In a re-evaluation of the proposed test mission, the Soviets concluded that utilizing the Salyut spacecraft would not be technically and economically viable.

Finally Kraft and Gilruth told the Soviets that if they were unwilling to agree to the telephone conversations then the NASA delegation might as well pack up and go back to Houston. After some hesitation, the Soviets decided to try … Continue reading →

The spacecraft designers led by Caldwell Johnson faced a demanding task. Director Gilruth urged them to accelerate the development of the docking adapter design, aiming to have a functional model ready for the upcoming November meeting with the Soviets.

Two options were presented: Apollo docking with Salyut/Soyuz or Soyuz with Skylab/Apollo. Caldwell Johnson was taken aback by the Soviets’ eagerness to immediately pursue the development of a universal docking mechanism.

On January 20th, 1971 in private negotiation, Low and Frutkin met with Keldysh and Feoktistov to discuss rendezvous and docking. NASA proposed developing compatible systems for Apollo and Soyuz rather than future spacecraft, aiming to give specialists something concrete on … Continue reading →

A critical problem emerged during the separation and ignition of the third stage approximately five minutes into the flight. A failure in the electrical system responsible for releasing the locks securing the core stage of the booster to the third stage resulted in only one side of the locks disengaging. Continue reading →

A critical problem emerged during the separation and ignition of the third stage approximately five minutes into the flight. A failure in the electrical system responsible for releasing the locks securing the core stage of the booster to the third stage resulted in only one side of the locks disengaging. Continue reading →

A critical problem emerged during the separation and ignition of the third stage approximately five minutes into the flight. A failure in the electrical system responsible for releasing the locks securing the core stage of the booster to the third stage resulted in only one side of the locks disengaging. Continue reading →

A critical problem emerged during the separation and ignition of the third stage approximately five minutes into the flight. A failure in the electrical system responsible for releasing the locks securing the core stage of the booster to the third stage resulted in only one side of the locks disengaging. Continue reading →

The crew of Soyuz 17 embarked on a historic 29-day mission, surpassing the previous Soviet mission-duration record of 23 days set by the Soyuz 11 crew aboard Salyut 1 in 1971.

The Salyut 4 space station, designated DOS-4, marked the second phase of the Soviet Union’s civilian space station program. It was an improved version of the failed Salyut 2 station, with several notable enhancements.  

Initially, the rendezvous with Salyut 3 proceeded smoothly. However, as the Soyuz spacecraft approached the station, a critical problem arose. The Igla rendezvous system, designed to guide the spacecraft to the station, malfunctioned.

Salyut 3 featured a “self-defense” gun purportedly designed by Alexander Nudelman for station use. Some reports suggest it was outfitted with a Nudelman-Rikhter “Vulkan” gun, a modified version of the 23mm Nudelman aircraft cannon, or conceivably a Nudelman NR-30 30mm … Continue reading →

NASA’s Explorer 50, also known as Interplanetary Monitoring Platform-8 or IMP-8, stands as a testament to humanity’s relentless pursuit of knowledge and exploration beyond the confines of Earth.  

Scientists had long been intrigued by Mercury, the innermost planet of our solar system. Despite its proximity to the Sun, Mercury remained largely unexplored, with many questions remaining about its surface features, geological composition, and magnetic field. The scientific community … Continue reading →

Pioneer 11 detected Saturn’s bow shock on Aug. 31, 1979, about 932,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) out from the planet, thus providing the first conclusive evidence of the existence of Saturn’s magnetic field.

This second generation of the Soyuz spacecraft, the Soyuz 7k-T was flown on Soyuz 12 through Soyuz 40 missions from 1973–1981. The new 7K-T spacecraft was designed to accommodate only two cosmonauts who would wear pressure suits at all times … Continue reading →

At this point in 1973, the Soviets were attempting to fly 2 types of space station, the long duration orbital station scientific version called DOS.  The other station was a military spy space station equipped with a machine gun, called … Continue reading →

Despite predictions, events seldom occur precisely as expected. The calculated breakup altitude of Skylab was based on its intended structural strength specifications. However, the actual vehicle was stronger than the specified strength requirements.

The official decision to proceed with the Skylab reboost mission was made on September 1st 1977, initiating a two-year preparation period for the development and production of the required hardware and systems.

Early in the planning stages of the Skylab flight, there was a desire to keep it in orbit long enough to use it as the core of a larger station.

Activating the station upon arrival was a challenge, but packing up to return home was also a major event that took several days. For Carr and his crew, this was the last planned visit, but they left open the possibility … Continue reading →

The next time an American would venture outside of a spacecraft would be on a Space Shuttle flight and that was nine years later. In less than a decade, from June 1965 to February 1974, American astronauts had learned to … Continue reading →

This crew was the first to celebrate a new year in space 17 times as they orbited the earth and moved through the time zones.