Spaceflight
The unmanned Soyuz 2 was launched on October 25, 1968, and Soyuz 3 followed it the next afternoon. The mission had been given to Beregovoy, with cosmonaut Vladimir Shatalov designated as the backup commander, and Boris Volynov in reserve. Entering outer space within a half an hour and already near Soyuz 2, Beregovoy gradually guided his craft within docking range (under 200 meters) of the satellite. The next day, having orbited the Earth numerous times, a second rendezvous of similar distance was completed. Just hours later, Soyuz 2 began its descent and was back on Earth by 8:00am the next day. Beregovoy continued to orbit, making topographical and meteorological observations for the next two days. Beregevoi also treated television viewers to the first "live" tour of a spaceship interior.
Read more about this topic: Soyuz 3