The flight mission was to dock with the orbiting Salyut-5 space station to carry out scientific and technical research. Commander of the Soyuz-23 spacecraft Vyacheslav Zudov during training in the simulator ship. On October 14, 1976, the Soyuz-23 manned spacecraft was launched from the Soviet Baikonur Cosmodrome (now situated in Kazakhstan and leased out to Russia). The capsule’s reserve parachute automatically deployed and, as a result, the capsule overturned and the hatch that was to be used for the cosmonauts’ exit ended up submerged. Neither Zudov nor Rozhdestvensky went up into space again. Owing to a blizzard, instead of the designated landing area, Soyuz-23 ended up landing in Lake Tengiz in Kazakhstan in temperatures of −20 °C two kilometers from the shore.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian space program continued to operate from Baikonur under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Independent States.Russia wanted to sign a 99-year lease for Baikonur, but agreed to a US$115 million annual lease of the site for 20 years with an option for a 10-year extension. Russian - three person Earth orbital spacecraft; Early versions were operated by the Soviet Union and later versions by Russia after 1991. “Then, through the hatch, the pale exhausted face of Vyacheslav Zudov appeared.

Until then, the last crew to carry out such a manoeuvre was the crew of the Soviet Soyuz-23 spacecraft - although, in their case, a water landing had not actually been planned. Crew members of "Soyuz-23" spaceship. Additionally, one of the helicopters didn’t have its inflatable dinghies and wetsuits on board - they were simply forgotten during the hasty departure. The crew consisted of two members - commander Vyacheslav Zudov and flight engineer Valery Rozhdestvensky. During a nominal landing, the separation of three modules takes place at an altitude of 140 kilometers over the Arabian Peninsula. When the spacecraft is in the correct attitude, the Habitation Module, BO, and Instrument Module, PAO, separate from the Descent Module. If using any of Russia Beyond's content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material. CEO of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin has congratulated the crew of the Soyuz MS-16 spaceship on safe return to Earth. Never known for having much colour in his cheeks, Valery Rozhdestvensky was now white as a sheet, with black rings around his eyes. TASS news photographer Albert Pushkarev was also on board. Pages from a Secret Dossier’, Russian journalist cosmonaut Mikhail Rebrov points out that an unpleasant smell and malfunctions had been reported aboard the Salyut-5 and the new crew was expected to carry out a full inspection of the station and fix these problems. It was this helicopter, under the command of instructor Davydov, that managed to attach a cable to the craft and drag it to shore. When, on August 2, 2020, the Crew Dragon manned spacecraft landed in the Atlantic Ocean, it was the first such landing in 44 years. Russians react to SpaceX’s Crew Dragon launch (PICS + VIDEO). He was helped to the ground, and then Rozhdestvensky was dragged out after him. The snow that was falling soon stopped and the temperature dropped to -22 C. The rescuers and helicopter crews lit fires in order to keep warm. The flight to the station took two days and there was only enough fuel for three days at the most. When the spacecraft started descending over southern Africa, Flight Control Center dispatched helicopters with rescue teams to the intended touchdown area. Valery Rozhdestvensky served at the Cosmonaut Training Center until 1992, was a keen rower, retired with the rank of colonel and died in 2011. Because of the bad weather, the helicopters failed to spot the spacecraft straightaway. Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox. When, on August 2, 2020, the Crew Dragon manned spacecraft landed in the Atlantic Ocean, it was the first such landing in 44 years. This website uses cookies. Since then, Russian spacecraft have been making significant contributions in the mankind's understanding of the Solar System and the broader Universe. It had flown out of Karaganda, and was commanded by rescue helicopterman Lt.-Col. Nikolai Kondratyev. “Two hours after the reserve parachute deployed, the crew experienced the first symptoms of oxygen starvation, which was gradually leading to asphyxiation, because of the accumulation of carbon dioxide.

Click here to find out more.

The rescue operation had lasted 12 hours. /TASS/.

He smiled. Landing had to be done quickly while there was still enough fuel. Zudov and Rozhdestvensky, who were periodically contacting the rescuers, were breathing heavily, wheezing could be heard through the microphones and their voices were becoming unrecognizable,” according to the Aerospace Equipment Testers internet encyclopaedia website, which cites one of the members of the rescue operation, instructor Iosif Davydov. Crew members of the spaceship "Soyuz-23" Soviet cosmonauts Vyacheslav Zudov (R) and Valery Rozhdestvensky. Meanwhile, two boats failed to reach the spacecraft, as they got stuck in the ice of the frozen lake. We've got more than 1,8 million followers on Facebook. Working there, people do not feel the negative things happening on earth,” Zudov said. October 14, 1976. Nikolai Chernavsky. The crew members of the Soyuz-23 spacecraft, commander Vyacheslav Zudov and flight engineer Valery Rozhdestvensky pose for a photo after the landing on the surface of the Tengiz Lake. On October 16, problems emerged during a docking attempt - the Igla automatic docking system malfunctioned, because the programmed data about the movement parameters of the craft and station did not correspond with the real values. The Earth-orbiting satellites studied cosmic radiation, distant objects and physical phenomena in deep space.