Facts about Salyut 4

1. 07

   Cosmonauts aboard Salyut 4 conducted 16 scientific experiments studying plant growth in microgravity, producing seeds that were later returned to Earth for agricultural research.

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2. 06

   Salyut 4 carried a Spektr X-ray telescope that detected over 140 X-ray sources in the cosmos during its operational years, significantly advancing Soviet astrophysics.

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3. 05

   In 1975, cosmonauts Pyotr Klimuk and Valentín Lebedev conducted the first-ever repair of a malfunctioning solar panel on Salyut 4 during an extravehicular activity.

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4. 04

   The 1975 Soyuz 7K-TM mission to Salyut 4 achieved the first crewed docking with a space station using an automated rendezvous system without ground control intervention.

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5. 03

   Salyut 4's Orion-7 ultraviolet telescope conducted astronomical observations impossible from Earth's surface due to atmospheric interference during its three-year mission.

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6. 02

   Salyut 4 remained in orbit for nearly 1,770 days before its controlled deorbit on February 3, 1977, making it one of the longest-operating Soviet space stations.

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7. 01

   During its 1974-1977 operational period, Salyut 4 hosted three crewed missions totaling eleven cosmonauts aboard the Soviet space station.

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