Soyuz 4

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  03654 / 69004A Launch date - time  14 Jan 1969 - 07:30 UT Launch site  Baikonur, LC31 Launch vehicle  Soyuz 11A511 OKB name - S/N°  Soyuz 7K-OK s/n 12 (active) Basic shape  Sphere-cylinder + 2 wings Dimension (m)  7.5 long, 2.2 dia Mass (kg)  6625 Launch Crew  Shatalov, Vladimir A. (CDR) Call Sign  Amur (Amour River) Backup crew  Filipchenko Earth orbit on Jan 14.5:    - Perigee / Apogee  161 x 215 km    - Eccentricity  0.004    - Inclination  51.73°    - Period  88.20 min

Docking date - time  16 Jan 1969 - 08:20 UT Target spacecraft  Soyuz 5 Undocking date - time  16 Jan 1969 - 12:55 UT Landing date - time  17 Jan 1969 - 06:50:47 UT Landing location  50°N, 72°E Flight Duration (d:hr:min)  02d 23h 20min 47'' (2.98 days) Landing crew  Shatalov, Yeliseyev, Khrunov  (crew S-4 and S-5) Nbr orbits  48

Launch crew

Flight

• 1e manned docking with Soyuz 5 (Soyuz 4 had the active part); the last 100m was under manual control. Soyuz 5-cosmonauts Khrunov and Yeliseyev transferred with a spacewalk to Soyuz 4 and landed with this spacecraft.
• Two crew members from Soyuz 5 transferred to Soyuz 4 during docking from Jan 16.35 to Jan 16.54
• Carried Vladimir Shatalov; docked with Soyuz 5; returned with Yevgeni Khrunov, Alexsei Yeliseyev from Soyuz 5. Scientific, technical and medico-biological research, checking and testing of onboard systems and design elements of space craft, docking of piloted space craft and construction of an experimental space station, transfer of cosmonauts from one craft to another in orbit.
  This mission finally successfully completed the simulated lunar orbit docking and crew transfer mission attempted by Soyuz 1 in April 1967. In making the transfer Khrunov and Yeliseyev avoided the most spectacular survivable incident of the space age - the nose-first reentry of Soyuz 5, still attached to its service module. Maneuver Summary:
  161km X 215km orbit to 206km X 222km orbit. Delta V: 15 m/s.

Soyuz 7K-OK docking simulators - Credit: RKK Energia.

Soyuz module after landing - Credit: RKK Energia.

Astrophilately covers:

Cover with first „Cosmic Mail„ cancel: Earth-Cosmos-Earth-Cosmos, with original in the Space Museum in Moscou. Signed by Soyuz 4 & 5 cew.

Landing cancel Tartu.