Spaceflight USSR/Russia - Soyuz: Books - History

The Soyuz Launch Vehicle - the Two Lives of an Engineering Triumph

The Soyuz launch vehicle has had a long and illustrious history. Built as the world's first intercontinental missile, it took the first man into space in April 1961, before becoming the workhorse of Russian spaceflight, launching satellites, interplanetary probes, every cosmonaut from Gagarin onwards, and, now, the multinational crews of the International Space Station.

This remarkable book gives a complete and accurate description of the two lives of Soyuz, chronicling the cooperative space endeavor of Europe and Russia.
First, it takes us back to the early days of astronautics, when technology served politics. From archives found in the Soviet Union the authors describe the difficulty of designing a rocket in the immediate post-war period.
Then, in Soyuz's golden age, it launched numerous scientific missions and manned flights which were publicized worldwide while the many more numerous military missions were kept highly confidential!

The second part of the book tells the contemporary story of the second life of Soyuz, gathered from Western sources and interviews with key protagonists. It addresses the sensitive issue of the strategic choices that led to the establishment of Soyuz in French Guiana, describing the role of a few visionaries in Russia and in Europe who decided to leave their respective isolation behind and bring Syouz and Ariane together.

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Soyuz - A Universal Spacecraft

In "Soyuz: A Universal Spacecraft", authors Rex Hall and Dave Shayler review the development and operations of the Soyuz family of spacecraft. This includes the lesser-known military and unmanned versions of this reliable spacecraft.
While most works on Soviet / Russian space operations focus on space station activities, the story of the Soyuz spacecraft has been largely neglected. An integral element of Salyut and Mir space station operations, the small ferry has been the mainstay of cosmonaut transportation since 1967. In addition, since 1978 the unmanned freighter version called Progress has provided a means in which to regularly re-supply a space station and so prolong its orbital lifetime.
Using authentic Soviet and Russian sources this book is the first known work in the west dedicated to revealing the full story of the Soyuz series, including a complete listing of vehicle production numbers.

Contents: Foreword - Author's Introduction - Preface: Into Space on Soyuz - Origins - Early Soyuz - First Flights - The Lunar Adventure - Return to Flight - Soyuz to Salyut - Solo Soyuz - Person Upgrade - Space Freighter - Soyuz for ISS - Cosmonaut Training - Unmanned Applications - Appendices - Glossary - References - Bibliography - Index.

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Moskaus Mondprogramm (Raumfahrt-Bibliothek)

The Soviet plans to reach the moon were ultimately the starting signal for the competition between the two superpowers for supremacy in space. Soviet probes reached the moon with much media attention.
The USSR attempted to complete the rest of the program in complete secrecy, so that it could then announce the manned landing with a bang.

The fact that this did not succeed is history. But the exciting path to it, the daring attempts and spectacular failures - only a few people know about it. Eugen Reichl sheds light on the USSR's path to the moon with the help of exciting information and pictures. A must for every space enthusiast!

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