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Soyuz MS manned spacecraft. Dossier

"," Soyuz-15 "," Soyuz-23 "," Soyuz-25 "," Soyuz T-8 ".

Explosion of the engine before docking "Soyuz-33".

Unmanned flights Manned launches

The Soyuz spacecraft have completed over 130 successful manned flights (see the list of vehicles) and have become a key component of Soviet and Russian manned space exploration programs. After the completion of the Space Shuttle flights in 2011, Soyuz remained the only means of delivering crews to the International Space Station.

History of creation

September 11, 2013 during the return of cosmonauts from the International Space Station (ISS) of the Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft. Part of the way the cosmonauts "flew by touch". In particular, the crew did not receive parameters about their height and only from the reports of the rescue service found out at what height they were.

May 27, 2009 The Soyuz TMA-15 spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome. On board the spacecraft were Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk. During the flight inside the Soyuz TMA-15 manned spacecraft, problems with temperature control arose, which were eliminated using the thermal control system. The incident did not affect the well-being of the crew. On May 29, 2009, the spacecraft docked with the ISS.

August 14, 1997 during the landing of the Soyuz TM-25 with the EO-23 crew (Vasily Tsibliyev and Alexander Lazutkin), the soft-landing engines worked prematurely, at an altitude of 5.8 km. For this reason, the landing of the spacecraft was hard (the landing speed was 7.5 m / s), but the cosmonauts did not suffer.

January 14, 1994 after undocking of the Soyuz TM-17 with the EO-14 crew (Vasily Tsibliev and Alexander Serebrov), an off-design approach and collision of the spacecraft with the station occurred during the flyby of the Mir complex. The emergency went without serious consequences.

April 20, 1983 Soyuz T-8 spacecraft with cosmonauts Vladimir Titov, Gennady Strekalov and Alexander Serebrov on board took off from the 1st site of the Baikonur cosmodrome. For the captain of the spacecraft Titov, this was the first trip into orbit. The crew had to work for several months on board the Salyut-7 station, to carry out a lot of research and experiments. However, the cosmonauts were in for a failure. Due to the failure to open the antenna of the Igla rendezvous and docking system on the ship, the crew was unable to dock the ship to the station, and on April 22 Soyuz T-8 landed on Earth.

April 10, 1979 Soyuz-33 spacecraft was launched with a crew of Nikolai Rukavishnikov and Bulgarian Georgiy Ivanov. When approaching the station, the main engine of the ship failed. The cause of the accident was the gas generator feeding the turbopump unit. It exploded, damaging the backup engine. When a braking impulse was issued (April 12), the reserve engine worked with insufficient thrust, and the impulse was not fully issued. However, the SA made a safe landing, albeit with a significant flight.

October 9, 1977 Soyuz-25 spacecraft, piloted by cosmonauts Vladimir Kovalenok and Valery Ryumin, was launched. The flight program provided for docking with the Salyut-6 DOS, which was launched into orbit on September 29, 1977. Due to an abnormal situation that arose, it was not possible to dock with the station the first time. The second attempt was also unsuccessful. And after the third attempt, the ship, touching the station and pushing off with spring pushers, moved 8-10 m away and hovered. The fuel in the main system ran out completely, and it was no longer possible to move away with the help of the engines. There was a likelihood of a collision between the ship and the station, but after a few turns, they dispersed to a safe distance. For the first time, the fuel for generating the braking impulse has been taken from the reserve tank. It was not possible to establish the true cause of the docking failure. Most likely, there was a defect in the Soyuz-25 docking station (the serviceability of the station's docking station is confirmed by subsequent docking with the Soyuz spacecraft), but it burned out in the atmosphere.

October 15, 1976 during the flight of the Soyuz-23 spacecraft with a crew of Vyacheslav Zudov and Valery Rozhdestvensky, an attempt was made to dock with the Salyut-5 DOS. Due to the off-design operation of the rendezvous control system, the docking was canceled and a decision was made to return the cosmonauts to Earth early. On October 16, the ship's SA splashed down on the surface of Lake Tengiz, covered with pieces of ice at an ambient temperature of -20 degrees Celsius. Salt water hit the pins of the external connectors, some of which remained energized. This led to the formation of false chains and the passage of the command to shoot the cover of the container of the reserve parachute system. The parachute came out of the compartment, got wet and turned the ship over. The exit hatch was in the water, and the astronauts nearly died. They were rescued by the pilots of a search helicopter, who, in difficult weather conditions, were able to detect the SA and, having hooked it with a cable, drag it to the coast.

April 5, 1975 Soyuz spacecraft (7K-T # 39) was launched with cosmonauts Vasily Lazarev and Oleg Makarov on board. The flight program provided for docking with the Salyut-4 DOS and work on board for 30 days. However, due to an accident during the inclusion of the third stage of the rocket, the spacecraft did not enter orbit. The Soyuz made a suborbital flight, landing on a mountain slope in an uninhabited region of Altai not far from the state border with China and Mongolia. On the morning of April 6, 1975, Lazarev and Makarov were evacuated from the landing site by helicopter.

June 30, 1971 During the return to Earth of the Soyuz 11 crew, the descent capsule depressurized due to the premature opening of the respiratory ventilation valve, which led to a sharp drop in pressure in the crew module. As a result of the accident, all the cosmonauts on board were killed. The crew of the spacecraft, launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome, consisted of three people: the commander of the spacecraft Georgy Dobrovolsky, engineer researcher Viktor Patsaev and flight engineer Vladislav Volkov. During the flight, a new record was set at that time, the duration of the crew's stay in space was over 23 days.

April 19, 1971 the first Salyut orbital station was launched into orbit, and April 23, 1971 TPK "Soyuz-10" started to it with the first expedition consisting of Vladimir Shatalov, Alexey Eliseev and Nikolai Rukavishnikov. This expedition was to work at the Salyut orbital station for 22-24 days. TPK Soyuz-10 docked to the Salyut orbital station, but due to damage to the docking assembly of the manned spacecraft during docking, the cosmonauts were unable to board the station and returned to Earth.

April 23, 1967 During the return to Earth, the parachute system of the Soyuz-1 spacecraft failed, as a result of which cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov died. The flight program planned the docking of the Soyuz-1 spacecraft with the Soyuz-2 spacecraft and the transfer from spacecraft to spacecraft by Aleksey Eliseev and Yevgeny Khrunov, but due to the failure to open one of the solar panels on the Soyuz-1 launch Soyuz-2 "was canceled. Soyuz-1 made an early landing, but at the final stage of the spacecraft's descent to Earth, the parachute system failed and the descent vehicle crashed east of the city of Orsk, Orenburg region, and the cosmonaut died.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Spacecraft "Soyuz T"

"Soyuz T" is the name of a series of Soviet three-seat spacecraft for flights in orbit around the Earth. It is also intended for use as a single-use transport spacecraft for servicing Salyut-type orbital stations and for autonomous flights. Soyuz T was created on the basis of experience in the development and operation of Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz T layout is the same as the Soyuz spacecraft. The ship has a similar composition and functionality of individual compartments.

The mass of the spacecraft (without the nose cone and the emergency rescue system) is 6.85 t, the length (along the hull) is 6.98 m, the diameter is 2.72 m, the length of the descent vehicle is 2.14 m, the diameter of the descent vehicle is 2.2 m, the diameter of the orbital compartment 2.2 m, free volume of living compartments 6.5 m3, span of solar panels 10.6 m. Maximum overload in the descent section 3-4. The Soyuz T spacecraft consists of three compartments: an orbital (utility) compartment with a docking unit, a descent vehicle, and an instrument and assembly compartment.

The motion control system is based on the principle of a strapdown inertial system (there are no gyroscopes or gyro platforms) based on an onboard digital computing complex. All orientation modes, including towards the Earth and the Sun, can be performed automatically or with the participation of the crew. The rendezvous modes are based on calculations (using an onboard digital computer) of relative motion trajectories and optimal maneuvers using information from the radio technical rendezvous system. The system also automatically monitors dynamic operations and fuel consumption and can make decisions about changing the operating mode. The system is controlled by a command radio link from the ground or by the crew using onboard input devices and displaying information on the display. The system provides the ability to switch to manual control at any stage of the descent.

The approach-correcting propulsion system with a propulsion liquid-propellant rocket engine with a thrust of 3.1 kN (mounted in a gimbal) is combined with a system of docking and attitude control engines and uses common fuel components from common tanks. The design of the combined (combined) propulsion system allows fuel to be redistributed between different types of engines, which ensures optimal use of onboard reserves and flexibility in the execution of the flight program, especially in emergency situations. The combined propulsion system includes 14 docking and attitude control engines with a rated thrust of 137 N and 12 engines with a rated thrust of 24.5 N.

The power supply system includes new solar batteries, which removed the limitation in terms of power supply for the autonomous flight of the spacecraft, depending on the capacity of chemical current sources. The life support system has been modernized (designed for a crew of up to 3 people) and uses reserves of gaseous oxygen and carbon dioxide absorbers in the gas composition system. New design spacesuits. In the thermal control system, new hydraulic units are used, including a new design of the radiator-emitter. Radio communication systems include an advanced command and program radio link and radio telemetry system. The radio link antennas are solar-powered. The ship is equipped with a new television system with better image transmission quality. The descent vehicle has improved parachute systems and 6 solid-propellant soft-landing engines with increased energy. In the atmospheric phase of launching into orbit, the spacecraft is closed with a fairing, on which a more advanced emergency rescue system is installed (equipped with a new solid-propellant engine and automation), which has improved characteristics, in particular, in the removal of the descent vehicle from the dangerous zone. To increase the reliability of the spacecraft, duplication of the most important operations has been introduced, in particular, for the separation of compartments, the shooting of the outer part of the orientator sight and the hermetic board of the descent vehicle, the shooting of the covers of the parachute containers, the separation of the frontal heat shield, etc.

1979-1983 9 spacecraft of the Soyuz T series were launched into orbit of an artificial Earth satellite. Soyuz T - Soyuz T-4 docked with the Salyut-6 orbital station, Soyuz T-5 - Soyuz T-7 and Soyuz T-9 with the Salyut-7 orbital station. The Soyuz T (unmanned) spacecraft was intended to test the structure and systems during a long joint flight with the station. The Soyuz T-2 spacecraft made its first test flight, and the crew performed a manual docking. The Soyuz T-3 - Soyuz T-7 and Soyuz T-9 spacecraft delivered the main crews and expeditions to the orbital stations.

The Soyuz T spacecraft are launched into orbit by the Soyuz 3-stage launch vehicle.

Spacecraft "Soyuz T". Unmanned. Testing the design and onboard systems of the improved spacecraft in a long flight with an orbital station. Launch - 12/16/1979 Docking with Salyut-6 - 12/19/1979 Correction of the station orbit with the help of the spacecraft propulsion system - 12/25/1979 Separation from Salyut-6 - 03/24/1980 Descent and landing - 03/26/1980

Soyuz T-2 spacecraft. The first test manned flight, manual docking with the Salyut-6 orbital station (6th visiting crew). Crew: Commander YV Malyshev, Flight Engineer VV Aksenov. Launch - 06/05/1980 Docking with Salyut-6 - 06/06/1980 Separation from the station, descent and landing - 06/09/1980 (with the same crew).

Soyuz T-3 spacecraft. Repair work inside the station (9th visiting expedition). Crew: Commander L.D.Kizim, flight engineer O.G. Makarov, cosmonaut-researcher G.M. Strekalov. Launch - 11/27/1980 Docking with the Salyut-6 orbital station - 11/28/1980 Separation from the station, descent and landing - 12/10/1980

Soyuz T-4 spacecraft. Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station and return of the 5th main expedition. Crew: Commander V.V. Kovalenok, flight engineer V.P. Savinykh. Launch - 03/12/1981 Docking with "Salyut-6" - 03/13/1981 Separation, descent and landing - 05/26/1981

Soyuz T-5 spacecraft. Delivery of the crew of the 1st main expedition to the Salyut-7 space station. Crew: Commander A.N. Berezova, flight engineer V.V. Lebedev. Launch - 05/13/1982 Docking with "Salyut-7" - 05/14/1982 Separation, descent and landing - 08/27/1982 (with the crew of the 2nd visiting expedition on "Salyut-7" consisting of: L. Popov, A.A. Serebrov, S.E. Savitskaya).

Soyuz T-6 spacecraft. Transfer to the Salyut-7 station and return of the 1st visiting expedition (Soviet-French). Crew: Commander V. A. Dzhanibekov, flight engineer A. S. Ivanchenkov, cosmonaut-researcher, French citizen Jean-Loup Chretien. Launch - 24.06.1982. Docking with "Salyut-7" - "Soyuz T-5" - 25.-6.1982. Separation, descent and landing - 2.07.1982

Soyuz T-7 spacecraft. Delivery of the crew of the 2nd visiting crew to the Salyut-7 orbital station. Crew: commander L. I. Popov, flight engineer A. A. Serebrov, cosmonaut-researcher S. E. Savitskaya. Launch - 08/19/1982 Docking with "Salyut-7" - "Soyuz T-5" - 08/20/1982 Separation, descent and landing - 12/10/1982 (with the crew of the 1st main expedition: A.N. Berezova, V.V. Lebedev).

Soyuz T-8 spacecraft. Crew: Commander V.G. Titov, flight engineer G.M. Strekalov, cosmonaut-researcher A.A. Serebrov. Call sign - "Ocean". Launch on April 20, 1983, on April 21, 1983, due to deviations in the rendezvous mode, the docking with the Salyut-7 orbital station was canceled. Descent and landing - 04/22/1983

Soyuz T-9 spacecraft. Delivery to the orbital station "Salyut-7" and return of the 2nd main expedition. Crew: Commander V.A.Lyakhov, flight engineer A.P. Aleksandrov. Launch - 06/27/1983 Docking with "Salyut-7" - 06/28/1983 Separation, descent and landing - 11/23/1983

Soyuz T-10-1 spacecraft. Crew: Commander V.G. Titov, Flight Engineer G.M. Strekalov. On September 26, 1983, due to a fire on a rocket on the launch pad, the spacecraft's emergency rescue system was triggered, after 5 minutes and 30 seconds of flight along a ballistic trajectory, the descent vehicle with its crew landed.

Soyuz T-10 spacecraft. Delivery of the crew of the 3rd main expedition to the Salyut-7 orbital station. Crew: Commander L.D. Kizim, Flight Engineer V.A. Soloviev, Cosmonaut-Researcher O.Yu. Atkov. Launch - 02/08/1984 Docking with Salyut-7 - 02/09/1984 Separation, descent and landing - 04/11/1984 (with the crew of the 3rd visiting expedition consisting of: Yu.V. Malyshev, G. M. Strekalov, R. Sharma).

Soyuz T-11 spacecraft. Delivery of the crew of the 3rd visiting expedition (Soviet-Indian) to the Salyut-7 orbital station. Crew: Commander Yu.V. Malyshev, flight engineer G.M. Strekalov, cosmonaut-researcher, citizen of India R. Sharma. Launch - 04/03/1984 Docking with Salyut-7 - Soyuz T-10 - 04/04/1984 Separation, descent and landing - 10/02/1984 (with the crew of the 3rd main expedition consisting of: L D. Kizim, V. A. Soloviev, O. Yu. Atkov).

Soyuz T-12 spacecraft. Delivery and return to the Salyut-7 orbital station of the 4th visiting crew. Crew: Commander V.A. Dzhanibekov, flight engineer S.E. Savitskaya, cosmonaut-researcher I.P. Volk. Launch - 17.07.1984 Docking with Salyut-7 - Soyuz T-11 - 18.07.1984 Separation, descent and landing - 29.07.1984

Soyuz T-13 spacecraft. Rendering and docking with the uncooperated Salyut-7 station, repair work to restore the station's performance. Delivery of the 4th main expedition. Crew: Commander V. A. Dzhanibekov, Flight Engineer V. P. Savinykh. Launch - 06/06/1985. Docking with the uncooperated Salyut-7 station (manual) - 06/08/1985 Separation from the complex - 06/25/1985 Descent and landing - 06/26/1985 (with a crew of: A.Dzhanibekov, G.M. Grechko).

Soyuz T-14 spacecraft. Delivery of the crew to the Salyut-7 orbital station for partial replacement in the 4th main expedition. Crew: Commander V.V. Vasyutin, flight engineer G.M. Grechko, cosmonaut-researcher A.A. Volkov. Launch 17.09.1985, Docking with the complex "Salyut-7" - "Soyuz T-13" - 18.09.1985 Separation, descent and landing on 21.11.1985 (with the crew: V.V. Vasyutin, V.P. Savinykh).

Soyuz T-15 spacecraft. Delivery to the orbital complex "Mir" of the 1st main expedition with a visit to the orbital station "Salyut-7" (5th visiting expedition). Crew: Commander L.D. Kizim, Orengineer V.A.Soloviev. Launch - 03/13/1986 Docking with Mir - 03/15/1986 Departure from Mir station (flight to Salyut-7 station) - 05/05/1986 Docking with Salyut-7 - 06.05. 1986 Separation from Salyut-7 (flight to Mir station) - 06/25/1986 Docking with Mir - 06/26/1986 Separation from Mir station, descent and landing - 07/16/1986 ...


July 15 marked the 40th anniversary of the Soyuz-Apollo mission, a historic flight often considered the end of the space race. For the first time, two ships built on opposite hemispheres met and docked in space. Soyuz and Apollo were already the third generation of spacecraft. By this time, the design teams had already "bumped up" on the first experiments, and the new ships had to stay in space for a long time and perform new complex tasks. I think it will be interesting to see what technical solutions the design teams have come to.

Introduction

It is curious, but in the original plans both Soyuz and Apollo were supposed to become second-generation vehicles. But the United States quickly realized that several years would pass between the last flight of Mercury and the first flight of Apollo, and the Gemini program was launched so that this time would not be wasted. And the USSR responded to Gemini with its Sunrise.

Also, the Moon was the main target for both vehicles. The United States spared no money for the lunar race, because until 1966 the USSR had priority in all significant space achievements. The first satellite, the first lunar stations, the first man in orbit and the first man in outer space - all these achievements were Soviet. The Americans struggled to "catch up and overtake" the Soviet Union. And in the USSR, the task of a manned lunar program against the background of space victories was overshadowed by other pressing tasks, for example, it was necessary to catch up with the United States in terms of the number of ballistic missiles. Manned lunar programs are a separate big conversation, but here we will talk about vehicles in an orbital configuration, such as they met in orbit on July 17, 1975. Also, since the Soyuz spacecraft has been flying for many years and has undergone many modifications, speaking of Soyuz, we will mean versions that are close in time to the Soyuz-Apollo flight.

Launching means

The launch vehicle, which is usually rarely remembered, brings the spacecraft into orbit and determines many of its parameters, the main of which will be the maximum weight and the maximum possible diameter.

The USSR decided to use a new modification of the R-7 family rocket to launch a new spacecraft into low-earth orbit. At the Voskhod launch vehicle, the third stage engine was replaced with a more powerful one, which increased the carrying capacity from 6 to 7 tons. The ship could not have a diameter of more than 3 meters, because in the 60s, analog control systems could not stabilize the above-caliber fairings.


On the left is a diagram of the Soyuz launch vehicle, on the right is the launch of the Soyuz-19 spacecraft of the Soyuz-Apollo mission

In the USA, for orbital flights, the Saturn-I LV, specially developed for Apollo, was used. In modification -I it could put 18 tons into orbit, and in modification -IB - 21 tons. The diameter of Saturn was more than 6 meters, so the spacecraft size restrictions were minimal.


Left Saturn-IB in section, right - the start of the Apollo spacecraft of the Soyuz-Apollo mission

In size and weight, the Soyuz is lighter, thinner and smaller than Apollo. The Soyuz weighed 6.5-6.8 tons and had a maximum diameter of 2.72 m. The Apollo had a maximum mass of 28 tons (in the lunar version, for near-earth missions, the fuel tanks were not completely filled) and a maximum diameter of 3, 9 m.

Appearance


The Soyuz and Apollo were implementing the already standard scheme of dividing the ship into compartments. Both ships had an instrument-assembly compartment (in the USA it is called a service module), a descent vehicle (command module). The Soyuz descent vehicle turned out to be very cramped, so a utility compartment was added to the ship, which could also be used as an airlock for spacewalk. In the Soyuz-Apollo mission, the American ship also had a third module, a special airlock for transferring between ships.

According to the Soviet tradition, the Soyuz was launched entirely under the fairing. This made it possible not to worry about the aerodynamics of the spacecraft during launch and to place fragile antennas, sensors, solar panels and other elements on the outer surface. Also, the utility compartment and the descent vehicle are covered with a layer of space thermal insulation. The Apollo continued the American tradition - the spacecraft was only partially closed during launching, the bow was covered by a ballistic cover made constructively together with the rescue system, and the ship was closed with a fairing adapter from the rear.


Soyuz 19 in flight, filmed from the Apollo. Dark green coating - thermal insulation


Apollo, filming from Soyuz. On the cruise engine, paint seems to have swollen in places.


"Soyuz" of a later modification in section


Apollo cutaway

The shape of the descent vehicle and thermal protection



Descent of the Soyuz spacecraft in the atmosphere, view from the ground

The Soyuz and Apollo descent vehicles are more similar to each other than they were in previous generations of spacecraft. In the USSR, the designers abandoned the spherical descent vehicle - when returning from the Moon, it would require a very narrow entrance corridor (the maximum and minimum altitude between which one must get for a successful landing), would create an overload of over 12 g, and the landing area would be measured in tens if not hundreds, kilometers. The conical descent vehicle created lift during braking in the atmosphere and, turning, changed its direction, controlling the flight. When returning from the earth's orbit, the overload decreased from 9 to 3-5 g, and when returning from the moon - from 12 to 7-8 g. The controlled descent significantly widened the entrance corridor, increasing the reliability of the landing, and very seriously reduced the size of the landing area, facilitating the search and evacuation of astronauts.


Calculation of asymmetric flow around a cone when braking in the atmosphere


The Soyuz and Apollo descent vehicles

The diameter of 4 m, chosen for Apollo, made it possible to make a cone with a half opening angle of 33 °. Such a descent vehicle has an aerodynamic quality of about 0.45, and its side walls practically do not heat up during braking. But its drawback was two points of stable equilibrium - "Apollo" had to enter the atmosphere with its bottom oriented in the direction of flight, because if it entered the atmosphere sideways, it could turn over into the "nose first" position and destroy the astronauts. The diameter of 2.7 m for the Soyuz made such a cone irrational - too much space was wasted. Therefore, a headlamp-type descent vehicle with a half-opening angle of only 7 ° was created. It effectively uses space, has only one point of stable equilibrium, but its aerodynamic quality is lower, about 0.3, and thermal protection is required for the side walls.

Already mastered materials were used as a heat-protective coating. In the USSR, fabric-based phenol-formaldehyde resins were used, and in the USA - epoxy resin on a fiberglass matrix. The mechanism of operation was the same - the heat protection was burnt and destroyed, creating an additional layer between the ship and the atmosphere, and the burnt particles took over and carried away the thermal energy.


Apollo thermal protection material before and after flight

Propulsion system

Both Apollo and Soyuz had propulsion thrusters for orbit correction and attitude thrusters to change the position of the spacecraft in space and perform precise docking maneuvers. On the Soyuz, the orbital maneuvering system was installed for the first time for Soviet spacecraft. For some reason, the designers chose a not very successful layout, when the main engine was powered by one fuel (UDMH + AT), and the mooring and orientation engines from another (hydrogen peroxide). In combination with the fact that the tanks on the Soyuz could hold 500 kg of fuel, and on the Apollo 18 tons, this led to an order of magnitude difference in the characteristic speed - Apollo could change its speed by 2800 m / s, while the Soyuz "only at 215 m / s. The large reserve of characteristic speed even of the underfuel Apollo made it an obvious candidate for an active role in rendezvous and docking.


"Soyuz-19" feed, engine nozzles are clearly visible


Orientation engines "Apollo" close-up

Landing system

Landing systems developed the practices and traditions of the respective countries. The United States continued to land ships on the water. After experiments with the Mercury and Gemini landing systems, a simple and reliable option was chosen - the ship had two brake and three main parachutes. The main parachutes were reserved, and a safe landing was ensured if one of them failed. Such a refusal occurred during the landing of Apollo 15, and nothing terrible happened. Parachute reservation made it possible to abandon the individual parachutes of the Mercury astronauts and the Gemini ejection seats.


Apollo landing pattern

In the USSR, a ship was traditionally put on land. Ideologically, the landing system develops the Voskhod parachute-jet landing. After dropping the cover of the parachute container, the pilot, braking and main parachutes are activated in sequence (in case of system failure, a spare is installed). The ship descends on one parachute, a heat shield is dropped at an altitude of 5.8 km, and soft-landing jet engines (RMP) are triggered at an altitude of ~ 1 m. The system turned out to be interesting - the work of the DMP creates spectacular shots, but the comfort of landing varies in a very wide range. If the astronauts are lucky, then the impact on the ground is almost imperceptible. If not, then the ship can sensitively hit the ground, and if not at all lucky, it will also tip over on its side.


Landing scheme


Perfectly normal operation of the DMP


The bottom of the descent vehicle. Three circles on top - DMP, three more - on the opposite side

Emergency rescue system

Curiously, following different paths, the USSR and the USA came to the same rescue system. In the event of an accident, a special solid-propellant engine, standing at the very top of the launch vehicle, tore off the descent vehicle with the astronauts and carried it away. The landing was carried out by the standard means of the descent vehicle. Such a rescue system turned out to be the best of all the options used - it is simple, reliable and ensures the rescue of astronauts at all stages of launch. In a real accident, it was used once and saved the lives of Vladimir Titov and Gennady Strekalov by taking the descent vehicle away from the rocket burning in the launch facility.


From left to right SAS "Apollo", SAS "Soyuz", various versions of SAS "Soyuz"

Thermoregulation system

Both ships used a thermoregulation system with coolant and radiators. The radiators, painted white for better heat emission, stood on the service modules and even looked the same:

EVA support means

Both Apollo and Soyuz were designed taking into account the possible need for extravehicular activity (spacewalk). The design solutions were also traditional for the countries - the United States depressurized the entire command module and went outside through a standard hatch, and the USSR used the household compartment as an airlock.


EVA "Apollo 9"

Docking system

Both Soyuz and Apollo used a pin-cone docking device. Since the spacecraft was actively maneuvering during the docking, both pins were installed on the Soyuz and Apollo. And for the Soyuz-Apollo program, so that no one was offended, a universal androgynous docking unit was developed. Androgyny meant that any two ships with such nodes could dock (and not just paired ones, one with a pin, the other with a cone).


Apollo docking mechanism. By the way, it was also used in the Soyuz-Apollo program, with its help the command module was docked with the airlock


Diagram of the Soyuz docking mechanism, first version


Soyuz-19, front view. The docking station is clearly visible

Cab and equipment

In terms of equipment, the Apollo significantly surpassed the Soyuz. First of all, the designers were able to add a full-fledged gyro-stabilized platform to the Apollo equipment, which stored data on the position and speed of the ship with high accuracy. Further, the command module had a powerful and flexible computer for its time, which, if necessary, could be reprogrammed right in flight (and such cases are known). An interesting feature of Apollo was also a separate workstation for astronavigation. It was used only in space and was located under the feet of astronauts.


Control panel, view from the left seat


Control Panel. On the left are the flight controls, in the center - the orientation engines, on top of the emergency indicators, below the link. On the right side are fuel, hydrogen and oxygen indicators and power management

Although the Soyuz equipment was simpler, it was the most advanced for Soviet ships. For the first time, an onboard digital computer appeared on the ship, and the ship's systems included equipment for automatic docking. For the first time in space, multifunctional indicators on a cathode-ray tube were used.


Soyuz spacecraft control panel

Power supply system

The Apollo used a very convenient system for flights lasting 2-3 weeks - fuel cells. Hydrogen and oxygen combined to generate energy, and the resulting water was used by the crew. On the "Soyuz" in different versions were different sources of energy. There were options with fuel cells, and solar panels were installed on the ship for the Soyuz-Apollo flight.

Conclusion

Both the Soyuz and the Apollo turned out to be very successful ships in their own way. Apollo successfully flew to the Moon and Skylab station. And "Soyuz" got an extremely long and successful life, becoming the main ship for flights to orbital stations, since 2011 they have been carrying American astronauts to the ISS, and will carry them at least until 2018.

But a very high price was paid for this success. Both the Soyuz and Apollo were the first ships in which people died. What is even sadder, if the designers, engineers and workers were in less hurry and after the first successes they would not cease to be afraid of space, then Komarov, Dobrovolsky, Volkov, Patsaev, Grissom, White and Cheffe

In parallel with the lunar programs based on 7K, they began to do 7K-OK - a multipurpose triple orbital spacecraft (OC), designed to practice maneuvering and docking operations in near-earth orbit, for various experiments, including the transition of astronauts from spacecraft to spacecraft through open space.

Tests 7K-OK in a hurry began in 1966. After the rejection of the program of flights aboard the Voskhod spacecraft (with the destruction of the backlog of three of the four completed Voskhod spacecraft), the designers of the Soyuz spacecraft lost the opportunity to work out technical solutions for their program. There came a two-year break in manned launches in the USSR, during which the United States was actively exploring outer space.

The first three unmanned launches of the Soyuz spacecraft (7K-OK No. 2, known as Kosmos-133; 7K-OK No. 1, the launch of which was postponed, but led to the activation of the SAS and the explosion of the rocket in the launch facility; 7K-OK No. 3 "Cosmos-140") were completely or partially unsuccessful, serious errors were discovered in the design of the ship. However, the fourth launch was undertaken by a manned one (Soyuz-1 with V. Komarov), which turned out to be tragic - the cosmonaut died while descending to Earth. His death saved the lives of three other cosmonauts, who were to fly the next day on a ship of the same type (Soyuz-2A) to dock with the Soyuz-1 spacecraft. After the Soyuz-1 accident, the structure of the spacecraft was completely redesigned to resume manned flights (6 unmanned launches were performed), and the first, generally successful, automatic docking of two Soyuz (Kosmos-186 and Kosmos-188 »), In 1968 manned flights were resumed, in 1969 the first docking of two manned ships and a group flight of three ships took place at once, and in 1970 - an autonomous flight of record duration (17.8 days). The first six ships "Soyuz" and ("Soyuz-9") were ships of the 7K-OK series. A variant of the ship was also being prepared for flights. "Soyuz-Contact" for testing the systems of docking of the ships-modules 7K-LOK and LK of the lunar expeditionary complex L3. In connection with the failure to bring the L3 lunar landing program to the stage of manned flights, the need for Soyuz-Contact flights has disappeared.

In 1969, work began on the creation of the Salyut long-term orbital station (DOS). A ship was designed to deliver the crew in the shortest possible time. 7KT-OK (T - transport). The new ship differed from the previous ones by the presence of a docking station of a new design with an internal manhole-manhole and additional communication systems on board. The autonomous flight time of the spacecraft was up to 3.2 days, and as part of the orbital station - up to 60 days. The third ship of this type (Soyuz-10) did not fulfill the task assigned to it. Docking with the station was carried out, but as a result of damage to the docking station, the ship's hatch was blocked, which made it impossible for the crew to move to the station. During the fourth flight of a spacecraft of this type (Soyuz-11), G. Dobrovolsky, V. Volkov and V. Patsaev died due to depressurization at the descent site, as they were without spacesuits. After the Soyuz-11 accident, the development of 7K-OK / 7KT-OK was abandoned, the spacecraft was redesigned (changes were made to the layout of the spacecraft to accommodate cosmonauts in spacesuits). Due to the increased mass of life support systems, a new version of the ship 7K-T became a two-seater, lost solar panels. This ship became the "workhorse" of the Soviet cosmonautics of the 1970s: 29 expeditions to the Salyut and Almaz stations. Ship version 7K-TM (M - modified) was used in a joint flight with the American Apollo under the ASTP program. The four Soyuz spacecraft officially launched after the Soyuz-11 accident had various types of solar panels in their design, but these were other versions of the Soyuz spacecraft - 7K-TM (Soyuz-16, Soyuz-19) , 7K-MF6 ("Soyuz-22") and modification 7K-T - 7K-T-AF without a docking station (Soyuz-13).

A modification of the ship is currently in operation 7K-STMA "Soyuz TMA" (A - anthropometric). According to NASA requirements, the spacecraft was modified for flights to the ISS. It can be used by cosmonauts who could not fit into the Soyuz TM by height. The astronauts' console was replaced with a new one, with a modern element base, the parachute system was improved, the thermal protection was reduced. The last launch of the spacecraft of this modification Soyuz TMA-22 took place on November 14, 2011.

In addition to Soyuz TMA, ships of a new series are used today for space flights. 7K-STMA-M "Soyuz TMA-M" ("Soyuz TMAs") (C - digital). It replaced the Argon-16 onboard computer with the TsVM-101 (it is 68 kg lighter and much less) and the on-board analog telemetry system with the more compact digital MBITS system in order to improve the interface with the on-board ISS control system. The modernization of the spacecraft provides for expanding the capabilities of the spacecraft in autonomous flight and during an emergency descent. The first launch of a spacecraft of this type with a crew on board took place on October 7, 2010 - Soyuz TMA-M, and docking with the ISS - on October 10, 2010. Apart from "digitalization", this modification of the spacecraft is very insignificant in scale (meeting NASA requirements in terms of compatibility with the ISS) and is inferior not only to the version of the spacecraft modernization project of the 1990s - "Soyuz TMM"but also a lite version of this project "Soyuz TMS".

The developer and manufacturer of ships of the Soyuz family from the 1960s to the present is the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation. The production of ships is carried out at the headquarters of the corporation in Korolev, and testing and preparation of ships for launch is carried out in the assembly and testing building (MIC) of the enterprise at the 254th site of the Baikonur cosmodrome.

Device

Ships of this family consist of three compartments: an instrument-assembly compartment (PAO), a descent vehicle (SA), and a utility compartment (BO).

Major improvements (in terms of layout, design and on-board systems of the descent vehicle (RV) without increasing its dimensions):

  • Three newly developed elongated Kazbek-UM chairs were installed with new four-mode shock absorbers, which provide adjustment of the shock absorber depending on the astronaut's weight.
  • The equipment was rearranged in the over-seat and under-seat areas of the SA, allowing to accommodate elongated chairs and astronauts with increased anthropometry, and to expand the passage area through the entrance hatch. In particular, a new control panel, reduced in height, a new refrigeration and drying unit, an information storage system and other new or modified systems have been installed.
  • On the CA body, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe footrests of the right and left seats, punchings about 30 mm deep were organized, which made it possible to place tall astronauts and their elongated seats. Correspondingly, the power set of the case and the laying of pipelines and cables have changed.
  • The elements of the CA body, instrument frame and brackets have been modified to a minimum. The cockpit was, if possible, "cleared" of protruding elements - they were moved to more convenient places, the valve block of the oxygen supply system was remade into space suits.
  • Improvements of the complex of landing devices were carried out:
    • two (out of 6 single-mode) soft-landing engines (DMP) were replaced with two new three-mode (DMP-M);
    • to reduce measurement errors, the gamma altimeter "Cactus-1V" was replaced with a new device "Cactus-2V".
  • separate systems and units.

Soyuz TMA-M

With the flight of the Soyuz TMA-01M on October 7, 2010, the use of a new generation of Soyuz TMA began. The modernization of the ship concerned, first of all, the onboard digital computer and the telemetry information transmission system. Previously, the Soyuz spacecraft used an analog telemetry information transmission system, while the Soyuz TMA-M has a digital one, which is more compact, and the on-board computer belongs to the TsVM-101 class - more advanced than the machines on previous generations. "Unions".

Major improvements:

  • In the motion control and navigation system (SUDN) of the ship of the new series, 5 new devices with a total mass of ~ 42 kg were installed (instead of 6 devices with a total mass of ~ 101 kg). At the same time, the power consumption of the SUDN is reduced to 105 W (instead of 402 W);
  • As part of the modified SUDN, a central computer (CVM) is used with an interface device with a total mass of ~ 26 kg and power consumption of 80 W. The performance of the digital computer is 8 million operations per second, the capacity of the RAM is 2048 Kb. The resource has been significantly increased, which is 35 thousand hours. 50% stock of computing facilities has been laid;
  • In the onboard measurement system (SBM) of the spacecraft, 14 new devices with a total mass of ~ 28 kg (instead of 30 devices with a total mass of ~ 70 kg) were installed with the same information content. A mode of information exchange with on-board computing facilities (BVS) has been introduced;
  • Reduced power consumption of SBI: in the mode of direct transmission of telemetric information - up to 85 W (instead of 115 W), in the recording mode - up to 29 W (instead of 84 W) and in the playback mode - up to 85 W (instead of 140 W);

Related improvements:

Thermal management system (SOTR):

  • liquid temperature control of the SUDN BVS devices was provided by installing three thermoplates in the instrument compartment (PO) of the ship;
  • the contour of the mounted radiator SOTR was improved for connecting thermostatic boards for thermostating new SUDN devices located in the software;
  • an electric pump unit with increased productivity is installed in the circuit of the mounted radiator SOTP;
  • the liquid-liquid heat exchanger was replaced in order to improve the liquid thermostatting of the ship at the launch site in connection with the introduction of new devices into the ship that require thermostating.

Traffic control and navigation system (SUDN):

  • the automation unit of the docking and attitude control engines (BA DPO) was improved to ensure compatibility with new onboard computing facilities;
  • the software for computing facilities of the spacecraft descent vehicle has been improved.

Onboard complex control system (SMS):

  • the command processing unit and the command matrix have been improved in order to provide the specified control logic for the SUDN and SBI input devices;
  • circuit breakers in the power switching units were replaced to provide power supply to the input devices SUDN and SBI.

Astronauts console:

  • new software was introduced, taking into account changes in command and signal information during the modernization of on-board systems.

Improvements to spacecraft design and interfaces to the ISS:

  • the magnesium alloy of the PO instrument frame was replaced with an aluminum alloy to improve the manufacturability;
  • duplicated multiplex channels were introduced to exchange information between the spacecraft's UAV and the ISS Russian Segment.

Improvement results:

  • 36 obsolete instruments were replaced by 19 instruments of new design;
  • the SMS and SOTR were improved in terms of providing control, power supply and thermostating of new devices being introduced;
  • the ship's design was additionally improved to improve the manufacturability of its manufacture;
  • the mass of the ship's structure has been reduced by 70 kg, which will allow further improvement of its characteristics.

Soyuz MC

A new modernized version of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft. The update has affected almost every system of the manned spacecraft. The test phase of the modified spacecraft took place in 2015.

The main points of the spacecraft modernization program:

GLONASS sensors are installed on the modernized Soyuz MS. At the parachuting stage and after landing of the descent vehicle, its coordinates obtained from GLONASS / GPS data are transmitted via the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system to the MCC.

Presumably, Soyuz MS is the latest modification of Soyuz. The ship will be used for manned flights until the next generation ship "Federation" comes to replace it.

Military projects

In the early to mid-1960s, the creation of USSR spacecraft within the framework of the "A" / "NORTH" programs was subordinated to two tasks: a man's flight to the moon (both with landing on the lunar surface and without it) and the implementation of the programs of the Ministry defense of the USSR. In particular, within the framework of the NORTH program, an inspector of space objects was designed - “ 7K-P"(" Soyuz-P ")" Interceptor "and its modification - a combat strike ship with missile weapons 7K-PPK ("Soyuz-PPK") "Manned interceptor".

In 1962, an inspector of space objects was designed - “ 7K-P", Which was supposed to solve the problem of inspecting and disabling enemy spacecraft. This project received the support of the military leadership, since the US plans to create a military orbital station Manned Orbiting Laboratory were known and the Soyuz-P maneuvering space interceptor would be an ideal means to combat such stations.

Initially, it was assumed that Soyuz-P would ensure the approach of the spacecraft with an enemy space object and the cosmonauts' exit into open space in order to examine the object, after which, depending on the results of the inspection, the cosmonauts would either disable the object by mechanical impact, or “remove »It from orbit by placing it in the container of the ship. Then, such a technically complex project was abandoned, as there was a fear that with this option the astronauts could become victims of booby traps.

Later, the designers changed the concept of using the spacecraft. It was supposed to create a modification of the ship - 7K-PPK ("Manned interceptor") for two cosmonauts, equipped with eight small rockets. He was supposed to get close to the enemy's spacecraft, after which the cosmonauts, without leaving their ship, had to visually and with the help of on-board equipment inspect the object and make a decision about its destruction. If such a decision was made, then the ship had to retire a kilometer from the target and shoot it with onboard mini-missiles.

However, plans to create Soyuz-P / PPK interceptor ships were subsequently abandoned, due to the Americans' refusal to work on their own project. MOL Manned Orbiting Laboratory. On the basis of the 7K-OK project, the Soyuz-R (Scout) warship was developed, and then on its basis - the Soyuz-VI (Military Researcher). Ship project " 7K-VI"(" Soyuz-VI ") appeared in pursuance of the Resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of August 24, 1965, ordering to accelerate work on the creation of military orbital systems. The designers of the 7K-VI spacecraft promised the military to create a universal combat ship that could carry out visual reconnaissance, photographic reconnaissance, and perform maneuvers to approach and destroy enemy spacecraft.

In 1967, D.I. Kozlov, at that time the head of the Kuibyshev branch of OKB-1, after unsuccessful launches of 7K-OK (the death of cosmonaut V.M. Komarov, as well as accidents and failures in the flight program of unmanned spacecraft of the "Soyuz" and accordingly the impossibility of TsKBEM to engage in lunar and military programs at the same time) - completely re-assembled and modified the initial project transferred to its design bureau " 7K-VI". New model of the spaceship " Star »Compares favorably with the base 7K-OK, was embodied in metal and prepared for test flights. The project of the next version of the Soyuz-VI complex was approved, the government approved the date of the test flight - the end of 1968. On the descent vehicle was the Nudelman-Richter aircraft gun HP-23 - a modification of the tail gun of the Tu-22 jet bomber, modified specifically for firing in a vacuum. Another innovation applied at Zvezda was the power plant at the base.

This modification could become the basis for the further development of the Soyuz spacecraft, but the head of OKB-1 (TsKBEM) V. P. Mishin, who took this post after the death of S. P. Korolev, using all his authority and state connections, achieved the cancellation of all flights " 7K-VI"And closed this project, promising to create" 7K-VI / OIS»By minor modifications of the outdated 7K-OK. Later, the final decision was made that it makes no sense to create a complex and expensive modification of the existing 7K-OK ship, if the latter is quite capable of coping with all the tasks that the military may put before it. Another argument was that it is impossible to dissipate forces and means in a situation where the Soviet Union may lose its leadership in the "moon race". In addition, the leaders of TsKBEM did not want to lose their monopoly on manned space flights. Ultimately, all projects for the military use of a manned spacecraft in the Kuibyshev branch of OKB-1 were closed in favor of unmanned systems.

However, there is another opinion that Chelomey originally designed a closed system "Almaz", launched on the UR-500 ("Proton") with a manned heavy 20-ton TKS (), launched from the 92nd site of Baikonur.

In the late 1960s, the design of a series of ships began 7K-S (7K-S-I and 7K-S-II) initially for the needs of the USSR Ministry of Defense, including flights to the Chelomey design bureau Almaz. 7K-S was distinguished by significantly improved systems (digital computer Argon-16, new control system, combined propulsion system). Then the military use of the 7K-S was abandoned (the test program was fully implemented, albeit with long delays) in favor of a more promising series of heavy orbital ships TKS ("Transport Supply Ship") of the Chelomey Design Bureau, and a transport modification of the warship under the program 7K-S - 7K-ST under the name "Soyuz-T" provided civilian missions in orbit.

Transport modification of ships of the 7K-S series - 7K-ST Soyuz-T flew at the Salyut-6 and Salyut-7 stations. By improving the descent vehicle, it was possible to again increase the crew to three people (in spacesuits). In addition, solar panels were returned in this modification.

see also

  • Vostok - spaceship
  • Soyuz 7K-L1 (Probe (space program))
  • Federation - spaceship

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  • ... Documentary. Roscosmos TV studio
  • / ed. O. N. Ostapenko. - Publishing house "Capital Encyclopedia", 2015. - T. 2. - 752 p. - ISBN 978-5-903989-27-0.

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Excerpt characterizing the Soyuz (spaceship)

He gave the horses to the soldier who was in the bowler hat and squatted down by the fire next to the long-necked officer. This officer, without taking his eyes off, looked at Dolokhov and asked him again: what kind of regiment was he? Dolokhov did not answer, as if he had not heard the question, and, lighting a short French pipe, which he took out of his pocket, he asked the officers how safe was the road from the Cossacks ahead of them.
- Les brigands sont partout, [These robbers are everywhere.] - the officer answered from behind the fire.
Dolokhov said that the Cossacks are terrible only for such backward ones as he and his comrade, but that the Cossacks probably did not dare attack large detachments, he added inquiringly. Nobody answered anything.
"Well, now he will leave," Petya thought every minute, standing in front of the fire and listening to his conversation.
But Dolokhov began the conversation that had stopped again and began directly asking how many people they had in the battalion, how many battalions, how many prisoners. Asking about the Russian prisoners who were with their detachment, Dolokhov said:
- La vilaine affaire de trainer ces cadavres apres soi. Vaudrait mieux fusiller cette canaille, [It is a bad thing to carry these corpses with you. It would be better to shoot this bastard.] - and laughed loudly with such a strange laugh that it seemed to Petya that the French would now recognize the deception, and he involuntarily stepped back a step from the fire. No one answered Dolokhov's words and laughter, and the French officer, who was not visible (he was lying wrapped in his greatcoat), got up and whispered something to his comrade. Dolokhov got up and called the soldier with the horses.
"Will the horses be served or not?" - thought Petya, involuntarily approaching Dolokhov.
The horses were served.
- Bonjour, messieurs, [Here: goodbye, gentlemen.] - said Dolokhov.
Petya wanted to say bonsoir [good evening] and could not finish the word. The officers were whispering something to each other. Dolokhov sat for a long time on a horse that did not stand; then he walked out of the gate at a step. Petya rode beside him, wanting and not daring to look back to see whether the French were running or not running after them.
Having left on the road, Dolokhov drove not back into the field, but along the village. At one point he stopped, listening.
- Do you hear? - he said.
Petya recognized the sounds of Russian voices, saw the dark figures of Russian prisoners by the fires. Going down to the bridge, Petya and Dolokhov drove through the sentry, who, without saying a word, walked gloomily across the bridge, and drove into a hollow where the Cossacks were waiting.
- Well, now goodbye. Tell Denisov that at dawn, at the first shot, - Dolokhov said and wanted to drive, but Petya grabbed him with his hand.
- Not! - he cried, - you are such a hero. Oh, how good! How wonderful! How I love you.
“Okay, okay,” Dolokhov said, but Petya did not let him go, and in the darkness Dolokhov saw that Petya was bent over him. He wanted to kiss. Dolokhov kissed him, laughed and, turning his horse, disappeared into the darkness.

X
Returning to the guardhouse, Petya found Denisov in the entryway. Denisov, agitated, worried and annoyed with himself that he had let Petya go, was expecting him.
- Thank God! He shouted. - Well, thank God! - he repeated, listening to Petya's enthusiastic story. “And why take you, I didn't sleep because of you!” Denisov said. “Well, thank God, now go to bed. Another vzdg "let's eat to utg" a.
- Yes ... No, - said Petya. “I don’t feel like sleeping yet. Yes, I know myself, if I fall asleep, it’s over. And then I got used to not sleeping before the battle.
Petya sat for some time in the hut, joyfully recalling the details of his trip and vividly imagining what would happen tomorrow. Then, noticing that Denisov fell asleep, he got up and went into the yard.
It was still completely dark outside. The rain had passed, but drops were still falling from the trees. Close to the guardhouse, black figures of Cossack huts and horses tied together were visible. Behind the hut were two wagons with horses, and a dying fire blushed in the ravine. The Cossacks and hussars were not all asleep: in some places one could hear, along with the sound of falling drops and the close sound of horses chewing, low, as if whispering voices.
Petya came out of the entryway, looked around in the darkness and went up to the trucks. Someone was snoring under the wagons, and around them were saddled horses, chewing oats. In the dark Petya recognized his horse, which he called Karabakh, although it was a Little Russian horse, and approached her.
“Well, Karabakh, we'll serve tomorrow,” he said, sniffing her nostrils and kissing her.
- What, sir, are you awake? - said the Cossack, who was sitting under the wagon.
- Not; and ... Likhachev, it seems, is your name? After all, I have just arrived. We went to see the French. - And Petya told the Cossack in detail not only his trip, but also why he went and why he believes that it is better to risk his life than to do Lazarus at random.
- Well, they should have nap, - said the Cossack.
- No, I'm used to it, - Petya answered. - What, you have no flints in your pistols? I brought with me. Isn't it necessary? Take it.
The Cossack leaned out from under the wagon to take a closer look at Petya.
“Because I'm used to doing everything neatly,” said Petya. - Others will not get ready, then they regret it. I don't like that.
“That's for sure,” said the Cossack.
- And what's more, please, my dear, sharpen my saber; blunt ... (but Petya was afraid to lie) she was never honed. Can I do this?
- Why, you can.
Likhachev got up, rummaged in his packs, and Petya soon heard the warlike sound of steel on a block. He climbed onto the wagon and sat on the edge of it. The Cossack sharpened his saber under the wagon.
- Well, well fellows are sleeping? - said Petya.
- Who is sleeping and who is like that.
- Well, what about the boy?
- Spring then? He collapsed there, in senets. Sleeping with fear. I was glad that.
For a long time after that, Petya was silent, listening to the sounds. Footsteps were heard in the darkness and a black figure appeared.
- What are you sharpening? - asked the man, approaching the wagon.
- But to sharpen the master's saber.
“A good thing,” said the man who seemed to Pete to be a hussar. - Do you have a cup left?
- And over there by the wheel.
The hussar took the cup.
- Probably soon the light, - he said, yawning, and went somewhere.
Petya should have known that he was in the forest, in Denisov’s party, a mile from the road, that he was sitting on a wagon, beaten off from the French, near which horses were tied, that Cossack Likhachev was sitting under him and sharpening his saber, that there was a big black spot to the right - a guardhouse, and a red bright spot below to the left - a burning fire, that the person who came for a cup is a hussar who wanted to drink; but he knew nothing and did not want to know it. He was in a magical realm, in which there was nothing like reality. A big black spot, maybe there was a guardhouse, or maybe there was a cave that led to the very depths of the earth. The red spot may have been fire, or perhaps the eye of a huge monster. Maybe he is now sitting on a wagon, but it is very possible that he is not sitting on a wagon, but on a terribly high tower, from which if he fell, he would fly to the ground all day, a whole month - all fly and never reach ... It may be that just a Cossack Likhachev is sitting under the truck, but it may very well be that this is the kindest, bravest, most wonderful, most excellent person in the world whom no one knows. Perhaps it was as if the hussar was passing by for water and went into the hollow, or maybe he had just disappeared from sight and completely disappeared, and he was not there.
Whatever Petya saw now, nothing would have surprised him. He was in a magical realm where anything was possible.
He looked up at the sky. And the sky was as magical as the earth. It was clearing in the sky, and clouds ran quickly over the tops of the trees, as if revealing the stars. Sometimes it seemed that the sky was clearing and showing a black, clear sky. Sometimes it seemed that these black spots were clouds. Sometimes it seemed that the sky was high, rising high overhead; sometimes the sky descended completely, so that you could reach it with your hand.
Petya began to close his eyes and sway.
The drops were dripping. There was a quiet talk. The horses laughed and fought. Someone was snoring.
- Burning, burning, burning, burning ... - whistled a sharpened saber. And suddenly Petya heard a harmonious chorus of music playing some unknown, solemnly sweet hymn. Petya was musical, just like Natasha, and more than Nikolai, but he never studied music, never thought about music, and therefore the motives that suddenly occurred to him were especially new and attractive for him. The music played louder and louder. The tune grew, passed from one instrument to another. What is called a fugue was happening, although Petya did not have the slightest idea of \u200b\u200bwhat a fugue was. Each instrument, sometimes similar to a violin, sometimes to trumpets - but better and cleaner than violins and trumpets - each instrument played its own and, without having finished playing the motif, merged with another, which began almost the same, and with the third, and with the fourth , and they all merged into one and again scattered, and again merged, now in the solemn church, now in the brightly brilliant and victorious.
“Oh, yes, it’s me in a dream,” Petya said, swinging forward. - It's in my ears. Or maybe this is my music. Well, again. Go ahead my music! Well!.."
He closed his eyes. And from different sides, as if from afar, sounds fluttered, began to harmonize, scatter, merge, and again everything combined into the same sweet and solemn hymn. “Oh, what a charm it is! As much as I want and how I want, ”Petya said to himself. He tried to lead this huge choir of instruments.
“Well, quieter, quieter, freeze now. - And the sounds obeyed him. - Well, now it's fuller, more fun. Even more joyful. - And from an unknown depth rose the intensifying, solemn sounds. - Well, voices, bother! " - Petya ordered. And at first, from afar, male voices were heard, then female. The voices grew, grew in steady solemn effort. Petya was scared and joyful to listen to their extraordinary beauty.
Song merged with the solemn victory march, and drops dripped, and burning, burning, burning ... the saber whistled, and again the horses fought and whinnied, not breaking the chorus, but entering it.
Petya did not know how long this went on: he was enjoying himself, all the time he was amazed at his pleasure and regretted that there was no one to tell him. Likhachev's gentle voice woke him up.
- Done, your honor, spread the guardian in two.
Petya woke up.
- It's dawn, really, it's dawn! He screamed.
Horses that were previously unseen were visible to their tails, and a watery light could be seen through the bare branches. Petya shook himself, jumped up, took a ruble from his pocket and gave Likhachev, waving, tasted the saber and put it in its sheath. The Cossacks untied the horses and tightened the girths.
“Here's the commander,” said Likhachev. Denisov came out of the guardhouse and, calling Petya, ordered to get ready.

Quickly in the semi-darkness, the horses were dismantled, the girths were tightened and the commands were sorted out. Denisov stood at the guardhouse, giving the last orders. The party's infantry, plopping with a hundred feet, advanced along the road and quickly disappeared between the trees in the predawn fog. Esaul ordered something to the Cossacks. Petya kept his horse on the bit, eagerly awaiting the order to sit down. Having been washed with cold water, his face, especially his eyes, burned with fire, a chill ran down his spine, and something throughout his body was trembling quickly and evenly.
- Well, are you all ready? - said Denisov. - Come on horses.
The horses were served. Denisov got angry with the Cossack because the girths were weak, and, having scolded him, sat down. Petya took hold of the stirrup. The horse, out of habit, wanted to bite him on the leg, but Petya, not feeling his heaviness, quickly jumped into the saddle and, looking back at the hussars who had moved behind in the darkness, drove up to Denisov.
- Vasily Fedorovich, will you entrust me with something? Please… for God's sake… ”he said. Denisov seemed to have forgotten about Petya's existence. He looked back at him.
- About one you pg "osh," he said sternly, "to obey me and not to meddle.
During the entire move Denisov did not speak a word more with Petya and drove in silence. When we arrived at the edge of the forest, it was already noticeably brightening in the field. Denisov talked something in a whisper with the esaul, and the Cossacks began to pass Petya and Denisov. When they all passed, Denisov touched his horse and rode downhill. Sitting on their hindquarters and sliding, the horses descended with their riders into the hollow. Petya rode next to Denisov. The tremors in his entire body grew more and more. It became brighter and brighter, only the fog hid distant objects. Having rode down and looking back, Denisov nodded his head to the Cossack who stood beside him.
- Signal! He said.
The Cossack raised his hand, a shot rang out. And at the same instant there was the sound of pounding horses in front of them, shouts from all sides, and more shots.
At the same instant, as the first sounds of stomping and shouting were heard, Petya, hitting his horse and releasing the reins, without listening to Denisov shouting at him, galloped ahead. It seemed to Petya that all of a sudden, like the middle of the day, it was brightly dawning the minute the shot was heard. He galloped to the bridge. Cossacks galloped along the road ahead. On the bridge he ran into a straggler Cossack and rode on. Ahead, some people — they must have been the French — were running from the right side of the road to the left. One fell into the mud under the feet of Petya's horse.
Cossacks crowded around one hut, doing something. A terrible cry came from the middle of the crowd. Petya galloped up to this crowd, and the first thing he saw was the pale face of a Frenchman with a trembling lower jaw, holding on to the shaft of a pike directed at him.
- Hurray! .. Guys ... ours ... - Petya shouted and, giving the reins to the heated horse, galloped forward along the street.
Shots were heard ahead. Cossacks, hussars and Russian ragged prisoners who fled from both sides of the road, all loudly and awkwardly shouted something. A dashing Frenchman, without a hat, with a red scowling face, in a blue greatcoat, fought off the hussars with a bayonet. When Petya jumped up, the Frenchman had already fallen. Again he was late, it flashed through Petya's head, and he galloped over to where he heard frequent shots. Shots rang out in the courtyard of the manor house where he was with Dolokhov last night. The French sat there behind a fence in a dense garden overgrown with bushes and fired at the Cossacks who were crowding at the gate. Approaching the gate, Petya in the powder smoke saw Dolokhov with a pale, greenish face, shouting something to people. “Take a detour! Infantry wait! " - he shouted, while Petya drove up to him.
- Wait? .. Uraaaa! .. - Petya shouted and, without hesitating a single minute, galloped to the place where the shots were heard and where the powder smoke was thicker. A volley was heard, and empty bullets squeaked into something. The Cossacks and Dolokhov jumped up after Petya into the gate of the house. The French, in the wavering thick smoke, some threw down their weapons and ran out of the bushes to meet the Cossacks, others ran downhill to the pond. Petya galloped on his horse along the courtyard and, instead of holding the reins, waved both hands strangely and quickly and knocked farther and farther from the saddle to one side. The horse, having run up to the fire smoldering in the morning light, rested, and Petya fell heavily on the wet ground. The Cossacks saw how quickly his arms and legs twitched, despite the fact that his head did not move. The bullet pierced his head.
After talking with a senior French officer, who came out to him from behind the house with a scarf on a sword and announced that they were surrendering, Dolokhov dismounted and walked over to Pete, who was lying motionless, with outstretched arms.
“Ready,” he said, frowning, and went to the gate to meet Denisov, who was riding towards him.
- Killed ?! - cried Denisov, seeing from afar that familiar to him, undoubtedly lifeless position in which Petya's body lay.
“Ready,” Dolokhov repeated, as if pronouncing the word gave him pleasure, and quickly went to the prisoners, who were surrounded by the dismounted Cossacks. - We will not take! - he shouted to Denisov.
Denisov did not answer; he rode up to Petya, dismounted from the horse and with trembling hands turned Petya's face, stained with blood and mud, already pale, towards him.
“I'm used to something sweet. Excellent raisins, take them all, ”he remembered. And the Cossacks looked back in surprise at the sounds, similar to a dog barking, with which Denisov quickly turned away, went up to the fence and grabbed it.
Among the Russian prisoners recaptured by Denisov and Dolokhov was Pierre Bezukhov.

About the party of prisoners in which Pierre was, during his entire movement from Moscow, there was no new order from the French authorities. This party on October 22 was no longer with the troops and carts with which it left Moscow. Half of the convoy with breadcrumbs, which followed the first crossings, was repulsed by the Cossacks, the other half went ahead; the foot cavalrymen who were walking in front, there were not one more; they all disappeared. The artillery, which had been visible in front of the first crossings, was now replaced by the huge train of Marshal Junot, escorted by the Westphalians. Behind the prisoners rode a wagon train of cavalry items.
From Vyazma, the French troops, previously marching in three columns, were now marching in one heap. Those signs of disorder that Pierre noticed at the first halt from Moscow have now reached the last degree.
The road they followed was paved on both sides by dead horses; ragged people, backward from different teams, constantly changing, then joined, then again lagged behind the marching column.
Several times during the campaign there were false alarms, and the soldiers of the convoy raised their guns, fired and ran headlong, crushing each other, but then they gathered again and scolded each other for their vain fear.
These three gatherings, marching together - the cavalry depot, the depot for prisoners and Junot's wagon train - still constituted something separate and integral, although both of them, and the third, were rapidly melting.
The depot, which had a hundred and twenty carts at first, now had no more than sixty; the rest were repulsed or abandoned. From Junot's convoy, several carts were also abandoned and repulsed. Three carts were plundered by the backward soldiers who came running from the Davout corps. From the conversations of the Germans, Pierre heard that more guards were put on this wagon train than for the prisoners, and that one of their comrades, a German soldier, was shot by order of the marshal himself for the fact that a silver spoon belonging to the marshal was found on the soldier.
Most of these three gatherings melted depot of prisoners. Of the three hundred and thirty people who left Moscow, now there were less than a hundred. The prisoners, even more than the saddles of the cavalry depot and than Junot's wagon train, weighed down the escorting soldiers. Junot's saddles and spoons, they understood that they could be useful for something, but why was it necessary for the hungry and cold soldiers of the convoy to stand guard and guard the same cold and hungry Russians, who were dying and lagging behind the road, whom they had ordered to shoot, - that was not only incomprehensible, but also disgusting. And the escorts, as if afraid in the woeful situation in which they themselves were, not to surrender to their former feeling of pity for the prisoners and thus worsen their situation, treated them especially gloomily and severely.
In Dorogobuzh, while, having locked the prisoners in the stable, the escort soldiers left to plunder their own shops, several people of the captured soldiers dug under the wall and fled, but were captured by the French and shot.
The previous order, introduced at the exit from Moscow, so that the captured officers should go separately from the soldiers, has long been destroyed; all those who could walk walked together, and from the third passage Pierre had already joined again with Karataev and the purple bow-legged dog, which chose Karataev as its master.
With Karataev, on the third day of leaving Moscow, the fever from which he lay in the Moscow hospital developed, and as Karataev weakened, Pierre moved away from him. Pierre did not know why, but since Karataev began to grow weaker, Pierre had to make an effort on himself in order to approach him. And coming up to him and listening to those quiet moans with which Karataev usually lay down on halts, and feeling the now intensifying smell that Karataev was emitting from himself, Pierre moved away from him and did not think about him.
In captivity, in a booth, Pierre learned not with his mind, but with his whole being, with his life that man was created for happiness, that happiness is in himself, in the satisfaction of natural human needs, and that all misfortune comes not from lack, but from excess; but now, during these last three weeks of the campaign, he learned a new, comforting truth - he learned that there is nothing terrible in the world. He learned that since there is no position in which a person would be happy and completely free, there is also no position in which he would be unhappy and not free. He learned that there is a border of suffering and a border of freedom and that this border is very close; that the man who suffered because one leaf was wrapped in his pink bed suffered just as he suffered now, falling asleep on the bare, damp earth, cooling one side and warming the other; that when he used to put on his narrow ballroom shoes, he suffered in the same way as now, when he walked already barefoot (his shoes had long been disheveled), with sore feet. He learned that when he, it seemed to him, of his own free will married his wife, he was no more free than now, when he was locked up for the night in the stable. Of all that later he also called suffering, but which he almost did not feel then, the main thing was his bare, worn out, chilled legs. (Horse meat was tasty and nutritious, the saltpeter bouquet of gunpowder used instead of salt was even pleasant, there was not much cold, and it was always hot on the move during the day, and there were bonfires at night; the lice that ate the body pleasantly warmed.) One thing was hard. at first it is the legs.
On the second day of the march, having examined his sores by the fire, Pierre thought it was impossible to step on them; but when everyone got up, he walked with a limp, and then, when he warmed up, he walked without pain, although in the evening it was more terrible to look at his feet. But he did not look at them and thought about something else.
Now only Pierre understood the whole force of a person's vitality and the saving power of shifting attention, invested in a person, similar to that saving valve in steam engines, which releases excess steam as soon as its density exceeds a known norm.
He did not see or hear how retarded prisoners were shot, although more than a hundred of them had already died in this way. He did not think about Karataev, who was weakening every day and, obviously, soon had to undergo the same fate. Pierre thought even less of himself. The more difficult his position became, the more terrible the future was, the more independent of the position in which he was, joyful and reassuring thoughts, memories and ideas came to him.

On the 22nd, at noon, Pierre walked uphill along a muddy, slippery road, looking at his feet and at the uneven path. From time to time he glanced at the familiar crowd surrounding him, and again at his feet. Both were equally his own and familiar to him. Lilac bow-legged Gray merrily ran along the side of the road, occasionally, to prove his dexterity and contentment, tucking his hind paw and jumping on three and then again on all four rushing with barking at the crows that were sitting on the falling. Gray was more fun and smoother than in Moscow. On all sides lay the meat of various animals - from human to horse, in various degrees of decomposition; and the wolves were not allowed by the walking people, so that the Gray could gorge himself as much as he wanted.
It had been raining since morning, and it seemed as though it would pass and clear up in the sky, as after a short stop it started to rain even more. The rain-soaked road no longer took in water, and the streams flowed along the ruts.
Pierre walked, looking around, counting steps in three, and bent over on his fingers. Turning to the rain, he internally said: well, well, more, more pump.
It seemed to him that he was not thinking about anything; but far and deep somewhere something important and comforting his soul thought. This was the subtlest spiritual extract from his yesterday's conversation with Karataev.
Yesterday, at a halt at night, chilled by the extinguished fire, Pierre got up and went over to the nearest, better burning fire. By the fire, to which he approached, Plato sat, covered, like a garment, with his head overcoat, and told the soldiers in his controversial, pleasant, but weak, painful voice a story familiar to Pierre. It was past midnight. This was the time at which Karataev usually revived from a febrile seizure and was especially animated. Approaching the fire and hearing the weak, painful voice of Plato and seeing his pitiful face brightly illuminated by fire, something unpleasantly stabbed Pierre in his heart. He was afraid of his pity for this man and wanted to leave, but there was no other fire, and Pierre, trying not to look at Plato, sat down at the fire.
- What, how is your health? - he asked.
- What health? To cry on illness - God will not give death, - said Karataev and immediately returned to the story he had begun.
- ... And now, my brother, - continued Plato with a smile on his thin, pale face and with a special, joyful gleam in his eyes, - here, my brother ...
Pierre had known this story for a long time, Karataev told him this story alone six times, and always with a special, joyful feeling. But no matter how well Pierre knew this story, he now listened to it as to something new, and that quiet delight which, when telling, apparently, Karataev felt, communicated to Pierre. This story was about an old merchant who lived with his family in a noble and godly manner and once went with a friend, a wealthy merchant, to Makar.
Stopping at an inn, both merchants fell asleep, and the next day the merchant's comrade was found stabbed to death and robbed. The bloody knife was found under the pillow of the old merchant. The merchant was tried, punished with a whip and, pulling out his nostrils, - properly in order, said Karataev - was exiled to hard labor.
- And now, my brother (at this place Pierre found Karataev's story), this case has been going on for ten years or more. The old man lives in hard labor. As it follows, it obeys, does not do anything bad. He only asks for death from the god. - Okay. And get them together, by night business, convicts, just like you and me, and the old man with them. And the conversation started, who is suffering for what, what is God's fault. They began to say that he had ruined his soul, that two, that he set fire to, that fugitive, so for nothing. They began to ask the old man: why, they say, grandfather, are you suffering? I, my dear brothers, says I suffer for my own sins and for human sins. And I did not ruin a soul, I did not take someone else's, acre that I gave the poor brethren. I, my dear brothers, are a merchant; and he had great wealth. So and so, he says. And he told them, then, how the whole thing was, in order. I, he says, do not worry about myself. So God has found me. One thing, he says, I'm sorry for my old woman and children. And so the old man began to cry. If the same person happened in their company, it means that the merchant was killed. Where, he says, was grandfather? When, what month? I asked everything. His heart ached. Suitable in such a manner to the old man - bang on the legs. For me, he says, the old man, you disappear. The truth is true; innocently in vain, he says, lads, this man is suffering. I, he says, did the very thing and put a knife under your sleepy head. Forgive me, grandfather says, you are me for Christ's sake.
Karataev fell silent, smiling happily, looking at the fire, and straightened the logs.
- The old man says: God, they say, will forgive you, but we all, he says, are sinful to God, I suffer for my sins. He himself cried bitter tears. What do you think, falcon, - Karataev said, shining brighter and brighter, shining with an enthusiastic smile, as if what he had now to tell was the main charm and all the meaning of the story, - what do you think, falcon, this killer appeared in his superiors ... I, he says, ruined six souls (I was a great villain), but I am more sorry for this old man. Let him not cry at me. He announced: they wrote off, sent the paper, as follows. The place is far away, while the court and the case, while all the papers were written off as they should, according to the authorities, then. The king got it. So far, the tsar's decree has come: to release the merchant, to give him awards, as many were awarded there. The paper came, they began to look for the old man. Where did such an old man suffer innocently in vain? The paper came out from the king. They began to search. - The lower jaw of Karataev trembled. - And God forgave him - he died. So that, falcon, - finished Karataev and for a long time, silently smiling, looked in front of him.
Not this story itself, but its mysterious meaning, that ecstatic joy that shone in the face of Karataev during this story, the mysterious meaning of this joy, it now vaguely and joyfully filled Pierre's soul.

- A vos places! [To places!] - a voice suddenly shouted.
Between the prisoners and the escorts there was a joyful confusion and the expectation of something happy and solemn. The shouts of the command were heard from all sides, and from the left side, trotting round the prisoners, cavalrymen appeared, well dressed, on good horses. On all faces there was an expression of the tension that people have with the proximity of higher authorities. The prisoners huddled together, they were pushed off the road; the escorts lined up.
- L "Empereur! L" Empereur! Le marechal! Le duc! [Emperor! Emperor! Marshal! Duke!] - and the well-fed escorts had just passed, when the carriage thundered in a train on gray horses. Pierre caught a glimpse of the calm, handsome, fat and white face of a man in a triangular hat. It was one of the marshals. The marshal's gaze turned to the large, noticeable figure of Pierre, and in the expression with which this marshal frowned and turned his face away, Pierre seemed compassionate and a desire to hide it.
The general who was driving the depot, with a red frightened face, chasing his thin horse, galloped behind the carriage. Several officers came together, the soldiers surrounded them. All had anxiously tense faces.
- Qu "est ce qu" il a dit? Qu "est ce qu" il a dit? .. [What did he say? What? What? ..] - Pierre heard.
During the passage of the marshal, the prisoners huddled together, and Pierre saw Karataev, whom he had not seen yet this morning. Karataev was sitting in his greatcoat, leaning against a birch tree. In his face, besides the expression of yesterday's joyful emotion at the story of the merchant's innocent suffering, there was also an expression of quiet solemnity.