Soyuz 16
Encyclopedia
Soyuz 16 was a 1974 manned test flight for a joint Soviet
-US
space flight which culminated in the Apollo-Soyuz mission in July, 1975. The two-man Soviet crew tested a docking ring and other systems to be used in the joint flight.
and the United States of America, Cold War
rivals, had signed several arms control
treaties in the 1960s and 1970s, and had entered into a period of detente
by the early 1970s. In 1972, a treaty was signed to participate in a joint manned space flight as a symbol of this detente.
Early concepts for a joint flight included docking a Soyuz
craft to the American Skylab
space station, or an Apollo vehicle
docking with a Salyut
space station. Once the Americans abandoned their Skylab station in 1974, the Apollo-Salyut concept seemed to be the logical choice, but since the Soviets had started to develop a universal docking adapter for the mission and feared having to publicly reveal details of their military-focused Salyut missions, the two powers opted to link a Soyuz spacecraft with an Apollo spacecraft.
Three test flights of an unmanned version of the ASTP spacecraft were flown: Cosmos 638
, launched 3 April 1974; Cosmos 652, launched 15 May 1974; and Cosmos 672
, launched 12 August 1974. These three flights, and Soyuz 16, were all launched with an improved version of a Soyuz booster
.
counterparts of the time of the launch, as long as they did not reveal that time to the press. NASA officials refused to agree to that condition and, accordingly, were informed of the launch an hour after it occurred, on 2 December 1974.
During the flight, Cosmonauts Anatoly Filipchenko and Nikolai Rukavishnikov
tested the androgynous docking system to be used for the ASTP mission by retracting and extending a simulated 20 kg American docking ring.
The crew also tested modified environmental systems, new solar panels and improved control systems, as well as a new radar
docking system. Air pressure was reduced from 760 mm to 540 mm and oxygen
raised from 20% to 40% to test reducing the planned transfer time to Apollo from two to one hour. On 7 December, the docking ring was jettisoned with explosive bolts
to test emergency measures if the capture latches got stuck during the ASTP flight.
The craft landed 8 December near Arkalyk
and was hailed a complete success. The mission duration, six days, matched the ASTP mission duration to within 10 minutes.
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....
-US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
space flight which culminated in the Apollo-Soyuz mission in July, 1975. The two-man Soviet crew tested a docking ring and other systems to be used in the joint flight.
Crew
Backup crew
Reserve crew
Mission parameters
- Mass: 6800 kg (14,991.4 lb)
- Perigee: 184 km (114.3 mi)
- Apogee: 291 km (180.8 mi)
- Inclination: 51.8°
- Period: 89.2 min
Background
The Soyuz 16 mission was the final rehearsal and first manned mission in a program which culminated in the Apollo-Soyuz (ASTP) mission seven months later. The Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the United States of America, Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
rivals, had signed several arms control
Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty refers to two rounds of bilateral talks and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union—the Cold War superpowers—on the issue of armament control. There were two rounds of talks and agreements: SALT I and SALT...
treaties in the 1960s and 1970s, and had entered into a period of detente
Détente
Détente is the easing of strained relations, especially in a political situation. The term is often used in reference to the general easing of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1970s, a thawing at a period roughly in the middle of the Cold War...
by the early 1970s. In 1972, a treaty was signed to participate in a joint manned space flight as a symbol of this detente.
Early concepts for a joint flight included docking a Soyuz
Soyuz spacecraft
Soyuz , Union) is a series of spacecraft initially designed for the Soviet space programme by the Korolyov Design Bureau in the 1960s, and still in service today...
craft to the American Skylab
Skylab
Skylab was a space station launched and operated by NASA, the space agency of the United States. Skylab orbited the Earth from 1973 to 1979, and included a workshop, a solar observatory, and other systems. It was launched unmanned by a modified Saturn V rocket, with a mass of...
space station, or an Apollo vehicle
Apollo spacecraft
The Apollo spacecraft was composed of five combined parts designed to accomplish the American Apollo program's goal of landing astronauts on the Moon by the end of the 1960s and returning them safely to Earth...
docking with a Salyut
Salyut
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 station. Once the Americans abandoned their Skylab station in 1974, the Apollo-Salyut concept seemed to be the logical choice, but since the Soviets had started to develop a universal docking adapter for the mission and feared having to publicly reveal details of their military-focused Salyut missions, the two powers opted to link a Soyuz spacecraft with an Apollo spacecraft.
Three test flights of an unmanned version of the ASTP spacecraft were flown: Cosmos 638
Cosmos 638
Kosmos 638 was an unmanned test of the ASTP Soyuz. It carried an APAS-75 androgynous docking system.-Mission parameters:*Spacecraft: Soyuz-7K-TM №71*Mass: 6510 to 6680 kg*Crew: None*Launched: April 3, 1974*Landed: April 13, 1974-References:...
, launched 3 April 1974; Cosmos 652, launched 15 May 1974; and Cosmos 672
Cosmos 672
Kosmos 672 was the second unmanned test of the ASTP Soyuz spacecraft. Also had APAS-75 androgynous docking system.-Mission parameters:*Spacecraft: Soyuz 7K-OK*Mass: 6510 to 6680 kg*Crew: None*Launched: August 12, 1974*Landed: August 18, 1974...
, launched 12 August 1974. These three flights, and Soyuz 16, were all launched with an improved version of a Soyuz booster
Soyuz-U
The Soyuz-U launch vehicle is an improved version of the original Soyuz LV. Soyuz-U is part of the R-7 family of rockets based on the R-7 Semyorka missile. Members of this rocket family were designed by the TsSKB design bureau and constructed at the Progress Factory in Samara, Russia....
.
Mission highlights
In an unprecedented move, Soviet planners offered to inform their NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
counterparts of the time of the launch, as long as they did not reveal that time to the press. NASA officials refused to agree to that condition and, accordingly, were informed of the launch an hour after it occurred, on 2 December 1974.
During the flight, Cosmonauts Anatoly Filipchenko and Nikolai Rukavishnikov
Nikolai Rukavishnikov
|Nikolai Nikolayevich Rukavishnikov was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew three space missions of the Soyuz programme: Soyuz 10, Soyuz 16, and Soyuz 33...
tested the androgynous docking system to be used for the ASTP mission by retracting and extending a simulated 20 kg American docking ring.
The crew also tested modified environmental systems, new solar panels and improved control systems, as well as a new radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
docking system. Air pressure was reduced from 760 mm to 540 mm and oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
raised from 20% to 40% to test reducing the planned transfer time to Apollo from two to one hour. On 7 December, the docking ring was jettisoned with explosive bolts
Pyrotechnic fastener
A pyrotechnic fastener is a fastener, usually a nut or bolt, that incorporates a pyrotechnic charge that can be initiated remotely. One or more explosive charges embedded within the bolt are typically activated by an electric current, and the charge breaks the bolt into two or more pieces...
to test emergency measures if the capture latches got stuck during the ASTP flight.
The craft landed 8 December near Arkalyk
Arkalyk
Arkalyk is a city in Kostanay Province, northern Kazakhstan. Earlier, it was the centre of Torgay province, which was abolished in 1997. Today, it is the administrative centre of Torgay region, Kostanay province....
and was hailed a complete success. The mission duration, six days, matched the ASTP mission duration to within 10 minutes.