Launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome; landing
140 km southeast of Dzheskasgan.
Following a one day solo flight
Soyuz 14 docked
with the space station Salyut 3 on July 04, 1974. The crew transferred into the
space station and stayed there 14 days. Presumable military activities
(observation of rocket bases) and some medical and biological experiments were
done. The cosmonauts exercised for 2 hours each day to counter the effects of
weightlessness. At the time, the military nature of this mission and the
station itself were not acknowledged by Soviet authorities.
Increased
solar activity raised safety issues, but it was decided radiation levels were
within safe limits, so the flight continued.
Experiments were described
by the Soviets, but analysts presumed that much time was taken up with
unreported military activities. Claims were made in the aerospace press that
objects were laid out at the Baikonur Cosmodrome to photograph to test a
high-resolution camera system on board. Some of the experiments the Soviets
described included studies of the heart and circulatory systems in orbit,
studies of intracranial pressure, monitoring of blood composition, measuring of
lung capacity and inhalation/exhalation rates and the testing of a water
purification system which condensed moisture from the station's
atmosphere
All objectives were successfully completed. The capsule
landed within 2 km of the aim point.
