Cosmos 47

The Voskhod-3KV Cosmos 47 was a Soviet uncrewed spacecraft based closely on the Vostok-3K capsule. It was capable to carry crews of up to three cosmonauts on crewed flights. The basic difference to Vostok was the elimination of the ejector seat to make room for two cosmonauts in spacesuits or three without spacesuits. To soften the landing, a solid fuel retro rocket was incorporated. Also a solid fuel back-up retro rocket system was carried in front of the spherical reentry capsule. The Cosmos 47 flight is expected to last twenty-four hours. Upon successful orbit, ground engineers perform a series of tests of the various on-board systems. The seats are occupied by mannequins simulating the presence of cosmonauts. The flight went without any noticeable incident, and the capsule landed smoothly in Kazakhstan on October 7 at 07:32 GMT. After contact with the ground, a very strong wind drags the vessel, still connected to its parachute, over a distance of about 160m. The flight lasted 24 hours and 20 minutes.