Soyuz 10
Soyuz 10
Launch Date
April 23, 1971
Craft
Soyuz
Status
Past
Crew
3
Soyuz 10
Soyuz 10
Launch Date
April 23, 1971
Craft
Soyuz
Status
Past
Crew
3
Overview
Soyuz 10 was scheduled to be the first time a crew docked to a space station and lived and worked in a permanent orbital complex. After launch, the crew achieved soft dock to the Salyut 1 space station, but the automated docking system malfunctioned. By the time the automated system was overridden, a large amount of fuel had been used and the docking process was aborted. However, the docking probe failed to release, and the crew had to throw a circuit breaker to manually trigger separation from Salyut 1. During reentry just 2 days after launch, toxic fumes filled the cabin, knocking a crewmember unconscious. All three were safely recovered after landing.
Crafts
Soyuz
Soyuz
Soyuz is a human carrier capsule built and operated by Russia that can take up to three people to the Space Station at a time. It has been upgraded many times since its first use in the 1960s for the Soviet lunar program and was the only crew vehicle for the Station from 2011 to 2020.