Until 13 May 1961, the Soviet Union had officially (albeit secretly) been working on a project to built a spacecraft armed with a nuclear weapon which would be sent to be detonated on the surface of the moon. The project also called for the creation of the appropriate device to record the detonation, presumably toContinueContinue reading “1961: Communist Party Drops Plans to Nuke Moon, Expands Defensive Space Opportunities”
Category Archives: Space Race
Cosmonauts to Brezhnev in Top Secret 1965 Letter: Soviet Woes and US Gains in Space
On 22 October 1965, a letter was sent to Leonid Brezhnev about the challenges facing the Soviet Union’s once all-powerful space program. The letter that hit Brezhnev’s desk was probably worth his attention for two reasons: first, it carried the classified “Top Secret,” and second, it was signed by seven cosmonauts, well-known across the globeContinueContinue reading “Cosmonauts to Brezhnev in Top Secret 1965 Letter: Soviet Woes and US Gains in Space”
1955: Soviet Scientists Float Idea of Launching an Artificial Earth Satellite by 1958 to Leadership
We all know the rest of the story. Sputnik was launched by the Soviet Union in early October, 1957, thanks to a plucky team of scientists and Khrushchev’s desire to beat the Americans. On 5 August 1955, eminent Soviet scientists Mikhail Khrunichev, Vasiliy Ryabikov, and Sergey Korolev wrote a second letter to Soviet leaders KhrushchevContinueContinue reading “1955: Soviet Scientists Float Idea of Launching an Artificial Earth Satellite by 1958 to Leadership”
Genesis of COSMOS 110: Exposing 4-Legged Cosmonauts in Space to Radiation Belts for 22 Days
Today’s document is actually a packet of documents, written 60 years ago on the cusp of a Soviet space experiment to study the effects of long-term radiation exposure of one-cell organisms and “biochemically and biologically important matter.” The experiment would take place as part of the Cosmos 110 flight program, to be launched approximately oneContinueContinue reading “Genesis of COSMOS 110: Exposing 4-Legged Cosmonauts in Space to Radiation Belts for 22 Days”
Anti-Semitism in the Soviet Space Industry
18 December 2024 marked the 90th birthday of Soviet pilot and cosmonaut Boris Volynov, the last of the first group of cosmonauts referred to as the “Gagarins”. In January 1969, Volynov took part in the world’s first in-orbit docking of two manned spacecraft, the Soyuz-4 and Soyuz-5. As Volynov prepared for a solo re-entry, SoyuzContinueContinue reading “Anti-Semitism in the Soviet Space Industry”
ROSCOSMOS Publishes Declassified Documents Related to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
The website for the Russian State Space Corporation ROSCOSMOS published a treasure trove of unclassified documents, 36 in all, covering hundreds of pages to celebrate the 17 July 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission. In the run-up to the 50th anniversary of the second celebrated Soviet-American handshake over the Elbe River, we’ll be publishing as many interesting reportsContinueContinue reading “ROSCOSMOS Publishes Declassified Documents Related to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project”
1990: Soviet Union Responds to Czechoslovakia Request for 1968 Prague Spring Invasion Documents
In 1990, members of the CPSU’s Central Committee found themselves in a touchy situation. With the communist regime no longer in power in Czechoslovakia, that country’s Office of the Attorney General asked the Soviet Union leadership to hand over a specific document that, it was felt, could finger the individuals responsible for the 1968 invasionContinueContinue reading “1990: Soviet Union Responds to Czechoslovakia Request for 1968 Prague Spring Invasion Documents”
Newly Declassified Documents: USSR Preparations for Emergency Touchdown of American Apollo Spacecraft on Soviet Soil
The following is the translation of an article from the Russian news website “3DNews – Daily Digital Digest,” which was originally published on 16 July. We’ve learned that the USSR was preparing the necessary equipment in the event of an emergency landing of an American Apollo spacecraft on Russian territory in 1975. This is shownContinueContinue reading “Newly Declassified Documents: USSR Preparations for Emergency Touchdown of American Apollo Spacecraft on Soviet Soil”
Newly Declassified Documents: ROSCOSMOS Website Publishes Declassified Transcripts from Ill-Fated SOYUZ-11 Mission
To mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy that took their life, ROSCOSMOS recently published information about the crew of SOYUZ-11. Among the documents are the declassified conversations of the cosmonauts before their flight. The site is in its original Russian. On 30 June 1971, when the crew of the SOYUZ-11 spacecraft were returning toContinueContinue reading “Newly Declassified Documents: ROSCOSMOS Website Publishes Declassified Transcripts from Ill-Fated SOYUZ-11 Mission”
Details of Publication of New Declassified Soviet Space Program Documents
The Roskosmos website already boasts an impressive cache of declassified documents from the earliest days of space travel research through the latter days of Soyuz. On 16 March, they revealed a new addition to this archive, one featuring information (including photographic- and video-based) on the 21+ day space flight of the Soviet dogs Veterok andContinueContinue reading “Details of Publication of New Declassified Soviet Space Program Documents”
Translating History 