MISSION NAME
Vostok 4 4
Status
Success
DATE
12 AUG 1962
LAUNCH PROVIDER
Soviet Space Program
Launch Pad
1/5
Description
Vostok 4 was launched a day after Vostok 3 and it carried cosmonaut Pavel Popovich to orbit. While the mission is considered a success it had several issues, a malfunction in the life-support systems caused the cabin temp drop to 10C but Popovich continued the mission, the big issue came when he mentioned seeing thunderstorms. He saw actual thunderstorms in the Gulf of Mexico but mission control thought Popovich had said a codeword for early mission ending and the mission was cut a day short. He completed 48 orbits and the mission lasted 2 days, 22 hours & 56 minutes.
Vostok-K
Rocket Description
The Vostok-K was an expendable carrier rocket used by the Soviet Union for thirteen launches between 1960 and 1964, six of which were manned. The Vostok-K made its maiden flight on 22 December 1960, three weeks after the retirement of the Vostok-L. The third stage engine failed 425 seconds after launch, and the payload, a Korabl-Sputnik spacecraft, failed to reach orbit. The spacecraft was recovered after landing, and the two dogs aboard the spacecraft survived the flight. On 12 April 1961, a Vostok-K rocket was used to launch Vostok 1, the first manned spaceflight, which made Yuri Gagarin the first human to fly in space.