Vostok 3

Vostok 3 carried Andriyan Nikolayev on the first half of the paired Vostok 3 / Vostok 4 mission. Nikolayev launched from Baikonur Site 1/5 on August 11, 1962 and landed southeast of Karaganda on August 15 after about 3 days, 22 hours, and 22 minutes in orbit. The mission tested longer-duration single-seat Vostok operations, communications, guidance, landing procedures, and the ability of a cosmonaut to work in weightlessness. After Pavel Popovich launched aboard Vostok 4 the next day, the two spacecraft came within about 6.5 km, maintained ship-to-ship radio contact, and created the first simultaneous crewed orbital operation. Spacefacts notes that Nikolayev unstrapped and floated freely inside the spacecraft during the flight, while the paired mission gave controllers experience managing two human spacecraft at once.