Which of the astronauts burned during landing. Deaths in space

Half a century ago something happened that was hard to believe - a man flew into space. Astronauts are heroes of a bygone generation, but their names are still remembered today. Few people know, but space was far from peaceful for humans; it was given in blood. Dead astronauts, hundreds of test officers and soldiers who died in explosions and fires during rocket testing. Needless to say about the thousands of nameless military personnel who died while performing routine work - crashed, burned alive, poisoned with heptyl. And, despite this, unfortunately, not everyone was satisfied. Flight into space is an extremely dangerous and complex job: the people who perform it will be discussed in this article...

Komarov Vladimir Mikhailovich

Pilot-cosmonaut, engineer-colonel, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. He flew on Voskhod-1 and Soyuz-1 more than once. He was the commander of the first three-man crew in history. Komarov died on April 24, 1967, when, at the end of the flight program, during descent to Earth, the parachute of the descent vehicle did not open, as a result of which the structure with the officer on board crashed into the ground at full speed.

Dobrovolsky Georgy Timofeevich

Soviet cosmonaut, Air Force lieutenant colonel, Hero of the Soviet Union. Died on June 30, 1971 in the stratosphere over Kazakhstan. The cause of death is considered to be depressurization of the Soyuz-11 lander, probably due to valve failure. He had a huge number of prestigious awards, including the Order of Lenin.

Patsaev Viktor Ivanovich

Pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR, Hero of the Soviet Union, the world's first astronomer who was lucky enough to work outside the earth's atmosphere. Patsayev was part of the same crew as Dobrovolsky; he died with him on June 30, 1971 due to a leak in the oxygen valve of the Soyuz-11.

Scobie Francis Richard

NASA astronaut, made two space flights on the Challenger shuttle. He was among those killed in space as a result of the STS-51L accident along with his crew. The launch vehicle with the shuttle exploded 73 seconds after launch, with 7 people on board. The cause of the disaster is considered to be burnout of the solid fuel accelerator wall. Francis Scobee was posthumously inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame.

Resnick Judith Arlen

The American female astronaut spent about 150 hours in space, was part of the crew of the same ill-fated Challenger shuttle and died during its launch on January 28, 1986 in Florida. At one time she was the second woman to fly into space.

Anderson Michael Phillip

American aerospace computer engineer, US pilot-astronaut, Air Force lieutenant colonel. During his life he flew more than 3,000 hours on various jet aircraft. Died while returning from space aboard the Columbia STS-107 spacecraft on February 1, 2003. The disaster occurred at an altitude of 63 kilometers above Texas. Anderson and six of his colleagues, after 15 days in orbit, burned to death just 16 minutes before landing.

Ramon Ilan

Israeli Air Force pilot, Israel's first astronaut. Tragically died on February 1, 2003 during the destruction of the same shuttle Columbia STS-107, which crashed in the dense layers of the earth’s atmosphere.

Grissom Virgil Ivan

The world's first commander of a two-seater spacecraft. Unlike the previous participants in the rating, this astronaut died on Earth, during the preparatory stage of the flight, a month before the scheduled launch of Apollo 1. On January 27, 1967, a fire in an atmosphere of pure oxygen occurred at the Kennedy Space Center during training, where Virgil Griss and two of his colleagues died.

Bondarenko Valentin Vasilievich

Died under very similar circumstances on March 23, 1961. He was on the list of the first 20 astronauts who were selected for the first space flight in history. During the tests of cold and loneliness in the pressure chamber, his training woolen suit caught fire as a result of an accident, and the man died from the burns eight hours later.

Adams Michael James

American test pilot, US Air Force astronaut. He was among those killed in space during his seventh suborbital flight on the X-15 in 1967. For unknown reasons, the aircraft Adams was on board was completely destroyed more than 50 miles above the surface of the earth. The causes of the accident still remain unknown; all telemetry information was lost along with the remains of the rocket plane.

The history of space exploration also has a tragic side. In total, about 350 people died during unsuccessful space flights and preparations for them. In addition to the astronauts, this number also includes local residents and spaceport personnel who died as a result of falling debris and explosions. In this article we will look at five disasters where spaceship pilots directly became victims. The saddest thing is that most accidents could have been avoided, but fate decreed otherwise.

Apollo 1

Death toll: 3

Official cause: spark due to short circuit in poorly insulated wiring

The world's first fatal space disaster occurred on January 27, 1967, to American astronauts during training in the command module of the Apollo 1 mission.

In 1966, the lunar race between the two superpowers was in full swing. Thanks to spy satellites, the United States knew about the construction of spaceships in the USSR that could possibly take Soviet cosmonauts to the Moon. The development of the Apollo spacecraft, therefore, was carried out in great haste. Because of this, the quality of technology naturally suffered. The launch of two unmanned versions AS-201 and AS-202 successfully occurred in 1966, and the first manned flight to the Moon was scheduled for February 1967. The Apollo command module was delivered to Cape Canaverall for crew training. The problems started from the very beginning. The module was seriously flawed, and dozens of engineering adjustments were made right on the spot.

On January 27, a planned simulation training was scheduled to take place in the module to test the functionality of all the ship’s onboard instruments. Instead of air, the cabin was filled with oxygen and nitrogen in a ratio of 60% to 40%. The training began at one o'clock in the afternoon. It was carried out with constant malfunctions - there were problems with communication, and the astronauts constantly smelled burning, as it turned out - due to a short circuit in the wiring. At 18:31, one of the cosmonauts shouted over the intercom: “Fire in the cabin! I'm burning!" Fifteen seconds later, unable to withstand the pressure, the module burst. The cosmodrome employees who came running were unable to help - cosmonauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee died on the spot from numerous burns.

Soyuz-1

Death toll: 1

Official reason: failure of the braking parachute system/defects in the production of the spacecraft

On April 23, 1967, a grandiose event was planned - the first ever launch of a Soviet Soyuz series spacecraft. According to the plan, Soyuz-1 was launched first with pilot Vladimir Komarov. Then it was planned to launch the Soyuz-2 spacecraft with Bykovsky, Eliseev and Khrunov on board. In outer space, the ships were supposed to dock, and Eliseev and Khrunov were to transfer to Soyuz-1. In words everything sounded great, but from the very beginning something went wrong.

Immediately after the launch of Soyuz-1, one solar battery did not open, the ion orientation system was unstable, and the solar-stellar orientation sensor failed. The mission had to be terminated urgently. The Soyuz 2 flight was canceled, and Vladimir Komarov was ordered to return to Earth. Serious problems arose here too. Due to systems failure and a shift in the center of mass, it was impossible to orient the ship to braking. Thanks to his professionalism, Komarov oriented the ship almost manually and successfully entered the atmosphere.

After the ship left orbit, a deceleration pulse was applied and the compartments were emergency disconnected. However, at the last stage of landing of the descent vehicle, the main and reserve drogue parachutes did not open. At a speed of about 150 km/h, the descent module crashed into the surface of the Earth in the Adamovsky district of the Orenburg region and caught fire. The device was completely destroyed in the collision. Vladimir Komarov died. The cause of the failure of the braking parachute system could not be determined.

Soyuz-11

Death toll: 3

Official reason: premature opening of the ventilation valve and further depressurization of the cabin

1971 The USSR lost the lunar race, but in response it created orbital stations, where in the future it would be possible to stay for months and do research. The world's first expedition to an orbital station was successfully completed. The crew of Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsaev stayed at the station for 23 days, however, after a serious fire at the OS, the cosmonauts were ordered to return to Earth.

At an altitude of 150 km. compartments were disconnected. At the same time, the ventilation valve, which was supposed to open at an altitude of 2 km, involuntarily opened. The cabin began to fill with fog, which condensed due to a drop in pressure. After 30 seconds, the astronauts lost consciousness. After another 2 minutes the pressure dropped to 50 mm. rt. Art. Since the astronauts were not wearing spacesuits, they died from suffocation.

Despite the fact that the crew did not answer questions from the Mission Control Center, the entry into the atmosphere, braking and landing were successful. After this tragic incident, Soyuz pilots began to be provided with spacesuits without fail.

Shuttle Challenger

Death toll: 7

Official reason: gas leak in solid fuel accelerator elements

The mid-1980s were a real triumph for the American Space Shuttle program. Successful missions took place one after another in unusually short intervals, which sometimes amounted to no more than 17 days. The Challenger mission STS-51-L was significant for two reasons. Firstly, it broke the previous record, as the interval between missions was only 16 days. Secondly, the Challenger crew included a schoolteacher whose task was to teach a lesson from orbit. This program was supposed to arouse interest in space flight, which has subsided a bit in recent years.

On January 28, 1986, the Kennedy Space Center was packed with thousands of spectators and journalists. About 20% of the country's population watched the live broadcast. The shuttle took off into the air to the screams of an admiring audience. At first everything went well, but then clouds of black smoke became visible coming out of the right solid rocket booster, and then a torch of fire appeared emanating from it.

After a few seconds, the flame became significantly larger due to the combustion of the leaked liquid hydrogen. After about 70 seconds, the destruction of the external fuel tank began, followed by a sharp explosion and disconnection of the orbiter cabin. During the fall of the cabin, the astronauts remained alive and conscious, and they even made attempts to restore the power supply. But nothing helped. As a result of the orbiter cabin hitting the water at a speed of 330 km/h, all crew members died on the spot.

After the shuttle explosion, numerous cameras continued to record what was happening. The lenses captured the faces of shocked people, among whom were relatives of all seven dead astronauts. This is how one of the most tragic reports in the history of television was filmed. After the disaster, a ban on shuttle operations was introduced for a period of 32 months. The solid propellant booster system was also improved, and a parachute rescue system was installed on all shuttles.

Shuttle Columbia

Death toll: 7

Official reason: damage to the thermal insulation layer on the wing of the device

On February 1, the space shuttle Columbia successfully returned to Earth after a successful space mission. At the beginning, the entry into the atmosphere proceeded as usual, but later the thermal sensor on the left wing transmitted an anomalous value to the control center. A piece of thermal insulation broke off from the outer skin, causing the thermal protection system to fail. After that, at least four sensors of the ship’s hydraulic system went off scale, and literally 5 minutes later the connection with the shuttle was lost. While the MCC staff was trying to contact Columbia and find out what happened to the sensors, one of the employees saw live the shuttle already falling into pieces. The entire crew of 7 people died.

This tragedy dealt a serious blow to the prestige of American astronautics. Shuttle flights were again banned for 29 months. Subsequently, they carried out only critical tasks for the repair and maintenance of the ISS. In fact, this was the end of the Space Shuttle program. The Americans were forced to turn to Russia with a request to transport astronauts to the ISS on Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Almost 33 years ago, on January 28, 1986, one of the first major disasters in the history of manned space flights occurred - the crash of the Challenger shuttle during launch (previously, 3 Soviet cosmonauts died in 1971 during the landing of Soyuz 11 - Hi-Tech ). On board were military pilots Francis Scooby and Michael Smith, engineers Allison Onizuka and Gregory Jervis, physicist Ronald McNair, astronaut Judith Resnick and teacher Christa McAuliffe. Each of the 73 seconds of shuttle flight of the lost mission STS-51L was reviewed by experts numerous times. The exact cause of death of the astronauts remains a mystery, but experts are inclined to believe that the astronauts were still alive when the cabin hit the ocean at a speed of more than 320 km/h. Their death was a tragedy not only for the United States, but also for the whole world. Moreover, it destroyed the faith of hundreds of people in the inviolability and safety of space missions.

On January 28, 1986, US President Ronald Reagan interrupted his State of the Union address to announce to American citizens that the space shuttle Challenger had exploded in the atmosphere. The whole country was deeply affected by the disaster. Reagan expressed his condolences to the relatives of the victims, but still noted that such expeditions and discoveries cannot be imagined without significant mortal risks for the testers. So what actually happened?

Challenger crew

The Challenger was supposed to take off on January 24, 1986, but due to a dust storm at the Senegalese airport, the site of a possible emergency landing, the flight was postponed.

During the morning inspection of the shuttle, the linemen couldn't help but notice the icicles hanging from the bottom. On the night of January 27–28 the temperature dropped to –2 °C. This fact could not go unnoticed by the developers of solid rocket boosters for the shuttle. In such climatic conditions, the fiber of the intersectional seals lost its elasticity and could not provide sufficient tightness at the junctions of ship sections. Experts immediately reported their concerns to NASA.

Icicles on the bottom of the shuttle on the day of the crash

On the night of January 28, under pressure from representatives of the Marshall Center, Morton Thiokol management gave assurances that damage to the seals was no more critical than on previous flights. Such frivolity not only cost the lives of seven astronauts, the total destruction of the spacecraft and the collapse of the mission, the launch of which cost $1.3 billion, but also led to the freezing of the Space Shuttle program for three long years. The commission, which examined all materials related to the crash, decided that the main cause of the disaster should be considered “deficiencies in NASA’s corporate culture and decision-making procedures.”

Almost immediately after launch, gray smoke appeared from the junction of the tail and second sections of the right solid rocket accelerator of the space system due to the formed ice crust. At 59 seconds, at full speed, a fiery tail appeared on the shuttle. Both the flight commander and the flight control center had time to take emergency measures. But Francis Scooby, the ship's commander, was unable to promptly notice and assess the danger that had arisen, and the flight leaders, most likely, were simply afraid to take full responsibility upon themselves. At the 65th second of the flight, a fuel leak began due to the ignition of the fuel tank. At the 73rd second of the flight, the lower mounting strut of the right accelerator came off and, tilting, the body itself tore off the Challenger's right wing and pierced the oxygen tank. This led to an explosion.

The design of the space shuttle Challenger

The liquid hydrogen and oxygen components mixed and ignited, creating a ball of flame in the air. The shuttle itself was still gaining altitude, but was no longer controllable. When the fuel tank collapsed, the shuttle could no longer gain altitude. The tail, both wings and part of the engine separated. The front part of the Challenger, where the crew was located, was torn off by the blast wave, and it soared 20 km up. The deck continued its fall with four living astronauts. In an attempt to escape, they used backup breathing apparatus. The entire bow of the ship separated from the ship's hull, and the shuttle's heavy structure crashed into the water. The conclusion of NASA doctors states that the crew may have lost consciousness due to a loss of pressure in the module during the flight.

After the disaster, the US government urgently began searching for the wreckage of the shuttle in the ocean. Even a nuclear submarine took part in the search work. NASA lost about $8 billion.

Judith Resnick, astronaut, Challenger crew member

History of the Space Shuttle missions

The flights were carried out from April 12, 1981 to July 21, 2011. A total of five shuttles were built: Columbia (burned up during atmospheric braking before landing in 2003), Challenger (crash during launch in 1986), Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavor. Also built in 1975, the prototype ship Enterprise was never launched into space.

Repeating the scenario

The space shuttle Columbia crashed on landing on February 1, 2003. There were seven crew members on board, all of whom died. On January 16, 2003, as the space shuttle Columbia was ascending into orbit, a piece of flying rocket skin struck the front wing with devastating force. High-speed camera footage showed a piece of heat-resistant foam tearing off the skin and hitting the wing. Further, after examining the records, scientists came to the conclusion that this could lead to damage to the integrity of the heat-protective layer. But a thorough analysis was not carried out - human negligence again interfered with the space mission.

As Columbia entered the heaviest landing load zone, the thermal protection at the damage site began to crumble. This part of the wing had landing gear. The tires exploded from overheating, a powerful jet of hot gas hit, the wing completely collapsed, and after this the entire ship began to fall apart. Without a wing, the Columbia spun and lost control. Only 41 seconds passed from the beginning of the collapse of the cabin to the death of the crew.

The second large-scale disaster completely undermined confidence in the Space Shuttle program, and it was closed. On July 21, 2011, the Atlantis ship completed the last expedition in the history of the project. Starting from this period, disposable Russian Soyuzs became the only guide for astronauts to the ISS.

Shuttle Columbia launched into space 28 once. He spent in space 300,74 days, completed during this time 4 808 revolutions around the Earth and flew a total of 201,5 million km A large number of experiments in the fields of chemistry, medicine and biology were carried out on board the shuttle.

Destroyed "Union"

The first disaster with human casualties in the history of astronautics was the death of pilot Vladimir Komarov during the landing of the Soviet Soyuz-1 spacecraft. Everything went wrong from the very beginning. Soyuz-1 was supposed to dock with Soyuz-2 to return the crew of the first ship, but due to problems, the launch of the second was canceled.

When the ship was already in orbit, problems with the solar battery were discovered. The commander was given the order to return to Earth. The pilot attempted to land almost manually.

In total, more than 350 people, only astronauts - 170 Human.

The landing took place as usual, but at the last stage of landing the main drogue parachute did not open. The spare one opened, but became entangled in the lines, and the ship crashed into the ground at a speed of 50 m/s, tanks with hydrogen peroxide exploded, and the astronaut died instantly. Soyuz 1 burned to the ground, the pilot's body was so burned that experts had difficulty identifying the fragments.

After the incident, further implementation of the Soyuz manned launch program was postponed for 18 months, and many design modifications were made. The official cause of the accident was a flaw in the technology for deploying the braking parachute.

Soviet pilot-cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov

The next Soyuz to die was Soyuz-11. The goal of the ship's crew was to dock with the Salyut-1 orbital station and carry out a series of work on board it. The crew completed their tasks within 11 days. When headquarters detected a serious fire, the board was ordered to return to Earth.

All processes—entry into the atmosphere, braking, and landing—were carried out flawlessly, but the crew stubbornly did not contact the flight control center. By the time the ship's hatch was opened, all crew members were already dead. They became victims of decompression sickness: when the ship depressurized at high altitude, the pressure dropped sharply to lethal levels. The design of the ship did not include spacesuits. Decompression sickness is accompanied by unbearable pain, and the astronauts simply could not report the problem that had arisen.

Decompression (caisson) sickness- a disease that occurs when the pressure of inhaled air decreases, in which gases enter the blood in the form of bubbles, thereby destroying blood vessels, cell walls and leading to blockage of blood flow.

After this tragic accident, all Soyuz aircraft were equipped with spacesuits in case of emergency situations.

The first space accident

In 2009, the first space accident occurred - two satellites collided. According to an official statement from Iridium, which was distributed to news agencies, Iridium 33 collided with the Russian satellite Kosmos-2251. The latter was launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome back in 1993 and ceased operation two years after that.

Rescued astronauts

Of course, not all accidents that occurred in space resulted in loss of life. In 1971, the Soyuz-10 spacecraft launched to the Salyut orbital station with an expedition for a 24-day stay in orbit. During the docking, damage to the docking unit was discovered; the cosmonauts were unable to board the station and returned to Earth.

And just four years later, in 1975, the Soyuz spacecraft did not enter orbit to dock with the Salyut-4 spacecraft due to an accident during the activation of the third stage of the rocket. The Soyuz landed in Altai, near the border with China and Mongolia. Cosmonauts Vasily Lazarev and Oleg Makarov were found the next day.

Among the most recent unsuccessful flight experiences, one can highlight the accident that occurred on October 11, 2018. It occurred during the launch of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft. Nine minutes after launch, the control center received a message about a breakdown. The crew made an emergency landing. The reasons for the incident are still being clarified; it is possible that the second stage engines were switched off. The Russian-American crew was evacuated in a rescue capsule.

Dangerous not only in the sky

Space disasters also occur on earth, claiming much more lives. We are talking about accidents during rocket launches.

At the Plesetsk cosmodrome on March 18, 1980, the Vostok rocket was being prepared for launch. The rocket was fueled with various fuels - nitrogen, kerosene and liquid oxygen. While hydrogen peroxide was being poured into the fuel tank, 300 tons of fuel detonated. The terrible fire took the lives of 44 people. Four more died from their burns, and 39 people were injured.

The commission blamed everything on the cosmodrome employees who were negligent in servicing the rocket. Only 16 years later, an independent investigation was carried out, which resulted in the use of hazardous materials in the construction of fuel filters for hydrogen peroxide being named as the cause.

A similar tragedy happened in 2003 in Brazil at the Alcantara cosmodrome. The rocket exploded on the launch pad during final tests, killing 21 people and injuring 20 others. The rocket was Brazil's third failed attempt to send a launch vehicle into space carrying a research satellite.

The site of the explosion at the Alcantara cosmodrome.

The Soviet designer and “father” of Russian cosmonautics Sergei Pavlovich Korolev said: “Cosmonautics has a limitless future, and its prospects are limitless, like the Universe itself.” And today, engineers are developing space drones to operate effectively in low-Earth orbits in order to avoid the human factor - a frequent cause of large-scale disasters in space. Humanity is already living in anticipation of flights to Mars, the first of which is planned for 2030. And the safety of the space industry is an important point in the development of this mission.

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Classmates

Space does not forgive mistakes. And yet humanity tries tirelessly. It has been sending its best representatives to storm the skies for more than 50 years. And during this time, many tragedies related to space flights occurred.

Over the past half century, approximately 30 astronauts and astronauts have died while preparing for or carrying out dangerous space missions. But the vast majority of these deaths occurred either on the ground or in the Earth's atmosphere. That is, below the generally accepted boundary of outer space, called . This imaginary border runs at an altitude of about 100 kilometers.

In total, approximately 550 people have been in space during the space age. And speaking in legal terms, three of them died directly in outer space.

Fatal border

Early in the space race, both the United States and the Soviet Union experienced several deadly plane crashes that killed several pilots testing advanced jet aircraft. Then the tragic incident with Apollo 1 happened. The fire, which occurred in January 1967, killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. How did this happen? During a launch simulation, an accidental spark occurred in the spacecraft cabin. Which was filled with pure oxygen. This resulted in an uncontrollable fire that quickly engulfed the doomed crew. And it led to tragic deaths. Even though they struggled to open the hatch door, which was under pressure. Subsequent training was carried out without an atmosphere of pure oxygen.

Over the next three years, Apollo astronauts completed seven missions to the Moon. "" brought people to its surface for the first time. And the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission ended in failure. Due to problems on board, the spacecraft had to return to Earth. The moon landing was cancelled. But there were no casualties.

But on June 30, 1971, humanity witnessed the first (and currently only) deaths in space.

Soyuz-11 disaster

The first space orbital station was the Soviet Salyut 1. She was launched into space without a crew on April 19, 1971. Just a few days later, the Soyuz-10 spacecraft set off for the station. Its crew included three Soviet cosmonauts. The goal of their expedition was to dock with the station, transfer the astronauts to it and work there for a month.

The Soyuz-10 spacecraft safely docked with Salyut-1. But problems with the entrance hatch prevented the astronauts from entering the space station. Therefore, it was decided to return the expedition to Earth ahead of schedule. However, during the descent, toxic chemicals leaked into the air supply system of the Soyuz 10 spacecraft. And one of the astronauts lost consciousness. However, all three crew members returned home safely.

Just a few months later, on June 6, the Soyuz-11 expedition went into orbit. Her goal was to try to still gain access to the space station. Unlike the previous crew, three Soyuz-11 cosmonauts - Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev - successfully transferred to Salyut-1. They spent three weeks on board. At the same time, a new record for the time spent was set. Many experiments have also been carried out aimed at studying the consequences of a person’s prolonged stay in weightlessness.

On June 29, the cosmonauts transferred back to the Soyuz-11 spacecraft. And they began their descent to Earth. And after that tragedy happened...

Faulty valve

To those on the ground, it seemed that the return of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft took place without any problems. The spacecraft appeared to pass through the atmosphere normally. And eventually landed in Kazakhstan. As planned. It was only when the rescue team opened the hatch that they discovered that all three crew members were dead.

“There was no external damage to the descent module,” recalls Kerim Kerimov, chairman of the State Commission for Manned Flights. “The rescue team knocked on the side of the rescue apparatus, but there was no answer. Having opened the hatch, the rescuers found that all three astronauts were lying on couches. They were motionless, with dark blue spots on their faces and traces of blood near their noses and ears. We pulled the bodies out. Dobrovolsky was still warm. Doctors performed artificial respiration on the astronauts. Apparently, the cause of death was suffocation.”

The investigation determined that the fatal accident was the result of a faulty valve seal on the lander. It burst during separation from the service module. At an altitude of 168 km, the deadly combination of a leaking valve and the vacuum of space quickly removed all air from the flight deck. This valve was located in a hard-to-reach place under the astronauts' seats. And they had virtually no chance to solve the problem.

Three Soviet heroes today (and this will always be the case) are the only people who ended their journey directly in outer space...

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Warm June day in 1971. The Soyuz 11 descent module made its planned landing. At mission control, everyone applauded, eagerly awaiting the crew's appearance on the air. At that moment, no one yet suspected that the Soviet cosmonautics would soon be shaken by the biggest tragedy in its entire history.

Long preparation for the flight

The first Salyut spacecraft was successfully launched into orbit in the winter of 1971. The next goal was divided into four stages: prepare the crew, send them to the station, successfully dock with it and then conduct a series of studies in outer space for several weeks.

The docking of the first Soyuz 10 spacecraft was unsuccessful due to malfunctions in the docking unit. Nevertheless, the astronauts managed to return to Earth, and their task fell on the shoulders of the next crew.

Its commander, Alexey Leonov, visited the design bureau every day and looked forward to the launch. However, fate decreed otherwise. Three days before the flight, flight engineer Valery Kubasov’s doctors discovered a strange spot on an X-ray of his lungs. There was no time left to clarify the diagnosis, and it was necessary to urgently look for a replacement.

The question of who will now fly into space was being decided in power circles. The State Commission made its choice at the very last moment, only 11 hours before the launch. Her decision was extremely unexpected: the crew was completely changed, and now Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev were going into space.

Life on Salyut 1: what awaited the cosmonauts at the Salyut OKS

The launch of Soyuz 11 took place on June 6, 1971 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. At that time, pilots went into space in ordinary flight suits, because the design of the ship did not allow for the use of spacesuits. If there was any oxygen leak, the crew was doomed.

The next day after the launch, the difficult docking stage began. On the morning of June 7, the remote control turned on the program responsible for rendezvous with the Salyut station. When no more than 100 meters remained to it, the crew switched to manual control of the ship and an hour later successfully docked with the OKS.

"The crew of Soyuz-11.

After this, a new stage in space exploration began - now there was a full-fledged scientific station in orbit. Dobrovolsky transmitted news of the successful docking to Earth, and his team began re-opening the premises.

The astronauts' schedule was detailed. Every day they conducted research and biomedical experiments. Television reports from the Earth were regularly carried out directly from the station.

On June 26 (i.e. exactly 20 days later), the crew of Soyuz 11 became a new record holder for flight range and duration of stay in space. There are 4 days left until the end of their mission. Communication with the Control Center was stable, and there were no signs of trouble.

The journey home and the tragic death of the crew

On June 29, the order to complete the mission came. The crew transferred all research records aboard Soyuz 11 and took their places. The undocking was successful, which Dobrovolsky reported to the Control Center. Everyone was in high spirits. Vladislav Volkov even joked on air: “See you on Earth, and prepare some cognac.”

After disconnection, the flight proceeded as planned. The braking system was launched in a timely manner, and the descent module separated from the main compartment. After this, communication with the crew stopped.

Those who were expecting the astronauts on Earth were not particularly alarmed. When the ship enters the atmosphere, a wave of plasma rolls across its hull and the communication antennas burn out. Just a normal situation, communication should resume soon.

The parachute opened strictly according to schedule, but “Yantari” (this is the crew’s call sign) was still silent. The silence on the air began to get annoying. After the descent apparatus landed, rescuers and doctors almost immediately ran up to him. There was no response to the knock on the casing, so the hatch had to be opened in emergency mode.

A terrible picture appeared before my eyes: Dobrovolsky, Patsayev and Volkov were sitting dead in their chairs. The tragedy shocked everyone with its inexplicability. After all, the landing went according to plan, and only recently the cosmonauts were in touch. Death occurred from an almost instantaneous air leak. However, what caused it was not yet known.

The special commission literally reconstructed in seconds what actually happened. It turned out that during landing the crew discovered an air leak through the ventilation valve above the commander's seat.

They had no time left to close it: this required 55 seconds for a healthy person, and there were no spacesuits or even oxygen masks in the equipment.

The medical commission found traces of cerebral hemorrhage and damage to the eardrums in all the victims. The air dissolved in the blood literally boiled and clogged the blood vessels, even entering the chambers of the heart.

To find the technical malfunction that caused the valve to depressurize, the commission conducted more than 1,000 experiments with the involvement of the manufacturer. At the same time, the KGB was working on a variant of deliberate sabotage.

However, none of these versions have been confirmed. Elementary negligence at work played a role here. Checking the condition of the Soyuz, it turned out that many of the nuts were simply not tightened properly, which led to the failure of the valve.

The day after the tragedy, all USSR newspapers were published with black mourning frames, and all space flights were stopped for 28 months. Now the mandatory equipment for cosmonauts included spacesuits, but at the cost of this was the lives of three pilots who never saw the bright summer sun on their native Earth.