KBC 14: What does the name of the spacecraft that took Rakesh Sharma to space – Soyuz mean in Russian?

KBC 14: What does the name of the spacecraft that took Rakesh Sharma to space – Soyuz mean in Russian?

Options:

Union

Soviet

Socialist

Republic

Answer: Union

Soyuz means “union” in Russian. The Soyuz programme is the longest operational human spacecraft programme in the history of space exploration. The first crewed flight into space was on 23 April 1967. Although they were conceived by the Soviet Union at the start of the sixties, the Soyuz spacecraft are still used today, but with important modifications. They have transported Russian crews to the Soviet stations Salyut and Mir. Currently the Soyuz are the only spacecraft available to transport crews to and from the International Space Station.