Record in space ends

Press, 4 November 1978, Page 9

Record in space ends

| NZPA-Reuter Moscow Two Soviet cosmonauts, have touched down safely in; : Central Asia after man’s longest trip in orbit — a 20-1 'week mission that crowned; , a year of Soviet space sue-1 cesses and brought closer 1 the era of permanentlymanned space stations. Colonel Vladimir Kovalyo- ; nok, aged 36, and Engineer! ! Alexander Ivanchenkov, aged 138, were reported to be in ’good health when they ; emerged from the Soyuz ; ferry craft that brought I them back from the Salyut 6 ; I orbiting station. I They had blasted off from! .the Baikonur Cosmodrome! ion June 15, docked two days) ! later, and stayed in space I six weeks longer than the iprevious 96-day record set' by two cosmonauts aboard the station earlier this year. As Colonel Kovalyonok and Mr Ivanchenkov began the difficult job oi re-adupi-ing to gravity. Soviet space chiefs were jubilant al what they described as a nearperfect mission. i tie cosmonauts’ training commander, Vladimir Shata- i lov, commented on Soviet television that the ' 140-day flight had been brilliantly ’ executed “It. would have been difficult to wish that things could have gone better than 1 they did.” he said.