Soyuz 26 (Russian: Союз 26, Union 26) was a 1977-8 Soviet manned space flight, the first to dock successfully with the Salyut 6 space station, and the start of what would be the semi-permanent occupation of space by the Russians.
The 96-day flight set several records and established several milestones, including the longest space flight to that time, the first docking of three spacecraft, and the hosting of the first non-Soviet, non-American spac...
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Soyuz 26 (Russian: Союз 26, Union 26) was a 1977-8 Soviet manned space flight, the first to dock successfully with the Salyut 6 space station, and the start of what would be the semi-permanent occupation of space by the Russians.
The 96-day flight set several records and established several milestones, including the longest space flight to that time, the first docking of three spacecraft, and the hosting of the first non-Soviet, non-American space-farer. Additionally, the mission saw the first spacewalk by the Soviets since 1969. An important modification from previous Salyut stations which made many of these feats possible was an extra docking port on Salyut 6, which allowed for re-supply missions, visiting crews and, potentially, crew rotations and permanent occupation.
On board were Yuri Romanenko and Georgi Grechko. Their call sign for the mission was Taymyr, after the Russian peninsula. Though launched aboard Soyuz 26, they returned to earth aboard Soyuz 27.
In the wake of Soyuz...
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