Soyuz 4 and 5: Pioneering Spacewalks, Missed Footage, and Political Intrigue
In the annals of space history, certain missions stand out as milestones that pushed the boundaries of human exploration. One such mission is the rendezvous of Soyuz 4 and 5 on January 16, 1969. This historic event marked the first time two crewed spacecraft docked in space, a remarkable achievement that foreshadowed future space endeavors, including lunar missions. Yet, the Soyuz 4 and 5 mission was not without its share of challenges and unexpected turns.
The Soyuz 4 and 5 spacecraft, both equipped with primitive docking systems—a probe on Soyuz 4 and a drogue on Soyuz 5—were not designed for a simple internal transfer between them. This meant that the cosmonauts onboard faced a daunting task: they had to spacewalk from one spacecraft to the other.
Aboard Soyuz 5, cosmonauts Yevgeny Khrunov and Aleksei Yeliseyev had to prepare for an extravehicular activity (EVA). Boris Volynov, the third crew member who would remain aboard Soyuz 5, documented their activities, filming as they donned their Yastreb space suits. These suits were crucial for their safety in the harsh environment of space.
On the 35th revolution around Earth, Khrunov and Yeliseyev embarked on their second Soviet spacewalk. However, it wasn’t without its challenges. During the EVA, Khrunov encountered a problem when one of his lines became tangled, and he accidentally closed the tumbler of his suit ventilator. This unfortunate distraction affected Yeliseyev’s ability to set up the movie camera on the orbital module before leaving the spacecraft. As a result, there is no film footage of this historic EVA, only a subpar video transmission that captured the moment.
Despite these difficulties, Khrunov and Yeliseyev successfully conducted their spacewalk and returned to Soyuz 5. They were greeted by the third crew member, Volynov, after the repressurization of the Soyuz 4 orbital module, which also acted as an airlock. The Soyuz 4 and 5 spacecraft separated after spending 4 hours and 35 minutes docked together.
Soyuz 4 re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and safely landed in Kazakhstan on January 17, 1969. The mission had proven that it was possible to perform the activities necessary for a Soviet lunar landing, even though their plan was notably different from the American Apollo missions. In the Soviet lunar program, a lone cosmonaut would land on the Moon, return to lunar orbit, and then make a spacewalk back to the orbiting spacecraft after docking. This approach was necessitated by the absence of an internal tunnel between the two spacecraft, as seen in the American Apollo Command and Lunar Modules.
The conclusion of the mission was intended to be a grand ceremony at the Kremlin, where the crew would meet with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev. However, this plan was disrupted by a shocking event—an attempted assassination of Brezhnev. As his motorcade passed by the waiting Soyuz 4/5 crews on the podium, a man fired eight shots at the vehicles. While the cosmonauts, including Georgy Beregovoy, Alexei Leonov, Andriyan Nikolayev, and Valentina Tereshkova, were unharmed, Brezhnev’s car had to speed away to safety, leaving the ceremony incomplete and marred by political intrigue.
The Soyuz 4 and 5 mission was not only a significant step forward in space exploration but also a reflection of the complex political climate of the time. Despite the challenges and unexpected turns, the cosmonauts’ accomplishments on that day continue to inspire generations of space enthusiasts and serve as a testament to human ingenuity and determination in the face of adversity.
Alexander Makarov / Sputnik, avito.ru