Soyuz 18A

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  F00725 / 75F02 Launch date - time  05 Apr 1975 - 11:04:54 UT Launch site  Baikonur, LC1 Launch vehicle  Soyuz 11A511 OKB name - S/Nº  Soyuz 7K-T s/n 39 Basic shape  Sphere-cylinder + 2 wings Dimension (m)  7.5 long, 2.2 dia Mass (kg)  6,830 Call Sign  Ural (Urals) Backup crew  Klimuk, Sevastyanov Altitude  192 km Landing date - time  05 Apr 1975 - 11:26:21 UT Landing location  50° 50' N, 83° 25' E Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  21m 27s

Crew Soyuz-18A

Flight Crew

Backup Crew

Nr. Name Job 1  Klimuk, Pyotr Iliyich  Commander 2  Sevastiyanov, Vitali Ivanovich  Flight engineer

Backup Soyuz-18A

Mission details:

Carried Oleg Makarov, Vasili Lazarev for rendezvous with Salyut 4; but during second-third stage seperation third stage failed to separate from second stage but still ignited. The crew demanded that the abort procedures be implemented but ground control could not see the launch vehicle gyrations in their telemetry. Soyuz finally was separated from by ground control command at 192 km, and following a 20.6+ G reentry, the capsule landed in the Altai mountains, tumbled down a mountainside, and snagged in some bushes just short of a precipice. The crew was worried that they may have landed in China and would face internment, but after an hour sitting in the cold next to the capsule, they were discovered by locals speaking Russian. Total flight duration was 1574 km and flight time 21 minutes 27 seconds. Lazarev suffered internal injuries from the high-G reentry and tumble down the mountain side and never flew again. Both cosmonauts were denied their 3000 ruble spaceflight bonus pay and had to apeal all the way to Brezhnev before being paid.

External links:

• Drewexmachina: Mission Information

Astrophilately covers:

Launch cancel Moscou.