manned space flight- Manned space flight human travel into space, into the Earth's orbit and beyond, carried out with the help of manned spacecraft. Delivery of a person into space is carried out with the help of spacecraft. Long-term ... ... Wikipedia

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Spaceship "Voskhod-1"- Voskhod 1 triple spacecraft. It was launched into orbit on October 12, 1964. The crew consisted of ship commander Vladimir Komarov, researcher Konstantin Feoktistov and doctor Boris Yegorov. Voskhod 1 was created in OKB 1 (now ... ... Encyclopedia of Newsmakers

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Spaceship (SC)- manned spacecraft. Distinguish between spacecraft satellites and interplanetary spacecraft. It has a pressurized cabin with a life support system, on-board motion and descent control systems, a propulsion system, power supply systems, etc. KK launch ... ... Dictionary of military terms

spaceship- 104 spacecraft; KKr: A manned spacecraft capable of maneuvering in the atmosphere and outer space with a return to a given area and (or) descent and landing on a planet. Source: GOST R 53802 2010: Systems and ... ... Dictionary-reference book of terms of normative and technical documentation

SPACESHIP- (CC) manned spacecraft. A distinctive feature of manned spacecraft is the presence of a pressurized cabin with a life support system for astronauts. KK for flight on geocentric. orbits called satellite ships, and for flying to other celestial ... Big encyclopedic polytechnic dictionary

A reusable spacecraft is a vehicle whose design allows the entire spacecraft or its main parts to be reused. The first experience in this area was the "space shuttle" Space Shuttle. Then the task of creating a similar apparatus was assigned to Soviet scientists, as a result of which the Buran appeared.

Other devices are also being designed in both countries. At the moment, the most notable example of this type of project is the partially reusable Falcon 9 from SpaceX with a returnable first stage.

Today we will talk about why such projects were developed, how they showed themselves in terms of efficiency, and what are the prospects for this area of ​​cosmonautics.

The history of space shuttles began in 1967, before the first manned flight under the Apollo program. On October 30, 1968, NASA approached American space companies with a proposal to develop a reusable space system in order to reduce the cost per launch and per kilogram of payload put into orbit.

The government was offered several projects, but each of them cost at least US$5 billion, so Richard Nixon rejected them. NASA's plans were extremely ambitious: the project involved the work orbital station, to which, and from which, shuttles would constantly carry payloads. The shuttles were also supposed to launch and return satellites from orbit, maintain and repair satellites in orbit, and conduct manned missions.

The final requirements for the ship looked like this:

• Cargo compartment 4.5x18.2 meters
• Possibility of horizontal maneuver for 2000 km (aircraft maneuver in the horizontal plane)
• Payload capacity 30 tons to low Earth orbit, 18 tons to polar orbit

The solution was to create a shuttle, the investment in which was supposed to pay off thanks to the launch of satellites into orbit on a commercial basis. For the success of the project, it was important to minimize the cost of putting each kilogram of cargo into orbit. In 1969, the creator of the project talked about reducing the cost to 40-100 US dollars per kilogram, while for Saturn-V this figure was 2000 dollars.

To launch into space, the shuttles used two solid rocket boosters and three of their own propulsion engines. Solid rocket boosters were separated at an altitude of 45 kilometers, then splashed into the ocean, repaired and reused. The main engines use liquid hydrogen and oxygen in an external fuel tank, which was thrown at an altitude of 113 kilometers, after which it partially burned up in the atmosphere.

The first prototype of the Space Shuttle was the Enterprise, named after the ship from the series " Star Trek". The ship was checked for aerodynamics and tested for the ability to land in gliding. Columbia was the first to go into space on April 12, 1981. In fact, this was also a test launch, although there was a crew of two astronauts on board: commander John Young and pilot Robert Crippen. Then everything went well. Unfortunately, it was this shuttle that crashed in 2003 with seven crew members on the 28th launch. The Challenger had the same fate - it withstood 9 launches, and on the tenth it crashed. 7 crew members were killed.

Although NASA planned 24 launches per year in 1985, in 30 years the shuttles have taken off and returned 135 times. Two of them are unsuccessful. The record for the number of launches was the Discovery shuttle - it survived 39 launches. Atlantis withstood 33 launches, Columbia - 28, Endeavor - 25 and Challenger - 10.

"Challenger", 1983

The Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor shuttles were used to deliver cargo to the International Space Station and the Mir station.

The cost of delivering cargo into orbit in the case of the Space Shuttle turned out to be the highest in the history of astronautics. Each launch cost from 500 million to 1.3 billion dollars, each kilogram - from 13 to 17 thousand dollars. For comparison, a disposable Soyuz launch vehicle is capable of launching cargo into space at a price of up to $25,000 per kilogram. The Space Shuttle program was planned as self-sustaining, but in the end it became one of the most unprofitable.

Shuttle Atlantis, ready for the STS-129 expedition to deliver equipment, materials and spare parts to the International Space Station. November 2009

The last flight under the Space Shuttle program took place in 2011. On July 21 of that year, Atlantis returned to Earth. The last landing of the Atlantis marked the end of an era. Read more about what was planned and what happened in the Space Shuttle program in this article.

In the USSR, they decided that the characteristics of the Space Shuttle made it possible to steal Soviet satellites or an entire space station from orbit: the shuttle could launch 29.5 tons of cargo into orbit, and lower 14.5 tons. Taking into account plans for 60 launches per year, this is 1770 tons annually, although at that time the United States did not send 150 tons per year into space. It was supposed to lower 820 tons per year, although usually nothing descended from orbit. The drawings and photos of the shuttle suggested that an American ship could attack the USSR using nuclear weapons from any point in near-Earth space, being out of the radio visibility zone.

To protect against a possible attack, a modernized automatic 23-mm NR-23 cannon was installed at the Salyut and Almaz stations. And in order to keep up with the American brothers in militarized space, the Union began developing a reusable orbital rocket plane space system"Buran".

Development of the reusable space system began in April 1973. The idea itself had many supporters and opponents. The head of the institute of the Ministry of Defense for military space made sure and made two reports at once - in favor and against the program, and both of these reports ended up on the table of D. F. Ustinov, Minister of Defense of the USSR. He contacted Valentin Glushko, who is responsible for the program, but he sent his employee at Energomash, Valery Burdakov, to the meeting instead of himself. After talking about the military capabilities of the Space Shuttle and the Soviet counterpart, Ustinov prepared a decision that gave the development of a reusable spacecraft the highest priority. The NPO Molniya, created for this purpose, took over the creation of the ship.

The tasks of "Buran" according to the plan of the USSR Ministry of Defense were: countering the measures of a potential enemy to expand the use of outer space for military purposes, solving problems in the interests of defense, National economy and sciences, conducting military-applied research and experiments using weapons based on known and new physical principles, as well as launching into orbit, maintenance and return to earth of spacecraft, astronauts and cargo.

Unlike NASA, which risked the crew during the first manned flight of the shuttle, Buran made its first flight in automatic mode using an on-board computer based on the IBM System / 370. On November 15, 1988, the launch took place, the Energia launch vehicle brought the spacecraft into low-Earth orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The ship made two orbits around the Earth and landed at the Yubileiny airfield.

During the landing, an incident occurred that showed how smart the automatic system turned out. At an altitude of 11 kilometers, the ship made a sharp maneuver and described a loop with a 180-degree turn - that is, sat down, coming from the other end of the runway. The automation made this decision after receiving data on the storm wind in order to enter along the most favorable trajectory.

The automatic mode was one of the main differences from the shuttle. In addition, the shuttles landed with an idle engine and could not land several times. To save the crew, Buran provided a catapult for the first two pilots. In fact, the designers from the USSR copied the configuration of the shuttles, which they did not deny, but made a number of extremely useful innovations from the point of view of the apparatus control and crew safety.

Unfortunately, the first flight of Buran was the last. In 1990, work was suspended, and in 1993 it was completely closed.

As sometimes happens with the pride of the nation, version 2.01 of Baikal, which they wanted to send into space, rotted for many years on the pier of the Khimki reservoir.

You could touch history in 2011. Moreover, then people could even tear off pieces of the skin and heat-shielding coating from this story. In that year, the ship was delivered from Khimki to Zhukovsky to be restored and presented at MAKS in a couple of years.

"Buran" from the inside

Buran delivery from Khimki to Zhukovsky

"Buran" at MAKS, 2011, a month after the start of restoration

Despite the economic inexpediency shown by the Space Shuttle program, the United States decided not to abandon projects to create reusable spacecraft. In 1999, NASA, along with Boeing, began developing the X-37 drone. There are versions according to which the device is designed to test the technologies of future space interceptors capable of incapacitating other devices. Experts in the United States are inclined to this opinion.

The device made three flights with a maximum duration of 674 days. It is currently on its fourth flight, with a launch date of May 20, 2015.

The Boeing X-37 orbital flying laboratory carries a payload mass of up to 900 kilograms. Compared to the Space Shuttle and Buran, which can carry up to 30 tons at takeoff, Boeing is a baby. But he also has other goals. The Austrian physicist Eigen Senger laid the foundation for minishuttles when he began to develop a long-range rocket bomber in 1934. The project was closed, remembering it in 1944, towards the end of World War II, but it was too late to save Germany from defeat with the help of such a bomber. In October 1957, the Americans continued the idea by launching the X-20 Dyna-Soar program.

The X-20 orbital aircraft was capable, after reaching a suborbital trajectory, to dive into the atmosphere to an altitude of 40-60 kilometers in order to take a photo or drop a bomb, and then return to space on lift from the wings.

The project was canceled in 1963 in favor of the civilian Gemini program and the military project of the MOL orbital station.

Titan boosters to launch the X-20 into orbit

Layout X-20

In the USSR in 1969 they began to build "BOR" - an unmanned orbital rocket plane. The first launch was carried out without thermal protection, because of which the device burned out. The second rocket plane crashed due to unopened parachutes after successfully braking against the atmosphere. In the next five launches, only once did the BOR fail to enter orbit. Despite the loss of devices, each new launch brought important data for further development. With the help of BOR-4 in the 1980s, they tested thermal protection for the future Buran.

As part of the Spiral program, for which the BOR was built, it was supposed to develop an accelerator aircraft that would rise to a height of 30 kilometers at speeds up to 6 speeds of sound in order to put the orbiter into orbit. This part of the program did not take place. The Ministry of Defense demanded an analogue of the American shuttle, so the forces were sent to the Buran.

BOR-4

BOR-4

If the Soviet Buran was partially copied from the American Space Shuttle, then in the case of the Dream Chaser, everything happened exactly the opposite: the abandoned BOR project, namely the BOR-4 version of the rocket plane, became the basis for creating reusable spacecraft from SpaceDev. Rather, the "Space Chaser" is based on a copied orbital plane HL-20.

Work on the Dream Runner began in 2004, and in 2007 SpaceDev agreed with United Launch Alliance to use Atlas-5 rockets to launch. The first successful wind tunnel tests took place in 2012. The first flight prototype was dropped from a helicopter from a height of 3.8 kilometers on October 26, 2013.

According to the plans of the designers, the cargo version of the ship will be able to deliver up to 5.5 tons to the International Space Station, and return up to 1.75 tons.

The Germans began to develop their own version of the reusable system in 1985 - the project was called "Senger". In 1995, after the development of the engine, the project was closed, as it would only give a 10-30% benefit compared to the European Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

Aircraft HL-20

"Dream Chaser"

To replace the disposable Soyuz in Russia, since 2000, they began to develop the multi-purpose spacecraft Clipper. The system became an intermediate link between the winged shuttles and the Soyuz ballistic capsule. In 2005, in order to cooperate with the European Space Agency, a new version- winged Clipper.

The device can put into orbit 6 people and up to 700 kilograms of cargo, that is, it surpasses the Soyuz in these parameters twice. At the moment, there is no information that the project is ongoing. Instead, they write in the news about a new reusable ship - the Federation.

Multi-purpose spacecraft "Clipper"

The manned transport ship "Federation" should replace the manned "Soyuz" and trucks "Progress". It is planned to be used, among other things, for a flight to the moon. The first launch is scheduled for 2019. In an autonomous flight, the device will have to be able to stay up to 40 days, and when docked from the orbital station, it will be able to work up to 1 year. At the moment, the development of conceptual and technical designs has been completed, and the development of working documentation for the creation of the ship of the first stage is underway.

The system consists of two main modules: the reentry vehicle and the engine compartment. The work will apply the ideas that were previously used for Clipper. The ship will be able to deliver up to 6 people into orbit and up to 4 people to the moon.

Parameters of the device "Federation"

One of the most notable reusable projects in the media at the moment is the development of SpaceX - the Dragon V2 transport ship and the Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

Falcon 9 is a partially re-entry vehicle. The launch vehicle consists of two stages, the first of which has a system for return and vertical landing on the landing site. The last launch was not successful - on September 1, 2016, an accident occurred.

The Dragon V2 reusable manned spacecraft is now being prepared for safety testing for astronauts. In 2017, they plan to carry out an unmanned launch of the device on the Falcon 9 rocket.

Reusable manned spacecraft Dragon V2

As part of preparations for the flight of the expedition to Mars, the United States developed the reusable Orion spacecraft. The assembly of the ship was completed in 2014. The first unmanned flight of the device took place on December 5, 2014 and was successful. Now NASA is preparing for further launches, including those with a crew.

Aviation, as a rule, implies the reusable use of aircraft. In the future, spacecraft will have to have the same property, but for this a number of problems, including economic ones, will have to be solved. Each launch of a reusable ship should come out cheaper than building a disposable one. It is necessary to use such materials and technologies that will allow the devices to be restarted after minimal repair, and ideally without repair at all. Maybe, spaceships in the future they will have both the characteristics of a rocket and an aircraft.

New Russian ships: Soyuz TMA-MS, Progress MS, PPTS and PTK NP Rus.

New US ships: Signus, Dragon, CST-100, Orion.

Existing Russian ships: Progress M, Soyuz TMA-M.
Existing US ships: No.

Photo of Signus with Soyuz TMA-M

Soyuz TMA-MS is a Russian multi-seat spacecraft for flights in near-Earth orbit.

A new upgraded version of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft. The update will affect almost every system of the manned ship. The first launch is planned no earlier than 2016.

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 communication and direction finding system, 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;


• new rendezvous and docking system Kurs-NA;


• digital television radio link;


• additional meteorite protection.

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 last modification of the Soyuz. The ship will be used for manned flights until it is replaced by a new generation ship.

Prospective Manned Transport System (PPTS) Rus is a multi-purpose manned reusable spacecraft.

PPTS, as a key element of the Russian space infrastructure, is being created for the following tasks:

• ensuring national security;


• technological independence;


• unimpeded access of Russia to space;


• flight to the polar and equatorial orbit of the Moon, landing.

For PPTS, a modular construction of the base ship is adopted in the form of functionally complete elements - the return vehicle and the engine compartment. The ship will be wingless, with a reusable truncated-conical return part and a disposable cylindrical engine compartment. The maximum crew of the new ship will be 6 people (for flights to the Moon - up to 4 people), the mass of cargo delivered to orbit is 500 kg, the mass of cargo returned to Earth is 500 kg or more, with a smaller crew. The length of the spacecraft is 6.1 m, the maximum hull diameter is 4.4 m, the mass during near-Earth orbital flights is 12 tons (during flights into lunar orbit - 16.5 tons), the mass of the return part is 4.23 tons (including soft landing - 7.77 tons), the volume of the sealed compartment - 18 m³. The duration of the autonomous flight of the ship is up to a month. New structural materials based on aluminum alloys with improved strength characteristics and carbon plastics will reduce the mass of the spacecraft structure by 20-30% and will extend its service life. Household compartments will simply be docked, depending on the task that the PPTS will face.

NASA is dependent on its partners in the ISS program. In this regard, NASA leadership decided to start work on the COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation) program. The essence of the program is the creation by private companies of low-cost means of delivering cargo into orbit.

Signus "Cygnus" - a private transport automatic cargo supply spacecraft.

Dragon Dragon SpaceX is a private transport spacecraft designed to deliver payloads and, in the future, people to the International Space Station.

CST-100 (Crew Space Transportation) is a manned transport spacecraft developed by Boeing.

Orion, MPCV is a multi-purpose reusable manned spacecraft.

The purpose of this program was to return Americans to the moon, and the Orion spacecraft was intended to deliver people and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) and for flights to the Moon, as well as to Mars in the future.

At the moment (2013) in space from the new ships Signus and Dragon, and after 2020, real competition in space should begin and I hope the beginning of the dawn of the space age of mankind.

Dragon Dragon SpaceX - judging by the data and that it has already begun to fly, a very successful development and a serious competitor.

An interesting video about the international space station/ISS

“The first spaceship starts from the Earth at a speed of 0.68 s...” This is how the text of the problem begins in a physics textbook for grade 11 students, designed to help consolidate the basic provisions of relativistic mechanics in their minds. So: “The first spacecraft starts from the surface of the earth at a speed of 0.68 s. The second vehicle starts moving from the first one in the same direction with the speed V2 = 0.86 s. It is necessary to calculate the speed of the second ship relative to the planet Earth.

Those who wish to test their knowledge can practice in solving this problem. You can also take part in solving the test together with schoolchildren: “The first spacecraft starts from the surface of the earth at a speed of 0.7 s. (c is the designation for the speed of light). The second vehicle starts moving from the first one in the same direction. Its speed is 0.8 s. The speed of the second ship relative to the planet Earth should be calculated.

Those who consider themselves knowledgeable in this matter have the opportunity to make a choice - four possible answers are offered: 1) 0; 2) 0.2 s; 3) 0.96 s; 4) 1.54 s.

The authors of this lesson put forward an important didactic goal to familiarize students with the physical and philosophical meaning of Einstein's postulates, the essence and properties of the relativistic concept of time and space, etc. educational purpose lesson is the development of a dialectical-materialistic worldview in boys and girls.

But readers of the article who are familiar with the history of domestic space flights will agree that the tasks in which the expression "first spacecraft" is mentioned can play a more significant educational role. If desired, the teacher using these tasks could reveal both cognitive and patriotic aspects of the issue.

The first spacecraft in space, the successes of domestic space science in general - what is known about this?

On the importance of space research

Space research has introduced the most valuable data into science, which made it possible to comprehend the essence of new natural phenomena and put them at the service of people. Using artificial satellites, scientists were able to determine the exact shape of the planet Earth, by studying the orbit it became possible to trace the regions of magnetic anomalies in Siberia. With the use of rockets and satellites, they were able to discover and explore the radiation belts around the Earth. With their help, it became possible to solve many other complex problems.

First spacecraft to visit the Moon

The Moon is the celestial body with which the most spectacular and impressive successes of space science are associated.

The flight to the Moon for the first time in history was carried out on January 2, 1959 by the automatic station "Luna-1". The first launch of artificial was a significant breakthrough in the field of space exploration. But the main goal of the project was not achieved. It consisted in the implementation of the flight from Earth to the Moon. The launch of the satellite made it possible to obtain valuable scientific and practical information regarding flights to other space bodies. During the flight of Luna-1, a second one was developed (for the first time!) In addition, it became possible to obtain data on radiation belt the globe obtained other valuable information. The world press has given the Luna-1 spacecraft the name Mechta.

AMC "Luna-2" repeated its predecessor almost completely. The instruments and equipment used made it possible to monitor interplanetary space, as well as to correct the information received by Luna-1. The launch (September 12, 1959) was also carried out using the 8K72 launch vehicle.

On September 14, Luna-2 reached the surface of the Earth's natural satellite. The first ever flight from our planet to the moon was made. On board the AMS were three symbolic pennants, on which was the inscription: "USSR, September 1959." A metal ball was placed in the middle, which, when hitting a surface, celestial body shattered into dozens of small pennants.

Tasks assigned to the automatic station:

• reaching the surface of the moon;
• development of the second cosmic velocity;
• overcoming the gravity of the planet Earth;
• delivery of "USSR" pennants to the lunar surface.

All of them were fulfilled.

"East"

It was the very first spacecraft in the world of all launched into Earth's orbit. Academician M. K. Tikhonravov, under the guidance of the famous designer S. P. Korolev, carried out development for many years, starting in the spring of 1957. In April 1958, the approximate parameters of the future ship became known, as well as its general indicators. It was assumed that the first spacecraft would have a weight of about 5 tons and that when entering the atmosphere it would need additional thermal protection weighing about 1.5. In addition, it was provided for the ejection of the pilot.

The creation of the experimental apparatus ended in April 1960. In the summer, his tests began.

The first Vostok spacecraft (photo below) consisted of two elements: an instrument compartment and a descent vehicle connected to each other.

The vessel was equipped with manual and automatic control, orientation to the Sun and the Earth. In addition, there was a landing, thermal control and power supply. The board was designed for the flight of one pilot in a space suit. The ship had two portholes.

The first spacecraft went into space on April 12, 1961. Now this date is celebrated as Cosmonautics Day. On this day Yu.A. Gagarin launched the world's first spacecraft into orbit. They made a revolution around the Earth.

The main task performed by the first spacecraft with a man on board was to study the well-being and performance of an astronaut outside our planet. The successful flight of Gagarin, our compatriot, the first person to see the Earth from space, brought the development of science to a new level.

A real flight to immortality

“The first manned spacecraft was launched into Earth orbit on April 12, 1961. The first pilot-cosmonaut of the Vostok satellite was a citizen of the USSR, pilot, Major Gagarin Yu.A.

The words from the memorable TASS message will forever remain in history, on one of its most significant and brightest pages. After decades, flights into space will turn into a common, everyday occurrence, but the flight made by a man from a small town in Russia - Gzhatsk - has forever remained in the minds of many generations as a great human feat.

space race

Between the Soviet Union and the United States in those years there was an unspoken competition for the right to play a leading role in the conquest of space. The leader of the competition was the Soviet Union. The United States lacked powerful launch vehicles.

The Soviet astronautics already tested their work in January 1960 during tests in the area Pacific Ocean. All the major newspapers in the world published information that a man would soon be launched into space in the USSR, which, of course, would leave the United States behind. All the people of the world were waiting for the first human flight with great impatience.

In April 1961, a man first looked at the Earth from space. "Vostok" rushed towards the Sun, the whole planet followed this flight from radio receivers. The world was shocked and excited, everyone was inseparably watching the course of the greatest experiment in the history of mankind.

Moments that shook the world

"Man in space!" This news interrupted the work of radio and telegraph agencies in mid-sentence. “Man has been launched by the Soviets! Yuri Gagarin in space!

It took Vostok just 108 minutes to fly around the planet. And these minutes not only testified to the speed of the flight of the spacecraft. These were the first minutes of the new space age, which is why the world was so shocked by them.

The race between the two superpowers for the title of winner in the struggle for space exploration ended with the victory of the USSR. In May, the United States also launched a man into space on a ballistic trajectory. And yet, the beginning of man's exit beyond the Earth's atmosphere was laid by the Soviet people. The first spacecraft "Vostok" with an astronaut on board was sent precisely by the Land of the Soviets. This fact was a matter of extraordinary pride. Soviet people. Moreover, the flight lasted longer, went much higher, followed a much more complex trajectory. In addition, Gagarin's first spacecraft (the photo represents him appearance) cannot be compared with the capsule in which the American pilot flew.

Space Age Morning

These 108 minutes changed the life of Yuri Gagarin, our country and the whole world forever. After the ship left with a man on board, the people of the Earth began to consider this event the morning of the space age. There was no person on the planet who would enjoy such great love not only of his fellow citizens, but of the people of the whole world, regardless of nationality, political and religious beliefs. His feat was the personification of all the best created by the human mind.

"Ambassador of Peace"

Having circled the Earth on the ship Vostok, Yuri Gagarin set off on a journey around the world. Everyone wanted to see and hear the world's first astronaut. He was equally cordially received by prime ministers and presidents, grand dukes and kings. And also Gagarin was joyfully greeted by miners and dock workers, military and scientists, students of the great universities of the world and the elders of abandoned villages in Africa. The first cosmonaut was equally simple, friendly and welcoming to everyone. It was a real "ambassador of peace", recognized by the peoples.

"One big and beautiful human house"

The diplomatic mission of Gagarin was very important for the country. No one could have been so successful as the first man in space did, to tie knots of friendship between people and nations, to unite thoughts and hearts. He had an unforgettable, charming smile, amazing goodwill, which united people different countries, different beliefs. His passionate, heartfelt speeches calling for world peace were extraordinarily convincing.

“I saw how beautiful the Earth is,” Gagarin said. - State borders are indistinguishable from outer space. Our planet looks from space as one big and beautiful human house. All honest people of the Earth are responsible for order and peace in their homes. They believed him endlessly.

Unprecedented rise of the country

At the dawn of that unforgettable day, he was familiar to a limited circle of people. At noon, the whole planet recognized his name. Millions reached out to him, they fell in love with him for his kindness, youth, beauty. For humanity, he became a harbinger of the future, a scout who returned from a dangerous search, who opened new paths to knowledge.

In the eyes of many, he personified his country, was a representative of the people who at one time made a huge contribution to the victory over the Nazis, and now they were the first to rise into space. The name of Gagarin, who was awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union, has become a symbol of the country's unprecedented rise to new heights of social and economic progress.

The initial stage of space exploration

Even before the famous flight, when the first spacecraft with a man on board was launched into space, Gagarin thought about the importance of space exploration for people, for which powerful ships and rockets are needed. Why are telescopes mounted and orbits calculated? Why do satellites take off and radio antennas rise? He understood very well the urgent need and importance of these matters and sought to contribute to the initial stage of human exploration of space.

The first spacecraft "Vostok": tasks

The main scientific tasks that confronted the ship "Vostok" were the following. First, the study of the impact of flight conditions in orbit on the state of the human body and its performance. Secondly, testing the principles of building spacecraft.

History of creation

In 1957 S.P. Korolev, within the framework of the scientific design bureau, organized a special department No. 9. It provided for work on the creation artificial satellites our planet. The department was headed by an associate of Korolev M.K. Tikhonravym. Also, the issues of creating a satellite piloted by a person on board were studied here. The Royal R-7 was considered as a launch vehicle. According to calculations, a rocket with a third degree of protection was able to launch a five-ton payload into low Earth orbit.

Mathematicians of the Academy of Sciences took part in the calculations at an early stage of development. A warning was issued that a tenfold overload could result in a ballistic de-orbit.

The department investigated the conditions for the implementation of this task. I had to abandon the consideration of winged options. As the most acceptable way to return a person, the possibilities of his ejection and further descent by parachute were studied. There was no provision for a separate rescue of the descent vehicle.

In the course of ongoing medical research, it was proved that the most acceptable for the human body is the spherical shape of the descent vehicle, which allows it to withstand significant loads without serious consequences for the astronaut's health. It was the spherical shape that was chosen for the production of the descent module of the manned vessel.

The ship "Vostok-1K" was sent first. It was an automatic flight, which took place in May 1960. Later, a modification of the Vostok-3KA was created and tested, which was completely ready for manned flights.

In addition to one failed flight, which ended in a launch vehicle failure at the very start, the program provided for the launch of six unmanned vehicles and six manned spacecraft.

The program implemented:

• carrying out a human flight into space - the first spacecraft "Vostok 1" (the photo represents an image of the ship);
• flight duration per day: "Vostok-2";
• group flights: Vostok-3 and Vostok-4;
• participation in the space flight of the first female cosmonaut: "Vostok-6".

"Vostok": characteristics and device of the ship

Characteristics:

• weight - 4.73 tons;
• length - 4.4 m;
• diameter - 2.43 m.

Device:

• spherical descent vehicle 2.3 m);
• orbital and conical instrument compartments (2.27 t, 2.43 m) - they are mechanically connected to each other using pyrotechnic locks and metal bands.

Equipment

Automatic and manual control, automatic orientation to the Sun and manual orientation to the Earth.

Life support (provided for 10 days to maintain the internal atmosphere, corresponding to the parameters of the Earth's atmosphere).

Command-logic control, power supply, thermal control, landing.

For man's work

In order to ensure the work of man in space, the board was equipped with the following equipment:

• autonomous and radiotelemetric devices necessary for monitoring the astronaut's condition;
• devices for radiotelephone communication with ground stations;
• command radio link;
• program-time devices;
• television system for monitoring the pilot from the ground;
• radio system for monitoring the orbit and direction finding of the vessel;
• brake propulsion system and others.

Descent vehicle device

The descent vehicle had two windows. One of them was located on the entrance hatch, slightly above the pilot's head, the other, with a special orientation system, was placed in the floor at his feet. Dressed in was located in an ejection seat. It was envisaged that after braking the descent vehicle at an altitude of 7 km, the cosmonaut should eject and land on a parachute. In addition, it was possible for the pilot to land inside the apparatus itself. The descent vehicle had a parachute, but was not equipped with means for a soft landing. This threatened the person in it with serious bruises upon landing.

If automatic systems failed, the astronaut could use manual control.

The Vostok ships did not have devices for manned flights to the moon. In them, the flight of people without special training was unacceptable.

Who piloted the Vostok ships?

Yu. A. Gagarin: the first spacecraft "Vostok - 1". The photo below is an image of the layout of the ship. G. S. Titov: "Vostok-2", A. G. Nikolaev: "Vostok-3", P.R. Popovich: "Vostok-4", V.F. Bykovsky: "Vostok-5", V.V. Tereshkova: "Vostok-6".

Conclusion

108 minutes, during which the "Vostok" made a revolution around the Earth, the life of the planet was forever changed. Not only historians cherish the memory of these minutes. Living generations and our distant descendants will reread with respect the documents that tell about the birth of a new era. The era that opened the way for people to the vast expanses of the universe.

No matter how far humanity has advanced in its development, it will always remember this amazing day when man first found himself face to face with the cosmos. People will always remember the immortal name of the glorious pioneer of space, which became an ordinary Russian man - Yuri Gagarin. All today's and tomorrow's achievements in space science can be considered steps in his wake, the result of his first and most important victory.

Manned spacecraft Soyuz-TMA

A manned spacecraft is a manned spacecraft designed to carry out flights of people in outer space and, in particular, to deliver people into space for their safe return to (or another//space station).

In his work "Spaceship" in 1924, Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, speaking of an apparatus designed for manned flight into space, basically called it differently: - a heavenly ship.

The first manned spacecraft was soviet ship Vostok-1, on which Yuri Gagarin made the first full-fledged space flight, circled the Earth at the first cosmic speed.

One of the main problems in the design of this class of spacecraft is the creation of a safe, reliable and accurate system for returning the crew to earth's surface in the form of a wingless descent vehicle (SA) or spaceplane. In addition, an important feature is the presence of an emergency rescue system (SAS) at the initial stage of launch by a launch vehicle (LV). Projects of spacecraft of the first generation did not have a full-fledged rocket SAS - instead of it, as a rule, ejection of crew seats was used, winged spaceplanes are also not equipped with a special SAS. Also, the spacecraft must be equipped with a life support system (LSS) for the crew.

Due to the extreme complexity of creating PACs, only three countries have them - the USSR / Russia, the USA, and China. At the same time, Chinese spacecraft largely repeat the Soviet Soyuz spacecraft.

Launch of the Soyuz-TMA manned spacecraft to the International Space Station

Including only in the USA and the USSR, reusable systems with PKK spaceplanes were created (at the moment they are decommissioned). Also India, Japan, Europe/ESA, Iran, North Korea have plans to establish a PAC.

1st generation spaceships:

Vostok (6 flights, project completed)
Voskhod (2 flights, project completed)
Mercury (6 flights, project completed)
Gemini (12 flights, project completed)
Shuguang and manned FSW (projects stopped)

Spaceships of the 2nd generation:

Soyuz (108 flights, 2 crashes, 2 accidents without casualties (including 1 suborbital flight), (continues to fly)
L1/Zond (the project was stopped at the stage of unmanned flight tests)
L3 (the project was stopped at the stage of unmanned flight tests)
Apollo (21 flights, project completed)
TKS - transport ship supply (the project was stopped at the stage of unmanned flight tests with visits to the ship by people in orbit after docking)
Shenzhou (4 flights, flying)
Fuji (project on hold)
OV (project under development)
CRV (manned ATV) (project under development)
manned HTV (project under development)

Shuttle with space equipment on board

Reusable transport spacecraft

X-20 Dyna Soar (project not realized)
Spiral (project stopped)
LKS (project not implemented)
Space shuttle (135 flights, 2 crashes (including 1 at launch), project completed)
X-30 NASP (project on hold)
VentureStar (project on hold)
ROTON (project suspended)
Delta Clipper (project)
Kistler K-1 (project on hold)
Dream Chaser (project)
Silver Dart (project)
Dawn (project stopped)
Buran (1 flight, project stopped)
Hermes (project stopped)
Zenger-2 (project stopped)
HOTOL (project stopped)
HOPE (project stopped)
ASSTS (project stopped)
Kanko-maru (project)
Shenlong (project under development)
MAKS (project stopped)
Clipper (project stopped)

Partially reusable spacecraft:

Dragon SpaceX (unmanned flight test project)
PTK NP (Rus) (project under development)
CST-100 (project under development)
ACTS (project under development)
Orion (project under development)