Here is a partial list of what we know so far to give you a flavor of the mystery.

There are a number of possibilities...

• It is a flown capsule with original instrumentation, probably unmanned.
• It is a flown capsule with some original and some replacement instrumentation from other capsules that may or may not have been flown.
• It is a test capsule, never flown, but outfitted with some instrumentation from a variety of flown and unflown sources.
• It is a real capsule, but before it was completely finished, it was removed and outfitted for display.
• It is a model, but with real instrumentation that may be flown or unflown.

And there are other permutations and combinations!

Each piece of equipment and part of the capsule will have some form of identification marks. We don’t know whether we’ll be able to just get all those marks and consult some reference in Russia to help us out or whether the documentation we need is destroyed.

So what can we tell from looking at it?

It has an intact heat shield and its ablative coating is complete.
Which means it has never flown in space, or it flew and then was recoated for external display. The heat shield is certainly not very well attached.

How will be find out whether it was replaced?
The X-Ray may be able to show us the underside of the heat shield and we may find out if it is just a mock-up or a real one.

It has dummy thrusters.
This is to be expected for a capsule that was put on outside display. But also for a model. But were the originals ripped out?

How will we find out?
The X-Ray of the capsule may reveal whether they are additions or replacements.

It has had many coats of paint and graffiti.
To be expected from external display.

The inside ‘headliner’ has rotted away and been mostly removed.
We know this was done in 2000 by the Russians because it was very moldy and rotted.

There are three seats.
Which means it was manufactured in the batches leading up to Soyuz 11 where the three fatalities occurred. All capsules after that point had two seats. If it is a model then it was produced pre Soyuz 11. Or it could be a pre-Soyuz 11 flown manned or unmanned mission. Or it could be a post Soyuz 11 unmanned flown capsule. Or after Soyuz 11, perhaps they took the remaining capsule and just used it for display. Or….

The seats do not have cosmonaut identification initials.
They are designed for mannequins. This means that it probably wasn’t a manned mission if these are the original seats. But are they the original seats?

How will we find out?
There may be numbers on the seats that match the Kasbek couches and connectors.

The numbers on the analog ‘computer’ appear to match with a mission called Cosmos 613.
So this could be Cosmos 613 (which was unmanned) or this computer could have been put in later.

How will we find out?
When we take the computer out for cleaning, we’ll see if there is any evidence for it not being original.

The toilet found inside is of an old Vostok design, not a Soyuz design.
It maybe that the first Soyuz capsules used the Vostok design. We’re trying to find out.

It has the TV camera intact.
Odd, if it was unmanned. But not if the vehicle was used as a test and had to have everything in it.

Many of the connectors and wires are missing.
Not unusual, these craft were often stripped of anything useful, but perhaps some of it wasn’t installed in the first place.

How will we find out?
We will look at what is in the capsule and see if it makes sense. For example, if there are no life support components, but everything else, then that adds to the evidence that this was unmanned. If it appears to be more random, then it has either had stuff ripped out (we should find cables cut and evidence of yanked out connectors) or it was never put in to start with.

The original windows are missing.
The Old photos we have show them to have been intact before it was shipped from Russia and they were ‘foggy’. This would be the case if they were flown as the heat of re-entry clouds them. Unfortunately the Russians removed them and replaced them with clear glass, ‘helpfully’ so that you could see inside, and the originals are lost.

How will we find out more?
We are trying to track down more photos, and the people who took the windows out to ask them about their condition.