100 Stories About Docking (by V. Syromiatnikov)

Book note

The book narrates about the lifetime job of its author in cosmonautics, his cooperation activity in astronautics and about many events in which he and his close colleagues were personally engaged.

V.S Syromiatnikov is a world-wide-known designer of mechanisms and systems for space technology. He joined the legendary OKB-1 (Design bureau No.1 led by S.P. Korolev, the founder of practical cosmonautics) in 1956, a year and a half before Sputnik was launched. Later he also took an active part in many domestic and international projects. Gradually Syromiatnikov became a leading designe and specialist in orbital docking on an international scale. Personal experience, joint work and close interactions with many leading experts of Russian cosmonautics and international astronautics, as well as professional acquaintance with different sources of information, helped him to tell scores of stories about the evolution of space projects from the very beginning to the current times. The author managed to do it in quite an unusual way, both on a documentary basis and with emotion.

Volume 1 covers the first two decades of space flights, from the middle of the 1950s till 1975, the years of space and Moon races, as well as close cooperation efforts (Soyuz-Apollo project).

The book is illustrated with pictures from the author's and others' private collections.