Salyut - The First Space Station: Triumph and Tragedy

by Grujica S. Ivanovich

This remarkable book gives a comprehensive account of the longest manned space mission of the time. It details for the first time the people involved and the crews assigned to operate the first space station Salyut. The book portrays the selection of the crews, dramatic flights and tragedy of Soyuz 11. Biographies of the Soyuz 11 cosmonauts are published for the first time in English. The book relates discussions between the key personnel, and investigates the causes of the tragedy. The book ends with memories of all those affected by the DOS program and the tragedy of Soyuz 11 and looks forward to a continuation of the historic mission of Salyut.

Genres: Nonfiction

454 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 2008

Reviews

[Hank · Rating 4 out of 5]

To say that this is an in-depth book would be an understatement. It is certainly more focused on the people involved than the technology itself. There are no schematics, detailed design information, etc. However the depth that is gone into with respect to the various engineers, cosmonauts, administrators, etc. is profound. In the case of the Soyuz 11 mission to Salyut, the first real mission to the first Salyut, there is even a day by day breakdown complete with personal diary entries from the three cosmonauts. I found the flow to be a bit difficult to get into until hitting the missions but by the time we get to the Soyuz 10/11 part and beyond there is plenty of drama to carry the story through under its own momentum. This is not a book for someone with a passing interest in the topic though. It is dense, dry, and thorough. It is more than just a look at the program itself. For major people you get their entire history through childhood, personal, life, and even a "where are they now" at the end of the book (or at least what their personal lives looked like after they left the space program).

[Prateek · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book describes every aspect (not just technology) about the very first space station and other missions. A very refreshing read to know about the Russian side of space exploration and development.