Soyuz 5

Launch, orbit & landing data: Designation  03656 / 69005A Launch date - time  15 Jan 1969 - 07:04:57 UT Launch site  Baikonur, LC1 Launch vehicle  Soyuz 11A511 OKB name - S/Nº  Soyuz 7K-OK s/n 13 (passive) Basic shape  Sphere-cylinder + 2 wings Dimension (m)  7.5 long, 2.2 dia Mass (kg)  6585 kg Launch Crew  Volynov, Boris V. (CDR) Yeliseyev, Aleksei S. (FE1) Khrunov, Yevgeni V. (FE2) Call Sign  Baikal (Baikal Lake) Backup crew  Shonin G., Gorbatko V., Kubasov V. Earth orbit on Jan 15.7:    - Perigee / Apogee  210 x 233 km    - Eccentricity  0.002    - Inclination  51.69°    - Period  88.87 min

Docking date - time  16 Jan 1969 - 08:20 UT Target spacecraft  Soyuz 4 Undocking date - time  16 Jan 1969 - 12:55 UT Recovered date - time  18 Jan 1969 - 07:59:12 UT Landing location  49°N, 71°E 200 km SW of Karaganda Flight Duration (d:u:min)  03:00:54:15 (3.04 days) Landing crew  Volynov  (crew S-5) Nbr orbits  49

Launch crew

Mission details:

• Launch from Baikonur; docking with Soyuz 4, which had the active part.
  Cosmonauts Yeliseyev and Khrunov transferred to Soyuz 4 on 16.01.1969 with a spacewalk (1h 00m), and landed at 17.01.1969 (6:51 UT) with Soyuz 4.
  Duration of the docking flight: 4hr 35min
  
  

  Yeliseyev conducts tasks on centrifuge. - Credit: RKK Energia.

  
  
  
• Two crew members from Soyuz 5 transferred to Soyuz 4 during docking from Jan 16.35 to Jan 16.54
• Khrunov and Yeliseyev transferred to and returned in Soyuz 4, the feat they had hoped to accomplish in the cancelled Soyuz 2 flight almost two years earlier. 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.
• Volynov remained behind to experience what was undoubtedly the most unbelievable reentry ever survived. The service module of the Soyuz failed to separate after retrofire. While this had occurred on various Vostok and Voskhod flights, and on one Mercury flight, it was a much more serious problem for Volynov, where the module was much larger than a small retropack. Furthermore, once it started reaching the tendrils of the atmosphere, the combined spacecraft sought the most aerodynamically stable position - nose forward, with the heavy descent module with its light metal entry hatch at the front, the less dense service module with its flared base to the back. Luckily the struts between the descent and service modules broke off or burned through at an early stage of the reentry and Volynov managed to right the descent module, with the heat shield to the rear, before being consumed. Due to a failure of the soft-landing rockets the landing was harder than usual and Volynov broke his teeth.
• It would be seven years until he flew again, on Soyuz 21.
• Maneuver Summary:
  • 189km X 222km orbit to 211km X 234km orbit. Delta V: 9 m/s
  • 211km X 234km orbit to 201km X 237km orbit. Delta V: 2 m/s
  • Total Delta V: 26 m/s.

Astrophilately covers:

Docking cancel Tarty.

Launch cancel Tarty. Note: wrong date cancel 17169 insteat of 15169.