Soyuz 27

Soyuz 27 launched Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Oleg Makarov to Salyut 6 in January 1978 as the first visiting crew of the station's successful operating phase. Spacefacts lists launch from Baikonur Site 1 on January 10, docking with Salyut 6 on January 11, undocking in Soyuz 26 on January 16, and landing later that day after 5 days, 22 hours, and 58 minutes in flight. The mission demonstrated the two-port operating model that made Salyut 6 more flexible than earlier Soviet stations. Dzhanibekov and Makarov docked Soyuz 27 to the forward port while the Soyuz 26 resident crew was aboard, creating a temporary three-spacecraft complex and allowing the station crew to exchange return vehicles. The visiting crew transferred seat liners and equipment, supported checks of the linked spacecraft-and-station structure, and returned in Soyuz 26. Their newer Soyuz 27 spacecraft remained docked for Yuri Romanenko and Georgi Grechko, extending the resident crew's safe return margin and clearing the aft port for later operations, including Progress cargo visits.