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The Salyut 4 space station, designated DOS-4, marked the second phase of the Soviet Union’s civilian space station program. It was an improved version of the failed Salyut 2 station, with several notable enhancements.
Salyut Stations
Salyut 4
Salyut 4
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Initially, the rendezvous with Salyut 3 proceeded smoothly. However, as the Soyuz spacecraft approached the station, a critical problem arose. The Igla rendezvous system, designed to guide the spacecraft to the station, malfunctioned.
Salyut 3 cutaway
Gennady Sarafanov
Lev Dyomin
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Salyut 3 featured a “self-defense” gun purportedly designed by Alexander Nudelman for station use. Some reports suggest it was outfitted with a Nudelman-Rikhter “Vulkan” gun, a modified version of the 23mm Nudelman aircraft cannon, or conceivably a Nudelman NR-30 30mm gun. Subsequent Russian accounts propose the gun was the relatively obscure Rikhter R-23, not widely recognized in Western sources. Allegedly, Pavel Popovich has corroborated these assertions.
Almaz Military Salyut Station Configuration
Pavel Popovich
Yuri Artyukhin
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This second generation of the Soyuz spacecraft, the Soyuz 7k-T was flown on Soyuz 12 through Soyuz 40 missions from 1973–1981. The new 7K-T spacecraft was designed to accommodate only two cosmonauts who would wear pressure suits at all times during launch, docking, undocking, and reentry.
Soyuz 12 Crew with Pressure Suits
Soyuz 13 Crew with Pressure Suits
Orion-2 Observatory
