The Complete Book of Spaceflight: From Apollo 1 to Zero Gravity

Aseries of manned Russian spacecraft, in use longer
than any other; it is carried into orbit by the Soyuz
(launch vehicle). Designed during the Space Race era,
Soyuz first carried a cosmonaut in April 1967. Since
then the original Soyuz (“union”) craft and its subsequent
generations—the Soyuz T, TM, and TMA—have
flown scores of manned missions. Although modifications
have made the spacecraft more efficient and reliable,
the basic structure remains the same.
A Soyuz spacecraft has three main components.
The orbital module at the front is an egg-shaped section,
2.2 × 2.7 m, that provides space for the cosmonauts
to work in once they are in space. The descent
module in the middle is a bell-shaped section, about
2.2 m long and 2.2 m in diameter, in which the cosmonauts
sit during launch and upon their return to
Earth. The instrument module at the back is cylindrical
and measures 2.7 m wide and 2.3 m long. As the
spacecraft evolved, more efficient electronics and navigation
systems were added, and the landing module
interior was rearranged to make it more spacious. A
version of Soyuz is being used as a crew rescue vehicle
serving the International Space Station. (See table,
“Versions of the Soyuz Spacecraft.”)
History
The manned Soyuz spacecraft was originally conceived
by Sergei Korolev in 1961 as a component of
the “Soyuz complex,” which also included unmanned
booster modules and orbiting fuel tankers and was
geared toward a manned mission to the Moon (see
Russian manned lunar programs). When this plan
was abandoned, only the crewed vessel remained: its
new primary task was that of a space station ferry.
Soyuz spacecraft
Soyuz 1 to 9
Versions of the Soyuz Spacecraft
The first version of Soyuz could accommodate three
cosmonauts in the cramped descent module, but only
if spacesuits were not worn. Power was provided by a
pair of solar arrays on either side of the instrument
module that were folded during launch. Once in
space the crew could enter the orbital module to conduct
experiments. This module could also be depressurized
to serve as an airlock for cosmonauts to
perform spacewalks. Although the forward section of
the orbital module did have provision for docking to
another Soyuz, there was no connecting hatch, so that
crew exchanges could be accomplished only by spacewalks.
At the end of the flight, the crew returned to
the descent module, which was equipped with a heatshield,
separated from the other two modules, and
reentered. The descent was slowed by a single large
parachute and, just 2 m above the ground, by four
small rocket motors on the capsule’s base.
After several unmanned tests, the first Soyuz was
launched on April 23, 1967, at 3:35 A.M. local time—
the first night launch of a crewed vehicle—with pilot
Vladimir Komarov on board. Once in orbit, it was to
have served as a docking target for Soyuz 2 and its
crew of three. After the docking, the two engineers
were to have transferred to Soyuz 1 and returned
home with Komarov. However, Soyuz 2 was never
launched because of a problem with Soyuz 1 in orbit.
After just over a day in space and several failed
deorbit attempts, Soyuz 1 successfully reentered the
atmosphere but then crashed to the ground after its
parachute lines became tangled, killing Komarov.
Although there had been a catalog of shortcomings
with Soyuz before launch, Soviet premier Brezhnev
Name First Flown Notes
Soyuz (1–9) 1967 Up to three cosmonauts without spacesuits
Soyuz (10–11) 1971 Addition of docking module
Soyuz (12–40) 1973 Limit of two spacesuited cosmonauts + equipment to Salyut
Soyuz T 1979 Longer-duration vehicle to carry three spacesuited cosmonauts to space station
Soyuz TM 1986 Further refinement to serve the Mir space station
Soyuz TMA 1997 “Lifeboat” for International Space Station
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