Capt. David

Language is not one of my strong points . My understanding of the Russian (or any) language is so poor, that to attempt to communicate in Russian would be insulting. I have used various translation programs, but I have yet to find one which also does not insult the language. None the less, that does not diminish my love for studying the construction of the manned space fight programs envisioned by Vladimir Nikolay Chelomei. And when I saw the photograph on this forum of one of his Almaz space capsules (one that I didn't know existed, and which is of a slightly different design to his final design) I could not keep silent. This is a very exciting discovery for me! I am studying Russian, but as I alluded to earlier, the language center of my brain is an area that is still "under construction" Best Wishes, David L. Rickman a.k.a. "Capt. David"

Still haven't been able to find any more information on this capsule, but Excalibur Almaz posted a great photo of a nearly complete capsule. In the background you can also see a flown capsule. Best Regards, David L. Rickman

The green capsule next to the Soyuz is VERY interesting! This is a TKS Return Capsule designed for the Almaz Orbital Piloted Station program. This appears to be a size and weight test capsule. You can see the original yellow and black paint were the green paint has flaked off. The outer thermal layer is not on this capsule, but the attachment points are visible, and the size seems to be identical to a capsule with full insulation. The most interesting difference is the upper of the two round openings on the side. Normally these two openings are lined up vertically. On this model the upper opening is shifted to the right. I have been studying this capsule for years, but have not seen one like this. I would love to see more of this capsule. Do you have any other photographs of this capsule??? Best Regards, David Rickman USA

The green capsule next to the Soyuz is VERY interesting! This is a TKS Return Capsule designed for the Almaz Orbital Piloted Station program. This appears to be a size and weight test capsule. You can see the original yellow and black paint were the green paint has flaked off. The outer thermal layer is not on this capsule, but the attachment points are visible, and the size seems to be identical to a capsule with full insulation. The most interesting difference is the upper of the two round openings on the side. Normally these two openings are lined up vertically. On this model the upper opening is shifted to the right. I have been studying this capsule for years, but have not seen one like this. I would love to see more of this capsule. Do you have any other photographs of this capsule??? Best Regards, David Rickman USA