The structure of the spaceship. Spaceships
World Space Week kicked off today. It is held annually from 4 to 10 October. Exactly 60 years ago, the first man-made object, the Soviet Sputnik-1, was launched into low Earth orbit. It orbited the Earth for 92 days until it burned up in the atmosphere. After that, the road to space and man was opened. It became clear that it cannot be sent with a one-way ticket. Vladimir Seroukhov, correspondent of the MIR 24 TV channel, learned how space technologies developed.
In 1961, Saratov anti-aircraft gunners spotted an unidentified flying object on the radar. They were warned in advance: if they see such a container falling from the sky, it is not worth interfering with its flight. After all, this is the first space descent vehicle in history with a man on board. But landing in this capsule was not safe, so at an altitude of 7 kilometers he ejected and descended to the surface already with a parachute.
The capsule of the ship "Vostok", in the slang of engineers - "Ball", also descended by parachute. So Gagarin, Tereshkova and other space pioneers returned to Earth. Due to the design features, passengers experienced incredible overloads of 8 g. The conditions in Soyuz capsules are much easier. They have been used for more than half a century, but they should soon be replaced by a new generation of ships -.
“This is the seat of the crew commander and co-pilot. Just those places from which the ship will be controlled, control of all systems. In addition to these chairs, there will be two more chairs on the sides. This is for researchers,” says Oleg Kukin, Deputy Head of the Flight Test Department of RSC Energia.
Compared to the Soyuz family of ships, which are still morally obsolete, and where only three astronauts could fit in close quarters, the Federation capsule is a real apartment, 4 meters in diameter. Now the main task is to understand how convenient and functional the device will be for the crew.
Management is now available to two crew members. The remote control keeps pace with the times - these are three touch displays where you can control information and be more autonomous in orbit.
“Here, in order to choose a landing site where we can sit down. We directly see the map, the flight route. They can also control weather conditions if this information is transmitted from Earth, - said Oleg Kukin, Deputy Head of the Flight Test Department of RSC Energia.
"Federation" is designed for flights to the moon, it's about four days of travel one way. All this time, the astronauts must be in the fetal position. In rescue chairs, or cradles, it is surprisingly comfortable. Each one is a piece of jewelry.
"The measurement of all anthropometric data begins with the measurement of mass," said Victor Sinigin, head of the medical department of NPP Zvezda.
Here it is - the space studio, the Zvezda enterprise. Here, individual spacesuits and lodgements are made for astronauts. For people lighter than 50 kilograms, the way on board is ordered, as well as for those who are heavier than 95. Height must also be average in order to fit in the cabin of the ship. Therefore, measurements are taken in the fetal position.
This is how the chair for the Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata was cast. Got an imprint of the pelvis, back and head. In conditions of weightlessness, the growth of any astronaut can increase by a couple of centimeters, so the lodgement is made with a margin. It should be not only comfortable, but also safe in case of a hard landing.
“The very idea of modeling is to save the internal organs. Kidneys, liver, they are encapsulated. If you give them the opportunity to expand, they can tear, like a plastic bag with water that has fallen to the floor,” Sinigin explained.
In total, 700 lodgements were made in this way not only for the Russians, but also for the Japanese, Italians and even colleagues from the States who worked at the Mir and ISS stations.
“The Americans on their Shuttle carried our lodgements and spacesuits that we made for them, and other rescue equipment. They left it all at the station, in case of an emergency leaving the station, but already on our ship, ”said Vladimir Maslennikov, lead engineer of the testing department at NPP Zvezda.
Details Category: Meeting with space Posted on 12/05/2012 11:32 Views: 17243A manned spacecraft is designed to fly one or more people into outer space and safely return to Earth after completing the mission.
When designing this class of spacecraft, one of the main tasks is to create a safe, reliable and accurate system for returning the crew to the earth's surface in the form of a wingless descent vehicle (SA) or a space plane. . spaceplane - orbital plane(OS) aerospace plane(VKS) is a winged aircraft of an aircraft scheme, entering or launching into orbit an artificial satellite of the Earth by means of a vertical or horizontal launch and returning from it after completing the target tasks, making a horizontal landing on the airfield, actively using the lift force of the glider when descending. Combines the properties of both aircraft and spacecraft.
An important feature of a manned spacecraft is the presence of an emergency rescue system (SAS) at the initial stage of launch by a launch vehicle (LV).
The projects of the Soviet and Chinese spacecraft of the first generation did not have a full-fledged rocket SAS - instead, as a rule, ejection of the crew seats was used (the Voskhod spacecraft did not have this either). Winged spaceplanes are also not equipped with a special SAS, and may also have ejection crew seats. Also, the spacecraft must be equipped with a life support system (LSS) for the crew.
The creation of a manned spacecraft is a task of high complexity and cost, therefore only three countries have them: Russia, the USA and China. And only Russia and the USA have reusable manned spacecraft systems.
Some countries are working on the creation of their own manned spacecraft: India, Japan, Iran, North Korea, as well as ESA (European Space Agency, created in 1975 for the purpose of space exploration). ESA consists of 15 permanent members, sometimes, in some projects, they are joined by Canada and Hungary.
First generation spacecraft
"East"
These are a series of Soviet spacecraft designed for manned flights in near-Earth orbit. They were created under the leadership of the General Designer of OKB-1 Sergey Pavlovich Korolev from 1958 to 1963.
The main scientific tasks that stood for the Vostok spacecraft were: studying the effects of orbital flight conditions on the astronaut's condition and performance, testing the design and systems, testing the basic principles of spacecraft construction.
History of creation
Spring 1957 S. P. Korolev within the framework of his Design Bureau, he organized a special department No. 9, designed to carry out work on the creation of the first artificial satellites of the Earth. The department was headed by an associate of Korolev Mikhail Klavdievich Tikhonravov. Soon, in parallel with the development of artificial satellites, the department began to carry out research on the creation of a manned spacecraft. The launch vehicle was supposed to be the royal R-7. Calculations showed that it, equipped with a third stage, could launch a cargo weighing about 5 tons into low Earth orbit.
At an early stage of development, the calculations were done by mathematicians of the Academy of Sciences. In particular, it was noted that ballistic descent from orbit could result in tenfold overload.
From September 1957 to January 1958, Tikhonravov's department studied all the conditions for carrying out the task. It was found that the equilibrium temperature of a winged spacecraft, which has the highest aerodynamic quality, exceeds the thermal stability of the alloys available at that time, and the use of winged design options led to a decrease in payload. Therefore, they refused to consider winged options. The most acceptable way to return a person was to eject him at an altitude of several kilometers and then descend by parachute. In this case, a separate rescue of the descent vehicle could not be carried out.
In the course of medical studies conducted in April 1958, tests of pilots on a centrifuge showed that, in a certain position of the body, a person is able to endure overloads of up to 10 G without serious consequences for his health. Therefore, a spherical descent vehicle was chosen for the first manned spacecraft.
The spherical shape of the descent vehicle was the simplest and most studied symmetrical shape, the sphere has stable aerodynamic properties at any possible speeds and angles of attack. The shift of the center of mass to the aft part of the spherical apparatus made it possible to ensure its correct orientation during the ballistic descent.
The first ship "Vostok-1K" went into automatic flight in May 1960. Later, the modification "Vostk-3KA" was created and tested, completely ready for manned flights.
In addition to one failure of the launch vehicle at the start, the program launched six unmanned vehicles, and later six more manned spacecraft.
The spacecraft of the program carried out the world's first manned space flight (Vostok-1), a daily flight (Vostok-2), group flights of two spacecraft (Vostok-3 and Vostok-4), and the flight of a female cosmonaut ("Vostok-6").
The device of the spacecraft "Vostok"
The total mass of the spacecraft is 4.73 tons, the length is 4.4 m, and the maximum diameter is 2.43 m.
The ship consisted of a spherical descent vehicle (weight 2.46 tons and a diameter of 2.3 m), also performing the functions of an orbital compartment, and a conical instrument compartment (weight 2.27 tons and a maximum diameter of 2.43 m). The compartments were mechanically connected to each other using metal bands and pyrotechnic locks. The ship was equipped with systems: automatic and manual control, automatic orientation to the Sun, manual orientation to the Earth, life support (designed to maintain an internal atmosphere close in its parameters to the Earth's atmosphere for 10 days), command-logical control, power supply, thermal control and landing . To ensure the tasks of human work in outer space, the ship was equipped with autonomous and radio telemetry equipment for monitoring and recording parameters characterizing the state of the astronaut, structures and systems, ultrashortwave and shortwave equipment for two-way radiotelephone communication of the astronaut with ground stations, a command radio link, a program-time device, a television system with two transmitting cameras for observing the astronaut from the Earth, a radio system for monitoring the parameters of the orbit and direction finding of the spacecraft, a TDU-1 braking propulsion system, and other systems. The weight of the spacecraft together with the last stage of the launch vehicle was 6.17 tons, and their length in conjunction was 7.35 m.
The descent vehicle had two windows, one of which was located on the entrance hatch, just above the cosmonaut's head, and the other, equipped with a special orientation system, in the floor at his feet. The astronaut, dressed in a spacesuit, was placed in a special ejection seat. At the last stage of landing, after braking the descent vehicle in the atmosphere, at an altitude of 7 km, the cosmonaut ejected from the cabin and made a parachute landing. In addition, the possibility of landing an astronaut inside the descent vehicle was provided. The descent vehicle had its own parachute, but was not equipped with the means to perform a soft landing, which threatened the person remaining in it with a serious bruise during a joint landing.
In the event of failure of automatic systems, the astronaut could switch to manual control. The Vostok ships were not adapted for manned flights to the moon, and also did not allow the possibility of flights of people who had not undergone special training.
Vostok spacecraft pilots:
"Sunrise"
Two or three ordinary chairs were installed on the space vacated from the ejection seat. Since now the crew was landing in the descent vehicle, in addition to the parachute system, a solid-propellant brake engine was installed to ensure a soft landing of the ship, which was triggered immediately before touching the ground from the signal of a mechanical altimeter. On the Voskhod-2 spacecraft, intended for spacewalks, both cosmonauts were dressed in Berkut spacesuits. Additionally, an inflatable airlock was installed, which was reset after use.
The Voskhod spacecraft were launched into orbit by the Voskhod launch vehicle, also developed on the basis of the Vostok launch vehicle. But the system of the carrier and the Voskhod spacecraft in the first minutes after launch had no means of rescue in case of an accident.
The following flights were made under the Voskhod program:
"Cosmos-47" - October 6, 1964 Unmanned test flight for testing and testing the ship.
"Voskhod-1" - October 12, 1964 The first space flight with more than one person on board. Crew - cosmonaut-pilot Komarov, constructor Feoktistov and doctor Egorov.
Kosmos-57 - February 22, 1965 An unmanned test flight to test the ship for spacewalk ended in failure (undermined by the self-destruct system due to an error in the command system).
"Cosmos-59" - March 7, 1965 Unmanned test flight of a device of another series ("Zenith-4") with the installed gateway of the Voskhod spacecraft for spacewalk.
"Voskhod-2" - March 18, 1965 The first spacewalk with. Crew - cosmonaut-pilot Belyaev and test cosmonaut Leonov.
"Cosmos-110" - February 22, 1966 Test flight to check the operation of on-board systems during a long orbital flight, there were two dogs on board - Wind and Coal, the flight lasted 22 days.
Second generation spacecraft
"Union"
A series of multi-seat spacecraft for flights in near-Earth orbit. The developer and manufacturer of the ship is RSC Energia ( Rocket and Space Corporation Energia named after S. P. Korolev. The parent organization of the corporation is located in the city of Korolev, the branch is at the Baikonur cosmodrome). As a single organizational structure, it arose in 1974 under the leadership of Valentin Glushko.
History of creation
The Soyuz rocket and space complex began to be designed in 1962 at OKB-1 as a ship of the Soviet program for flying around the moon. At first it was assumed that under the program "A" a bunch of spacecraft and upper stages were to go to the Moon 7K, 9K, 11K. In the future, the project "A" was closed in favor of separate projects around the moon using the spacecraft "Zond" / 7K-L1 and landings on the Moon using the L3 complex as part of the orbital ship-module 7K-LOK and landing ship-module LK. In parallel with the lunar programs, on the basis of the same 7K and the closed project of the Sever near-Earth spacecraft, they began to make 7K-OK- a multi-purpose three-seat orbital ship (OK), designed to practice maneuvering and docking operations in near-Earth orbit, to conduct various experiments, including the transition of astronauts from ship to ship through outer space.
Testing of the 7K-OK began in 1966. After the abandonment of the flight program on the Voskhod spacecraft (with the destruction of the groundwork of three of the four completed Voskhod spacecraft), the designers of the Soyuz spacecraft lost the opportunity to work out solutions for their program on it. There was a two-year break in manned launches in the USSR, during which the Americans were actively exploring outer space. The first three unmanned launches of the Soyuz spacecraft turned out to be completely or partially unsuccessful, serious errors were found in the design of the spacecraft. However, the fourth launch was undertaken by a manned ("Soyuz-1" with V. Komarov), which turned out to be tragic - the astronaut died during the descent to Earth. After the Soyuz-1 accident, the design of the ship was completely redesigned to resume manned flights (6 unmanned launches were performed), and in 1967 the first, on the whole successful, automatic docking of two Soyuz (Cosmos-186 and Cosmos-188”), in 1968 manned flights were resumed, in 1969 the first docking of two manned spacecraft and a group flight of three spacecraft at once took place, and in 1970 an autonomous flight of record duration (17.8 days) took place. The first six ships "Soyuz" and ("Soyuz-9") were ships of the 7K-OK series. A variant of the ship was also preparing for flight "Soyuz-Contact" for testing the docking systems of the 7K-LOK and LK module ships of the L3 lunar expeditionary complex. Due to the failure of the L3 lunar landing program to reach the stage of manned flights, the need for Soyuz-Kontakt flights has disappeared.
In 1969, work began on the creation of a long-term orbital station (DOS) Salyut. A ship was designed to deliver the crew 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 and additional communication systems on board. The third ship of this type ("Soyuz-10") did not fulfill the task assigned to it. The 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 transfer to the station. During the fourth flight of a ship of this type ("Soyuz-11"), due to depressurization in the descent section, G. Dobrovolsky, V. Volkov and V. Patsaev since they were without space suits. After the Soyuz-11 accident, the development of 7K-OK / 7KT-OK was abandoned, the ship was redesigned (changes were made to the layout of the SA to accommodate cosmonauts in spacesuits). Due to the increased mass of life support systems, a new version of the ship 7K-T became a double, 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. Four Soyuz spacecraft, which officially launched after the Soyuz-11 accident, had solar panels of various types 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 docking station ("Soyuz-13").
Since 1968, spacecraft of the Soyuz series have been modified and produced. 7K-S. 7K-S was being finalized for 10 years and by 1979 became a ship 7K-ST "Soyuz T", and in a short transitional period, the astronauts flew simultaneously on the new 7K-ST and the outdated 7K-T.
Further evolution of the systems of the 7K-ST spacecraft led to the modification 7K-STM Soyuz TM: a new propulsion system, an improved parachute system, a rendezvous system, etc. The first Soyuz TM flight was made on May 21, 1986 to the Mir station, the last Soyuz TM-34 - in 2002 to the ISS.
The modification of the ship is currently in operation 7K-STMA Soyuz TMA(A - anthropometric). The ship, according to the requirements of NASA, was finalized in relation to flights to the ISS. Astronauts who could not fit into the Soyuz TM in terms of height can work on it. The cosmonauts' console was replaced with a new one, with a modern element base, the parachute system was improved, and thermal protection was reduced. The last launch of the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft of this modification took place on November 14, 2011.
In addition to Soyuz TMA, today ships of a new series are used for space flights 7K-STMA-M "Soyuz TMA-M" ("Soyuz TMAC")(C - digital).
Device
The ships of this series consist of three modules: an instrument-assembly compartment (PAO), a descent vehicle (SA), and an amenity compartment (BO).
PJSC has a combined propulsion system, fuel for it, service systems. The length of the compartment is 2.26 m, the main diameter is 2.15 m. The propulsion system consists of 28 DPO (mooring and orientation engines), 14 on each collector, as well as a rendezvous-correcting engine (SKD). ACS is designed for orbital maneuvering and deorbiting.
The power supply system consists of solar panels and batteries.
The descent vehicle contains places for astronauts, life support systems, control systems, and a parachute system. The length of the compartment is 2.24 m, the diameter is 2.2 m. The amenity compartment is 3.4 m long and 2.25 m in diameter. It is equipped with a docking station and an approach system. In the sealed volume of the BO there are cargoes for the station, other payloads, a number of life support systems, in particular a toilet. Through the landing hatch on the side surface of the BO, the cosmonauts enter the ship at the launch site of the cosmodrome. The BO can be used when airlocking into outer space in spacesuits of the "Orlan" type through the landing hatch.
New upgraded version of Soyuz TMA-MS
The update will affect almost every system of the manned ship. The main points of the spacecraft modernization program:
- the energy efficiency of solar panels will be increased through the use of more efficient photovoltaic converters;
- reliability of rendezvous and docking of the spacecraft with the space station by changing the installation of the approaching and orientation engines. The new scheme of these engines will make it possible to perform rendezvous and docking even in the event of a failure of one of the engines and to ensure the descent of a manned spacecraft in the event of any two engine failures;
- a new system of communication and direction finding, which will allow, in addition to improving the quality of radio communications, to facilitate the search for a descent vehicle that has landed at any point on the globe.
The upgraded Soyuz TMA-MS will be equipped with GLONASS sensors. At the stage of parachuting and after landing of the descent vehicle, its coordinates obtained from GLONASS/GPS data will be transmitted via the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system to the MCC.
Soyuz TMA-MS will be the latest modification of the Soyuz". The ship will be used for manned flights until it is replaced by a new generation ship. But that's a completely different story...
Dear members of the expedition! We begin with you the Third flight under the Star Trek Masters program. The crew is prepared. We have already learned a lot about the starry sky. And now - the most important thing. How will we explore outer space? Ask your friends: what do they fly in space? Many, for sure, will answer - on a rocket! And here is not true. Let's deal with this issue.
What is a rocket?
This is a firecracker, and a type of military weapon, and, of course, an apparatus that flies into space. Only in astronautics it is called booster . (Incorrectly sometimes called launch vehicle, because they are not carrying a rocket, but the rocket itself puts space devices into orbit).
launch vehicle- a device operating on the principle of jet propulsion and designed to launch spacecraft, satellites, orbital stations and other payloads into outer space. To date, this is the only vehicle known to science capable of launching a spacecraft into orbit.
This is the most powerful Russian Proton-M launch vehicle.
In order to enter Earth orbit, it is necessary to overcome the force of gravity, that is, the Earth's gravity. It is very large, so the rocket must move at a very high speed. The rocket needs a lot of fuel. You can see several first stage fuel tanks below. When they run out of fuel, the first stage separates and falls (into the ocean), thus it is no longer ballast for the rocket. It also happens with the second, third stage. As a result, only the spacecraft itself, located in the nose of the rocket, is launched into orbit.
Space vehicles.
So, we already know that in order to overcome the earth's gravity and put a spacecraft into orbit, we need a launch vehicle. And what are spacecraft?
artificial earth satellite (satellite) is a spacecraft orbiting the Earth. Used for research, experiments, communications, telecommunications and other purposes.
Here it is, the world's first artificial Earth satellite, launched in the Soviet Union in 1957. Quite small, right?
Currently, more than 40 countries are launching their satellites.
It is the first French satellite launched in 1965. They named him Asterix.
Spaceships- are used to deliver goods and people to the Earth's orbit and their return. There are automatic and manned.
This is our latest generation Russian manned spacecraft Soyuz TMA-M. Now he is in space. It was launched into orbit by a Soyuz-FG launch vehicle.
American scientists have developed another system for launching people and cargo into space.
Space transportation system, better known as space shuttle(from English. Spaceshuttle - space shuttle listen)) is an American reusable transport spacecraft. The shuttle is launched into space using launch vehicles, maneuvers in orbit like a spacecraft, and returns to Earth like an airplane. The shuttle Discovery made the most flights.
And this is the launch of the shuttle Endeavor. The Endeavor made its first flight in 1992. The Endeavor Shuttle is scheduled to complete the Space Shuttle program. The launch of his last mission is scheduled for February 2011.
The third country that has managed to go into space is China.
Chinese spacecraft Shenzhou ("Magic Boat"). In design and appearance, it resembles the Soyuz and was developed with the help of Russia, but is not an exact copy of the Russian Soyuz.
Where are the spaceships going? To the stars? Not yet. They can fly around the Earth, they can get to the Moon, or they can dock with a space station.
international space station (ISS) - manned orbital station, space research complex. The ISS is a joint international project involving sixteen countries (in alphabetical order): Belgium, Brazil, Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, USA, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Japan.
The station is assembled from modules directly in orbit. Modules are separate parts, gradually delivered by transport ships. It receives power from solar panels.
But it is important not only to escape from the earth's gravity and end up in space. The astronaut still needs to safely return to Earth. For this, descent vehicles are used.
Landing vehicles- are used to deliver people and materials from an orbit around a planet or an interplanetary trajectory to the planet's surface.
The descent of the descent vehicle on a parachute is the final stage of space travel when returning to Earth. The parachute serves to soften the landing and braking of artificial satellites and spacecraft with a crew.
This is the descent vehicle of Yuri Gagarin, the first man to fly into space on April 12, 1961. In honor of the 50th anniversary of this event, 2011 was named the Year of Cosmonautics.
Can a person fly to another planet? Not yet. The only celestial body where people managed to land is the Earth's satellite, the Moon.
In 1969, American astronauts landed on the moon. The manned spacecraft Apollo 11 helped them fly. In orbit around the moon, the lunar module undocked from the spacecraft and landed on the surface of the moon. After spending 21 hours on the surface, the astronauts went back on the takeoff module. And on the surface of the moon remained the landing part. Outside, a plate with a map of the hemispheres of the Earth was strengthened on it and the words “Here, people from planet Earth first set foot on the moon. July 1969 new era. We come in peace on behalf of all Humanity." What good words!
But what about the exploration of other planets? Is it possible? Yes. That's what planet rovers are for.
rovers- automatic laboratory complexes or vehicles for moving on the surface of the planet and other celestial body.
The world's first planetary rover "Luna-1" was launched on the surface of the Moon on November 17, 1970 by the Soviet interplanetary station "Luna-17" and worked on its surface until September 29, 1971 (on this day the last successful communication session with the device was carried out) .
Lunokhod "Luna-1". He worked on the Moon for almost a year, after which he remained on the surface of the Moon. BUT ... In 2007, scientists who carried out laser sounding of the Moon HAVE NOT DETECTED it there! What happened to him? Did a meteorite hit? Or?...
How many more mysteries does space hold? How much is connected with the planet closest to us - Mars! And so American scientists managed to send two rovers to this red planet.
There were many problems with the launch of the rovers. Until they thought of giving them their own names. In 2003, the United States held a real competition for names for new rovers. The winner was a 9-year-old girl, an orphan from Siberia, who was adopted by an American family. She suggested calling them Spirit (“Spirit”) and Opportunity (“Opportunity”). These names were chosen from 10,000 others.
January 3, 2011 marks seven years since the Spirit rover (pictured above) began operations on the surface of Mars. Spirit got stuck in the sands in April 2009 and hasn't been in contact with Earth since March 2010. It is not currently known if this rover is still alive.
Meanwhile, its twin named "Opportunity" is currently exploring the 90m diameter crater.
And this rover is just getting ready to launch.
This is an entire Martian science lab that is preparing to be sent to Mars in 2011. It will be several times larger and heavier than the existing twin rovers.
And finally, let's talk about starships. Do they exist in reality or is it just fiction? Exist!
starship- a spacecraft (spaceship) capable of moving between star systems or even galaxies.
In order for the spacecraft to become a starship, it is enough for it to reach the third cosmic speed. At present, spacecraft of this type are the Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2 spacecraft that left the solar system.
This " Pioneer-10» (USA) - an unmanned spacecraft designed mainly to study Jupiter. It was the first spacecraft to fly past Jupiter and photograph it from space. The twin apparatus Pioneer 11 also explored Saturn.
It was launched on March 2, 1972. In 1983, he passed the orbit of Pluto and became the first spacecraft launched from Earth to leave the solar system.
However, outside the solar system, Pioneer 10 began to experience mysterious phenomena. A force of unknown origin began to slow him down. The last signal from Pioneer 10 was received on January 23, 2003. It was reported that he was heading towards Aldebaran. If nothing happens to it along the way, it will reach the vicinity of the star in 2 million years. Such a long flight... A gold plate is fixed on board the device, where the location of the Earth is indicated for aliens, as well as a number of images and sounds are recorded.
space tourism
Of course, many people want to go to space, to see the Earth from above, the starry sky is much closer... Can only astronauts go there? Not only. Space tourism has been successfully developing for several years now.
Currently, the only used destination for space tourism is the International Space Station (ISS). Flights are carried out with the help of Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Already 7 space tourists have successfully completed their voyage, having spent several days in space. The last one was Guy Laliberte- founder and head of the company Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun). True, a ticket to space is very expensive, from 20 to 40 million dollars.
There is another option. More precisely, it will be soon.
The manned ship SpaceShipTwo (he is in the middle) is lifted by a special White Knight catamaran aircraft to a height of 14 km, where they are undocked from the aircraft. After undocking, its own solid-fuel engine should turn on, and SpaceShipTwo will rise to a height of 50 km. Here, the engines will be turned off, and the device will rise to a height of 100 km by inertia. Then it turns around and begins to fall to Earth, at an altitude of 20 km, the wings of the device are in position for gliding, and SpaceShipTwo lands.
Only 6 minutes it will be in outer space, and its passengers (6 people) will be able to experience all the delights of weightlessness and admire the view from the windows.
True, these 6 minutes will also cost a lot - 200 thousand dollars. But the test pilot says they are worth it. Tickets are already on sale!
In the fantasy world
So, we very briefly got acquainted with the main spacecraft that exist today. In conclusion, let's talk about those devices, the existence of which science has not yet confirmed. Newspapers, television, and the Internet often receive such photographs of flying objects visiting our Earth.
What is this? A flying saucer of alien origin, wonders of computer graphics and something else? We don't know yet. But you will know for sure!
Flights to the stars have always attracted the attention of science fiction writers, directors, screenwriters.
This is how the Pepelats spacecraft looks like in G. Danelia's film "Kin-dza-dza".
In the slang of specialists in rocket and space technology, the word "pepelats" has come to mean with humor a single-stage vertical launch and landing launch vehicle, as well as ridiculous and exotic designs of spacecraft and launch vehicles.
However, what seems like science fiction today may soon become reality. We still laugh at our favorite movie, and an American private company decided to implement these ideas.
This "pepelats" appeared ten years after the film, and he really flew, though under the name "Roton".
One of the most famous foreign science fiction films is Star Trek, a multi-part epic film created by Jim Roddenberry. There, a team of space explorers is sent to fly between galaxies on the starship Enterprise.
Some real-life spaceships have been named after the legendary Enterprise.
Starship Voyager. More perfect, continuing the research mission of the Enterprise.
Material from Wikipedia, www.cosmoworld.ru, from news feeds.
As you can see, reality and fiction are not so far apart. In this flight you have to create your own spacecraft. You can choose any kind of existing devices: launch vehicle, satellite, spacecraft, space station, planetary rover, etc. Or you can depict a starship from the fantasy world.
Other topics in this flight:
- Virtual tour "Spacecraft"
- Topic 1. We design spacecraft
- Topic 2. Depicting spacecraft
Spaceships "Vostok". On April 12, 1961, a three-stage launch vehicle delivered the Vostok spacecraft, carrying Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, a citizen of the Soviet Union, into near-Earth orbit.
The three-stage launch vehicle consisted of four side blocks (stage I) located around a central block (stage II). The third stage of the rocket is placed above the central block. A four-chamber liquid-propellant engine RD-107 was installed on each of the blocks of the first stage, and a four-chamber jet engine RD-108 was installed at the second stage. Stage III was equipped with a single-chamber liquid-propellant engine with four steering nozzles.
Launch vehicle "Vostok"
1 - head fairing; 2 - payload; 3 - oxygen tank; 4 - screen; 5 - kerosene tank; 6 - control nozzle; 7 — liquid rocket engine (LRE); 8 - transition farm; 9 - reflector; 10 - instrument compartment of the central unit; 11 and 12 - variants of the head unit (with AMS "Luna-1" and with AMS "Luna-3", respectively).
| Lunar | For human flight | |
| Starting weight, t | 279 | 287 |
| Payload weight, t | 0,278 | 4,725 |
| Fuel mass, t | 255 | 258 |
| Engine thrust, kN | ||
| Stage I (on Earth) | 4000 | 4000 |
| II stage (in the void) | 940 | 940 |
| III steps (in the void) | 49 | 55 |
| Maximum speed, m/s | 11200 | 8000 |
The Vostok spacecraft consisted of a descent vehicle and an instrument-assembly compartment connected together. The mass of the ship is about 5 tons.
The descent vehicle (cockpit) was made in the form of a ball with a diameter of 2.3 m. The descent vehicle was equipped with an astronaut's seat, control devices, and a life support system. The seat was located in such a way that the overload that occurs during takeoff and landing had the least effect on the astronaut.
Spaceship "Vostok"
1 - descent vehicle; 2 — ejection seat; 3 - cylinders with compressed air and oxygen; 4 — brake rocket engine; 5 - the third stage of the launch vehicle; 6 - third stage engine.
Normal atmospheric pressure was maintained in the cabin and the air composition was the same as on Earth. The helmet of the suit was open, and the astronaut breathed the cabin air.
A powerful three-stage launch vehicle put the ship into orbit with a maximum height above the Earth's surface of 320 km and a minimum height of 180 km.
Let's consider how the landing system of the Vostok spacecraft is arranged. After turning on the brake engine, the flight speed decreased and the ship began to descend.
At an altitude of 7000 m, the hatch cover opened and a chair with an astronaut was fired from the descent vehicle. At 4 km from the Earth, the chair separated from the astronaut and fell, while he continued to descend by parachute. On a 15-meter cord (halyard), together with the astronaut, an untouchable emergency supply (NAZ) and a boat descended, which automatically inflated when landing on the water.
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Scheme of the descent of the ship "Vostok" 1 and 2 - orientation to the Sun; 4 - turning on the brake motor; 5 - compartment of the instrument compartment; 6 - flight path of the descent vehicle; 7 - ejection of the astronaut from the cabin together with the chair; 8 - descent on a braking parachute; 9 — commissioning of the main parachute; 10 - department of NAZ; 11 — landing; 12 and 13 - opening of the brake and main parachutes; 14 - descent on the main parachute; 15 - landing of the descent vehicle. |
Regardless of the cosmonaut, at an altitude of 4000 m, the drag parachute of the descent vehicle opened and its fall speed decreased significantly. At 2.5 km from the Earth, the main parachute opened, smoothly lowering the apparatus to the Earth.
Spaceships Voskhod. The tasks of space flights are expanding and spacecraft are being improved accordingly. On October 12, 1964, three people immediately ascended into space on the Voskhod spacecraft: V. M. Komarov (ship commander), K. P. Feoktistov (now Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences) and B. B. Egorov (doctor).
The new ship was significantly different from the ships of the Vostok series. It accommodated three astronauts, had a soft landing system. "Voskhod-2" had an airlock to exit the ship into outer space. He could not only descend to land, but also splash down. The cosmonauts were in the first Voskhod spacecraft in flight suits without spacesuits.
The flight of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft took place on March 18, 1965. On board were the commander, pilot-cosmonaut P.I. Belyaev and co-pilot, pilot-cosmonaut A.A. Leonov.
After the spacecraft entered orbit, the lock chamber was opened. The airlock unfolded on the outside of the cabin, forming a cylinder that could accommodate a man in a space suit. The airlock is made of durable sealed fabric, and when folded it takes up little space.
Voskhod-2 spacecraft and locking scheme on the ship
1,4,9, 11 - antennas; 2 - television camera; 3 - cylinders with compressed air and oxygen; 5 - television camera; 6 - lock before filling; 7 - descent vehicle; 8 - aggregate compartment; 10 - the engine of the braking system; A - filling the lock with air; B - exit of the cosmonaut into the airlock (the hatch is open); B - air outlet from the airlock to the outside (the hatch is closed); G - exit of the cosmonaut into space with the outer hatch open; D - separation of the airlock from the cabin.
A powerful pressurization system ensured that the airlock was filled with air and the same pressure was created in it as in the cabin. After the pressure in the airlock and in the cockpit equalized, A. A. Leonov put on a knapsack, which housed cylinders with compressed oxygen, connected the communication wires, opened the hatch and “passed” into the airlock. Leaving the airlock, he retired some distance from the ship. Only a thin thread of a halyard connected him with the ship, the man and the ship move side by side.
A. A. Leonov was out of the cockpit for twenty minutes, of which twelve minutes were in free flight.
The first exit of a man into outer space made it possible to obtain valuable information for subsequent expeditions. It has been proven that a well-trained cosmonaut, even in outer space, can perform various tasks.
The Voskhod-2 spacecraft was delivered into orbit by the Soyuz rocket and space system. The unified Soyuz system began to be created under the leadership of S.P. Korolev already in 1962. It was supposed to ensure not separate breakthroughs into space, but its systematic settlement as a new habitat and production activity.
During the creation of the Soyuz launch vehicle, the head part underwent the main revision, in fact it was created anew. This was due to the only requirement - to ensure the rescue of astronauts in case of an accident on the launch pad and the atmospheric leg of the flight.
Soyuz is the third generation of spacecraft. The Soyuz spacecraft consists of an orbital compartment, a descent module, and an instrument-aggregate compartment.
Astronauts' chairs are located in the cabin of the descent vehicle. The shape of the chair makes it easier to endure the overloads that occur during takeoff and landing. On the seat are the ship's attitude control knob and the speed control knob for maneuvering. A special shock absorber softens the impacts that occur during landing.
The Soyuz has two autonomously operating life support systems: the cockpit life support system and the spacesuit life support system.
The life support system of the cabin maintains the usual human conditions in the descent vehicle and the orbital compartment: air pressure about 101 kPa (760 mm Hg), oxygen partial pressure about 21.3 kPa (160 mm Hg), temperature 25-30 °C, relative air humidity 40-60%.
The life support system purifies the air, collects and stores waste. The principle of operation of the air purification system is based on the use of oxygen-containing substances that absorb carbon dioxide and part of the moisture from the air and enrich it with oxygen. The air temperature in the cabin is controlled by means of radiators installed on the outer surface of the ship.
Launch vehicle "Soyuz"
Starting weight, t - 300
Payload weight, kg
Soyuz - 6800
"Progress" - 7020
Engine thrust, kN
I stage - 4000
II stage - 940
III steps - 294
Maximum speed, m/s 8000
1— emergency rescue system (SAS); 2—powder accelerators; 3 — ship "Soyuz"; 4 - stabilizing shields; 5 and 6 - fuel tanks III stage; 7 — engine stage III; 8 - farm between II and III steps; 9 - tank with oxidizer stage I; 10 - tank with oxidizer stage I; 11 and 12—tanks with fuel of the 1st stage; 13 - tank with liquid nitrogen; 14 — engine of the first stage; 15 — engine stage II; 16 - control chamber; 7 - air steering wheel.
The bus pulled up to the starting position. The astronauts got out of it and went to the rocket. Each has a suitcase in hand. Obviously, many considered that the essentials for a long journey were packed there. But if you look closely, you can see that the suitcase is connected to the astronaut by a flexible hose.
After all, the spacesuit must be continuously ventilated in order to remove the moisture released by the astronaut. The suitcase contains an electric fan and a source of electricity - a rechargeable battery.
The fan sucks in air from the surrounding atmosphere and drives it through the ventilating system of the suit.
Approaching the ship's open hatch, the astronaut will disconnect the hose and enter the ship. Taking his place in the ship's work chair, he would connect to the suit's life support system and close the helmet's porthole. From this moment on, air is supplied to the suit by a fan (150-200 liters per minute). But if the pressure in the cabin starts to drop, then the emergency oxygen supply from specially provided cylinders will turn on.
Head unit options
I - with the ship "Voskhod-2"; II - with the Soyuz-5 spacecraft; III - with the Soyuz-12 spacecraft; IV - with the Soyuz-19 spacecraft
The Soyuz T spacecraft was created on the basis of the Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz T-2 was first launched into orbit in June 1980 by a crew consisting of ship commander Yu. V. Malyshev and flight engineer V. V. Aksenov. The new ship was created taking into account the experience of development and operation of the Soyuz spacecraft - it consists of an orbital (household) compartment with a docking unit, a descent vehicle and an instrument-aggregate compartment of a new design. The Soyuz T has new on-board systems, including radio communications, orientation, traffic control, and an on-board computer system. The launch weight of the ship is 6850 kg. The estimated duration of an autonomous flight is 4 days, as part of the orbital complex 120 days.
S. P. Umansky
1986 "Cosmonautics today and tomorrow"
How the emergency rescue system for the crew of a spacecraft works aslan wrote on October 24th, 2018
The Emergency Rescue System, or SAS for short, is a "rocket in a rocket" that crowns the spire of the Union:
The astronauts themselves sit at the bottom of the spire (which has the shape of a cone):
The SAS provides crew rescue both on the launch pad and on any part of the flight. Here it is worth understanding that the probability of getting lyuli at the start is many times higher than in flight. It's like a light bulb - most of the burnout occurs at the moment of switching on. Therefore, the first thing the SAS does at the time of the accident is take off into the air and take the astronauts somewhere far away from the spreading explosion:
The SAS engines are alerted 15 minutes before the launch of the rocket.
And now the most interesting. The ACS is activated by two attendants who simultaneously press the button at the command of the flight director. Moreover, the team is usually the name of some geographical object. For example, the flight director says: "Altai" and the attendants activate the SAS. Everything is like 50 years ago.
The worst thing is not landing, but overload. In the news with the rescued astronauts, an overload was immediately indicated - 9g. This is an extremely unpleasant overload for an ordinary person, but for a trained astronaut it is not fatal and not even dangerous. For example, in 1975, Vasily Lazarev pulled out an overload of 20, and according to some reports, 26G. He did not die, but the consequences put an end to his career.
As it was said, SAS is already more than 50 years old. During this time, it has undergone many changes, but formally the basic principles of its work have not changed. Electronics has appeared, a lot of different sensors, reliability has increased, but the rescue of astronauts still looks like it would have looked 50 years ago. Why? Because gravity, overcoming the first cosmic velocity and the human factor is a quantity, apparently unchanged:
The first successful testing of CAC was carried out in the 67th year. Actually, they tried to fly around the moon unmanned. But the first pancake came out lumpy, so we decided to test CAC at the same time, so that at least some result would be positive. The descent vehicle landed undamaged, and if there were people inside, they would still be alive.
And this is what the SAS looks like in flight:
