Soyuz 18
Encyclopedia
Soyuz 18 was a 1975 Soviet
manned mission to Salyut 4
, the second and final crew to man the space station
. Pyotr Klimuk
and Vitali Sevastyanov
set a new Soviet space endurance record of 63 days and the mark for most people in space simultaneously (seven) was tied during the mission.
mission, carried out that mission's objectives, and continued the work of the previous Soyuz 17
crew. Klimuk and Sevastyanov were launched into space on 24 May 1975 and docked with Salyut 4 two days later. The crew quickly set to performing experiments and fixing or replacing equipment. A spectrometer
was repaired, a gas analyzer was replaced, and a pumping condenser in the water regeneration system was switched with a hand pump.
On 29 and 30 May, biological and medical experiments were performed and the Oasis garden was started. Studies of the stars, planets, Earth and its atmosphere were started on 2 and 3 June. Some 2,000 photographs of the Earth and 600 of the sun were reported taken.
More medical experiments were performed in June, and attempts were made to grow plants, including onions. Experiments were carried out on insects, and experiments on varying the work schedule were carried out.
Extensive medical experiments were carried out on 23 June, as the crew surpassed the Soviet space endurance record of 29 days, set by Soyuz 17
, the Salyut's previous crew. The all-time record was held then by the Skylab 4
crew at 84 days.
On 3 July, it was announced that the mission would last beyond the upcoming Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
(ASTP). To avoid any conflict of resources, the Soyuz 18 crew was controlled from the old Crimean Control Center, while the ASTP Soyuz 19 mission would be controlled from the Kaliningrad Control Center. The Crimean center had not been used since the Soyuz 12
flight. This was the first time the Soviets had to control two unrelated space missions.
The ASTP crews were launched 15 and 16 July, and the Soyuz 18 crew communicated with the Soyuz 19 crew on two brief occasions. The total of seven people in space tied the record set by the Soyuz 6
, Soyuz 7
and Soyuz 8
flights of 1969. Once the American ASTP crew landed 24 July, the Soviets had a near six-year monopoly on manned space flights until the launch of the first space shuttle
, STS 1, on 12 April 1981.
The Salyut living conditions were starting to degrade by July, with the environmental control system failing, windows fogged over and green mold growing on the station walls. The crew donned exercise suits and increased their exercise period to over two hours a day, and on 18 July began to prepare the station for unmanned flight. The Soyuz craft was activated on 24 July and the crew returned to earth two days later. The Soviets televised the landing, in keeping with the openness brought along by the ASTP flights.
The cosmonauts exited the capsule under their own power, but it was two days before Klimuk could take a 10-minute walk, and a week before he made a full recovery.
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....
manned mission to Salyut 4
Salyut 4
Salyut 4 was a Salyut space station launched on December 26, 1974 into an orbit with an apogee of 355 km, a perigee of 343 km and an orbital inclination of 51.6 degrees. It was essentially a copy of the DOS 3, and unlike its ill-fated sibling it was a complete success...
, the second and final crew to man the space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
. 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 Vitali Sevastyanov
Vitali Sevastyanov
Vitaly Ivanovich Sevastyanov was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on the Soyuz 9 and Soyuz 18 missions.He trained as an engineer at the Moscow Aviation Institute and after graduation in 1959, joined Sergey Korolev's design bureau, where he worked on the design of the Vostok spacecraft. He also lectured...
set a new Soviet space endurance record of 63 days and the mark for most people in space simultaneously (seven) was tied during the mission.
Crew
Backup crew
Mission parameters
- Mass: 6825 kg (15,046.5 lb)
- Perigee: 186 km (115.6 mi)
- Apogee: 230 km (142.9 mi)
- Inclination: 51.7°
- Period: 88.6 minutes
Mission highlights
The Soyuz 18 crew were the back-up crew for the failed Soyuz 18aSoyuz 18a
Soyuz 18a was a manned Soyuz spacecraft launched by the Soviet Union in 1975, intended to dock with the orbiting Salyut 4 space station, but which failed to achieve orbit due to a serious malfunction during launch...
mission, carried out that mission's objectives, and continued the work of the previous Soyuz 17
Soyuz 17
Soyuz 17 was the first of two long-duration missions to the Soviet Union's Salyut 4 space station in 1975. The flight set a Soviet mission-duration record of 29 days, surpassing the 23-day record set by the ill-fated Soyuz 11 crew aboard Salyut 1 in 1971....
crew. Klimuk and Sevastyanov were launched into space on 24 May 1975 and docked with Salyut 4 two days later. The crew quickly set to performing experiments and fixing or replacing equipment. A spectrometer
Spectrometer
A spectrometer is an instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically used in spectroscopic analysis to identify materials. The variable measured is most often the light's intensity but could also, for instance, be the polarization...
was repaired, a gas analyzer was replaced, and a pumping condenser in the water regeneration system was switched with a hand pump.
On 29 and 30 May, biological and medical experiments were performed and the Oasis garden was started. Studies of the stars, planets, Earth and its atmosphere were started on 2 and 3 June. Some 2,000 photographs of the Earth and 600 of the sun were reported taken.
More medical experiments were performed in June, and attempts were made to grow plants, including onions. Experiments were carried out on insects, and experiments on varying the work schedule were carried out.
Extensive medical experiments were carried out on 23 June, as the crew surpassed the Soviet space endurance record of 29 days, set by Soyuz 17
Soyuz 17
Soyuz 17 was the first of two long-duration missions to the Soviet Union's Salyut 4 space station in 1975. The flight set a Soviet mission-duration record of 29 days, surpassing the 23-day record set by the ill-fated Soyuz 11 crew aboard Salyut 1 in 1971....
, the Salyut's previous crew. The all-time record was held then by the Skylab 4
Skylab 4
Skylab 4 was the fourth Skylab mission and placed the third and final crew on board the space station. The mission started November 16, 1973 with the launch of three astronauts on a Saturn IB rocket, and lasted 84 days, 1 hour and 16 minutes...
crew at 84 days.
On 3 July, it was announced that the mission would last beyond the upcoming Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
-Backup crew:-Crew notes:Jack Swigert had originally been assigned as the command module pilot for the ASTP prime crew, but prior to the official announcement he was removed as punishment for his involvement in the Apollo 15 postage stamp scandal.-Soyuz crew:...
(ASTP). To avoid any conflict of resources, the Soyuz 18 crew was controlled from the old Crimean Control Center, while the ASTP Soyuz 19 mission would be controlled from the Kaliningrad Control Center. The Crimean center had not been used since the 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...
flight. This was the first time the Soviets had to control two unrelated space missions.
The ASTP crews were launched 15 and 16 July, and the Soyuz 18 crew communicated with the Soyuz 19 crew on two brief occasions. The total of seven people in space tied the record set by the Soyuz 6
Soyuz 6
Soyuz 6 was part of a joint mission with Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8 that saw three Soyuz spacecraft in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonauts...
, Soyuz 7
Soyuz 7
Soyuz 7 was part of a joint mission with Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 8 that saw three Soyuz spacecraft in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonauts....
and Soyuz 8
Soyuz 8
Soyuz 8 was part of a joint mission with Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 7 that saw three Soyuz spacecraft in orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonauts....
flights of 1969. Once the American ASTP crew landed 24 July, the Soviets had a near six-year monopoly on manned space flights until the launch of the first space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
, STS 1, on 12 April 1981.
The Salyut living conditions were starting to degrade by July, with the environmental control system failing, windows fogged over and green mold growing on the station walls. The crew donned exercise suits and increased their exercise period to over two hours a day, and on 18 July began to prepare the station for unmanned flight. The Soyuz craft was activated on 24 July and the crew returned to earth two days later. The Soviets televised the landing, in keeping with the openness brought along by the ASTP flights.
The cosmonauts exited the capsule under their own power, but it was two days before Klimuk could take a 10-minute walk, and a week before he made a full recovery.