The Soviet Unions immense investment in space technology was on full display April 5, 1975. The Soyuz 18a mission, a state-backed enterprise, promised another routine success for their program of cosmic development and growth. Cosmonauts Lazarev and Makarov launched as symbols of national ambition and the pinnacle of its technological innovation. Minutes later, the showcase of reliable technology became a terrifying discovery of a critical flaw. A stage separation failure sent them plummeting in