Soyuz 8 was a Soviet space mission launched on December 20, 1975. It was part of the Soyuz program and aimed to dock with Soyuz 7 in orbit. The mission was notable for its crew, which included cosmonauts Viktor Patsayev, Oleg Makarov, and Vladimir Shatalov. The spacecraft successfully completed its objectives, including a rendezvous with Soyuz 7. The mission lasted for five days, during which the crew conducted scientific experiments and gathered valuable data about space travel. Soyuz 8 contributed to the understanding of long-duration space missions and paved the way for future Soviet space exploration.