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Soyuz 12

Crewed flight of the Soyuz programme

Field	Value
name	Soyuz 12
image_size	290px
mission_type	Test flight
operator	Soviet space program
COSPAR_ID	1973-067A
SATCAT	06836
mission_duration	1 day 23 hours 15 minutes 32 seconds
orbits_completed	31
spacecraft	Soyuz 7K-T No.1
spacecraft_type	Soyuz 7K-T
manufacturer	Experimental Design Bureau (OKB-1)
launch_mass	6570 kg
landing_mass	1200 kg
launch_date	27 September 1973,
12:18:16 UTC
launch_rocket	Soyuz
launch_site	Baikonur, Site 1/5
landing_date	29 September 1973, 11:33:48 UTC
landing_site	400 km at the southwest of Karaganda, Kazakhstan
crew_size	2
crew_members	Vasily Lazarev
Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov
crew_callsign	Урал (Ural - "Ural")
crew_photo_size	290px
orbit_reference	Geocentric orbit
orbit_regime	Low Earth orbit
orbit_periapsis	194.0 km
orbit_apoapsis	249.0 km
orbit_inclination	51.6°
orbit_period	88.6 minutes
apsis	gee
insignia	Salyut program insignia.svg
insignia_caption	Salyut program insignia
insignia_size	175px
programme	Soyuz programme
previous_mission	Soyuz 11
next_mission	Soyuz 13

12:18:16 UTC

Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov

Soyuz 12 (, Union 12) was a September, 1973, crewed test flight by the Soviet Union of the newly redesigned Soyuz 7K-T spacecraft that was intended to provide greater crew safety in the wake of the Soyuz 11 tragedy. The flight marked the return of the Soviets to crewed space operations after the 1971 accident. The crew capacity of the capsule had been decreased from three to two cosmonauts to allow for pressure suits to be worn during launch, re-entry and docking. It was the first time pressure suits were used for reentry since the Voskhod 2 flight.

Cosmonauts Vasily Lazarev and Oleg Grigoryevich Makarov spent two days in space testing the new craft.

Crew

Backup crew

Reserve crew

Mission parameters

Mass: 6570 kg
Perigee: 194.0 km
Apogee: 249.0 km
Inclination: 51.6°
Period: 88.6 minutes

Mission highlights

As the first crewed test of the new version of the Soyuz ferry craft, Soyuz 12 was to have flown to a Salyut station. But the failures of Salyut 2 (4 April 1973) and Cosmos 557 (11 May 1973) in the months previous meant there was no station for the craft to dock to. The service module had no solar panels, carrying batteries for power instead, which limited the flight to about two days, enough time for a journey to and from a space station.

Cosmonauts Lazarev and Makarov wore pressure suits for launch and landing, and would have worn them for a station docking, all changes brought about by the Soyuz 11 tragedy. The bulk of the suits and their environmental control systems limited the crew size to two.

After the successful 27 September 1973 launch, the craft was maneuvered to a 326 x 344 km orbit on the second day in space, which later proved to be the standard orbit for the Salyut 4 space station. A multispectral camera in the orbital module was used in coordination with aircraft to photograph the Earth. It was reported that the intention of the camera was to survey crop and forest conditions The cosmonauts also utilised the Molniya 1 satellite to communicate with ground stations when out of range. The crew landed safely on 29 September 1973 and the mission was called "flawless". A large object was jettisoned when the craft was preparing for retrofire. The object remained in orbit for 116 days.

References

"Baikonur LC1". Encyclopedia Astronautica.
Newkirk, Dennis. (1990). "Almanac of Soviet Manned Space Flight". Gulf Publishing Company.
(14 May 2020). "Display: Soyuz 12 1973-067A". NASA.
(14 May 2020). "Trajectory: Soyuz 12 1973-067A". NASA.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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