In 1971, a Soviet space mission ended in tragedy when all three cosmonauts aboard Soyuz 11 died as their capsule depressurized during reentry. G.T. Dobrovolsky, V.I. Patsayev, and V.N. Volkov had successfully completed their objective, the first (and now only) manned mission to both dock and occupy the first space station, Salyut 1 (launched 19 Apr 1971). After orbiting the earth for over 23 days, they were on the return journey. While still far outside the earth’s atmosphere, their reentry capsule separated from the lower stage of their spacecraft by firing explosive bolts. That shock caused an air vent valve to open prematurely, rapidly depressurizing the capsule. Wearing no space suits, the crew died within a minute. The capsule landed automatically on Earth, returning their lifeless bodies.«