After a tragedy, the Soviet Union had to prove it could fly people again.

On October 25, 1968, the Soviet Union launched Soyuz 2, an uncrewed spacecraft meant to serve as a docking target. The next day, cosmonaut Georgy Beregovoy launched in Soyuz 3, the first Soviet crewed flight since Soyuz 1's fatal accident in 1967.

Beregovoy brought his ship close to Soyuz 2, but the docking attempt failed and he ran low on fuel. Officials called the mission a success, and only decades later admitted a docking had been planned.

Why it still matters: the lessons learned helped Soyuz become one of the most reliable spacecraft ever, still flying crews today.

Should space agencies admit failures openly, even during a space race?

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