Back in the USSR - Salyut / Almaz programme

[mk310149]

I received it several years ago, I think, in the beginning 90th.
It was abc Nr. 4 (1987), Vystrihovacy modely kosmickych objektu.
(Luna 1, Sputnik 3, Molnija, Magion, Saljut, Challenger and a easy Soyus-Saljut).
There is a czech online trader, there ist possible to buy ABC-Models, but I have no link in the moment....

[godai]

I know this very periodical and even found the issue, but can't seem to buy it anywhere...

Sigh.

[godai]

Now for "the other Salyut", namely the Almaaz military secret programme. Three stations were flown, slightly different form the Salyut DOS type. Those were named OPS.



The first one got into orbit but the final stage of the carrier rocket exploded, rendering the station unusable.

The second Almaz (named Salyut 3) was curious in at least two ways. First - it was the only armed space station ever, second - the crew of Soyuz 14 was the first crew to man an orbital station and return safely.

Here is this very mission - Almaz 2 + Soyuz 14, a kitbash from John's Salyut 6.

Download it on my blog: Baza orbitalna A?maz 2 + Sojuz 14 ? darmowy model | GNIAZDO ?WIATÓW

[godai]

Everything must come to an end, so the Salyuts stopped flying one day. To be precise, 1986 market the last mission aand in 1991 Salyut 7 was deorbited without control.

But before that a second military base was launched (unarmed this time) and it was Almaz 3. There has been lot of turmoil about it. The first mission went down during emergency, when one of the kosmonauts got both physically and mentally sick. The second one failed to dock and the guys almost died, landind on a frozen lake and going underwater for hour. And the final one was also interesting, eg. they exchanged the station's atmosphere by opening the hatches and letting the vacuus suck out the air, while supplying new one from Soyuz.

All in all the Almaz 3 orbital complex is available for download on my blog - Baza orbitalna A?maz 3 + Sojuz 24 ? darmowy model | GNIAZDO ?WIATÓW

It is an amended project, with docking antennas. Those have been also added to all previous models, as well as the parts have been numbered and there is an instruction on how to put those together (I'll post these and the stands next week).

Hope you like these guys, should anyone assemble them - please, share the pics.

[Retired_for_now]

Nice job with the series! A little history makes you realize how far we've come - and what we know we can do to build the infrastructure needed for actual long range exploration.
Yogi

[godai]

Thanks for the kind words!

In fact what we fly now - Zarya and Zvezda - are still those DOS and FGB block designed back then...

On the model series, last weekend I made several major changes to the models - I redesigned the transfer section basing it on the czechoslovak ABC models, and I also czanged solar panels textures. Plus I redid the TKS.

In the followink weeks I'll release OPS-4 / Almaz Phase 2 model (with variable configuration) and I also built Soyuz 4 / Soyuz 5 mission, but haven't taken pics yet.

The redone stations look as follows:

Salyut 1



Salyut 4



Salyut 6



Salyut 7



Hope you like

[godai]

Just a little addtion to the collection is the Soyuz 4 / Soyuz 5 mission - first ever crew transfer on orbit, second Soviet EVA and firt "orbital laboratory" made up of two docked Soyuz 7K-OK spacecrafts.

On January 16th, 1969 Vladimir Shatalov and Boris Volynov docked their spacecrafts. Khrunov and Yeliseyec put on their Jastreb spacesuits and went out from Soyuz 5 to get into Soyuz 4. They returned to Earth safely, while Volynov had a ballistic emergency landing, lost several teeth on the impact, landed in Ural mountains (300 km from the supposed landing site) and waited overnight at some guys hut before he was found (in was about -30 Celsius).

Upon ride to Moscow several days later their car was shot at by an assasin, who believe to be aiming at the new First Secretary (while they were in orbit a shift of power took place at the Soviet Union Communist Party). One of the comonauts was lightly wounded, the driver died.

All in all an amazing, one of a kind mission. It was a test for the lunar project and the 7K-LK - LK-1 transfer, but as that never came to being, it server as a first stepo toward manning Salyut space stations (though the docking mechanisms were changed by then and the SSVP was developped, enabling internal transfer).

Download here: Dokowanie Sojuz 4 + Sojuz 5 ? darmowy model | GNIAZDO ?WIATÓW

These are repainted Soyuzez from Johns model fitted with antennas repainted and kitbashed from ABC ASTP model.

[godai]

Probably one last thing: assembly instructions and stands.

Bazy orbitalne Salut – dodatki | GNIAZDO ?WIATÓW

Hope these are helpfull

[Vermin_King]

You are always a wealth of information. Thanks. Great models, too

[godai]

Hi King, great thanks!

It's just that I'm very much into the Salyut programme and that helps the modelling