1969-01-14 USSR Soyuz 4 and 5

A Soyuz 4 and 5 First Day Cover from "KNIGA", postmarked in Moscow with a hand cancel on January 22, 1969, signed by Vladimir Shatalov, Boris Volynov, Aleksei Yeliseyev and Yevgeny Khrunov.

Soyuz 4 was launched from Baikonur on January 14, 1969, carrying cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov, who was making his first spaceflight. Soyuz 4 was the active spacecraft in a planned rendezvous and docking with Soyuz 5, which was launched the following day. Soyuz 5 launched from Baikonur on January 15, 1969, carrying cosmonauts Boris Volynov, Yevgeny Khrunov, and Aleksei Yeliseyev.

On January 16, Soyuz 4 successfully rendezvoused with Soyuz 5 and completed the first docking between two crewed spacecraft. Because the docking system did not provide an internal passageway between the spacecraft, cosmonauts Yevgeny Khrunov and Aleksei Yeliseyev transferred from Soyuz 5 to Soyuz 4 by performing a spacewalk. After spending about an hour outside the spacecraft, they entered Soyuz 4 and joined Shatalov. The two spacecraft remained docked for approximately 4 hours and 35 minutes before separating. After the transfer, Soyuz 5 separated from Soyuz 4 with Volynov aboard.

Soyuz 4 returned to Earth on January 17, 1969, carrying Vladimir Shatalov, Yevgeny Khrunov, and Aleksei Yeliseyev. Soyuz 5, with Boris Volynov aboard, remained in orbit until January 18. During its descent, the service module failed to separate properly from the reentry module, causing the spacecraft to enter the atmosphere in an abnormal orientation. The modules eventually separated under aerodynamic forces, allowing the descent module to orient itself correctly for reentry. Volynov survived the difficult landing and was recovered safely in Kazakhstan.