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Strekalov Titov Vladimir

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Soyuz escape rocket Credit - © Mark Wade Media Gallery

26 September 1983 19:38 GMT. Landing Date: 1983-09-26 19:38:09. Flight Time: 0.0001 days. Alternate Name: Soyuz T-10-1. Flight Up: Soyuz T-10-1. Flight Back: Soyuz T-10-1. Call Sign: Okean (Ocean). Crew: Strekalov, Titov Vladimir. Backup Crew: Kizim, Solovyov Vladimir. Program: Salyut 7.

Of note: First manned pad abort.

What went wrong: Launch vehicle blew up on pad, crew rescued by launch escape tower, which pulled their capsule away at 20 G's. Launch vehicle blew up on pad at Tyuratam; crew saved by abort system.

About a minute before launch, a fire broke out at the base of the Soyuz booster. Since Strekalov had flown before, he could tell something was wrong by the sounds coming from the booster before it blew. He tightened his harness and told Titov to do the same in anticipation of the launch escape system going off. Seconds later the Soyuz escape tower accelerated at 20 G's, taking the capsule to a safe distance from the pad.

This was the second attempt to launch the crew of Strekalov and Titov to accomplish their mission of augmenting the Salyut 7 solar arrays. They had failed to dock aboard Soyuz T-8 in April and now were grounded for physical evaluation after the high-G escape from the booster. Their mission would have to be accomplished by the crew of Aleksandro and Lyakhov already aboard the station, although they had not been trained specifically for it.

• 1983 Sep 26 - Soyuz T-10-1  Crew: Strekalov, Titov Vladimir. Spacecraft: Soyuz T. Payload: Soyuz 7K-ST s/n 16L. Mass: 6,850 kg (15,100 lb). Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U. Duration: 0.0001 days. Apogee: 2.00 km (1.20 mi).

  Aborted September 27, 1983 19:38 GMT. Unsuccessful mission. Launch vehicle blew up on pad at Tyuratam; crew saved by abort system.

• Clark, Philip, The Soviet Manned Space Program, Salamander Books, London, 1988. ISBN: 051756954X. By far the best account of the Soviet manned program, though now out of date due to the flood of revelations since Glasnost and the end of the cold war. More at amazon.com...

• Isakowitz, Steven J,, International Reference to Space Launch Systems Second Edition, AIAA, Washington DC, 1991 (succeeded by 2000 edition). ISBN: 1563473534. Superseded by the later editions. More at amazon.com...

• Oberg, James, Red Star in Orbit, Random House, New York, 1981. ISBN: 0394514297. Oberg's book was, at its time, the most accurate, and still the most lively account of the Soviet manned program. More at amazon.com...

• Furniss, Tim, Manned Spaceflight Log, Jane's, London, 1986. ISBN: 0710604025. Summary of all manned spaceflights up to 1986. Pre-Glasnost, so many 'war stories' of Soviet manned spaceflight are not included. More at amazon.com...