Vostok 4

Vostok 4 carried Pavel Popovich on the second half of the paired Vostok 3 / Vostok 4 mission. Popovich launched from Baikonur Site 1/5 on August 12, 1962, entered an orbit close to Vostok 3, and landed southwest of Karaganda on August 15 after about 2 days, 22 hours, and 57 minutes in space. Together with Nikolayev's Vostok 3, the mission marked the first time two crewed spacecraft operated in orbit simultaneously. The Vostok capsules did not have rendezvous maneuvering capability, but precise launches brought them close enough for visual range and ship-to-ship radio contact. Spacefacts records that Popovich continued experiments and spacecraft-systems work despite a life-support issue that dropped the cabin temperature, and that a misunderstanding involving a weather-code phrase contributed to the early landing.