re: 2 Astronauts Survive Russian Rocket Failure on their way to ISS

quote:

---

I’m wondering if this is the first time an emergency escape plan has worked with a rocket failure.

---

It happened once before although not in flight. LINK

The escape system lifted them off the rocket just before it blew up on the pad.

quote:

---

"We could feel the booster swaying from side to side. Then there was a sudden vibration and a jerking sensation as the LES activated."

Upon being greeted by recovery crews, they immediately asked for cigarettes to steady their nerves. The cosmonauts were then given shots of vodka to help them relax.

Years later, in an interview with the American History Channel regarding the flight, Titov claimed that the crew's first action after the escape rocket fired was to deactivate the spacecraft's cockpit voice recorder because, as he put it, "We were swearing"

---