Description : Soyuz 11 required 3 h 19 min on June 7 to complete docking. The crew transferred to Salyut and their mission was announced as:

Checking the design, units, onboard systems, and equipment of the orbital piloted station
Testing the station’s manual and autonomous procedures for orientation and navigation, as well as the control systems for maneuvering the space complex in orbit
Studying Earth’s surface geology, geography, meteorology, and snow and ice cover
Studying physical characteristics, processes, and phenomena in the atmosphere and outer space in various regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and
Conducting medico-biological studies to determine the feasibility of having cosmonauts in the station perform various tasks, and studying the influence of space flight on the human organism.

On June 29, after 23 days and flying 362 orbits, the mission was cut short due to problems aboard the station, including an electrical fire. The crew transferred back to Soyuz 11 and reentered the Earth’s atmosphere. The capsule parachuted to a soft landing in Kazakhstan, but the recovery team opened the hatch to find all three crew members dead in their couches. An inquest found that a pressure relief valve had malfunctioned during re-entry leading to a loss of cabin atmosphere.

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Space Event :

SOYUZ 11 · DOBROVOLSKI, VOLKOV, PATSAYEV · SOYUZ · FAILURE AT LANDING