On June 30, 1971, cosmonaut Vladislav Volkov made a chilling two-word request to flight controllers: 'prepare cognac.' This traditional welcome-home gift request was his last communication before the Soyuz 11 spacecraft depressurized, killing all three crew members on board.
The Soyuz 11 Mission and Crew
Soyuz 11 was the only crewed mission to board the world's first space station, Salyut 1. It launched on June 6, 1971, with commander Georgi Dobrovolsky, flight engineer Vladislav Volkov, and research engineer Viktor Patsayev. The crew were backups, stepping in for the prime crew after flight engineer Valery Kubasov was suspected of having tuberculosis four days before launch. It later turned out Kubasov did not have TB.
The backup crew spent 24 days in space, at that time the longest period anyone had stayed in orbit. Their mission ended in tragedy during re-entry.
The Fatal Depressurization
NASA confirmed that shortly before re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, 'tragedy struck' and 'the cosmonauts died as a result of the sudden depressurisation of their spacecraft.' Explosive bolts separated the Soyuz into its three components, with the crew inside the middle bell-shaped descent module. The shock from the bolts jarred open a pressure equalisation valve that normally opened only once the spacecraft was descending on its parachute, well inside the atmosphere. In this case, the valve opened to the vacuum of space, and the capsule's air escaped in less than one minute.
According to NASA, 'There’s evidence the cosmonauts tried to respond to the emergency by manually closing the valve, a process that took several minutes. They rapidly lost consciousness as the pressure continued to drop and died [within] two minutes. Not wearing pressure suits, they had no hope of surviving.'
Final Communications
The final words heard from inside the spacecraft have been debated. Soviet Air Force representative Nikolai Kamanin officially spoke to the crew at 12:16 am, signing off with wishes of good luck for a soft landing. Space historian Peter Smolders later claimed in 1971 that Dobrovolsky made one final call to confirm he was 'beginning the descent procedure.'
Cosmonaut Alexei Yeliseyev, who communicated with the crew from the Yevpatoria control centre in Crimea and helped them rectify an earlier issue with the hatch door, recorded Volkov's two-word request. Yeliseyev noted Volkov jokingly asked flight controllers to 'prepare cognac' before signing off with 'see you tomorrow!'
Aftermath and Legacy
The cosmonauts were found dead in their seats after an apparently successful re-entry and landing. Their sacrifice remains a somber reminder of the risks of space exploration. The Soyuz 11 tragedy led to design changes, including mandatory pressure suits for future missions.
