Salyut 1 Space Station
Overview
The first civilian space station, Salyut 1, was launched in April
1971. Salyut 1 was composed of three working compartments, a
service/engine module at the aft end of the vehicle, and a
airlock/transfer module and docking unit at the forward end of
the station. The three main compartments of Salyut 1 were
composed of a small diameter cylindrical section, a larger
diameter cylindrical section, and an airlock/transfer module
and docking adapter. The two cylindrical working compartments
housed the dining area, recreation area, seven control stations,
food and water storage, toilet exercise equipment, and scientific
equipment.
The Salyut stations were launched on the Proton launch vehicle,
as shown below:
Missions
The first mission to Salyut 1, Soyuz 10, was launched four days
after the Station but was later aborted because the crew could not
enter the station even though the Soyuz completed a hard docking.
The second mission, Soyuz 11, was successful in that the crew
completed a 24 day mission that included scientific research in the
areas of astronomy, biology, and Earth observation, but it ended
tragically. During re-entry, a failure in the firing of the pyrotechnic
devices that separate the Soyuz orbital module from the return module
caused a pressure equalization valve to remain open and thus allowed
the atmosphere in the return module to leak out. The spacecraft landed
successfully, but when the recovery teams opened the hatch of the
Soyuz, they found all three cosmonauts dead. As a result of this
accident, all subsequent Soyuz crews have worn pressure suits
during launch and re-entry.
Comments and questions: Jennifer Green
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