Soyuz - A Veteran Spacecraft

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  

1. The new Soviet manned spacecraft which succeeded Vostok and Voskhod was dubbed ‘Soyuz’ which means ___________ . east union sunrise salute

2. All Soyuz launches have taken place from the central Asian launch complex located at ________ . Kaputsin Yar Baikonur Plesetsk Star City

3. What is the official designation of the launch vehicle for Soyuz? R-7 RD-107 R-8 RD-108

4. After a series of precursor missions conducted under the Cosmos label, when was the first manned Soyuz mission launched? 1968 1967 1966 1965

5. The Soyuz consists of three main modules. In which of these does the crew return? Descent Module DM Propulsion Module PM Orbital Module OM None of these, the crew ejects and returns by parachute

6. What is the approximate weight of a Soyuz spacecraft at launch? 5000 Kg 7000 Kg 10,000 Kg 15,000 Kg

7. A modified Soyuz was to be the basis for planned Soviet moon expeditions in the 1960s. The unmanned precursor missions flew under the __________ designation. Progress Zvezdaya Salyut Zond

8. Power for the original Soyuz was provided by solar panels. True False

9. Following the tragic end of the Soyuz 11 mission in June 1971 all subsequent crews were required to wear spacesuits for launch and recovery during a mission. True False

10. During its operational life there have been many narrow escapes for Soyuz crews. In October 1976 Soyuz 23 was involved in one of these. What happened? The launch escape system was activated on the launch pad There was an onboard explosion It was forced to splashdown in a frozen lake The crew was incapacitated by noxious fumes

11. On 5th April 1975 cosmonauts Vasili Lazarev and Oleg Makarov on Soyuz 18-1 were involved in an incident which could have had international repercussions. What happened? A failure to launch caused the postponement of the ASTP mission with the Americans A heated verbal exchange with an international ‘Guest Cosmonaut’ A launch abort narrowly avoided an emergency landing in Chinese territory They forgot their passports

12. In September 1983 cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Gennedi Strekalov in Soyuz T-10-1 became the first crew ever to experience what? Being incapacitated by noxious fumes Being forced to splashdown in a frozen lake The launch escape system was activated on the launch pad Experiencing an onboard explosion

13. An unmanned cargo version called ______ has been developed to service a series of space stations. Answer: ( One Word ... improvement)

14. During the period of detente in the 1970s the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) was staged to symbolise Soviet American co-operation in space. What year did this take place? 1977 1976 1975 1974

15. The Soyuz spacecraft has soldiered on into the 21st century when it was used to ferry crews to the International Space Station (ISS) and acts as an emergency escape vehicle for resident station crews. For this mission it flies under the guise of _________ . Soyuz TMA Soyuz T Soyuz TM Soyuz ISS