%2c_a_Soviet_test_pilot%2c_aerospace_engineer%2c_and_cosmonaut).jpg) 1964 commemorative stamp of Vladimir Komarov | |
| Mission type | Test flight |
|---|---|
| Operator | Experimental Design Bureau (OKB-1) |
| COSPAR ID | 1967-037A |
| SATCATno. | 02759 |
| Mission duration | 1 day 2 hours 47 minutes 52 seconds |
| Orbits completed | 18 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz 7K-OK No.1 |
| Spacecraft type | Soyuz 7K-OK |
| Manufacturer | Experimental Design Bureau (OKB-1) |
| Launch mass | 6450 kg |
| Landing mass | 2800 kg |
| Dimensions | 10 m long (with solar panels) 2.72 m wide |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 1 |
| Members | Vladimir Komarov |
| Callsign | Рубин (Rubin – "Ruby") |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 23 April 1967, 00:35:00GMT |
| Rocket | Soyuz 11A511 s/n U15000-04 |
| Launch site | Baikonur,Site 1/5[1] |
| Contractor | Experimental Design Bureau (OKB-1) |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 24 April 1967, 03:22:52 GMT |
| Landing site | 3 km west of Karabutak,Orenburg Oblast,Russian SFSR,Soviet Union[2] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 197.0 km |
| Apogee altitude | 223.0 km |
| Inclination | 50.8° |
| Period | 88.7 minutes |
 | |
Soyuz 1 (Russian:Союз 1,Union 1) was a crewed spaceflight of theSoviet space program. Launched into orbit on 23 April 1967 carryingcosmonaut colonelVladimir Komarov, Soyuz 1 was the first crewed flight of theSoyuz spacecraft. The flight was plagued with technical issues, and Komarov was killed when the descent module crashed into the ground due to a parachute failure. This was the firstin-flight fatality in thehistory of spaceflight.
The original mission plan was complex, involving arendezvous withSoyuz 2 and an exchange of crew members before returning toEarth. However, the launch of Soyuz 2 was called off due to thunderstorms.
| Position | Cosmonaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Vladimir Komarov Second and last spaceflight | |
| Position | Cosmonaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Yuri Gagarin | |
Soyuz 1 was the first crewed flight of the first-generationSoyuz 7K-OK spacecraft andSoyuz rocket, designed as part of theSoviet lunar program. It was the first Soviet crewed spaceflight in over two years, and the first Soviet crewed flight following the death of the Chief Designer of the space programmeSergei Korolev. Komarov was launched on Soyuz 1 despite failures of the previous uncrewed tests of the 7K-OK,Kosmos 133 andKosmos 140. A third attempted test flight was a launch failure; a launch abort triggered a malfunction of thelaunch escape system, causing the rocket to explode on the pad. The escape system successfully pulled the spacecraft to safety.[3]
According to interviews with Venyamin Russayev, a formerKGB agent, prior to launch, Soyuz 1 engineers are said to have reported 203 design faults to party leaders, but their concerns "were overruled by political pressures for a series of space feats to mark the anniversary ofLenin's birthday".[4] Russayev also claims thatYuri Gagarin was the backup pilot for Soyuz 1, and was aware of the design problems and the pressures from thePolitburo to proceed with the flight. He attempted to "bump" Komarov from the mission, knowing that the Soviet leadership would not risk a national hero on the flight.[5] At the same time, Komarov refused to pass on the mission, even though he believed it to be doomed. He explained that he could not risk Gagarin's life.[5] Russayev's account, however, has been seen as implausible and exaggerated by most historians of the Soviet space programme.[6]
Mission planners intended to launch asecond Soyuz flight the next day carrying cosmonautsValery Bykovsky,Yevgeny Khrunov, andAleksei Yeliseyev, with Khrunov and Yeliseyev scheduled to do anEVA over to Soyuz 1.
Soyuz 1 was launched on 23 April 1967 at 00:32 GMT fromBaikonur Cosmodrome carrying Komarov, the first Soviet cosmonaut to fly in space twice, in the 7K-OK No. 4 capsule.[7] Problems began shortly after launch when one solar panel failed to unfold, leading to a shortage of power for the spacecraft's systems. Komarov transmitted: "Conditions are poor. The cabin parameters are normal, but the left solar panel didn't deploy. The electrical bus is at only 13 to 14amperes. The HF (high frequency) communications are not working. I cannot orient the spacecraft to the sun. I tried orienting the spacecraft manually using the DO-1 orientation engines, but the pressure remaining on the DO-1 has gone down to 180."[8] Further problems with the orientation detectors complicated maneuvering the craft. By orbit 13, the automatic stabilisation system was completely dead, and the manual system was only partially effective.
The crew of Soyuz 2 modified their mission goals, preparing themselves for a launch that would include fixing the solar panel of Soyuz 1. However, that night, thunderstorms at Baikonur affected the booster's electrical system, causing the mission to be called off.[9]
As a result of Komarov's report during the 13th orbit, theflight director decided to abort the mission. After 18 orbits, Soyuz 1 fired itsretrorockets andreentered theEarth's atmosphere. Despite the technical difficulties up to that point, Komarov might still have landed safely. A few minutes before the tragedy, Komarov maintained radio contact with Gagarin, in particular, stating: "The engine was running for 146 seconds. Everything is going fine. Everything is going fine! The ship was oriented correctly. I am in the middle chair. Tied with straps."[10] To slow the descent, first thedrogue parachute was deployed, followed by the main parachute. However, due to a defect, the main parachute did not unfold; the exact reason for the main parachute malfunction is disputed.[11][12]
Komarov then activated the manually deployed reserve chute, but it became tangled with the drogue chute, which did not release as intended. As a result, theSoyuz descent module fell to Earth inOrenburg Oblast almost entirely unimpeded, at about 40 m/s (140 km/h; 89 mph). A rescue helicopter spotted the descent module lying on its side with the parachute spread across the ground on fire. The retrorockets then started firing which concerned the rescuers since they were supposed to activate a few moments prior to touchdown. By the time they landed and approached, the descent module was in flames with black smoke filling the air and streams of molten metal dripping from the exterior. The entire base of the capsule burned through. By this point, it was obvious that Komarov had not survived, but there was no code signal for a cosmonaut's death, so the rescuers fired a signal flare calling for medical assistance. Another group of rescuers in an aircraft then arrived and attempted to extinguish the blazing spacecraft with portable fire extinguishers. This proved insufficient and they instead began using shovels to throw dirt onto it. The descent module then completely disintegrated, leaving only a pile of debris topped by the entry hatch. When the fire at last ended, the rescuers were able to dig through the rubble to find Komarov strapped into the center couch, his body had turned into charred clothing and flesh. Doctors pronounced the cause of death to be from multiple blunt-force injuries. The body was transported to Moscow for an official autopsy in a military hospital where the cause of death was verified to match the field doctors' conclusions.
The Soyuz 1 crash site coordinates are51°21′39″N59°33′45″E / 51.3609°N 59.5624°E /51.3609; 59.5624, which is 3 km (1.9 mi) west of Karabutak, about 275 km (171 mi) east-southeast ofOrenburg. There is a memorial monument at the site in the form of a black column with a bust of Komarov at the top, in a small park on the roadside.[2][13][14]
Posthumously, Komarov was named aHero of the Soviet Union for the second time, and awarded theOrder of Lenin. He was given astate funeral, and his ashes were interred in theKremlin Wall Necropolis atRed Square, Moscow.[4]
Eight years after Komarov's death, a story began circulating that Komarov cursed the engineers and flight staff, and spoke to his wife as he descended,[15] and these transmissions were received by anNSA listening station nearIstanbul.[16] Historians such asAsif Azam Siddiqi regard this to be untrue.[16][17] Komarov's final recorded words appear to have been a conversation with a tracking station located nearSimferopol on the topic of the separation of the Soyuz modules just before reentry,[18] with the final message received being "Спасибо, передайте всем Произошло" ("Thank you, tell everyone it happened") [Garbled].[18][19]
The Soyuz 1 tragedy delayed the launch ofSoyuz 2 andSoyuz 3 until 25 October 1968. This 18-month gap, with the addition of the explosion of an uncrewedN-1 rocket on 3 July 1969, scuttled Soviet plans of landing a cosmonaut on the Moon. The original mission of Soyuz 1 and Soyuz 2 was ultimately achieved bySoyuz 4 andSoyuz 5.
A much improved Soyuz programme emerged from this eighteen-month delay, mirroring the improvements made in theApollo program after theApollo 1 tragedy. Although it failed to reach theMoon, the Soyuz went on to be repurposed from the centrepiece of theZond lunar program to the people-carrier of theSalyut space station program, theMir space station, and theInternational Space Station. Although it suffered another tragedy with theSoyuz 11 accident in 1971, and went through several incidents with non-fatal launch aborts and landing mishaps, it has become one of the longest-lived and most dependable crewed spacecraft yet designed.
Komarov is commemorated in two memorials left on the lunar surface: one left atTranquility Base byApollo 11,[20] and theFallen Astronaut statue and plaque left byApollo 15.
Part 1 – Soyuz inMir Hardware Heritage by David S. F. Portree.| Main topics |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Past missions (by spacecraft type) |
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| Current missions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Future missions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Uncrewed missions are designated asKosmos instead ofSoyuz; exceptions are noted "(uncrewed)". The † sign designates failed missions.Italics designates cancelled missions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launch vehicles and ascent/upper stages |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Spacecraft | ||
| Other hardware | ||
| Soyuzdocking tests | ||
| Zond (7K-L1/L1S) lunar flyby missions | ||
| LOK (7K-LOK/L1E) test missions | ||
| LK Lander (T2K) test missions | ||
The † sign designates failed missions.Italics designates cancelled missions. | ||
