[Soyuz]

A DESCENT MODULE MAIN CONTROL PANEL FOR A SOYUZ SPACECRAFT 

The Soyuz spacecraft is made up of three parts: the orbital module, the descent module, and the service module. The descent module would house the crew during liftoff and descent back to Earth. During these periods, the crew would be seated before a display and control panel like this to assist in navigation, monitor propulsion systems, track time-attitude data, control volume of communications and to interface with the digital computer system.

Known as the "Neptune" information display system, this layout and design of controls first appeared in Soyuz-T spacecraft. The third generation of Soyuz, Soyuz-T ([Transport]) flew from 1979 to 1986. It was the first Soviet spacecraft to incorporate solid-state electronics and a more advanced onboard computer. The navigation system, GLOBUS, features a miniature globe and functioned as an analog computer. Motorized, it would rotate the globe relative to the spacecraft's position in space and relied on manual input and an electromechanical system of gears. Despite its small size, the globe is highly detailed with geographical features so that the astronauts can compare their coordinates with what they see on Earth below.

Cosmonauts and astronauts from all over the world have flown on Soyuz to the International Space Station. While updated, the spacecraft is still in use more than 50 years after its initial launch. The present panel was likely created for a Soyuz-TM spacecraft. The Soyuz-TM (for Transport Modified) was the fourth generation of Soyuz Spacecraft and was in use from 1986 through 2002.

REFERENCES

Tiapchenko, Yurii. MIT. "The Integrated Information Display System for the Soyuz-TMA and the Integrated Console of Manual Control Loop for the Russian Segment of the International Space Station." Translated from Russian by Slava Gervovitch. Computing in the Soviet Space Program. Accessed 29 June 2025.