Soyuz 5 was launched by the Soviet Union on 15 January 1969. It docked with Soyuz 4 in orbit.
It was the first-ever docking of two manned spacecraft of any nation, and the first-ever transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another of any nation, the only time a transfer was accomplished with a space walk –- two months before the US Apollo 9 mission performed the first ever internal crew transfer.
The flight was also memorable for its dramatic re-entry.
The craft's service module did not separate, so it entered the atmosphere nose-first, leaving cosmonaut Boris Volynov hanging by his restraining straps.
As the craft 'aero-braked' the atmosphere burned through the module.
But the craft righted itself before the escape hatch was burned through. Then, the parachute lines tangled and the landing rockets failed, resulting in a hard landing which broke Volynov's teeth.
