Soyuz 10

Infobox Space mission
mission_name = Soyuz 10
sign = Гранит (Granit - "Granite")]
crew_members = 3
launch = April 23, 1971
23:54:06 UTC
Gagarin's Start
landing = April 25, 1971
23:40:00 UTC
duration = 1d/23:45:54
orbits = 32
next = Soyuz 11
previous = Soyuz 9 |

Soyuz 10 was the first planned visit to the world's first space station, Salyut 1, whichhad been successfully placed in orbit on April 19 1971. Although Soyuz 10 brought its crew of
cosmonauts Vladimir Shatalov, Aleksei Yeliseyev, and Nikolai Rukavishnikov to the station,they could not dock successfully with it. While the Soyuz physically locked onto the station, theconnection was not secure enough to allow the hatches to be opened to allow the cosmonauts inside. Additionally, it appeared that the hatch inside the Soyuz was jammed. This led to a further complicationwhen the mission was abandoned, as the Soyuz had difficulty detaching from the station. When this wassuccessfully accomplished, one last hitch presented itself. Upon re-entry, the capsule became filled withtoxic fumes, causing Rukavishnikov to pass out. Fortunately, all three crew members recovered from this ordeal unscathed.

Crew

Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.
*Vladimir Shatalov (3) - Commander
*Aleksei Yeliseyev (3) - Flight Engineer
*Nikolai Rukavishnikov (1) - Test Engineer

Backup crew

*Aleksei Leonov - Commander
*Valeri Kubasov - Flight Engineer
*Pyotr Kolodin - Test Engineer

Reserve crew

*Georgi Dobrovolski - Commander
*Vladislav Volkov - Flight Engineer
*Viktor Patsayev - Test Engineer

Mission parameters

*Mass: 6800 kg
*Perigee: 209 km
*Apogee: 258 km
*Inclination: 51.6°
*Period: 89.1 min

References