Soyuz 5 Totally Explained

Everything about The Soyuz 5 totally explained

The Soyuz 5 was a Soyuz spacecraft launched by the Soviet Union on January 15 1969 that docked with Soyuz 4 in orbit.

Crew

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

Boris Volynov (1) - Commander
Aleksei Yeliseyev (1) - Flight Engineer
Yevgeny Khrunov (1) - Research Engineer

Landed:

Boris Volynov (1) - Commander

Backup crew

Anatoli Filipchenko - Commander

Viktor Gorbatko - Flight Engineer

Valeri Kubasov - Research Engineer

Reserve crew

Anatoli Kuklin - Commander

Vladislav Volkov - Flight Engineer

Pyotr Kolodin - Research Engineer

Mission parameters

Mass: 6585 kg

Perigee: 196 km

Apogee: 212 km

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

The Soyuz 5 was piloted by Commander Boris Volynov and carried flight engineers Aleksei Yeliseyev and Yevgeny Khrunov as crew to be transferred to the Soyuz 4 for reentry. The flight conducted scientific, technical and medico-biological research, checking and testing of onboard systems and design elements of space craft, docking of piloted space craft and construction of an experimental space station, transfer of cosmonauts from one craft to another in orbit.
   Volynov remained behind on the Soyuz 5, and returned to Earth in a truly 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, where the Soyuz service module was much larger than the small retropack those other 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 air with dangerous fumes. The deceleration, while normal for reentry, was pulling 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 reentry. There was one final problem in store for Volynov when the parachute cables partially tangled and soft-landing rockets failed, resulting in a harder than usual impact which broke his teeth. The capsule had come down in the Ural Mountains 2 km SW of Kustani, near Orenburg, Russia, far short of its target landing site in Kazakhstan. The local temperature was -38 °C, and knowing that it would be many hours before rescue teams could reach him Volynov abandoned the capsule and walked for several kilometers to reach a local peasant's house to keep warm. It would be seven years until Volynov flew again, on Soyuz 21.
   A similar incident occurred decades later with Soyuz TMA-11, though the landing wasn't as rough.

EVA details

This docking mission had 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. . ." The mission rehearsed elements of the Soviet piloted lunar mission plan. 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 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 (Soyuz 2-Soyuz 3, October 1968) delayed use in space until Soyuz 4-Soyuz 5. To prevent the suit ballooning which contributed to Leonov’s EVA difficulties, 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.

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