It is required to transfer an artificial satellite flying in an orbit with a radius (or semi-major axis, which is obviously the same for a circular orbit) equal to a 1, into orbit with a radius a 2 (fig. 43).
Calculating Velocities
The speed of an artificial satellite in orbit with a radius and is equal to:
v 1 = √(GM / a).
This speed is called the first cosmic speed at a distance. a... Taking the radius of the first orbit as a unit of length a 1, the energy integral can be rewritten as
v 2 \u003d v 1 2. ((2 / r) — (1 / a)),
where v 1 - the first space speed at a distance a 1 . In cases of interest to us (transition from one orbit of an artificial Earth satellite to another and flight from Earth to another planet) for a 1 take the value of the radius of the Earth, or the radius of the earth's orbit. In the first case v 1 \u003d 8 km / s, in the second v 1 \u003d 30 km / s.
To enter an orbit with a radius a 2 it is necessary to transfer an artificial satellite to an intermediate orbit, which is an ellipse touching both the lower and upper orbits (Fig. 43). The semi-major axis of this ellipse is a pr \u003d ( a 1 + a 2) / 2.
In an intermediate orbit (point A in Figure 43) at perigee, the satellite should have a speed:
v pr 2 \u003d v 1 2 (2a 2 / (a 2 + a 1)).
Because v pr\u003e v 1, then for the transition to an intermediate orbit it is necessary to increase the speed of the artificial satellite.
At the point B (Fig. 43) the speed of an artificial satellite flying in an intermediate orbit is less than the first space speed at this distance:
v prv 2 \u003d v 2 2 (2a 1 / (a 2 + a 1)).
Therefore, for the final transition to a new orbit, the speed of the satellite must be increased again.
Calculating time
If the task is not just to transfer an artificial satellite from orbit to orbit, but to dock with another artificial satellite (target satellite), then the launch should be carried out at a strictly defined time so that both satellites come to the point B (fig. 43) at the same time. To do this, the target satellite at the time of the start of the transfer must be at the point C... To define an arc CB we will use Kepler's third law.
Since the period of revolution of the target satellite (flying in an orbit with a radius and 2) is equal T 2 = 1,65 . 10 -4 √a 2 3, and the transfer time is equal to half the period for the intermediate orbit t \u003d 1/2 T pr \u003d 0.83. 10 -4 √ a pr 3, then the length of the arc BC is by formula Material from the site
α \u003d 360 °. T etc / T 2 \u003d 180 °. √ (1/8. (1 + a 1 /a 2)),
which determines the launch time of the artificial satellite. It is produced at the moment when the satellite is at the point A, and the target satellite passes the point C (fig. 43).
Obviously, the obtained formulas are directly applied to the calculations of flights to the Moon (the spacecraft is first put into a low circular orbit) and to
The first artificial Earth satellite was created and launched into space in the USSR. It happened on October 4, 1957. On this day, radio stations around the world interrupted their programs in order to report the most important news. The Russian word "satellite" has entered all languages \u200b\u200bof the world.
It was a fantastic breakthrough of mankind in space exploration, and it marked the beginning of the great Cosmic Era of all mankind. And the palm rightfully belongs to the USSR.
Here is a picture taken in the lobby of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In the foreground is the First Sputnik, the highest technological achievement of its time.
On the second - IKI employees - outstanding scientists, creators of the first satellite, atomic weapons, space science and technology.
If not readable in the picture, here are their names:
Valentin Semenovich Etkin - sounding of the Earth's surface from space by remote radio-physical methods.
Yakov Borisovich Zeldovich, a theoretical physicist, was repeatedly awarded the 1st degree Stalin Prize for special work related to the atomic bomb. Three times Hero of Social Labor.
October 4, 1957 forever entered the history of mankind as the beginning of a new era - space. It was on this day that the first artificial satellite (AES), Sputnik-1, was sent to surf space from the Baikonur cosmodrome. It weighed relatively little - 83.6 kilograms, but at that time delivering even such a "crumb" into orbit was a very serious task.
I think that in Russia there is no person who would not know who was the first person in space.
The situation with the first satellite is more complicated. Many do not even know which country he belonged to.
Thus began a new era in science and the legendary space race between the USSR and the USA.
The era of rocketry begins at the beginning of the last century, with theory. It was then that the outstanding scientist Tsiolkovsky, in his article on a jet engine, actually predicted the appearance of satellites. Despite the fact that the professor had many students who continued to popularize his ideas, many considered him to be just a dreamer.
Then new times came, the country had many things to do and problems besides rocketry. But two decades later, a group for the study of jet propulsion was founded by Friedrich Zander and the now famous engineer aviator Korolenko. After that, there were several events that led to the fact that 30 years later the first satellite was launched into space, and after some time, a man:
1933 - Launch of the first rocket with a jet engine;
1943 - the invention of the German FAU-2 missiles;
1947-1954 - launches of P1-P7 missiles.
The device itself was ready in mid-May at 7 pm. His device was quite simple, it had 2 beacons that made it possible to measure the trajectories of his flight. Interestingly, after sending a notification that the satellite was ready for flight, Korolyov did not receive any response from Moscow and independently made a decision to place the satellite at the launch position.
The preparation and launch of the satellite was supervised by S.P. Korolev. The satellite completed 1440 full revolutions in 92 days, after which it burned up, entering the dense layers of the atmosphere. After the launch, the radio transmitters worked for two weeks.
The first satellite was named "PS-1". When the project of the first-born space was born, there were disputes among engineers and design-developers: what shape should it be? After listening to the arguments of all parties, Sergei Pavlovich categorically declared: "A ball and only a ball!" - and, without waiting for questions, explained his idea: “The sphere, its shape, the conditions of its habitation from the point of view of aerodynamics have been thoroughly studied.
Its pros and cons are known. And this is of no small importance.
Understand - FIRST! When humanity sees an artificial satellite, it should evoke good feelings in it. What can be more expressive than a ball? It is close to the shape of the natural celestial bodies of our solar system. People will perceive the satellite as a kind of image, as a symbol of the space age!
On board, I consider it necessary to install such transmitters so that their callsigns can be received by radio amateurs on all continents. The orbital flight of the satellite should be calculated so that, using the simplest optical instruments, everyone from Earth could see the flight of the Soviet satellite. "
On the morning of October 3, 1957, scientists, designers, members of the State Commission gathered at the assembly and test building - everyone who was associated with the launch. We were waiting for the removal of the Sputnik two-stage rocket and space system to the launch pad.
A metal gate opened. The locomotive, as it were, pushed out a rocket placed on a special platform. Sergei Pavlovich, establishing a new tradition, took off his hat. His example of high respect for the work that created this miracle of technology was followed by others.
Korolev took a few steps behind the rocket, stopped and, according to the old Russian custom, said: "Well, with God!"
There were only a few hours left before the start of the space age. What awaited Korolev and his associates? Will October 4 be the victory day he has dreamed of for many years? The sky, strewn with stars that night, seemed to be closer to Earth. And everyone who was present at the launch site involuntarily looked at Korolev. What was he thinking, looking into the dark sky, twinkling with myriads of near and far stars? Maybe he remembered the words of Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky: "The first great step of mankind is to fly out of the atmosphere and become a satellite of the Earth"?
The last meeting of the State Commission before the start. A little over an hour remained before the start of the experiment. The floor was given to S.P. Korolev, everyone was waiting for a detailed report, but the chief designer was short: “The launch vehicle and the satellite passed the launch tests. I propose to launch the rocket and space complex at the appointed time, today at 22 hours 28 minutes. "
And now the long-awaited start!
EARTH'S FIRST ARTIFICIAL SATELLITE, SOVIET
SPACE VEHICLE LAUNCHED INTO ORBIT. "
The launch was carried out from the 5th research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense "Tyura-Tam" on the "Sputnik" carrier rocket, created on the basis of the R7 intercontinental ballistic missile.
Launch and flight
On Friday, October 4, at 22:28:34 Moscow time (19:28:34 GMT), a successful launch was made.
295 seconds after the launch of the PS-1 and the central block (stage II), the missiles weighing 7.5 tons were launched to
An elliptical orbit with an altitude of 947 km at apogee, 288 km at a perigee. At the same time, the apogee was in the Southern Hemisphere, and the perigee was in the Northern Hemisphere. 314.5 seconds after the launch, the protective cone was dropped and Sputnik separated from the second stage of the launch vehicle, and he gave his voice. "Beep! Beep! " - so his callsign sounded.
They were caught at the range for 2 minutes, then Sputnik went beyond the horizon. People at the cosmodrome ran out into the street, shouted "Hurray!", Shook the designers and the military.
And on the first round, the TASS message sounded:
"As a result of a lot of hard work of research institutes and design bureaus, the world's first artificial Earth satellite was created."
Only after the first satellite signals were received, the results of telemetry data processing were received and it turned out that only a fraction of a second separated from failure. Before the start, the engine in the G block was "lagging", and the time of reaching the mode is tightly controlled, and if it is exceeded, the start is automatically canceled.
The block went into operation less than a second before the control time. At the 16th second of the flight, the tank emptying system (SOB) failed, and due to the increased consumption of kerosene, the central engine turned off 1 second earlier than the estimated time. According to the memoirs of B. Ye. Chertok: “A little more - and the first space velocity could not be reached.
But the winners are not judged! A great thing has happened! "
The inclination of Sputnik 1's orbit was about 65 degrees, which meant that Sputnik 1 flew approximately between the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle, shifting 24 degrees in longitude due to the rotation of the Earth during each revolution 37.
The orbital period of Sputnik-1 was initially 96.2 minutes, then it gradually decreased due to the lowering of the orbit, for example, after 22 days it became less by 53 seconds.
History of creation
The flight of the first satellite was preceded by long-term work of scientists and designers, in which scientists played a significant role.
Here are their names:
Valentin Semenovich Etkin - sounding of the Earth's surface from space by remote radio-physical methods.
Pavel Efimovich Elyasberg - at the launch of the first Artificial Earth Satellite, he supervised the work on determining the orbits and predicting the satellite's motion based on the measurement results.
Yan Lvovich Ziman - Ph.D. thesis, defended at MIIGAiK, was devoted to the choice of orbits for satellites.
Georgy Ivanovich Petrov - together with S.P. Korolev and M.V. Keldysh, who stood at the origins of cosmonautics.
Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky is the founder of the school of modern astrophysics.
Georgy Stepanovich Narimanov - programs and methods of navigation and ballistic support when controlling flights of artificial earth satellites.
Konstantin Iosifovich Gringauz, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched in 1957, carried on board a radio transmitter created by a scientific and technical group led by K. I. Gringauz.
Yuri Ilyich Galperin - magnetospheric research.
Semyon Samoilovich Moiseev - Plasma and Hydrodynamics.
Vasily Ivanovich Moroz - Physics of planets and small bodies of the Solar system.
Satellite device
The satellite body consisted of two power hemispherical shells 58.0 cm in diameter made of aluminum-magnesium alloy AMg-6 2 mm thick with docking frames connected by 36 М8 × 2.5 studs. Before launch, the satellite was filled with dry nitrogen gas at a pressure of 1.3 atmospheres. The tightness of the joint was ensured by a vacuum rubber gasket. The upper half-shell had a smaller radius and was covered with a hemispherical outer screen 1 mm thick to provide thermal insulation.
The surfaces of the shells were polished and processed to give them special optical properties. On the upper half-shell, there were two corner dipole antennas, facing backwards; each one consisted of two shoulder pins 2.4 m long (VHF antenna) and 2.9 m long (HF antenna), the angle between the arms in a pair was 70 °; the shoulders were bred to the required angle with a spring
mechanism after separation from the launch vehicle. Such an antenna provided nearly uniform radiation in all directions, which was required for stable radio reception due to the fact that the satellite was not oriented. The antenna design was proposed by G. T. Markov (MPEI). On the front half-shell there were four sockets for mounting antennas with fittings
pressure seals and filling valve flange. On the rear half-shell there was a blocking heel contact, which turned on the autonomous on-board power supply after separation of the satellite from the launch vehicle, as well as the flange of the test system connector.
Inside the sealed case were placed:
block of electrochemical sources (silver-zinc batteries); radio transmitting device; a fan that turns on from a thermal relay at a temperature above + 30 ° C and turns off when the temperature drops to + 20 ... 23 ° C; thermal relay and air duct of the thermal control system;
switching device of onboard electrical automation; temperature and pressure sensors;
onboard cable network. Weight - 83.6 kg.
Flight parameters
The flight began on October 4, 1957 at 19:28:34 GMT.
The end of the flight is January 4, 1958.
The mass of the device is 83.6 kg.
The maximum diameter is 0.58 m.
The orbital inclination is 65.1 °.
The circulation period is 96.2 minutes.
Perigee - 228 km.
Apogee - 947 km.
Turns - 1440.
Memory
In honor of the beginning of the space era of mankind in 1964, a 99-meter obelisk to the Conquerors of Space was opened in Moscow on Prospekt Mira.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the launch of "Sputnik-1" on October 4, 2007 in the city of Korolev on Kosmonavtov Avenue, a monument to the "First artificial Earth satellite" was unveiled.
* * *
Gaining speed, the rocket confidently went up. Everyone who was involved in the launch of the satellite gathered at the launch site. The nervous excitement did not abate. Everyone was waiting for the satellite to fly around the Earth and appear over the cosmodrome. “There is a signal,” the operator's voice came over the speakerphone.
At the same moment, the clear, confident voice of a companion poured from the speaker over the steppe. Everyone applauded in unison. Someone shouted "Hurray!", The victory cry was picked up by the others. Strong handshakes, hugs. An atmosphere of happiness reigned ... Korolev looked around: Ryabinin, Keldysh, Glushko, Kuznetsov, Nesterenko, Bushuev, Pilyugin, Ryazansky, Tikhonravov. Everybody here, everybody is near - "a mighty handful in science and technology", adherents of Tsiolkovsky's ideas.
It seemed that the general jubilation of those gathered at these moments at the launch site was impossible to stop. But then Korolev rose to the impromptu rostrum. There was silence. He did not hide his joy: his eyes shone, his face, usually stern, shone.
“Today, what the best sons of mankind dreamed about, and among them our famous scientist Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, has come true. He brilliantly predicted that humanity will not remain forever on Earth. The companion is the first confirmation of his prophecy. The assault on space began. We can be proud that our Motherland started it. Many Russian thanks to everyone! "
Here are the reviews from the foreign press.
The Italian scientist Beniamino Segre, having learned about the satellite, said: "As a person and as a scientist, I am proud of the triumph of the human mind, which underlines the high level of socialist science."
Review of The New York Times: “The success of the USSR first of all shows that this is the greatest feat of Soviet science and technology. Such a feat could be accomplished only by a country with first-class conditions in a very wide area of \u200b\u200bscience and technology. "
The statement of the German rocket scientist Hermann Obert is curious: “Only a country with a huge scientific and technical potential could successfully solve such a difficult task as the launch of the first Earth satellite. A considerable number of specialists also had to be available. And the Soviet Union has them. I admire the talent of Soviet scientists. "
Scientist-physicist, Nobel Prize laureate Frederic Joliot-Curie gave the deepest assessment to what had happened: “This is a great victory of man, which is a turning point in the history of civilization. Man is no longer chained to his planet. "
In all languages \u200b\u200bof the world that day sounded: "space", "satellite", "USSR", "Russian scientists".
In 1958 S.P. Korolev delivers a report "On the program for the study of the Moon", supervises the launch of a geophysical rocket with research equipment and two dogs in the descent vehicle, participates in organizing the flight of the third artificial Earth satellite - the first scientific station. And a lot of other scientific work was done under his leadership.
And finally, the triumph of science - April 12, 1961. Sergey Pavlovich Korolev - the head of the historical flight of man into space. This day became an event in the history of mankind: for the first time, man conquered gravity and rushed into outer space ... Then it took real courage and courage to get into the “space ball”, as the “Vostok” ship was sometimes called, and, without thinking about his own fate, take off into the boundless starry space.
The day before, Korolev addressed the members of the State Commission: “Dear comrades! Less than four years have passed since the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite, and we are already ready for the first manned flight into space. There is a group of astronauts here, each of them ready to fly. It was decided that Yuri Gagarin would fly first. Others will follow him in the near future. Next in line we have new flights that will be interesting for science and for the good of mankind. "
Korolev's Martian project remained unfinished. New ones will come, those who will continue this project and lead their ships along the Milky Way to distant planets, to distant worlds ...
On my own I can add that glory to the Fatherland is brought and will be brought by the heroes of science, who have imprinted Knowledge with their lives.
Above us are the same, like ancient, heaven,
And they pour their streams to us in the same way,
And miracles are happening these days
And in our day there are prophets ...
A satellite of the Earth is any object that moves in a curved path around a planet. The Moon is the original, natural satellite of the Earth, and there are many artificial satellites, usually in close orbit to Earth. The satellite's path is an orbit, which sometimes takes the form of a circle.
Content:
To understand why the satellites move in this way, we must return to our friend Newton. exists between any two objects in the universe. If it were not for this force, a satellite moving near the planet would continue to move at the same speed and in the same direction - in a straight line. However, this rectilinear inertial path of the satellite is balanced by the strong gravitational attraction directed towards the center of the planet.
Orbits of artificial earth satellites
Sometimes the orbit of an artificial satellite looks like an ellipse, a squashed circle that moves around two points known as foci. The same basic laws of motion apply, except that the planet is in one focus. As a result, the net force applied to the satellite is not uniform throughout its orbit, and the satellite's speed is constantly changing. It moves fastest when it is closest to Earth - a point known as perigee - and slowest when it is farthest from Earth - a point known as apogee.
There are many different satellite Earth orbits. The ones that receive the most attention are geostationary orbits, as they are stationary over a specific point on the Earth.
The orbit chosen for the artificial satellite depends on its application. For example, for live broadcast television, geostationary orbit is used. Many communications satellites also use geostationary orbit. Other satellite systems, such as satellite telephones, can use low earth orbits.
Similarly, satellite systems used for navigation, such as Navstar or Global Positioning (GPS), occupy a relatively low Earth orbit. There are also many other types of satellites. From meteorological satellites to research satellites. Each of them will have its own type of orbit depending on its application.
The actual chosen orbit of an Earth satellite will depend on factors including its function and the area in which it is intended to serve. In some cases, the Earth satellite's orbit can be as high as 100 miles (160 km) for LEO, while others can be as high as 22,000 miles (36,000 km), as is the case for the GEO-orbiting GEO orbit.
The first artificial earth satellite
The first artificial earth satellite was launched on October 4, 1957 by the Soviet Union and was the first artificial satellite in history.
Sputnik 1 was the first of several satellites launched by the Soviet Union in the Sputnik program, most of which were successful. Satellite 2 followed a second satellite in orbit and also the first one to carry an animal on board, a bitch named Laika. The first failure was Sputnik 3.
The first earth satellite had an approximate mass of 83 kg, had two radio transmitters (20.007 and 40.002 MHz) and orbited the Earth at a distance of 938 km from its apogee and 214 km at its perigee. Analysis of radio signals was used to obtain information on the concentration of electrons in the ionosphere. Temperature and pressure were encoded for the duration of the radio signals it was emitting, indicating that the satellite was not perforated by a meteorite.
The first earth satellite was an aluminum sphere 58 cm in diameter with four long and thin antennas ranging in length from 2.4 to 2.9 m. The antennas looked like long mustaches. The spacecraft received information about the density of the upper atmosphere and the propagation of radio waves in the ionosphere. Devices and sources of electrical energy were placed in a capsule, which also included radio transmitters operating at 20.007 and 40.002 MHz (about 15 and 7.5 m at a wavelength), emissions were made in alternative groups of 0.3 s duration. Telemetry grounding included temperature data inside and on the surface of the sphere.
Since the sphere was filled with nitrogen under pressure, Sputnik 1 had its first opportunity to detect meteorites, although it did not. The pressure loss inside, due to penetration on the outer surface, was reflected in the temperature data.
Types of artificial satellites
Artificial satellites come in different types, shapes, sizes and play different roles.
- Weather satellites help meteorologists predict the weather or see what is happening at the moment. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) is a good example. These earth satellites usually contain cameras that can return photographs of the earth's weather, either from fixed geostationary positions or from polar orbits.
- Communication satellites allow the transmission of telephone and informational conversations via satellite. Typical communications satellites include Telstar and Intelsat. The most important feature of a communications satellite is a transponder - a radio receiver that picks up a conversation on one frequency and then amplifies it and re-transmits it back to Earth on a different frequency. A satellite usually contains hundreds or thousands of transponders. Communication satellites are usually geosynchronous.
- Broadcast satellites transmit television signals from one point to another (similar to communication satellites).
- Scientific satellitessuch as the Hubble Space Telescope carry out all kinds of scientific missions. They look at everything from sunspots to gamma rays.
- Navigation satellites help ships and planes navigate. The most famous satellites are GPS NAVSTAR.
- Rescue satellites react to radio interference signals.
- Earth observation satellites they check the planet for changes in everything: from temperature, afforestation, to ice cover. The most famous are the Landsat series.
- Military satellites The earths are in orbit, but most of the actual position information remains classified. Satellites can include encrypted communication relaying, nuclear monitoring, surveillance of enemy movements, early warning of missile launches, eavesdropping of ground radio links, radar imaging, and photography (using essentially large telescopes that photograph militarily interesting areas).
Earth from artificial satellite in real time
Satellite imagery of the earth, broadcast in real time by NASA from the International Space Station. Images are captured by four high-resolution cameras isolated from low temperatures, allowing us to feel closer to space than ever before.
Experiment (HDEV) aboard the ISS was activated on April 30, 2014. It is mounted on the external cargo vehicle of the European Space Agency's Columbus module. This experiment includes several high definition video cameras that are enclosed in a housing.
Council; place the player in HD and full screen. There are times when the screen will be black, this may be for two reasons: the station passes through the orbit zone, where it is at night, the orbit lasts approximately 90 minutes. Or the screen gets dark when the cameras are changed.
How many satellites are in Earth's orbit 2018?
According to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) Index of Objects Launched into Outer Space, there are currently about 4,256 satellites orbiting the Earth, up 4.39% from last year.
221 satellites were launched in 2015, the second largest in one year, although below the record 240 launched in 2014. The increase in the number of satellites orbiting the Earth is less than the number launched last year because satellites have a limited lifespan. Large communication satellites from 15 years or more, while small satellites such as CubeSat can only count on a service life of 3-6 months.
How many of these Earth orbiting satellites are in operation?
The Union of Scientists (UCS) is clarifying which of these orbiting satellites are working, and that's not as much as you might think! Currently, there are only 1,419 operational Earth satellites - only about one third of the total in orbit. This means there is a lot of useless metal around the planet! This is why there is a lot of interest from companies watching them capture and recover space debris using techniques such as space nets, slingshots or solar sails.
What are all these satellites doing?
According to UCS data, the main targets of operational satellites are:
- Communication - 713 satellites
- Earth observation / science - 374 satellites
- Technological demonstration / development using 160 satellites
- Navigation & GPS - 105 satellites
- Space Science - 67 satellites
It should be noted that some satellites have multiple targets.
Who owns the satellites of the Earth?
It is interesting to note that there are four main types of users in the UCS database, although 17% of satellites are owned by multiple users.
- 94 satellites registered by civilians: these are usually educational institutions, although there are other national organizations. 46% of these satellites have the goal of developing technologies such as earth and space science. Observation is another 43%.
- 579 are owned by commercial users: commercial organizations and government organizations that want to sell the data they collect. 84% of these satellites are focused on communications and global positioning services; of the remaining 12% are Earth observation satellites.
- 401 satellites are owned by government users: mainly national space organizations, but also other national and international bodies. 40% of them are communications and global positioning satellites; another 38% are focused on Earth observation. Of the rest, the development of space science and technology is 12% and 10% respectively.
- 345 satellites belong to the military: communications, Earth observation and global positioning systems are again concentrated here, with 89% of satellites serving one of these three targets.
How many satellites countries have
According to UNOOSA, about 65 countries have launched satellites, although there are only 57 countries registered using satellites in the UCS database and some satellites are listed with co-operative / multinational operators. The biggest:
- USA with 576 satellites
- China with 181 satellites
- Russia with 140 satellites
- The UK is listed as having 41 satellites, plus participates in an additional 36 satellites held by the European Space Agency.
Remember when you look!
The next time you look at the night sky, remember that between you and the stars there are about two million kilograms of metal surrounding the Earth!
The first artificial earth satellite, which was successfully launched on October 4, 1957, marked the beginning of a new era - the era of the conquest of outer space.
This colossal technical breakthrough is the merit of a team of Soviet scientists and designers headed by the recognized founder of cosmonautics S.P.Korolev.
General information about Sputnik - 1
Sputnik - 1 was originally named PS - 1. This name stands for "The simplest satellite - 1". It is a spherical object made of high strength magnesium alloy.
The sphere diameter is 58 cm. It consists of two parts, bolted together. Four VHF and HF antennas are mounted on its surface. The presence of antennas allows tracking its location during the flight.
The upper part of the satellite has a hemispherical screen. It plays the role of a thermal insulation coating. The satellite contains batteries, a radio transmitter and all the necessary instruments and sensors.
History of creation
Attempts to create an artificial satellite were made long before PS - 1 flew. Leading German designer Wernher von Braun worked on the creation of an unmanned orbital object.
As an employee of the US Strategic Arms Service, he presented his experimental model of the spacecraft to the military. But none of his attempts were successful.
In the USSR, teams of enthusiastic engineers worked selflessly on this idea. They were not assembled in design laboratories or in spacious hangars and workshops. The ideas of space flights were born in metal workshops and basements.
1946 was the year of the creation of the USSR rocket industry, the head of which was appointed the brilliant Soviet designer S.P.Korolev. Despite the fact that the country has not yet recovered from the terrible consequences of the Second World War, Soviet scientists and engineers managed to create a powerful technical base.
Several years later, the first successful launch of the R-1 ballistic missile was carried out. Later, its analogue "R-2" was launched, which was distinguished by large indicators of range and flight speed.
Model of the first space satellite
After successful tests of the new R-3 intercontinental rocket, Soviet scientists managed to convince the government of the advisability of creating the first space satellite of the earth.
In 1955, this project received the approval of the highest authorities of the government, which marked the beginning of hard work on the creation of the world's first orbital object.
It is difficult to say with complete certainty who invented and created the satellite. In many ways, this is the merit of the entire team of designers and engineers, headed by S.P.Korolev and M.K. Tikhonravov.
Two years later, the satellite was ready. Its weight was about 84 kg. The shape of the satellite was not chosen by chance. It is the sphere that represents the ideal shape with the maximum volume with the minimum surface.
In addition, this object was supposed to become a symbol of the space age and be an example of an ideal spacecraft, primarily in terms of its appearance.
Launch of the first artificial Earth satellite
Space became more and more accessible every day. On October 4, 1957, in the Kazakh steppe, one of the greatest events in the history of mankind took place - an intercontinental rocket with a spherical object on board was launched at the Baikonur cosmodrome.
The R-7 launch vehicle soared skyward with a shrill roar. A few minutes later, the spacecraft was launched into orbit, the height of which was about 950 km.
Some time later, the first man-made object set off on its legendary free flight. Long-awaited signals were received on the ground.
The satellite flew over the ground for 92 days, making 1400 revolutions. After that, the satellite was destined to die. Losing speed, he began to approach the surface of the earth and simply burned out, overcoming the resistance of the atmosphere.
After the first orbit around the Earth, the main announcer of the country of the Soviets, Yu. B. Levitan, announced the successful launch of the first satellite.
Thanks to the special power settings of the radio transmitter, the signal from the satellite could be easily received by both specialists and ordinary radio amateurs. Millions of people around the world clung to radio speakers to hear the "voice from outer space."
For each revolution around the Earth, the satellite spent an average of 95 - 96 minutes. It is noteworthy that the satellite as such was not visible to the naked eye, although after its launch, a moving point could be observed in the sky.
In fact, this flying star is nothing more than the last stage of the launch vehicle, which continued to orbit for some time until it burned out in the atmosphere.
It is worth noting: despite the fact that all the instruments and control devices of the apparatus were created, as they say, from scratch, none of them failed during the flight.
When creating electronic power supplies, the latest technologies of those years were used, which had no analogues in any country for many years.
Scientific results of the "Sputnik-1" flight
It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this legendary event. In addition to strengthening faith in space travel and enhancing the country's prestige, he made an invaluable contribution to the development and strengthening of the scientific potential of that time.
The analysis of the PS-1 flight made it possible to begin the study of the ionosphere, the properties of which had not been fully studied. In particular, scientists were interested in the issue of the propagation of radio waves in its environment. In addition, measurements were made of the parameters of the density of the atmosphere and its effect on the orbital object.
Analysis of the collected data has become a good help in the design and creation of new components and mechanisms for future spacecraft.
Some of the more curious facts:
The era of the conquest of space remembers many significant events, each of which was given at the cost of incredible efforts and losses. One way or another, the thorny path to the stars was laid just then - on October 4, 1957.
It was this date that served as the starting point for the development of domestic cosmonautics as an independent industry and determined its further destiny.