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Set of seven lithographs autographed by cosmonauts
Dzhanibekov and Savinykh
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Letters of cosmonauts Dzhanibekov and Savinykh
Cosmonauts Dzhanibekov and Savinykh inscribed
lithographs for National Air & Space Museum
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Cosmonaut Dzhanibekov and myself in Memorial Museum of
Cosmonautics after presentations of lithographs
Cosmonaut Viktor Savinykh with lithographs in my
California's house
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Cosmonaut and Artist Vladimir Dzhanibekov
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Dzhanibekov was born in 1942.Twice Hero of Soviet Union,
USSR Pilot-Cosmonaut. He participated in five space missions as flight
commander. Twice he was a captain of international space crew. His Soyuz
T-13/Salyut-7 space station rescue mission became most dangerous and most
difficult space mission in history. Dzhanibekov took up painting in his
childhood. Art albums, postal stamps and postcards have been published on the
basis of his works. He also was an author of illustrations to a number of
books. Member of the USSR (now Russian) Union of Artists.
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Cosmonaut Viktor Savinykh
about his Soyuz T-13/Salyut-7 rescue mission
Slowly,
palpating empty and cold silence space station entered by two in
gas-masks...
This way
could be a start of fantastic and fearful thriller. Such episode, undoubtedly,
very effective would be in the movie. In reality
it was impossible to see us: around terrible silence, impenetrable darkness
and space cold. Such
Salyut-7 station we've found, a station which already started to loose an
altitude and didn't respond to calls from Earth. Two
earthmen inside dead station somewhere in the middle of endless cosmos. In such
minutes entire life runs in a head. Today
reports about space flights perceived as something habitual and regular.. as a
ride in subway or taxi from one part of city to another. On Earth
orbit we've got another house. May be not exactly as on Earth, but not less
bright, warm, maintained and hospitable. Meanwhile
cosmos is enigmatic and frightful. Each house
requires the care. And ones our space house occurred disaster. Station
fall silent, went out, leaving an interest to life, got into a depression. So,
two-Vladimir Dzhanibekov and myself, Viktor Savinykh entered a
suspense. After serious system failures occurred in the Salyut-7 the primary
objective of this 165 days flight was to make repairs to Salyut. We've found
the atmosphere inside the station nearly not breathable and extremely cold, no
water, but ice. During the days following and 5-hours space walk, we found
the problems of electrical and other systems and performed necessary
repairs. What to say
here? The case is extreme. That's why reports of Soviet Press about our
expedition in 1985 were short and well edited. TASS
freshly announced that team performing on board planned works, mood and
health condition of team members are excellent. It would be
great if everything would be easy- arrived, estimated, repaired and returned
with victory. Our duty was to try to bring back to life silent station and
we've got this difficult Victory.
CRISES AND
SALYUT-7 EXPEDITION-4 CREW
On June 6, 1985,
Soyuz T-13 lifted off from Baikonur carrying Viktor Savinykh and Vladimir
Dzhanibekov, who had visited the station the year before. As they approached
with the aid of a laser telemeter, they saw that the base was completely
lifeless, and for the first time, Soyuz used only its own resources to dock
with a large, dead body hanging in cosmos. The disastrous situation was
confirmed after berthing, when Soyuz??™ instruments revealed that there was no
power on the station. The two cosmonauts opened the hatch and went inside
carefully: the interior was freezing, perhaps ??“10 C degree, but the air was
still breathable, although it stank of mold. Fortunately, no noxious gases
had formed.
After dressing
in heavier clothing, the crew began their inspection and found that a defect
in an orientation sensor had sent the base careening out of control so that
the solar panels were no longer pointing at the Sun. The eight batteries had
gradually run down, and two were completely useless. One after the other,
instruments had shut down, including radio links, meaning that the control
center had no way of knowing what was happening. Mission Control Center had
therefore watched helplessly as Salyut-7 died without an explanation.
Using Soyuz ???
engines, Dzhanibekov and Savinykh pointed the station toward the Sun, and
the solar panels began to generate power and recharge the surviving
batteries. At the same time Soyuz also controlled the air inside. It would
take a month, until the end of July, for the internal climate-control system
to return to normal. It took this long because they had to wait for the ice
to vaporize in the frozen areas so that water did not get into the
instruments and destroy them. In any case, the ice had managed to damage the
water-heating system, and a powerful lamp normally used for television
filming had to be employed to supply heat.
In spite of
everything, the station was almost miraculously reborn thanks to the work of
cosmonauts and the ground technicians. The last tasks were completed after
the arrival of Progress-24, which
delivered spare parts, three batteries, fuel and solar cells for the third
panel that had not yet been extended. This last operation was carried out by
the cosmonauts on August 2 during a five-hour space walk in new, semi-rigid
space suits also delivered by Progress 24.
In the meantime,
another vehicle, Cosmos 1669, docked briefly with the station. It was later
discovered that this was a new type of Progress that would eventually be
used with a MIR station and was therefore being tested.
Ones major
repairs were over, the crew was ready to return. But before that, a new
Soyuz T-14 crew Vasyutin, Volkov and Grechko
arrived at the station on
September 17 to perform the first ???relief??? mission in space history. It was
the first time a crew exchange had taken place without an interval. A few
days later Dzhanibekov and Grechko went home, leaving behind Viktor Savinykh,
who became part of a new crew. They returned with Soyuz T-14 on November 21.
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