TM-3 TM-4 TM-5 TM-6 TM-7 TM-8 TM-9 TM-10 TM-11 TM-12 TM-13 TM-14 TM-15 TM-16 TM-17 TM-18 TM-19 TM-20 TM-21 TM-22 TM-23 TM-24 TM-25 TM-26 TM-27 TM-28 TM-29 TM-30 TM-31 TM-32 TM-33 TM-34 Soyuz-TMA (2003–2012) TMA-1 TMA-2 TMA-3 TMA-4 TMA-5 TMA-6 TMA-7 TMA-8 TMA-9 TMA-10 TMA-11 TMA-12 TMA-13 TMA-14 TMA-15 TMA-16 TMA-17 TMA-18 TMA-19 TMA-20 TMA-21 TMA-22 Soyuz-TMA-M (2010–2013) TMA-01M TMA-02M TMA-03M TMA-04M TMA-05M TMA-06M TMA-07M TMA-08M TMA-09M Current Soyuz-TMA-M (2013–2014) TMA-10M TMA-11M Planned Soyuz-TMA-M (2014–2015) TMA-12M TMA-13M TMA-14M TMA-15M TMA-16M TMA-17M TMA-18M TMA-19M Launch sites Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1/5 Site 31/6