Word: soyuz
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...tubular-shaped laboratory, with its stubby, winglike solar panels, settled into such a low initial orbit that its lifetime was reckoned at only a few weeks. Ground controllers eventually raised the orbit a bit, thereby extending Salyut's life. But the first attempt to dock a manned Soyuz with the ship ran into trouble, and the cosmonauts returned abruptly to earth...
Very Bright Flash. Last week in a second attempt to man the station, the Russians launched Soyuz 11. Equipped with improved docking mechanism, the 71-ton spaceship rendezvoused with Salyut after 24 hours. With Test Engineer Viktor Patsayer, 38, leading the way, the cosmonauts feigned surprise upon entering Salyut's large, living-room-size interior, complete with instrument panels, separate compartments, kitchen and housekeeping equipment and even a small library. "This place is tremendous," said Dobrovolsky. "There seems...
Though their huge unmanned Salyut (Salute) supercraft continued to circle the earth last week, the Russians failed to achieve their ambitious goal: a manned orbital space station. In fact, there was growing belief among Western space experts that the much-heralded mission of Salyut and Soyuz 10 never really recovered from a shaky start...
Delay in the launch of Soyuz 10 and its three-man crew stirred more suspicions. Russian officials were apparently deciding if it was worthwhile trying to rendezvous and dock with a craft that would not long remain in orbit. When Soyuz was finally launched, it was unintentionally shot into an orbit higher than Salyut's. It took nearly two days for the manned craft to reach and dock with its target-an operation that the cosmonauts later compared to bringing a train into a large railroad station. Then, only 5½ hours later, having made no attempt to board...
Switched Emphasis. Then, during the predawn hours Friday, Western radio telescopes picked up a second craft racing in pursuit of Salyut. Observers saw the two ships, shining as brightly as first-magnitude stars, crossing the night skies of northern Europe. Actually, Soyuz 10 was given a bigger boost than intended, and it arced into a 130-by 154-mile orbit, placing it above Salyut's path. Observed Flight Commander Vladimir Shatalov, 43: "Looks like you threw us up a bit too high. Well, it doesn't matter, we'll fix it." By briefly firing Soyuz...