Soyuz 24

Soyuz 24
Commemorative stamp of 1977 of
Viktor Gorbatko and Yuri Glazkov
OperatorSoviet space program
COSPAR ID1977-008A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.09804
Mission duration17 days 17 hours 26 minutes
Orbits completed285
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSoyuz 7K-T No.11
Spacecraft typeSoyuz 7K-T/A9
ManufacturerNPO Energia
Launch mass6750 kg [1]
Landing mass1200 kg
Crew
Crew size2
MembersViktor Gorbatko
Yuri Glazkov
CallsignТерек (Terek)
Terek River
Start of mission
Launch date7 February 1977, 16:11 UTC
RocketSoyuz-U
Launch siteBaikonur, Site 1/5[2]
End of mission
Landing date25 February 1977, 09:38 UTC
Landing site37 km at the northeast of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[3]
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude184.7 km
Apogee altitude346.2 km
Inclination51.65°
Period89.52 minutes
Docking with Salyut 5
Docking date8 February 1977
Undocking date25 February 1977
Time docked17 days

Vimpel Diamond patch

Soyuz 24 (Russian: Союз 24, Union 24) was a February, 1977, Soviet mission to the Salyut 5 space station, the third and final mission to the station, the last purely military crew for the Soviets and the final mission to a military Salyut.[4] The cosmonauts Viktor Gorbatko and Yuri Glazkov re-activated the station after toxic fumes had apparently terminated the mission of Soyuz 21, the previous crew.

They performed biological and materials experiments while on board. Other presumed activities included photographic reconnaissance, and finishing tasks the previous crew was forced to abandon when their mission abruptly ended. The Soyuz 24 crew landed after spending 18 days in space, and the Salyut station was de-orbited six months later.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Display was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Baikonur LC1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2009.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Trajectory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ The mission report is available here: http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-24.htm