Facts about Soviet Orbital Station
- 08
Salyut 1 transmitted telemetry data to ground control through a unified command system that allowed Soviet engineers to monitor all 23 major subsystems remotely from mission control in Baikonur.
- 07
Salyut 1 conducted over 1,000 Earth observation photographs and spectroscopic measurements of the Sun's ultraviolet radiation during its operational period in 1971.
- 06
Salyut 1's solar panels generated approximately 3 kilowatts of electrical power, enabling the station's life support systems and scientific instruments to operate continuously during its five-month orbital mission.
- 05
Salyut 1 featured seven experimental airlocks and docking ports designed to enable future modular expansion and resupply missions from multiple Soyuz spacecraft.
- 04
Salyut 1 weighed approximately 18,500 kilograms and orbited Earth at an altitude of 200 kilometers during its 175 days in space before its destructive reentry.
- 03
Three cosmonauts died during Soyuz 11's reentry on June 30, 1971, after undocking from Salyut 1, making it the only crewed spaceflight with fatal casualties.
- 02
Salyut 1's atmospheric density monitoring system recorded decreasing pressure readings that ultimately led to the station's uncontrolled reentry and destruction over the Pacific Ocean on October 11, 1971.
- 01
In 1971, the Soviet Orbital Station Salyut 1 became the first crewed space station, hosting cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov for 24 days.