Launch of Soyuz 11

Soyuz 11 carried three Soviet cosmonauts, Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev, to Salyut 1, the world's first space station. They were the first crew to work aboard a space station, where they spent about three weeks conducting experiments and observations. The mission ended in disaster during the return: a valve in the descent capsule opened accidentally when the modules separated, and the cabin lost its air before reentry. The three men, who were not wearing pressure suits, died, though the capsule landed automatically as planned. They are the only people known to have died in space. After this accident Soviet crews wore pressure suits during launch and landing, and the Soyuz spacecraft was redesigned.

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