In Soyuz: A Universal Spacecraft, authors Rex Hall and Dave Shayler review
the development and operations of the Soyuz family of spacecraft. This
includes the lesser-known military and unmanned versions of this reliable
spacecraft.
While most works on Soviet/Russian space operations focus on space station
activities, the story of the Soyuz spacecraft has been largely neglected.
An integral element of Salyut and Mir space station operations, the small
ferry has been the mainstay of cosmonaut transportation since 1967. In
addition, since 1978 the unmanned freighter version called Progress has
provided a means in which to regularly re-supply a space station and so
prolong its orbital lifetime.
Using authentic Soviet and Russian sources this book is the first known
work in the west dedicated to revealing the full story of the Soyuz
series, including a complete listing of vehicle production numbers.