Soyuz 11 facts for kids
Soyuz 11 was a space mission that carried people into space. It was the only mission to successfully live on Salyut 1. Salyut 1 was the very first space station ever built. Soyuz 11 was sent as a backup mission after Soyuz 10 could not connect to the space station. Sadly, this mission ended tragically. Three brave space travelers, called cosmonauts, died during their return to Earth. Their names were Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov, and Viktor Patsayev.
Contents
The Crew of Soyuz 11
The Soyuz 11 mission had a main crew who flew the spacecraft. There were also backup crews ready to take their place if needed.
Main Crew Members
The three cosmonauts who flew on Soyuz 11 were:
| Position | Crew | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Georgy Dobrovolsky Only spaceflight |
|
| Flight Engineer | Vladislav Volkov Second and last spaceflight |
|
| Test Engineer | Viktor Patsayev Only spaceflight |
|
- The Commander was in charge of the mission.
- The Flight Engineer helped fly the spacecraft and manage its systems.
- The Test Engineer performed experiments and checked equipment.
Backup Crew
If the main crew could not fly, this team was ready:
| Position | Cosmonaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Alexey Gubarev | |
| Flight Engineer | Vitaliy Sevastyanov | |
| Test Engineer | Anatoli Voronov | |
Original Crew Plans
Before the mission, a different crew was planned to fly Soyuz 11. They were changed due to health reasons.
| Position | Cosmonaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Alexey Leonov | |
| Flight Engineer | Valeri Kubasov | |
| Test Engineer | Pyotr Kolodin | |
The Tragic End of Soyuz 11
On June 30, 1971, the Soyuz 11 capsule returned to Earth. When the recovery team reached the capsule, they tried to get a response from inside. There was no sound. When they opened the hatch, they found all three cosmonauts still in their seats. They were not moving. Reports later said the cosmonauts died because they could not breathe. This is called suffocation.
.jpg)
Remembering the Cosmonauts
The three cosmonauts were buried in a special place in Moscow, Russia. This place is called the Kremlin Wall Necropolis at Red Square. It is near where another famous cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, is buried. An American astronaut named Tom Stafford helped carry their coffins. Each of the cosmonauts was also given the Hero of the Soviet Union medal. This is a very high honor.
See also
In Spanish: Soyuz 11 para niños
