The Soviet/Russian manned
spacecraft Soyuz, in service since 1967, has been used in a wide variety of missions but primarily
as a ferry to and from the Salyut and Mir space stations that have been placed in orbit about the Earth. The Soyuz
spacecraft is the successor to a series of other Soviet manned craft named Sputnik, Vostok, and Voskhod. A lunar variant of Soyuz was tested in 1967Ð68 under the Zond program, but plans by the then-USSR to send humans to the Moon were canceled thereafter (see space exploration; space programs, national).The SpacecraftThe seven-ton Soyuz consists of three primary sections: a conical command module, in which the crew rides while being launched from and returning to Earth; a cylindrical
equipment module, which contains electrical power equipment and rocket engines and is attached aft of the command module; and a spherical so-called orbital module, which provides additional working space and is attached forward of the command module.Soyuz ships that are to link with the Salyut space stations have docking equipment on the front of the orbital module and are powered by batteries. Ships that are intended for independent flight are powered by solar panels. The Soyuz spacecraft was flown initially by as many as three cosmonauts, but the deaths of the crew of Soyuz 11 (1971) led to the introduction of new safety equipment that squeezed out room for a third crew member. An improved Soyuz known as the T model, however, was introduced in 1979 and heralded a return to a larger crew size. A further improved model known as the TM module, first flown on a mission in 1987, contains improved docking and navigation equipment.Launch SiteLaunches of Soyuz spacecraft occur from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The booster used is called the A-2, an improved version of a similarly designed vehicle that launched the Sputnik satellites and the earlier Vostok manned spacecraft. In the event of booster malfunctionÑas occurred with Soyuz T10-A (1983)Ña solid-fuel launch tower pulls the Soyuz away from the rocket. After reentry into the atmosphere and during descent, the command module is slowed by a large parachute and by a small soft-landing engine that fires just prior to touchdown in Central Asia.