Soyuz 36 launched 1980

Soyuz 36 crew (L-R): Bertalan Farkas, Valeri Kubasov

Mission patch

Soyuz 36, launched May 26, 1980, was the eleventh mission to the Salyut 6 space station, and the ninth successful docking.  Its crew consisted of Valeri Kubasov and Bertalan Farkas, the first Hungarian cosmonaut.

It landed July 31 with Viktor Gorbatko and Pham Tuan, the first Vietnamese cosmonaut.

Soyuz 37 launched 1980

Soyuz 37 crew (L-R): Viktor Gorbatko, Pham Tuan

Soyuz 37 mission patch

Soyuz 37, launched July 23, 1980, was the 13th (11th successful) mission to dock with the Soviet space station Salyut 6.  Its crew consisted of Commander Viktor Gorbatko and Flight Engineer Pham Tuan, the first Vietnamese cosmonaut. 

They stayed on Salyut 6 approximately eight days later and returned to Earth in the Soyuz 36 spacecraft.

The long-duration crew of Leonid Popov and Valery Ryumin returned in Soyuz 37 in October.

Happy birthday, Phạm Tuân, first Vietnamese cosmonaut!

Pham Tuan, born February 14, 1947 in Thai Binh, Vietnam, is the first Vietnamese cosmonaut and first Asian in space.  His only mission was aboard Soyuz 37 which was launched July 23, 1980 with fellow cosmonaut Viktor Gorbatko to Salyut 6.

He returned to Earth on Soyuz 36 July 31 with Gorbatko.  It was his only mission into space.

Soyuz 24 launched 1977

Soyuz 24 crew: Viktor Gorbatko, Yuri Glazkov

Soyuz 24, launched February 7, 1977, was the third and final mission to Salyut 5 space station.  Its crew, Commander Viktor Gorbatko and Flight Engineer Yuri Glazkov, reactivated the station after toxic fumes ended the  previous mission, Soyuz 21.  The Soyuz 23 flight attempted to dock with the station a few months earlier but was unable to complete the mission.

Soyuz 24 successfully docked with Salyut 5 the day after launch, but they did not enter the space station until the next day, probably dealing with the toxic fume problem.

On February 23, they started up Soyuz 24 and deactivated the space station and returned  to Earth February 25.

Viktor Gorbatko, Soyuz cosmonaut, born 1934

Viktor Gorbatko, born December 3, 1934 in the Black Sea area of the Soviet Union, was a veteran of three Soyuz missions. His first flight was aboard Soyuz 7 in October 1969.  Soyuz 7 was to rendezvous with Soyuz 8 but failed to occur due to equipment malfunctions.

His second mission was Soyuz 24 in February 1977.  It was the third and final mission to the Salyut 5 space station.  Gorbatko and fellow cosmonaut Yuri Glazkov reactivated the station after toxic fumes apparently ended the previous crew's mission.

His third and final flight was on Soyuz 37 July-October 1981 to Salyut 6.  This mission made history since Gorbatko's fellow cosmonaut was Pham Tuan, the first Vietnamese and first Asian cosmonaut.

Gorbatko passed away May 2017.

Soyuz 7 blasts off 1969

Anatoly Filipchenko, Vladislav Volkov, Viktor Gorbatko

As part of a joint mission, Soyuz 7 launched from Baikonur (where else) October 12, 1969 in the former Soviet Union to redezvous with Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 8.  It was the first time seven people were in space at once.  The Soyuz 7 crew consisted of Commander Anatoly Filipchenko, Flight Engineer Vladislav Volkov and research cosmonaut Viktor Gorbatko.  They were to dock with Soyuz 8 and transfer crew while Soyuz 6 was to film the maneuver.

Due to equipment failures, the Soyuz cosmonauts did not achieve their objective.  The failure of this mission is probably what killed the Soviet program to send a man to the moon.