The radio callsign of the crew was "Amur"; that of Soyuz 5, with which it was to dock, was "Baikal". This referred to the trans-Siberian railway project called the Baikal-Amur Mainline, which was under construction at the time. Hence the docking served as encouragement to the
workers on that project.
Salyut 4 (DOS-4) (Russian: Салют-4; English translation: Salute 4) was launched on December 26, 1974. It was essentially a copy of the DOS-3, and unlike its ill-fated sibling it was a complete success. Three crews made stays aboard Salyut 4 (Soyuz 17, Soyuz 18 and Soyuz 21), including one of 63 days duration, and an unmanned Soyuz capsule remained docked to the station for three months, proving the systems' long-term durability. Salyut 4 was deorbited February 2, 1977, and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on February 3.
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