Soyuz T-10-1, a mission scheduled to visit Salyut 7, the
space station occupied by the Soyuz T-9 crew, exploded on the launch pad,
September 26, 1983. Miraculously,
cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Gennady Strekalov survived via the launch escape
system.
While waiting for fueling of the booster to finish, a bad
valve allowed pressurized nitrogen gas into a pump with no propellant. The pump ruptured and started a fire which consumed
the base of the launch vehicle. The
crew, realizing something was very wrong, could not initiate the escape
system. The launch control team could
activate it but the control cables were already destroyed by the fire.
The LES was activated by two launch personnel, but the
procedure required them to press two buttons within 5 seconds of each other
after receiving authorization. It took
20 seconds to perform the operation and the booster and pad were in flames by
that time. The orbital module was
separated from the lower part of the rocket by explosive bolts and then the
escape system motor fired, breaking the crew free from the booster, which
exploded just after.
The cosmonauts landed badly bruised from the sudden
acceleration but alive and well, four miles away. They asked recovery crews for cigarettes to
calm their nerves and were given shots of vodka to help them relax.
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