After the launch of a Soviet artificial satellite into orbit in 1957, the great task of conquering outer space began. Test launches, in which various living organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, were placed in satellites, allowed spacecraft to be improved. And the flights into space of the famous Belka and Strelka led to stabilization of the return descent. Everything went to the preparation of a significant event - sending a man into space.
Manned space flight
In 1961 (April 12) "Vostok" carried into orbit the first cosmonaut in history - Yuri Gagarin. After a few minutes of rotation, the pilot via communication channels reported that all processes were normal. The flight lasted 108 minutes, during which time Gagarin received messages from the Earth, kept a radio report and logbook, monitored the readings of on-board systems, and performed manual control (first trial attempts).
The spacecraft with the astronaut landed near Saratov, the reason for landing in an unplanned place was a malfunction in the separation of compartments and a failure of the braking system. The whole country, frozen in front of the TVs, watched this flight.
In August 1961, the Vostok-2 spacecraft was launched, driven by German Titov. The device spent more than 25 hours in open space, during the flight it made 17.5 revolutions around the planet. After a thorough study of the data obtained, exactly one year later, two ships were launched - Vostok-3 and Vostok-4. Launched into orbit with a difference of a day, the vehicles controlled by Nikolaev and Popovich carried out the first group flight in history. "Vostok-3" made 64 revolutions in 95 hours, "Vostok-4" - 48 revolutions in 71 hours.
Valentina Tereshkova - a woman in space
In June 1963, Vostok-6 launched with the sixth Soviet cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova. At the same time, Vostok-5, controlled by Valery Bykovsky, was also in orbit. Tereshkova spent about 3 days in orbit in total, during which time the ship made 48 revolutions. During the flight, Valentina carefully recorded all observations in the logbook, and with the help of photographs of the horizon she made, scientists were able to detect aerosol layers in the atmosphere.
Spacewalk by Alexei Leonov
On March 18, 1965, Voskhod-2 was launched with a new crew on board, one of which was Alexei Leonov. The spacecraft was equipped with a camera to take the astronaut into open space. A specially designed spacesuit, reinforced with a multi-layered hermetic shell, allowed Leonov to leave the lock chamber for the entire length of the halyard (5.35 m). Pavel Belyaev, another member of the Voskhod-2 crew, monitored all operations with the help of a television camera. These significant events forever entered the history of the development of Soviet cosmonautics, being the crown of the development of science and technology of that time.
One of the most outstanding achievements of Soviet science is undoubtedly space exploration in the USSR... Similar developments were carried out in many countries, but only the USSR and the USA were able to achieve real success at that time, ahead of other states for many decades. Moreover, the first steps in space really belong to the Soviet people. It was in the Soviet Union that the first successful launch was carried out, as well as the launch into orbit of the launch vehicle with the PS-1 satellite. Until this triumphant moment, six generations of rockets had been created, with the help of which it was not possible to carry out a successful launch into space. And only the R-7 generation allowed for the first time to develop the first space velocity of 8 km / s, which made it possible to overcome the force of gravity and put the object into near-earth orbit. The first space rockets were converted from long-range combat ballistic missiles. They have been improved and the engines have been boosted.
The first successful launch of an artificial earth satellite took place on October 4, 1957. However, only ten years later, this date was recognized as the official day of the proclamation of the space age. The first satellite was called PS-1, it was launched from the fifth research site, which is under the jurisdiction of the Union Defense Ministry. By itself, this satellite weighed only 80 kilograms, and in diameter it did not exceed 60 centimeters. This object stayed in orbit for 92 days, during which time it covered a distance of 60 million kilometers.
The device was equipped with four antennas through which the satellite communicated with the ground. The structure of this device included an electric power supply unit, batteries, a radio transmitter, various sensors, a system of on-board electrical automation, and a device for temperature control. The satellite did not reach the earth, it burned up in the earth's atmosphere.
Further space exploration by the Soviet Union was undoubtedly successful. It was the USSR that for the first time managed to send a person on a space journey. Moreover, the first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, managed to return alive from space, thanks to which he became a national hero. However, subsequently, space exploration in the USSR, in short, was restrained. Affected by the technical lag and the era of stagnation. However, Russia continues to enjoy the successes achieved in those days to this day.
Space exploration in the USSR: facts, results
August 12, 1962 - the world's first group space flight was performed on the ships Vostok-3 and Vostok-4.
June 16, 1963 - the world's first space flight of a woman-cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was made on the Vostok-6 spacecraft.
October 12, 1964 - the world's first multi-seat spacecraft Voskhod-1 took off.
March 18, 1965 - the first ever manned spacewalk took place. Alexey Leonov made a spacewalk from the Voskhod-2 spacecraft.
October 30, 1967 - the first docking of two unmanned spacecraft "Kosmos-186" and "Kosmos-188" was performed.
September 15, 1968 - the first return of the Zond-5 spacecraft to Earth after a flyby of the Moon. On board were living things: turtles, fruit flies, worms, bacteria.
January 16, 1969 - the first docking of two manned spacecraft Soyuz-4 and Soyuz-5 was carried out.
November 15, 1988 - the first and only space flight of MTKK "Buran" in automatic mode.
Exploration of planets in the USSR
January 4, 1959 - the Luna-1 station passed at a distance of 60 thousand km from the lunar surface and entered a heliocentric orbit. She is the world's first artificial satellite of the Sun.
September 14, 1959 - the Luna-2 station for the first time in the world reached the surface of the Moon in the Sea of \u200b\u200bClarity region.
October 4, 1959 - the automatic interplanetary station "Luna-3" was launched, which for the first time in the world photographed the side of the Moon invisible from the Earth. During the flight, for the first time in the world, a gravity assist was carried out.
February 3, 1966 - AMS Luna-9 made the world's first soft landing on the lunar surface, panoramic images of the Moon were transmitted.
March 1, 1966 - Venera-3 station first reached the surface of Venus. This is the world's first flight of a spacecraft from Earth to another planet. April 3, 1966 - the Luna-10 station became the first artificial satellite of the Moon.
September 24, 1970 - Luna-16 station took and then delivered lunar soil samples to the Earth. It is the first unmanned spacecraft to deliver rock samples to Earth from another space body.
November 17, 1970 - soft landing and the start of operation of the world's first semi-automatic self-propelled vehicle Lunokhod-1.
December 15, 1970 - the world's first soft landing on the surface of Venus: "Venera-7".
October 20, 1975 - the Venera-9 station became the first artificial satellite of Venus.
October 1975 - soft landing of two spacecraft "Venera-9" and "Venera-10" and the world's first images of the surface of Venus.
The Soviet Union has done a lot for the study and exploration of space. The USSR was many years ahead of other countries, including the US superpower.
Sources: antiquehistory.ru, prepbase.ru, badlike.ru, ussr.0-ua.com, www.vorcuta.ru, ru.wikipedia.org
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Today is the anniversary of the manned spacewalk.
55 years ago, the Soviet Union, barely recovering from the hardest war, "tamed the fire" and fulfilled the long-standing dream of mankind - brought it into space. Even if it was not the big Cosmos that science fiction writers dreamed about ... but it was the first step. Into a new era.
Happy holiday, comrades!
10/22/1975 - the first photo of the solid surface of Venus
04/09/1980 - 10/11/1980 - the first six months (185 days) in space (Leonid Ivanovich POPOV, Valery Viktorovich RYUMIN)
03/23/1983 - the first space ultraviolet telescope "Astron".
12/21/1987 - 12/21/1988 - the first year in space (Vladimir Georgievich TITOV, Musa Hiramanovich MANAROV)
11/15/1988 - the first computer controlled, without human intervention (MCC "Buran")
08.01.1994–22.03.1995 - the longest (437 days) flight into space (Valery POLYAKOV). The record for the duration of one flight has been held for over 20 years.
Record for the total duration of being in space (878 days) - also ours (Gennady Ivanovich PADALKA).
Maximum number of spacewalks - 16 exits with a total duration of 78 hours 46 minutes outside the station (Anatoly Yakovlevich SOLOVIEV).
P.S.
About our achievements in the field of military space - a series of articles under the tag.
History abstract
Space achievements of the USSR
Introduction
The first artificial satellites
Animals in space
Rocket launches to planets
Group flights
A new generation of satellites
A new era in astronautics
Spacecraft, reusable
Mir station
Conclusion
List of used literature
Introduction
Since ancient times, a person has been drawn to look into the starry sky. This inexplicable craving was fascinating and inspiring. Sometimes a person could watch a light fly across the dark night sky and then disappear somewhere. And he did not know what it was, did not know physics, astronomy, but it fascinated him. He felt that something unusual was happening, something magical, enchanting and inexplicable. Some peoples worshiped the stars, considering them to be reflections of the gods. Others predicted the future from them. Probably, then people had a desire to reach them.
Centuries passed, civilizations changed, some peoples were conquered by others, people acquired new knowledge, technologies developed, but the craving for the stars did not disappear, but only became stronger. And then one day people have developed so much that they were able to make their dreams come true. This happened in the twentieth century. It will forever go down in history as the age of cosmic achievements.
The development of rocketry came at the height of the Cold War, when the USSR and the United States fought for the right to be called the strongest country on the planet.
Now the flight of a rocket into space is no surprise, and space programs are scheduled for many years ahead, but half a century ago, when the first spacecraft appeared, people hardly believed in what was happening. Space flights are one of the most important achievements of mankind. How did it all begin ...
The first artificial satellites
The beginning of human penetration into space was laid on May 20, 1954, the government issued a decree on the development of a two-stage intercontinental missile R-7. And on May 27, Korolev sent a report to the Minister of Defense Industry DF Ustinov on the development of an artificial satellite and the possibility of launching it with the help of the future R-7 rocket.
The developed rocket design of the new layout on November 20, 1954 was approved by the USSR Council of Ministers. It was necessary in the shortest possible time to solve many new problems, which included, in addition to the development and construction of the rocket itself, the choice of a site for the launch site, the construction of launch facilities, the commissioning of all the necessary services and equipment with observation posts of the entire 7000-kilometer flight route.
The first R-7 missile complex was built and tested during 1955-1956 at the Leningrad Metal Plant. October 4, 1957 This rocket put into orbit the first artificial Earth satellite in the history of mankind. He weighed 83.6 kg. Having broken through the earth's atmosphere, the first space swallow carried scientific instruments and radio transmitters into near-earth space. They transmitted to Earth the first scientific information about outer space surrounding the Earth.
20 days after the launch, the space firstborn fell silent - the batteries of its transmitters were exhausted. Gradually descending, it existed for about two and a half months and burned up in the lower, denser layers of the atmosphere.
The flight of the first satellite made it possible to obtain the most valuable information. Having carefully studied the gradual change in orbit due to deceleration in the atmosphere, scientists were able to calculate the density of the atmosphere at all altitudes where the satellite flew, and from these data more accurately predict the change in the orbits of subsequent satellites.
The second Soviet satellite was launched into a more elongated orbit on November 3, 1957. While the rocket of the first satellite made it possible to lift it 947 km, the rocket of the second satellite was more powerful. With almost the same minimum ascent altitude, the apogee of the orbit reached 1671 km, and the satellite weighed significantly more than the first - 508.3 kg.
The third satellite rose even higher - by 1880 km and was even heavier. Sputnik 3 was the first full-fledged spacecraft with all the systems inherent in modern spacecraft. Conical in shape with a base diameter of 1.73 meters and a height of 3.75 meters, the satellite weighed 1,327 kilograms. 12 scientific instruments were placed on board the satellite. The sequence of their work was set by a program-time device. For the first time, it was supposed to use an onboard tape recorder to record telemetry in those parts of the orbit that were not available to ground tracking stations. Immediately before the launch, its malfunction was discovered, and the satellite went on a flight with an inoperative tape recorder.
For the first time, onboard equipment received and executed commands transmitted from the Earth. For the first time, an active thermal control system was used to maintain operating temperatures. Electricity was provided by disposable chemical sources, in addition to which solar panels were used for the first time for experimental verification, from which a small radio beacon operated. Its work continued even after the main batteries were exhausted.
january 1959, the Soviet space rocket "Luna-1" rushed towards the moon and entered the near-solar orbit. She became a satellite of the Sun. In the West, she was called a lunar. The launch of it traced the entire thickness of near-earth space. In 34 hours of flight, the rocket covered 370 thousand km, crossed the moon's orbit and entered the space around the sun. After that, for about 30 more hours, its flight was monitored and the most valuable scientific information was received from the instruments installed on it.
The information obtained during this flight significantly supplemented our information about one of the most important discoveries of the first years of the space era - the discovery of near-earth radiation belts.
No less amazing was the flight of the second Soviet space rocket Luna-2, launched on September 12, 1959. The instrument container of this rocket on September 14 touched the surface of the Moon! For the first time in history, an apparatus created by human hands reached another celestial body and delivered to a lifeless planet a monument to the great feat of the Soviet people - a pennant with the coat of arms of the USSR. Luna-2 established that the Moon has no magnetic field and no radiation belts within the accuracy of the instruments.
october 1959, on the day of the second anniversary of the launch of the first Soviet Earth satellite, the third space rocket, Luna-3, was launched in the Soviet Union. She separated from herself an automatic interplanetary station with instruments. The container was directed so that after circling the moon, it returned back to the area of \u200b\u200bthe Earth. The equipment installed in it photographed and transmitted to the Earth an image of the far side of the Moon, which is not visible to us.
Dozens of unresolved questions faced science. It was necessary to create many times more powerful launch vehicles for launching spacecraft into orbit, several times heavier than the heaviest artificial satellites launched earlier. It was necessary to concentrate and build flying vehicles that would not only fully ensure the safety of the astronaut at all stages of the flight, but also create the necessary conditions for his life and work. It was necessary to develop a whole complex of special training that would allow the organism of future astronauts to adapt in advance to existence in conditions of overload and weightlessness. There were many other issues to be resolved.
Animals in space
Selecting dogs for flight is not easy. We need animals that would simultaneously meet many requirements, combine different qualities.
We need a female. The size of the dogs selected should be unusual. For flights, dogs are selected slightly larger than cats, their weight should not exceed 6-7 kg. Need a mongrel dog. Age of dogs is also important. Based on experience, it has been found that for experiments it is best to take dogs between the ages of one and a half to 5-6 years. Coat color is also very important. It is desirable that the coat be white.
When dogs are selected for all these criteria, their training begins: training animals for overload, vibration and noise, and much more.
In September 1957, all the merits and demerits of the various dogs finally selected for space flight were discussed.
The most favorable marks are given to a white dog with symmetrical black spots on half-hanging ears - Laika. It is this animal that is destined to become the first "cosmonaut".
The flight of a spaceship with Laika can be schematically divided into two stages.
The first is the so-called active section of the trajectory. This is the section of the path when the rocket engines are running.
The second stage is the movement of the satellite in orbit, when the spacecraft rushes at the speed imparted to it in outer space, in complete silence, in the absence of any visual stimuli. All this time the dog was in a state of weightlessness.
It took only two minutes, and the speed of the rocket increased so rapidly that the weight of all objects in it increased four and a half times.
Immediately after the start, the heart rate increased, compared with the initial, about three times. Later, the heart rate decreased.
With increasing overload, the dog's respiration rate also increased significantly. But all this did not last very long. The last powerful push of the rocket engines, and the satellite begins to move by inertia. Suddenly, an unusual silence ensues in the animal's cabin. Vibrations disappear. Gradually, the weight of the dog becomes zero.
Finding itself at a great distance from the Earth, the satellite radio station continuously sent its signals over the air. These signals were picked up.
Physiological processes of the space traveler, significantly altered in the active section, when the overloads were in effect, come to normal under zero gravity.
The animal lived. It was breathing, his heart was beating, his brain was functioning. It was wonderful. This means that a small island of the earth was created in space, on which highly organized animals can successfully live.
The data obtained during this flight were of fundamental importance for space medicine and biology. They showed for the first time that the prolonged effect of weightlessness does not cause disturbances in the basic physiological functions of the animal.
In August 1960, it was decided to repeat the experiment. Again the best of the best trained dogs are selected. Belka and Strelka are the animals that were chosen.
Belka and Strelka patiently endure all preparations for the flight. Now there are much more instruments than there were in 1957. A feature of the cabin, in which the animals will fly, is that it is equipped like a cabin for a person: the same equipment ensures vital activity, thermoregulation also occurs, etc.
And in space, at an altitude of over 300 km, Belka and Strelka fly around the Earth over and over again. It was just hard to believe that they make every such turn around our planet in just an hour and a half. The dogs felt good during the orbital flight.
Everyone was sure that Belka and Strelka would return to Earth, but there were many unrest. Not a single creature, having been in space for several hours, has never returned from there.
The sixteenth revolution, the seventeenth revolution of the satellite ship over the Earth. On the eighteenth orbit, the descent command was given. The ship obediently went downhill.
The descent is a particularly crucial moment. There should not be a single, even the most insignificant mistake, for it can lead to the death of the satellite. Within a few seconds, the ship's speed drops sharply.
Here the instrument compartment on the descent trajectory separated from the cockpit.
Here is the cabin at an altitude of 7 km from the Earth. Here a container with animals is separated from it, it quickly approaches the Earth.
The scientists congratulated each other. The safe descent of dogs to Earth was a triumph of the peaceful labor of the Soviet people.
The animals removed from the container showed no injuries.
After the return to Earth of the second satellite ship with living beings on board, the practical possibility of manned flight into space was created. However, it was necessary to check again and again the operation of all systems installed on the ship that ensure normal conditions for human life. It was also important to obtain additional information about the effect of weightlessness and the transition from it to overloads, as well as about the effect of possible cosmic radiation on living beings.
During the time from the safe landing of Belka and Strelka to the unprecedented flight of Yu.A. Gagarin, the third spacecraft-satellite (experimental dogs Pchelka and Mushka), the fourth spaceship-satellite (Chernushka) and, finally, the fifth spacecraft-satellite (Zvezdochka) were launched on the Vostok-1 spacecraft.
The launch of the fifth ship-satellite on March 25, 1961 was the last control experiment before a manned space flight. The ship landed on Earth in a precisely defined area. The little star got over the flight superbly.
The first manned flights into space
satellite flight space rocket
The first cosmonaut should be a person who, in addition to good health, has a strong will, quick reactions, the ability to make instant decisions in a tense flight environment and immediately implement them. This should be a person who is familiar with the air ocean, with the action of factors close to those with which he will meet in space flight.
on April 1961, the whole world recognized the name of Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, and on August 6 of the same year, the name of German Stepanovich Titov, who successfully flew into space.
The first cosmonauts underwent a series of special trainings and tests in which many factors of the upcoming space flight were simulated. These were studies in a centrifuge, when appropriate overloads were created, tests on a vibration stand, in an isolation chamber with isolation from external stimuli. Yuri Alekseevich and German Stepanovich also trained at special stands, where they worked out variants of the flight task. They practiced sports a lot and purposefully, etc.
Gagarin entered the elevator, and he took him to the platform located at the hatch of the ship "Vostok". He raised his hand and said goodbye again.
The final prelaunch commands were sounded, and, finally, the last one: "Let's go!" Everything in the cosmodrome was drowned in the roar of rocket engines. The first man on Earth took off into space.
“I heard a whistle and an ever-growing roar, felt how the giant ship trembled with its entire hull and slowly, very slowly pulled away from the launching device,” cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin recalled about the first seconds of his flight. - Congestion began to grow. I felt some irresistible force pushing me more and more into the chair. Seconds dragged on like minutes. "
Taking off, the first cosmonaut of the planet reported to Earth: “I feel excellent. Overload and vibration are growing a little, I can handle everything normally. The mood is cheerful. Through the window I see the Earth, I can distinguish folds of the terrain, snow, forest "...
Finally the ship went into orbit. Weightlessness has come. "At first this feeling was unusual," Gagarin later recalled, "but I soon got used to it, got used to it."
And so he flies on a satellite ship called "Vostok" in the silent void of space. He is the first person who sees our planet from the side, in a blue halo of the atmosphere. He can be the first to survey the continents and seas. Now he knows for sure that he will bring the news from the cosmic distant to Earth that a person may, and will fly into space. He will reach other planets, solve the riddles of the universe, subordinate the mysterious forces of the Universe to the power of his mind.
In the meantime, ground tracking stations, worried about the pilot, ask how the flight is going, how he feels. The voice of the first cosmonaut flies from space heights:
“I feel great. I can hear you perfectly. The flight is going well. " The first manned flight into space lasted 108 minutes. When, having flown around the planet, the astronaut reappeared over the territory of his country, the command to descend was given from Earth.
“The ship began to enter the dense layers of the atmosphere,” Yuri Gagarin later said. “Its outer shell was quickly heating up, and through the curtains covering the portholes, I saw the eerie crimson reflection of the flame raging around the ship. But it was only 20 degrees Celsius in the cockpit. It was clear that all the systems worked perfectly and the ship was accurately heading to the intended landing area.
During the entire flight of the Vostok-1 spacecraft, extensive biomedical information was transmitted from its board to the ground according to a specific program, and the nature of human reactions was recorded.
The flight showed that in zero gravity all vegetative processes were carried out normally, the astronaut's brain functioned in exactly the same way as on Earth.
So, the first flight proved the most important thing - the fundamental possibility of human travel in space, confirmed the correctness of the scientific path along which the Soviet cosmonautics is going. But he laid only the beginning, opened a window through which the distant prospects of future flights to the endless distances of the universe are visible.
How a person would feel under conditions of prolonged weightlessness remained a mystery even after Gagarin's flight. Gagarin's good condition was a kind of "ticket" allowing a longer flight.
And this flight took place.
The twenty-five-hour space flight of German Titov surpassed the wildest scientific expectations.
Flight performance has been studied in the broadest sense of the word. Titov was given tasks that made it possible to widely and diversifiedly reveal the possibilities of human activity in zero gravity. He had to negotiate with the Earth, perform simple propulsion operations, control the attitude control system of the spacecraft, which required complex coordinated movements, and keep records (the cosmonaut managed all this).
As you know, during Titov's flight, for the first time, it was possible to study the features of the daily cycle of human life in a spacecraft.
Here is the command for the descent. The ship is correctly oriented. The rocket engine started working, gradually increasing, there was a slowdown in speed. The satellite went down. When the ship entered the dense layers of the atmosphere, Titov tried to follow in more detail what was going on outside.
The end of the flight, when the spacecraft was moving in dense layers of the atmosphere and the astronaut was again subjected to overloads, and the landing process, which required a significant exertion of will and physical strength, - everything was transferred by Titov well.
The twenty-five-hour space flight was successfully completed - the ship landed exactly in the specified area.
A careful study of the scientific data obtained in these two flights allowed a year later - in August 1962 - to take another big step forward. Launched one after another (with an interval of one day), the Vostok-3 and Vostok-4 spacecraft with the cosmonauts Andriyan Grigorievich Nikolaev and Pavel Romanovich Popovich made the first group flight into space.
Vostok-3 made more than 64 revolutions around the Earth and was in space flight for 95 hours. Vostok-4 made more than 48 revolutions and spent 71 hours in space flight. This flight proved that the cosmonaut training system developed by our scientists allows them to develop such physical qualities that ensure normal vital activity and full performance in the conditions of a long space flight. This was the main result of the flight.
According to a New York Times correspondent, Allan Shepard's 15-minute jump was carried out using a rocket that was “only one-tenth the power of a Soviet rocket, and the capsule weighed only one-fifth the weight of the Vostok cabin.
Rocket launches to planets
Along with the flights of spaceships in the USSR and the USA, test launches of rockets to the planets were carried out. On February 12, 1961, the Soviet automatic interplanetary station "Venus" was launched from an artificial Earth satellite towards Venus.
The Venera-1 spacecraft was designed as a cylinder with a spherical top. The length of the apparatus was 2.035 meters, the diameter was 1.05 meters. The ship was equipped with two solar panels, radially fixed on both sides of the cylindrical hull and provided charging of the silver-zinc batteries. On the outer surface of the ship's hull, a parabolic antenna with a diameter of 2 meters was fixed, designed to transmit data to Earth at a frequency of 922.8 MHz (wavelength 32 cm). Scientific instruments were installed at the station: a magnetometer, two ion traps for measuring solar wind parameters, a micrometeorite detector, a Geiger counter and a scintillation detector for measuring cosmic radiation. In the lower part of the spacecraft, the KDU-414 propulsion system was installed, intended for correcting the flight trajectory. Station weight - 643.5 kg.
The launch of the automatic interplanetary station "Venera-1" was an important stage in the development of space technology. It was the first spacecraft designed for planetary exploration. For the first time, the technique of orientation along the three axes of the spacecraft along the Sun and the Canopus star was applied. For the first time a parabolic antenna was used to transmit telemetry information.
november 1962, the Soviet space rocket "Mars-1" was launched towards Mars. Its orbit was the longest in comparison with the orbits of all previous spacecraft flights. Stretching out in an ellipse from the Earth, it touched the orbit of Mars. The flight lasted seven and a half months only until the meeting with Mars: 500 million km passed during this time "Mars-1".
The Mars-1 flight gave new data on the physical properties of space between the orbits of the Earth and Mars (at a distance of 1-1.24 AU from the Sun), on the intensity of cosmic radiation, the strength of the magnetic fields of the Earth and the interplanetary medium, on flows ionized gas coming from the Sun and the distribution of meteoric matter (the spacecraft crossed 2 meteor showers).
So the first space five-year plan ended.
Mars 2 was launched almost 10 years later. And this was the first lander to reach the surface of Mars.
The station was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome using a Proton-K launch vehicle with an additional 4th stage - Upper Stage D on May 19, 1971 at 19:22:49 Moscow Time. Unlike the previous generation AMS, Mars-2 was first launched into an intermediate orbit of an artificial Earth satellite, and then by Upper Stage D transferred to an interplanetary trajectory.
The flight of the station to Mars lasted more than 6 months. Until the moment of approaching Mars, the flight took place according to the program. The flight trajectory passed at a distance of 1380 km from the surface of Mars.
Group flights
A new stage in the study of the vast expanses of the Universe was the launch on October 12, 1964 in the USSR of the three-seat Voskhod spacecraft. The crew of the ship consisted of three people: the commander of the ship, engineer-colonel Vladimir Mikhailovich Komarov, research assistant, candidate of technical sciences Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov and doctor Boris Borisovich Egorov. Three experts in different fields have conducted extensive space exploration. The Voskhod ship differs significantly from the Vostok-class ships. Its orbit was higher, the cosmonauts made a flight without spacesuits for the first time, and landed without leaving the cockpit, which was gently lowered by the “soft landing” system and literally softly “put” on the Earth's surface. The new television system transmitted from the spacecraft not only the image of the astronauts, but also the observation picture.
As Academician V.Mishin recalls, Khrushchev demanded that Korolev launch three cosmonauts at once. But the Voskhod cabin was designed for two people in spacesuits, so the cosmonauts had to be seated in light training suits without spacesuits. There was also no place to place three catapults, so they flew without the possibility of emergency rescue in the event of a rocket explosion at the start ...
Despite the short duration of the flight, the cosmonauts started under Khrushchev, and reported the results of the flight to Brezhnev, since the next day after their landing, Khrushchev was removed (October Plenum). As a result, after landing, the cosmonauts were not immediately accepted by the head of the Soviet Union, as was the practice during previous flights.
A new generation of satellites
The front of peaceful space exploration is expanding every year. Following the satellites, "rigidly" tied to their orbits, spacecraft went into space, capable of carrying out a fairly wide maneuvering.
The Soviet spacecraft Polet-1 and Polet-2, maneuvering in space, moved from orbit to orbit, changing not only the altitude, but also the plane of inclination of the orbit. These are the first steps towards connecting, or, as the engineers say, docking, of spaceships directly in space, in orbit. When mooring to the ship, tanker rockets will be able to load non-combustible and construction parts. From the structures delivered to orbit, the cosmonauts will first assemble space laboratories, and then, probably, entire scientific cities ...
january 1964 and the SSSG launched the most interesting satellites - "Electron-1" and "Electroya-2". From one rocket, two satellites were launched at once, one to a higher, the other to a lower orbit.
The value of such a launch lies in the fact that simultaneous measurements at different altitudes will make it possible to better investigate the spatial structure of the radiation belts and their change in time. Launched through the poles "Electron-3" and "Electron-4" continued simultaneously a comprehensive study of the upper atmosphere.
A new era in astronautics
In 1965, Pavel Belyaev and Alexei Leonov assured with their flight the glorious working biography of the Vostok and Voskhod spacecraft. The next stage in the exploration of outer space has begun, associated with the transition to more advanced space technology. In the spring of 1967, the Cosmonaut Training Center began mastering the new Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz differed in many respects from its orbital predecessors and was a more perfect machine in all respects.
The Soyuz-1 spacecraft was launched into orbit on April 23, 1967 for the purpose of testing the spacecraft and working out systems and elements of its structure in space flight conditions. Piloted by cosmonaut V.M. Komarov, who previously flew on the Voskhod spacecraft. The altitude of the perigee of the orbit is 201 km., The apogee is 224 km. During the test flight, which lasted more than a day, V.M. Komarov carried out a program for testing the systems of the new ship. On April 24, the Soyuz-1 spacecraft successfully passed the deceleration section in the dense layers of the atmosphere during its descent and extinguished 1 space velocity. However, during the opening of the main bath of the paragyut, a malfunction occurred and from an altitude of about 7000 m. The ship descended at a very high speed, which led to an emergency landing and death of V.M. Komarov. But despite the tragic outcome and the death of the cosmonaut, it was decided to continue the development of spacecraft of the Soyuz series.
Spacecraft, reusable
31 years after the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite in the history of mankind weighing about 83.6 kg, our newest carrier rocket Energia launched a cargo weighing over 100 tons into low-earth orbit. This is the spacecraft "Buran", which made its first 2 orbits and landed beautifully at Baikonur. "Energia" is the base rocket of the entire launch vehicle system. The decision to create the Energia - Buran system was made back in 1976. May 15, 1987 - the first Soviet launch vehicle Energia was launched. A mock-up of a spaceship was used as a payload. The main goal of the launch: obtaining experimental data on the operation of the structure, its on-board systems in real flight conditions, was achieved.
november 1988 - 2nd launch of the Energia carrier rocket.
This time, the Buran orbital ship was simultaneously launched as a payload for her.
Outwardly, the Energia - Buran system resembled the American Space - Shuttle.
"Buran" is a reusable spacecraft with return from space, built according to the "tailless" aircraft scheme. Buran's length is 36.4 meters, wingspan is about 2.4 meters, height is more than 16 meters. The launch mass is about 100 tons (14 tons are used for fuel). A huge Mriya plane was used to transport Energia - Buran and blocks of the Energia launch vehicle. (November 1989)
The Energia-Buran complex opened up great opportunities at a new stage in the development of cosmonautics: launching into orbit, returning from orbit large artificial earth satellites, blocks of orbital stations, rescuing astronauts in emergency situations, installation work for creating huge power plants and launch sites in space ... This is a serious base for the realization of the cherished dream of manned expeditions to Mars.
In addition to the basic version of the rocket, three main modifications were designed, designed to output payloads of various weights.
Energia-M was the smallest rocket in the family. The number of side blocks was reduced from four to two; instead of four RD-0120 engines, only one was installed on the central block. In 1989-1991, it underwent complex tests, it was planned to launch in 1994. However, in 1993 Energia-M lost the state competition (tender) to create a new heavy launch vehicle; according to the results of the competition, preference was given to the carrier rocket "Angara" (the launch of which was repeatedly postponed since 2005, and as of 2012 is planned for the first half of 2013). A full-size rocket model with all its components was stored at Baikonur.
Energy II (also called Hurricane) was designed to be fully reusable. Unlike the basic Energia modification, which was partially reusable (like the American Space Shuttle), the Hurricane design made it possible to return all elements of the Energiya-Buran system, similar to the Space Shuttle concept. The Hurricane's central unit was supposed to enter the atmosphere, plan and land at a conventional airfield.
The heaviest modification: its launch weight was 4747 tons. Using eight side blocks and the central block of Energia-M as the last stage, the Vulcan rocket (by the way, this name coincided with the name of another Soviet heavy rocket, the development of which was canceled for several years before) or "Hercules" (which coincides with the design name of the heavy launch vehicle RN N-1) was supposed to launch up to 175 tons into low-earth orbit.
Mir station
on February 1986, at 00 h 28 min, a long-term orbital station (DOS) was launched in the Soviet Union. This event took place on 23 seconds Moscow time. To launch the Mir station into a low reference orbit, the Proton carrier rocket (LV), launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome, was used. The subsequent transfer to a working orbit with an altitude of about 350 km was carried out using the propulsion system of the DOS itself.
The first crew consisting of commander Leonid Kizim (third flight) and flight engineer Vladimir Solovyov (second flight) arrived at the station on March 15, 1986 in the Soyuz T-15 cargo and passenger transport ship (the last ship of this series), which was launched on March 13 from the Baikonur cosmodrome. All subsequent launches of DOS modules (Proton launch vehicle), Soyuz and Progress transport vehicles (Soyuz launch vehicle) were carried out from here. The aforementioned crew conducted a unique space expedition, setting a kind of space record of work at two stations in one flight. Having worked at the Mir station until May 5, the cosmonauts undocked and went to the Salyut-7 station, which was flying in orbit around the Earth at that time. After conducting scientific experiments there (from May 6 to June 25; only 49 days 22 hours), the crew on the Soyuz T-15 spacecraft returned to the Mir station, taking with them about 300 kg of the most valuable scientific equipment. Research at the Mir station was continued until July 16, the total time of the first main expedition (EO-1) on it was 70 days 11 h 58 min.
One of the most important advantages of the structural layout of the Mir station is the high maintainability inherent in the design. Thanks to a well-chosen strategy of routine maintenance, it was possible to significantly increase the resource of its active existence.
An important result of the program is the creation of a system of transport and technical support for space objects in orbit. This system is designed to launch the spacecraft into specified orbits, increase the active life, increase the efficiency, reliability and safety of the serviced spacecraft. Obviously, without the TTO it was impossible to ensure a long flight of the DOS. A unique achievement of world cosmonautics is the successful long-term effective operation of the Mir station for more than fifteen years. In this case, the TTO system solves the following main tasks:
) delivery and change of crews of the main DOS expeditions;
) delivery to the station and return to Earth of the visiting crews;
) the logistics of the station, i.e. supply of consumables, spare parts, etc .;
) regular and prompt return to Earth of the results of the expedition's activities in orbit;
) maintenance (preventive maintenance, repair, replacement of blocks);
) carrying out assembly and assembly work (solar batteries, radio antennas, research equipment, truss structures);
) assembly of a multi-unit DOS. For the first time the need to create space transport systems (TSS) arose after the appearance in 1971 of long-term orbital stations of the Salyut type. TCS were intended to increase the efficiency and increase the service life of the DOS by solving TTO problems with the help of transport spacecraft (TSC). To solve these problems, a complex of cargo-passenger ("Soyuz", "Soyuz-T") and cargo ("Progress") spacecraft, as well as descent cargo capsules (SGC), was created. In KB "Salyut" and at the machine-building plant. M.V. Khrunichev, a functional cargo module was developed that solved the problems of a universal transport supply ship (UTKS). It passed successful flight tests in autonomous flight (Kosmos-929) and was used (Kosmos-1267, Kosmos-1443, Kosmos-1686) to expand the capabilities of the Salyut-6 and Salyut-7 stations ". Currently, blocks of the international station "Alpha" are being created on the basis of UTKS. At the same plant, all Salyut-type stations and blocks of the Mir station were manufactured, and one of the most reliable launch vehicles in the world, Proton, is mass-produced here.
As the complexity of the Salyut type stations, equipped with two docking nodes, and the creation of the Mir station with seven nodes, the range of tasks they solve expanded, the requirements increased noticeably and new TTO tasks were put forward. New transport ships appeared: the modernized Soyuz TM and Progress M. In addition, taking into account the extreme conditions of space flights, the tasks of emergency rescue and urgent return of crews to Earth were experimentally worked out. Since 1987, the Mir station has been operating within the framework of international programs. Since 1995, the transport and space system has also become international, after the American orbital stage Atlantis was functionally included in it. In the course of long-term operation of the TCS, invaluable experience has been accumulated in managing long-term orbital flights.
During the work of the station, 104 cosmonauts from 12 countries of the world visited it.
In the USSR, he did not spare funds for the development of the space program, and in this race he won. The first artificial satellite and the first man into space were launched. Gagarin is a hero who showed that it is still fashionable to reach for the stars and who made the dream of his ancestors come true. All these achievements position the country as a great superpower, which was and remains the conqueror of outer space.
September 1967 was marked by the proclamation of October 4 by the International Astronautical Federation as the world day of the beginning of the space age of mankind. It was on October 4, 1957 that a small ball with four antennas tore apart near-earth space and marked the beginning of the space era, opened the golden age of astronautics. How it was, how space exploration took place, what were the first satellites, animals and people in space - this article will tell about all this.
Chronology of events
To begin with, we will give a brief description of the chronology of events, one way or another connected with the beginning of the space era.
Dreamers from the distant past
As long as humanity exists, so many stars have attracted it. Let's look for the origins of the birth of astronautics and the beginning of the space age in ancient folios and give just a few examples of amazing facts and perspicacious predictions. In the ancient Indian epic Bhagavad Gita (about the 15th century BC), a whole chapter is devoted to instructions for flying to the moon. On clay tablets of the library of the Assyrian ruler Assurbanipal (3200 BC), the story of King Ethan, who soared to a height from which the Earth looked like "bread in a basket", is told. The inhabitants of Atlantis left the Earth, flying to other planets. And the Bible tells about the flight of the prophet Elijah on a chariot of fire. But in 1500 AD, the inventor Wang Gu from Ancient China could have become the first astronaut if he had not died. He made a flying machine from kites. Which was supposed to take off when setting fire to 4 powder rockets. Since the 17th century, Europe has been raving about flights to the moon: first Johannes Kepler and Cyrano de Bergerac, and later Jules Verne with his idea of \u200b\u200bcannon flight.
Kibalchich, Hanswind and Tsiolkovsky
In 1881, in solitary confinement at the Peter and Paul Fortress, awaiting execution for the assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander II, N. I. Kibalchich (1853-1881) draws a rocket space platform. The idea behind his project is the creation of jet thrust using combustible substances. His project was found in the archives of the tsarist secret police only in 1917. At the same time, the German scientist G. Hansweed is creating his own spacecraft, where the thrust is provided by ejected bullets. And in 1883, the Russian physicist K.E. Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935) described a ship with a jet engine, which was embodied in 1903 in the scheme of a liquid-propellant rocket. It is Tsiolkovsky who is considered to be the father of Russian cosmonautics, whose works were widely recognized by the world community already in the 1920s.
Just a satellite
The artificial satellite that marked the beginning of the space era was launched by the Soviet Union from the Baikonur cosmodrome on October 4, 1957. An aluminum sphere weighing 83.5 kilograms and a diameter of 58 centimeters, with four bayonet antennas and equipment inside, soared to an altitude of perigee of 228 kilometers and apogee of 947 kilometers. They called it simply "Sputnik-1". Such a simple device was a tribute to the Cold War with the United States, which developed similar programs. America with their satellite Explorer-1 (launched on 02/01/1958) lagged behind us by almost six months. The Soviets, who launched the artificial satellite first, won the race. The victory, which has not yet been conceded, because the time has come for the first cosmonauts.
Dogs, cats and monkeys
The beginning of the space era in the USSR began with the first orbital flights of rootless tailed cosmonauts. The Soviets chose dogs as astronauts. America is monkeys and France is cats. Immediately after Sputnik-1, Sputnik-2 flew into space with the most unfortunate dog on board - the mongrel Laika. It was November 3, 1957, and the return of Sergei Korolev's favorite Laika was not planned. The well-known Belka and Strelka with their triumphant flight and return to Earth on August 19, 1960 were not the first and far from the last. France launched the cat Felicetta into space (October 18, 1963), and the United States after the rhesus monkey (September 1961) sent the chimpanzee Ham (January 31, 1961) to explore space, who became a national hero.
The conquest of space by man
And here the Soviet Union was the first. On April 12, 1961, the R-7 carrier rocket with the Vostok-1 spacecraft took off into the sky near the village of Tyuratam (Baikonur cosmodrome). Air Force Major Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin went on the first space flight in it. At an altitude of perigee of 181 km and apogee of 327 km, it flew around the Earth and, at 108 minutes of flight, landed in the vicinity of the village of Smelovka (Saratov region). The world was blown up by this event - agrarian and bast shoes Russia overtook the high-tech States, and Gagarin's "Let's Go!" became an anthem for space fans. It was an event of a planetary scale and incredible significance for all mankind. Here America lagged behind the Union by a month - on May 5, 1961, the Redstone carrier rocket carrying the Mercury-3 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral into orbit brought American cosmonaut Captain 3rd Rank of the Air Force Alan Shepard.
During the space flight on March 18, 1965, the second pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Leonov (the first pilot was Colonel Pavel Belyaev) went into open space and stayed there for 20 minutes, moving away from the ship at a distance of up to five meters. He confirmed that a person can be and work in outer space. In June, American cosmonaut Edward White spent just a minute longer in outer space and proved the possibility of maneuvering in outer space using a hand-held compressed-gas pistol based on the principle of a jet. The beginning of the space age of man in outer space has come to pass.
The first human victims
Space has presented us with many discoveries and heroes. However, the beginning of the space age was also marked by sacrifices. The first to die were the Americans Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee on January 27, 1967. The Apollo 1 spacecraft burned down in 15 seconds due to a fire inside. The first Soviet cosmonaut to die was Vladimir Komarov. On October 23, 1967, he successfully left orbit on the Soyuz-1 spacecraft after an orbital flight. But the main parachute of the descent capsule did not open, and it crashed into the ground at a speed of 200 km / h and completely burned out.
Lunar program "Apollo"
On July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin felt the surface of the moon under their feet. Thus ended the flight of the Apollo 11 spacecraft with the Eagle lunar module on board. America did seize the leadership in space exploration from the Soviet Union. And although later there were many publications about the falsification of the fact of the American landing on the moon, today everyone knows Neil Armstrong as the first person to set foot on its surface.
Orbital stations "Salyut"
The Soviets were also the first to launch orbital stations - spacecraft for long-term stay of cosmonauts. Salyut is a series of manned stations, the first of which was launched into orbit on April 19, 1971. In total, in this project, 14 space objects were launched into orbit under the Almaz military program and the civilian - Long-term orbital station. Including the station "Mir" ("Salyut-8"), which was in orbit from 1986 to 2001 (flooded at the cemetery of spaceships in the Pacific Ocean on 23.03.2001).
First International Space Station
The ISS has a complex history of creation. Started as the American project Freedom (1984), in 1992 it became a joint project "Mir-Shuttle" and today is an international project with 14 participating countries. The first ISS module launched the Proton-K launch vehicle into orbit on November 20, 1998. Subsequently, the participating countries removed other connecting blocks, and today the station weighs about 400 tons. It was planned to operate the station until 2014, but the project has been extended. And it is jointly managed by four agencies - the Space Flight Control Center (Korolev, Russia), the V.I. Johnson (Houston, USA), European Space Agency Command Center (Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany) and Aerospace Research Agency (Tsukuba, Japan). The station has a crew of 6 cosmonauts. The station program provides for the constant presence of people. According to this indicator, it has already broken the record of the Mir station (3664 days of continuous stay). The power supply is completely autonomous - solar panels weigh almost 276 kilograms and have a capacity of up to 90 kilowatts. The station houses laboratories, greenhouses and living quarters (five bedrooms), a gymnasium and bathrooms.
A few facts about the ISS
The International Space Station is the most expensive project in the world today. More than $ 157 billion has already been spent on it. The station's orbital speed is 27.7 thousand km / h, with a weight of more than 41 tons. Astronauts observe sunrise and sunset at the station every 45 minutes. The "Disc of Immortality", a device containing the digitized DNA of prominent representatives of humanity, was delivered to the station in 2008. The purpose of this collection is to preserve human DNA in the event of a global catastrophe. In the laboratories of the space station, quails are born and flowers are blooming. Viable bacterial spores were found on its skin, which makes one think about the possible expansion of space.
Space commercialization
Humanity cannot imagine itself without space. In addition to all the advantages of practical space exploration, the commercial component is also developing. Since 2005, private spaceports have been under construction in the United States (Mojava), the United Arab Emirates (Ras Alm Khaimah) and Singapore. Virgin Galactic Corporation (USA) plans space cruises for seven thousand tourists at an affordable price of $ 200 thousand. And the famous space merchant Robert Bigelow, owner of the Budget Suites of America hotel chain, announced the project of the first orbital Skywalker hotel. For 35 billion dollars, Space Adventures (a partner of the Roscosmos corporation) will send you on a space journey for up to 10 days tomorrow. Paying another 3 billion, you can go into outer space. The company has already organized tours for seven tourists, one of them is the head of the circus du Soleil Guy Laliberté. The same company is preparing a new travel product for 2018 - a trip to the moon.
Dreams and fantasies have come true. Having overcome gravity once, humanity is no longer able to stop in its striving for the stars, galaxies and universes. I would like to believe that we will not play too much, and we will continue to be surprised and delighted by the myriad of stars in the night sky. All the same mysterious, alluring and fantastic, as in the first days of creation.