Ship: "Soyuz-1"
Purpose and objectives of the mission: Orbital rendezvous and docking with "Soyuz-2"
Date: April 24, 1967
Crew: Vladimir Mikhailovich Komarov (2nd flight)
Call sign: Diamond
Cause of Disaster: Malfunction of the parachute system
Cause of death: Overload incompatible with life when hitting the ground.
The Vostok spacecraft, which ensured the Soviet Union the primacy in spacewalk, and its Voskhod-1 and Voskhod-2 modifications could not solve the ever-increasing tasks of the space industry. The maximum that was available to these ships was to enter low orbit and stay in it for several days. For active work in space (changing the altitude and inclination of the orbit, performing rendezvous and docking), these ships were unsuitable, and without these qualities, it was impossible to fly to the Moon and create space stations. A complete rejection of the Voskhod program in order to concentrate resources on the USSR's Lunar program left the country without any manned spacecraft suitable for flight. A new ship was required.
The design began during the lifetime of the general designer, Sergei Korolev, and was continued after his death by Valentin Mishin. Initially, the Soyuz was developed in two directions: under the Zond 7K-L1 (Lunar Ship) and 7K-OK (Orbital Ship) programs, a multipurpose manned spacecraft that later became Soyuz.
"7K-OK" (Orbital ship). The Needle docking station is visible on the service module ahead.
"Probe 7K-L1" (Lunar ship) pay attention to the absence of a service living compartment, it was supposed to be occupied by the LK-1 Lunar landing module. The cosmonauts were supposed to be in the seats of the descent vehicle for the entire flight to reduce the mass of the spacecraft. A narrow-beam antenna for long-distance space communications has also been added.
Flight tests of "7K-OK" began in 1966 and did not go well, "7K-OK No. 2", aka "Cosmos-133", was launched on November 28, 1966 and entered the calculated orbit successfully, but the orientation system was installed incorrectly with reversed polarity. As a result, commands from the ground were also executed inverted, combined with the increased fuel consumption of the attitude control system, by the 20th orbit the ship became practically uncontrollable. It was originally planned to conduct an unmanned docking with 7K-OK No. 1, but the launch had to be canceled. "7K-OK No. 2" was sent for landing, but the descent vehicle entered the off-design landing area in China. The command of the USSR could not allow the leakage of materials on the space program abroad, and the ship was blown up. The next test launch of 7K-OK No. 1 turned into a disaster: just before the launch, the spacecraft's emergency rescue system suddenly worked, the spacecraft was not damaged, but the resulting fire completely destroyed the rocket and the launch pad. The third test "7K-OK No. 3" "Cosmos-140" flew on February 7, 1967, the flight was partially successful, but upon entering the atmosphere due to an incorrectly installed technological plug in the heat shield, a hole 30 centimeters in size burnt out. The ship landed on the surface of the frozen Aral Sea, melted the ice and sank. NASA by that time from March 1965 to November 1966 conducted ten manned flights under the Gemini program, for the first time in the world carrying out orbital maneuvers, rendezvous of ships and orbital docking. Therefore, despite a number of failures with unmanned spacecraft, and under great pressure from the leadership, it was decided to make the next two launches "Soyuz-1" and "Soyuz-2" manned. At the same time Komarov was appointed commander of the Soyuz-1 spacecraft.
Vladimir Mikhailovich Komarov (March 16, 1927 - April 24, 1967)
Before joining the cosmonaut corps, Komarov made a career as a military pilot in the 382nd Fighter Aviation Regiment (IAP) of the 42nd Fighter Aviation Division of the Air Force of the North Caucasian Military District in the city of Grozny. From October 27, 1952 to August 1954, Vladimir served as a senior pilot of the 486th IAP of the 279th IAD of the 57th Air Army (VA). Despite the heavy workload of pilot work, he managed to get a higher education. In 1959, he successfully graduated from the 1st faculty of the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy and was assigned to the State Red Banner Research Institute of the Air Force, where he began his work as a test pilot.
Komarov and Gagarin at the airport.
It was here that the commission for the selection of the first cosmonaut corps proposed to Vladimir Komarov a new secret test work, and in 1960 he was enrolled in the cosmonaut corps (Air Force group No. 1). Here Komarov meets Yuri Gagarin, they quickly become close friends.
Mosquitoes during vestibular training.
However, Komarov's career in the cosmonaut corps did not work out at first, he was twice removed from training for flights for health reasons: first after an operation for an inguinal hernia, then - due to the appearance of a single extrasystole on an electrocardiogram during training in a centrifuge. Komarov was a resolute and strong-willed man, a real communist, he always put the interests of society above his own and did not give in to difficulties. This is what will allow him to eventually return to the acting group of cosmonauts, after six months of training according to his own program in mid-1963. In part, the restoration of Komarov to the active cosmonauts was facilitated by the recent expulsion for disciplinary reasons of Grigory Nelyubov, the most experienced in the detachment of those who have not flown into space. Grigory Nelyubov is another sad page of the Soviet cosmonautics, the collapse of his career after a ridiculous incident will lead him to deep depression, alcohol problems and, ultimately, suicide, but this is a completely different story.
On September 17, Komarov was included in the formed group for a long solo flight on the Vostok spacecraft. However, the low flight characteristics of the Vostok ships led to the closure of the program. Komarov becomes a candidate for a long space flight on the new spacecraft Voskhod-1, which he completed on October 12-13, 1964, together with Konstantin Feoktistov and Boris Egorov. It was the world's first multi-seat spacecraft. For the first time, the crew includes not only a pilot, but also a ship design engineer and a doctor. The crew made the flight without spacesuits, a few years later this would also play a role in another tragedy of Soviet cosmonautics.
The orbit is significantly lower than the calculated one and the deceleration on the upper layers of the exosphere did not allow the crew to perform the planned long-term flight. The duration of their stay in space was just over a day. And yet it was a success, a flight into space, a hero's star, a personal car, national recognition. Subsequently, the appointment of Komarov as commander of Soyuz-1 was largely due to the fact that he was one of the few cosmonauts with a higher engineering education and had already been in space.
Vladimir Komarov and Yuri Gagarin during training on the Soyuz spacecraft mockup.
“From my point of view, it is very good that Komarov was entrusted with such a difficult task. The choice is very good. He is a highly educated, highly trained astronaut. It should be emphasized that he will carry out the program not just as a pilot-cosmonaut, but as a person who, after several years of space training, has become a specialist in his field. An engineering space profile has become a profession for him. This detail is very important given the nature of the current assignment."
Yuri Gagarin.
