Space Rocket History #69 – Zond 3, Venera 3, and Asterix

Posted on July 3, 2014 by spac9750

The Zond program was one of two lunar exploration programs conducted by the Soviet Union to investigate the Moon and its vicinity. The program began in 1964 and ended in 1979. The early Zond’s 1-3 were originally designed for planetary exploration, while the latter Zonds (4-8) were sent on circum lunar flights. Additionally, the latter Zond vehicles were of a totally different in design. They were in fact automated versions of the manned Soyuz spacecraft…

Zond 3

Far Side of the Moon

Venera 3

Asterix

Diamant

By Dave.

Mar 20

Space Rocket History #55 – First Space Walk – Voskhod 2 with Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyayev – Part 1

Posted on March 20, 2014 by spac9750

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Voskhod 2 was a high risk mission. It was the final space race victory for the Soviet Union before NASA claimed the lead and ultimately won with the lunar landing of 1969. Voskhod 2 was the peak of the Soviet Space Program. It nearly killed its two cosmonauts but it was ultimately a success…

Voskhod with Airlock

Airlock and Spacesuit

Alexei Leonov

Pavel Belyayev

Spacesuit

Mission Patch

Aug 01

Space Rocket History #23 – Vostok 1 with Yuri Gagarin

Posted on August 1, 2013 by spac9750

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“Dear friends, you who are close to me, and you whom I do not know, fellow Russians, and people of all countries and all continents: in a few minutes a powerful space vehicle will carry me into the distant realm of space. What can I tell you in these last minutes before the launch? My whole life appears to me as one beautiful moment. All that I previously lived through and did, was lived through and done for the sake of this moment.” Yuri Gagarin prior to launch of Vostok 1.