Soyuz 13
Encyclopedia
Soyuz 13 was a 1973 Soviet manned space flight, the second test flight of the redesigned Soyuz 7K-T
spacecraft that first flew as Soyuz 12
. The spacecraft was specially modified to carry the Orion 2 Space Observatory
. The flight, manned by Pyotr Klimuk
and Valentin Lebedev
, was the Soviet Union
's first dedicated science mission, and was the first mission controlled by the new Kaliningrad
Mission Control Center
.
space stations from the previous year. Unlike Soyuz 12
, the craft was equipped with solar panels to allow for an extended mission. Additionally, an orbital module was attached replacing unneeded docking equipment. This module included the Orion 2 Space Observatory
(see below).
The crew used a mulispectral camera to measure the atmosphere and pollution. They also tested the Oasis 2 closed ecology
system, and harvested protein
, yielding 30 times the original bio-mass. Medical tests were also carried out, including experiments to measure blood flow to the brain.
The crew landed in a heavy snowstorm on 26 December, but were recovered a few minutes later, some 200 km southwest of Karaganda
.
, was operated by crew member Lebedev. Ultraviolet spectrograms of thousands of stars to as faint as 13th magnitude
were obtained by a wide-angle meniscus telescope of the Cassegrain
system, with an aperture diameter of 240 mm, an equivalent focal length of 1,000 mm, and a 4-grade quartz prism objective. The dispersion of the spectrograph was 17, 28 and 55 nm/mm, at wavelengths of 200, 250 and 300 nm respectively. The first satellite UV spectrogram of a planetary nebula
(IC 2149
in Auriga
) was obtained, revealing lines of aluminium
and titanium
- elements not previously observed in objects of that type. Two-photon emission in that planetary nebula and a remarkable star cluster
in Auriga were also discovered. Additionally, comet Kohoutek
was observed.
Soyuz 7K-T
The second generation of the Soyuz spacecraft, the Soyuz Ferry or Soyuz 7K-T, comprised Soyuz 12 through Soyuz 40 . Although still using the Igla system, these had no solar panels, employing batteries...
spacecraft that first flew as Soyuz 12
Soyuz 12
Soyuz 12 was a 1973 manned test flight by the Soviet Union of the newly-redesigned Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft that was intended to provide greater crew safety in the wake of the Soyuz 11 tragedy. The flight marked the return of the Soviets to manned space operations after the 1971 accident...
. The spacecraft was specially modified to carry the Orion 2 Space Observatory
Orion 1 and Orion 2 Space Observatories
The Orion 1 Space Observatory and Orion 2 Space Observatory were space observatories installed in spacecraft launched by the space program of the Soviet Union during the 1970s.- Orion 1 :...
. The flight, manned by Pyotr Klimuk
Pyotr Klimuk
Pyotr Ilyich Klimuk Klimuk attended the Leninski Komsomol Chernigov High Aviation School and entered the Soviet Air Force in 1964. The following year, he was selected to join the space programme.His first flight was a long test flight on Soyuz 13 in 1973...
and Valentin Lebedev
Valentin Lebedev
Valentin Vitaljevich Lebedev was a Soviet cosmonaut who made two flights into space. His stay aboard the Space Station Salyut 7 with Anatoly Berezovoy in 1982, which lasted 211 days, was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records....
, was the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's first dedicated science mission, and was the first mission controlled by the new Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
Mission Control Center
Mission Control Center
A mission control center is an entity that manages aerospace vehicle flights, usually from the point of lift-off until the landing or the end of the mission. A staff of flight controllers and other support personnel monitor all aspects of the mission using telemetry, and send commands to the...
.
Crew
Backup crew
Reserve crew
Mission parameters
- Mass: 6560 kg (14,462.3 lb)
- Perigee: 188 km (116.8 mi)
- Apogee: 247 km (153.5 mi)
- Inclination: 51.6°
- Period: 88.8 min
Mission highlights
Launched 18 December 1973, the Soyuz 13 crew of Klimuk and Lebedev performed some of the experiments intended for the failed SalyutSalyut
The Salyut program was the first space station program undertaken by the Soviet Union, which consisted of a series of nine space stations launched over a period of eleven years from 1971 to 1982...
space stations from the previous year. Unlike Soyuz 12
Soyuz 12
Soyuz 12 was a 1973 manned test flight by the Soviet Union of the newly-redesigned Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft that was intended to provide greater crew safety in the wake of the Soyuz 11 tragedy. The flight marked the return of the Soviets to manned space operations after the 1971 accident...
, the craft was equipped with solar panels to allow for an extended mission. Additionally, an orbital module was attached replacing unneeded docking equipment. This module included the Orion 2 Space Observatory
Orion 1 and Orion 2 Space Observatories
The Orion 1 Space Observatory and Orion 2 Space Observatory were space observatories installed in spacecraft launched by the space program of the Soviet Union during the 1970s.- Orion 1 :...
(see below).
The crew used a mulispectral camera to measure the atmosphere and pollution. They also tested the Oasis 2 closed ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
system, and harvested protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
, yielding 30 times the original bio-mass. Medical tests were also carried out, including experiments to measure blood flow to the brain.
The crew landed in a heavy snowstorm on 26 December, but were recovered a few minutes later, some 200 km southwest of Karaganda
Karaganda
Karagandy , more commonly known by its Russian name Karaganda, , is the capital of Karagandy Province in Kazakhstan. It is the fourth most populous city in Kazakhstan, behind Almaty , Astana and Shymkent, with a population of 471,800 . In the 1940s up to 70% of the city's inhabitants were ethnic...
.
Orion 2 Space Observatory
The Orion 2 Space Observatory, designed by Grigor GurzadyanGrigor Gurzadyan
- Life :Gurzadyan was born on October 15, 1922 in Baghdad, to parents who fled in 1915 Western Armenia. Upon graduating the from the Hydrotechnical and Constructional Department of Yerevan Polytechnic Institute in 1944, he became the postgraduate of Victor Ambartsumian, who had just moved to Armenia...
, was operated by crew member Lebedev. Ultraviolet spectrograms of thousands of stars to as faint as 13th magnitude
Apparent magnitude
The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...
were obtained by a wide-angle meniscus telescope of the Cassegrain
Cassegrain reflector
The Cassegrain reflector is a combination of a primary concave mirror and a secondary convex mirror, often used in optical telescopes and radio antennas....
system, with an aperture diameter of 240 mm, an equivalent focal length of 1,000 mm, and a 4-grade quartz prism objective. The dispersion of the spectrograph was 17, 28 and 55 nm/mm, at wavelengths of 200, 250 and 300 nm respectively. The first satellite UV spectrogram of a planetary nebula
Planetary nebula
A planetary nebula is an emission nebula consisting of an expanding glowing shell of ionized gas ejected during the asymptotic giant branch phase of certain types of stars late in their life...
(IC 2149
IC 2149
IC 2149 is a planetary nebula in the constellation of Auriga. It is a small, bright planetary nebula with something to offer in telescopes of most sizes....
in Auriga
Auriga (constellation)
Auriga is a constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'charioteer' and its stars form a shape that has been associated with the pointed helmet of a charioteer. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains among the 88 modern...
) was obtained, revealing lines of aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
and titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
- elements not previously observed in objects of that type. Two-photon emission in that planetary nebula and a remarkable star cluster
Star cluster
Star clusters or star clouds are groups of stars. Two types of star clusters can be distinguished: globular clusters are tight groups of hundreds of thousands of very old stars which are gravitationally bound, while open clusters, more loosely clustered groups of stars, generally contain less than...
in Auriga were also discovered. Additionally, comet Kohoutek
Comet Kohoutek
Comet Kohoutek, formally designated C/1973 E1, 1973 XII, and 1973f, was first sighted on 7 March 1973 by Czech astronomer Luboš Kohoutek. It attained perihelion on 28 December that same year....
was observed.