Difference between revisions of "Salyut-8"
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==History== | ==History== | ||
| − | + | Salyut-8 was the last of a series of space stations operated by the Soviet Union in the last years of the twentieth century. The first five Salyut stations, launched in the 1970s, carried two cosmonauts, who arrived via capsule-type Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz also served as the crews' return vehicle, remaining docked to the station's single port for the duration of the mission. | |
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| + | These early outposts were plagued with developmental problems. A faulty pressure equalization valve resulted in the suffocation of the crew of the first during reentry. The second station, a disguised ''Almaz''-series military space station flying under the designation Salyut-2, was hit by fragments of its jettisoned booster rocket, causing a pressure loss and crippling its flight control systems. Seven days into its mission a mysterious accident caused both the station's solar arrays to be lost, leaving the station without power. So it remained, until its destruction on reentry a month later. | ||
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| + | However, the Soviets persisted and had better success with the next three stations, which performed civilian scientific work and clandestine military projects while providing invaluable experience in the long-term habitation of space, with crews working aboard for periods sometimes lasting for two months or more. Salyut-3, another incognito military station, holds the dubious honor of being the first manned spacecraft to carry and fire a weapon, a 23mm cannon of the kind used in contemporary atmospheric fighter planes. The weapon was tested satisfactorily against target satellites. | ||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
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Salyut-8 was a Soviet space station that served as the site of the first unarmed, non-lethal space conflict in 1994. The conflict reportedly occurred due to political differences and involved two cosmonauts, one from the Afghan SSR.
Contents
History
Salyut-8 was the last of a series of space stations operated by the Soviet Union in the last years of the twentieth century. The first five Salyut stations, launched in the 1970s, carried two cosmonauts, who arrived via capsule-type Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz also served as the crews' return vehicle, remaining docked to the station's single port for the duration of the mission.
These early outposts were plagued with developmental problems. A faulty pressure equalization valve resulted in the suffocation of the crew of the first during reentry. The second station, a disguised Almaz-series military space station flying under the designation Salyut-2, was hit by fragments of its jettisoned booster rocket, causing a pressure loss and crippling its flight control systems. Seven days into its mission a mysterious accident caused both the station's solar arrays to be lost, leaving the station without power. So it remained, until its destruction on reentry a month later.
However, the Soviets persisted and had better success with the next three stations, which performed civilian scientific work and clandestine military projects while providing invaluable experience in the long-term habitation of space, with crews working aboard for periods sometimes lasting for two months or more. Salyut-3, another incognito military station, holds the dubious honor of being the first manned spacecraft to carry and fire a weapon, a 23mm cannon of the kind used in contemporary atmospheric fighter planes. The weapon was tested satisfactorily against target satellites.
Notes
Salyut-8 most likely resembled other space stations in the Salyut Program.
References
- Strategic Operations, p. 244