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Soyuz 23
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Soyuz 23

Soyuz 23
Credit: © Mark Wade

Docking with Salyut 5 military station aborted due to electronics failure. Crew nearly froze to death after an emergency landing in a lake in a blizzard at -20 deg C. It took hours before the capsule could be dragged to shore.

AKA: Radon (Radon). Launched: 1976-10-14. Returned: 1976-10-16. Number crew: 2 . Duration: 2.00 days.

The Soyuz 23 ferry spacecraft suffered a docking system failure. Sensors indicated an incorrect lateral velocity, causing unnecessary firing of the thrusters during rendezvous. The automatic system was turned off, but no fuel remained for a manual docking with the Salyut 5 space station. The capsule landed in Lake Tengiz in -20 deg C conditions in a snowstorm. The wet parachute filled and dragged the capsule below the surface, cooling the capsule. Heating systems had to be turned in the capsule to conserve battery power. Amphibious vehicles attempted to recover the spacecraft but could not reach it. Finally swimmers managed to attach a cable to a helicopter. The capsule was dragged for kilometers across the icy sea. Only in the morning was the crew able to emerge from the capsule. The recovery crews were surprised they were still alive.


More at: Soyuz 23.

Family: Manned spaceflight. People: Rozhdestvensky, Zudov. Country: Russia. Spacecraft: Soyuz 7K-T/A9. Launch Sites: Baikonur. Agency: MOM.

1976 October 14 - . 17:39 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC1. LV Family: R-7. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511.
1976 October 16 - .

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