Facts about Salyut 6

1. 08

   Approximately 1,500 kilograms of biological and materials science experiments were conducted aboard Salyut 6 during its operational tenure, advancing Soviet understanding of crystal growth and protein formation in microgravity.

   Salyut 6May 14sharesciencematerialsspace
2. 07

   Salyut 6 was equipped with an airlock module that allowed cosmonauts to conduct extravehicular activities without depressurizing the entire station.

   Salyut 6May 14sharespaceflightengineeringsoviet
3. 06

   Salyut 6 hosted 16 long-duration expedition crews between 1977 and 1986, with missions lasting 30 to 211 days to conduct Earth observation and materials science experiments.

   Salyut 6May 14sharespaceflightsciencesoviet
4. 05

   Salyut 6 incorporated a solar panel system generating approximately 4 kilowatts of power, a significant increase over earlier Soviet space station designs.

   Salyut 6May 14sharetechnologyengineeringpower
5. 04

   Cosmonaut Valentin Lebedev spent 211 days aboard Salyut 6 during 1982-1983, setting a spaceflight endurance record that stood for two years.

   Salyut 6May 14sharespaceflightrecordhuman
6. 03

   Salyut 6's orbit decayed after nine years of operation, with the station deliberately deorbited on July 29, 1986, burning up over the South Pacific Ocean.

   Salyut 6May 14sharespacesovietdeorbit
7. 02

   Two docking ports on Salyut 6 enabled simultaneous presence of two crewed spacecraft, a capability unprecedented for Soviet space stations before 1977.

   Salyut 6May 14sharespacecraftengineeringtechnology
8. 01

   During its nine-year operational lifespan from 1977 to 1986, Salyut 6 received 65 visiting spacecraft including 10 Progress cargo missions and multiple crewed Soyuz vehicles.

   Salyut 6May 14sharespacehistorymeasurement