Soyuz spacecraft
"Soyuz" - the name of a series of Soviet spacecraft for flights in orbit around the Earth; a program for their development (since 1962) and launches (since 1967; unmanned modifications - since 1966). Soyuz spacecraft are designed to solve a wide range of tasks in near-Earth space: testing the processes of autonomous navigation, control, maneuvering, rendezvous and docking; studying the effects of long-term space flight conditions on the human body; verification of the principles of using manned spacecraft for Earth exploration in the interests of the national economy and the performance of transport operations for communication with orbital stations; conducting scientific and technical experiments in outer space and others.
The mass of a fully refueled and completed ship is from 6.38 tons (initial versions) to 6.8 tons, the crew size is 2 people (3 people - in modifications before 1971), the maximum duration of an autonomous flight is 17.7 days (with a crew of 2 people ), length (along the hull) 6.98-7.13 m, diameter 2.72 m, span of solar panels 8.37 m, volume of two residential compartments along the pressurized hull 10.45 m3, free space - 6.5 m3. The Soyuz spacecraft consists of three main compartments, which are mechanically interconnected and separated using pyrotechnic devices. The structure of the ship includes: a system of orientation and motion control in flight and during descent; mooring and attitude thruster system; rendezvous and corrective propulsion system; radio communication, power supply, docking, radio guidance and rendezvous and mooring systems; landing and soft landing system; life supporting system; control system of the onboard instrumentation and equipment complex.
The descent vehicle - weight 2.8 tons, diameter 2.2 m, length 2.16 m, volume along the internal contours of the habitable compartment 3.85 m flight in orbit, during descent in the atmosphere, parachuting, landing. The sealed body of the descent vehicle, made of aluminum alloy, has a conical shape, turning into a sphere in the lower and upper parts. For ease of installation of apparatus and equipment inside the descent vehicle, the frontal part of the body is made removable. Outside, the hull has thermal insulation, structurally consisting of a frontal screen (fired off in the parachuting area), side and bottom thermal protection, the shape of the apparatus and the position of the center of mass provide a controlled descent with an aerodynamic quality (~0.25). In the upper part of the hull there is a hatch (clearance diameter 0.6 m) for communication with the inhabited orbital compartment and exit of the crew from the descent vehicle after landing. The descent vehicle is equipped with three windows, two of which have a three-pane design and one has a two-pane design (at the location of the orienting sight). The hull contains two airtight parachute containers closed with removable lids. 4 soft landing engines are installed on the frontal part of the hull. Landing speed on the main parachute system, taking into account the impulse of the soft landing engines, is not more than 6 m/s. The descent vehicle is designed for landing at any time of the year on soils of various types (including rock) and open water bodies. When landing on water bodies, the crew can stay afloat in the vehicle for up to 5 days.
The descent vehicle contains the cosmonauts' console, spacecraft control knobs, instruments and equipment of the main and auxiliary systems of the spacecraft, containers for the return of scientific equipment, reserve stock (food, equipment, medicines, etc.) radio communications and direction finding on the descent and after landing areas, etc. Inside, the hull and equipment of the descent vehicle are covered with thermal insulation in combination with decorative cladding. When launching the Soyuz into orbit, descending to Earth, performing docking and undocking operations, the crew members are in spacesuits (introduced after 1971). To ensure the flight under the ASTP program, the descent vehicle was provided with a control panel for compatible (operating at the same frequencies) radio stations and external lights, and special lamps were installed to transmit a color television image.
Inhabited orbital (domestic) compartment - weight 1.2-1.3 tons, diameter 2.2 m, length (with docking unit) 3.44 m, volume along the internal contours of the sealed case 6.6 m3, free volume 4 m3 - it is used as a working compartment during scientific experiments, for crew rest, transfer to another spacecraft and for exit into outer space (acts as an airlock). The pressurized body of the orbital compartment, made of magnesium alloy, consists of two hemispherical shells with a diameter of 2.2 m, connected by a cylindrical insert 0.3 m high. The compartment has two viewing windows. There are two hatches in the hull, one of which connects the orbital compartment with the descent vehicle, and the other (with a “clear” diameter of 0.64 m) is used for landing the crew in the spacecraft at the launch position and for spacewalk. The compartment contains the control panel, instruments and assemblies of the main and auxiliary systems of the ship, household equipment, and scientific equipment. When testing and ensuring docking of automatic and manned modifications of spacecraft, if they are used as transport vehicles, a docking unit is installed in the upper part of the orbital compartment, which performs the following functions: absorption (damping) of spacecraft impact energy; primary hitch; alignment and contraction of ships; rigid connection of ship structures (starting with Soyuz-10 - with the creation of a sealed joint between them); undocking and separation of spacecraft. Three types of docking devices have been used in the Soyuz spacecraft:
the first, made according to the "pin-cone" scheme; the second, also made according to this scheme, but with the creation of an airtight joint between the docked ships to ensure the transfer of the crew from one ship to another;
(the third in the experiment under the ASTP program), which is a new, technically more advanced device - an androgynous peripheral docking unit (APAS). Structurally, the docking device of the first two types consists of two parts: an active docking unit installed on one of the spacecraft and equipped with a mechanism for performing all docking operations, and a passive docking unit installed on another spacecraft.
The instrument-assembly compartment weighing 2.7-2.8 tons is designed to accommodate the apparatus and equipment of the main systems of the spacecraft, which ensure orbital flight. It consists of transitional, instrumental and aggregate sections. In the transition section, made in the form of a uniform structure connecting the descent vehicle with the instrument section, 10 approaching and orientation engines with a thrust of 100 N each, fuel tanks and a single-component fuel supply system (hydrogen peroxide) are installed. Hermetic instrument section with a volume of 2.2 m3, has the shape of a cylinder with a diameter of 2.1 m, a height of 0.5 m with two removable covers. The instrument section contains devices for orientation and motion control systems, control of the onboard complex of apparatus and equipment of the ship, radio communication with the Earth and a program-time device, telemetry, and a single power supply. The body of the aggregate section is made in the form of a cylindrical shell, turning into a conical one and ending with a base frame designed to install the ship on the launch vehicle. Outside the power section there is a large radiator-emitter of the thermal control system, 4 mooring and orientation motors, 8 orientation motors. In the aggregate section there is a rendezvous and corrective propulsion system KTDU-35, consisting of the main and backup engines with a thrust of 4.1 kN, fuel tanks and a two-component fuel supply system. Radio communication and telemetry antennas, ion sensors of the orientation system and part of the batteries of the ship's unified power supply system are installed near the base frame. Solar panels (they are not installed on ships used as transport ships for servicing the Salyut orbital stations) are made in the form of two "wings" of 3-4 wings each. Radio communication antennas, telemetry and color on-board orientation lights (in the experiment under the ASTP program) are placed on the end flaps of the batteries.
All compartments of the spacecraft are closed from the outside with screen-vacuum thermal insulation of green color. When launching into orbit - in the flight segment in dense layers of the atmosphere, the ship is closed by a drop nose fairing, equipped with an emergency rescue system propulsion system.
The ship's orientation and motion control system can operate both in automatic mode and in manual control mode. The onboard equipment receives energy from a centralized power supply system, including solar, as well as autonomous chemical batteries and buffer batteries. After docking the spacecraft with the orbital station, solar panels can be used in the general power supply system.
The life support system includes blocks for regenerating the atmosphere of the descent vehicle and the orbital compartment (similar in composition to the Earth's air) and thermal control, food and water supplies, and a sewage and sanitary device. Regeneration is provided by substances that absorb carbon dioxide while releasing oxygen. Special filters absorb harmful impurities. In the event of a possible emergency depressurization of the living compartments, spacesuits are provided for the crew. When working in them, the conditions for life are created by supplying air to the spacesuit from the onboard pressurization system.
The thermal control system maintains the air temperature in the residential compartments within 15-25 ° C and relates. humidity within 20-70%; gas temperature (nitrogen) in the instrument section 0-40°C.
The complex of radio engineering means is designed to determine the parameters of the spacecraft orbit, receive commands from the Earth, two-way telephone and telegraph communication with the Earth, transmit television images of the situation in the compartments and the external environment observed by the TV camera to the Earth.
For 1967 - 1981 38 Soyuz manned spacecraft were launched into the orbit of an artificial Earth satellite.
Soyuz-1, piloted by V.M. Komarov, was launched on April 23, 1967 in order to test the ship and work out the systems and elements of its design. During the descent (on the 19th orbit), Soyuz-1 successfully passed the deceleration section in the dense layers of the atmosphere and extinguished the first cosmic velocity. However, due to the abnormal operation of the parachute system at an altitude of ~7 km, the descent vehicle descended at a high speed, which led to the death of the cosmonaut.
The spacecraft Soyuz-2 (unmanned) and Soyuz-3 (piloted by G.T. Beregov) made a joint flight to test the operation of systems and construction, to practice rendezvous and maneuvering. At the end of the joint experiments, the ships made a controlled descent using aerodynamic quality.
A formation flight was carried out on Soyuz-6, Soyuz-7, Soyuz-8 spacecraft. A program of scientific and technical experiments was carried out, including testing methods for welding and cutting metals in conditions of deep vacuum and weightlessness, navigation operations were practiced, mutual maneuvering was carried out, the ships interacted with each other and with ground command and measurement posts, and simultaneous flight control of three spacecraft was carried out.
The Soyuz-23 and Soyuz-25 spacecraft were scheduled to dock with the Salyut-type orbital station. Due to incorrect operation of the equipment for measuring relative motion parameters (the Soyuz-23 spacecraft), deviations from the specified operating mode in the manual berthing section (Soyuz-25), docking did not take place. On these ships, maneuvering and rendezvous with orbital stations of the Salyut type were carried out.
In the course of long-term space flights, a large complex of studies of the Sun, planets and stars was carried out in a wide range of the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. For the first time (Soyuz-18), a comprehensive photo- and spectrographic study of auroras, as well as a rare natural phenomenon - noctilucent clouds, was carried out. Comprehensive studies of the reactions of the human body to the effects of long-term space flight factors have been carried out. Various means of preventing the adverse effects of weightlessness have been tested.
During the 3-month flight Soyuz-20, together with Salyut-4, endurance tests were carried out.
On the basis of Soyuz spacecraft, a cargo transport spacecraft GTK Progress was created, and on the basis of the experience of operating Soyuz spacecraft, a significantly modernized Soyuz T spacecraft was created.
Soyuz spacecraft were launched by a 3-stage Soyuz launch vehicle.
Soyuz spacecraft program.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-1". Cosmonaut - V.M. Komarov. The call sign is Ruby. Launch - 04/23/1967, landing - 04/24/1967. The goal is to test a new ship. It was planned to dock with the Soyuz-2 spacecraft with three cosmonauts on board, two cosmonauts go through open space, and land with three cosmonauts on board. Due to the failure of a number of systems on the Soyuz-1 spacecraft, the Soyuz-2 launch was canceled. (This program was carried out in 1969 by the spacecraft
"Soyuz-4" and "Soyuz-5"). Astronaut Vladimir Komarov died while returning to Earth due to off-design work of the parachute system.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-2" (unmanned). Launch - 10/25/1968, landing - 10/28/1968. Purpose: verification of the modified ship design, joint experiments with the manned Soyuz-3 (rapprochement and maneuvering).
Spacecraft "Soyuz-3". Cosmonaut - G.T. Beregovoy. The call sign is "Argon". Launch - 10/26/1968, landing - 10/30/1968 Purpose: verification of the modified ship design, rendezvous and maneuvering with the unmanned Soyuz-2.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-4". The first docking into orbit of two manned spacecraft is the creation of the first experimental orbital station. Commander - V.A.Shatalov. The call sign is "Amur". Launch - 14.01.1969 16.01. 1969 docked manually with the Soyuz-5 passive spacecraft (the mass of the bundle of two spacecraft is 12924 kg), from which two cosmonauts A.S. Eliseev and E.V. Khrunov crossed through open space into Soyuz-4 (time spent in outer space - 37 minutes). After 4.5 hours, the ships undocked. Landing - 01/17/1969 with cosmonauts V.A. Shatalov, A.S. Eliseev, E.V. Khrunov.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-5". The first orbital docking of two manned spacecraft is the creation of the first experimental orbital station. Commander - B.V. Volynov, crew members: A.S. Eliseev, E.V. Khrunov. The call sign is Baikal. Launch - 01/15/1969 01/16/1969 docked with the active spacecraft "Soyuz-4" (the mass of the bundle is 12924 kg), then A.S. Eliseev and E.V. Khrunov went through open space to "Soyuz-4" ”(time spent in open space - 37 minutes). After 4.5 hours, the ships undocked. Landing - 01/18/1969 with cosmonaut B.V. Volynov.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-6". Performing the world's first technological experiment. Group mutual maneuvering of two and three spacecraft (With Soyuz-7 and Soyuz-8 spacecraft). Crew: commander G.S. Shonin and flight engineer V.N. Kubasov. The call sign is "Antey". Launch - 10/11/1969 Landing - 10/16/1969
Spacecraft "Soyuz-7". Performing group mutual maneuvering of two and three ships ("Soyuz-6" and "Soyuz-8"). Crew: commander A.V.Filipchenko, crew members: V.N.Volkov, V.V.Gorbatko. The call sign is Buran. Launch - 10/12/1969, landing - 10/17/1969
Spacecraft "Soyuz-8". Group mutual maneuvering of two and three ships ("Soyuz-6" and "Soyuz-7"). Crew: commander V.A. Shatalov, flight engineer A.S. Eliseev. The call sign is "Granite". Launch - 10/13/1969, landing - 10/18/1969
Spacecraft "Soyuz-9". First long flight (17.7 days). Crew: commander A.G. Nikolaev, flight engineer - V.I. Sevastyanov. The call sign is "Falcon". Launch - 06/1/1970, landing - 06/19/1970
Spacecraft "Soyuz-10". First docking with the Salyut orbital station. Crew: commander V.A. Shatalov, crew members: A.S. Eliseev, N.N. Rukavishnikov. The call sign is "Granite". Launch - 04/23/1971 Landing - 04/25/1971 Docking was completed with the Salyut orbital station (04/24/1971), but the crew could not open the transfer hatches to the station, 04/24/1971 the spacecraft separated from the orbital station and returned ahead of schedule.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-11". The first expedition to the Salyut orbital station. Crew: commander G.T.Dobrovolsky, crew members: V.N.Volkov, V.I.Patsaev. Launch - 06/06/1971. On 06/07/1971, the ship docked with the Salyut orbital station. 06/29/1971 Soyuz-11 undocked from the orbital station. 06/30/1971 - landing was carried out. Due to the depressurization of the descent vehicle at high altitude, all crew members died (the flight was carried out without spacesuits).
Spacecraft "Soyuz-12". Conducting tests of advanced on-board systems of the ship. Checking the crew rescue system in case of emergency depressurization. Crew: commander V.G. Lazarev, flight engineer O.G. Makarov. The call sign is "Ural". Launch - 09/27/1973, landing - 09/29/1973
Spacecraft "Soyuz-13". Performing astrophysical observations and spectrography in the ultraviolet range using the Orion-2 telescope system of sections of the starry sky. Crew: commander P.I. Klimuk, flight engineer V.V. Lebedev. The call sign is "Kavkaz". Launch - 12/18/1973, landing - 12/26/1973
Spacecraft "Soyuz-14". The first expedition to the Salyut-3 orbital station. Crew: commander P.R.Popovich, flight engineer Yu.P.Artyukhin. The call sign is Berkut. Launch - July 3, 1974, docking with the orbital station - July 5, 1974, separation - July 19, 1974, landing - July 19, 1974.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-15". Crew: commander G.V. Sarafanov, flight engineer L.S. Demin. The call sign is "Danube". Launched on August 26, 1974, landing on August 28, 1974. It was planned to dock with the Salyut-3 orbital station and continue scientific research on board. The docking did not take place.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-16". Testing of the on-board systems of the modernized Soyuz spacecraft in accordance with the ASTP program. Crew: commander A.V. Filipchenko, flight engineer N.N. Rukavishnikov. The call sign is Buran. Launch - 12/2/1974, landing - 12/8/1974
Spacecraft "Soyuz-17". The first expedition to the Salyut-4 orbital station. Crew: commander A.A. Gubarev, flight engineer G.M. Grechko. The call sign is "Zenith". Launch - 01/11/1975, docking with the Salyut-4 orbital station - 01/12/1975, separation and soft landing - 02/09/1975.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-18-1". Suborbital flight. Crew: commander V.G. Lazarev, flight engineer O.G. Makarov. Callsign - not registered. Launch and landing - 04/05/1975. It was planned to continue scientific research at the Salyut-4 orbital station. Due to deviations in the operation of the 3rd stage of the launch vehicle, a command was issued to terminate the flight. The spacecraft landed in an off-design area southwest of the city of Gorno-Altaisk
Spacecraft "Soyuz-18". The second expedition to the Salyut-4 orbital station. Crew: commander P.I. Klimuk, flight engineer V.I. Sevastyanov. The call sign is "Kavkaz". Launch - 05/24/1975, docking with the Salyut-4 orbital station - 05/26/1975, separation, descent and soft landing - 07/26/1975
Spacecraft "Soyuz-19". The first flight under the Soviet-American ASTP program. Crew: commander - A.A. Leonov, flight engineer V.N. Kubasov. The call sign is Soyuz. Launch - 07/15/1975, 07/17/1975 -
docking with the American spacecraft "Apollo". On July 19, 1975, the spacecraft undocked, performing the "Solar Eclipse" experiment, then (July 19) the re-docking and final undocking of the two spacecraft was carried out. Landing - 07/21/1975. During the joint flight, the cosmonauts and astronauts made mutual transitions, a large scientific program was completed.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-20". Unmanned. Launch - 11/17/1975, docking with the Salyut-4 orbital station - 11/19/1975, separation, descent and landing - 02/16/1975. Life tests of the ship's onboard systems were carried out.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-21". The first expedition to the Salyut-5 orbital station. Crew: commander B.V. Volynov, flight engineer V.M. Zholobov. The call sign is Baikal. Launch - 07/06/1976, docking with the Salyut-5 orbital station - 07/07/1976, undocking, descent and landing - 08/24/1976
Spacecraft "Soyuz-22". Development of the principles and methods of multi-zonal photography of areas of the earth's surface. Crew: commander V.F. Bykovsky, flight engineer V.V. Aksenov. The call sign is "Hawk". Launch - 09/15/1976, landing - 09/23/1976
Spacecraft "Soyuz-23". Crew: commander V.D. Zudov, flight engineer V.I. Rozhdestvensky. The call sign is "Radon". Launch - 10/14/1976 Landing - 10/16/1976 Work was planned at the Salyut-5 orbital station. Due to the off-design mode of operation of the spacecraft rendezvous system, docking with Salyut-5 did not take place.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-24". The second expedition to the Salyut-5 orbital station. Crew: commander V.V. Gorbatko, flight engineer Yu.N. Glazkov. The call sign is "Terek". Launch - 02/07/1977 Docking with the Salyut-5 orbital station - 02/08/1976 Undocking, descent and landing - 02/25/1977
Spacecraft "Soyuz-25". Crew: commander V.V. Kovalenok, flight engineer V.V. Ryumin. The call sign is "Photon". Launch - 10/9/1977 Landing - 10/11/1977 It was planned to dock with the new Salyut-6 orbital station and carry out a scientific research program on it. The docking did not take place.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-26". Delivery of the crew of the 1st main expedition to the Salyut-6 orbital station. Crew: commander Yu.V.Romanenko, flight engineer G.M.Grechko. Launch - 12/10/1977 Docking with Salyut-6 - 12/11/1977 Undocking, descent and landing - 01/16/1978 with the crew of the 1st visiting expedition consisting of: V.A. Dzhanibekov, O.G. .Makarov (for the first time there was an exchange of spacecraft included in the Salyut-6 complex).
Spacecraft "Soyuz-27". Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station of the 1st visiting expedition. Crew: commander V.A. Dzhanibekov, flight engineer O.G. Makarov. Launch - 01/10/1978 Docking with the Salyut-6 orbital station - 01/11/1978 Separation, descent and landing on 03/16/1978 with the crew of the 1st main expedition consisting of: Yu.V. Romanenko, G. M. Grechko.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-28". Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station of the 1st international crew (the 2nd visiting expedition). Crew: commander - A.A. Gubarev, cosmonaut-researcher - citizen of Czechoslovakia V. Remek. Launch - 03/2/1978 Docking with Salyut-6 - 03/3/1978 Docking, descent and landing - 03/10/1978
Spacecraft "Soyuz-29". Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station of the crew of the 2nd main expedition. Crew: commander - V.V. Kovalenok, flight engineer - A.S. Ivanchenkov. Launch - 06/15/1978 Docking with Salyut-6 - 06/17/1978 Undocking, descent and landing on 09/03/1978 with the crew of the 4th visiting expedition consisting of: V.F. Bykovsky, Z. Yen ( GDR).
Spacecraft "Soyuz-30". Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station and return of the crew of the 3rd visiting expedition (the second international crew). Crew: commander P.I. Klimuk, cosmonaut-researcher, citizen of Poland M. Germashevsky. Launch - 06/27/1978 Docking with Salyut-6 - 06/28/1978 Docking, descent and landing - 07/05/1978
Spacecraft "Soyuz-31". Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station of the crew of the 4th visiting expedition (3rd international crew). Crew: commander - VF Bykovsky, cosmonaut-researcher, citizen of the GDR Z. Yen. Launch - 08/26/1978 Docking with the Salyut-6 orbital station - 08/27/1978 Docking, descent and landing - 11/2/1978 with the crew of the 2nd main expedition consisting of: V.V. Kovalenok, A .S. Ivanchenkov.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-32". Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station of the 3rd main expedition. Crew: commander V.A. Lyakhov, flight engineer V.V. Ryumin. Launch - 02/25/1979 Docking with Salyut-6 - 02/26/1979 Undocking, descent and landing on 06/13/1979 without a crew in automatic mode.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-33". Crew: commander N.N. Rukavishnikov, cosmonaut-researcher, citizen of Bulgaria G.I. Ivanov. The call sign is Saturn. Launch - 04/10/1979. On 04/11/1979, due to deviations from the normal mode in the operation of the rendezvous-correcting installation, docking with the Salyut-6 orbital station was canceled. 04/12/1979 the ship made a descent and landing.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-34". Launch 06/06/1979 without a crew. Docking with the Salyut-6 orbital station - 06/08/1979 06/19/1979 undocking, descent and landing with the crew of the 3rd main expedition consisting of: V.A.Lyakhov, V.V.Ryumin. (The descent module is exhibited at the State Museum of the Interior named after K.E. Tsiolkovsky).
Spacecraft "Soyuz-35". Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station of the 4th main expedition. Crew: commander L.I. Popov, flight engineer V.V. Ryumin. Launch - 04/09/1980 Docking with Salyut-6 - 04/10/1980 Undocking, descent and landing on 06/03/1980 with the crew of the 5th visiting expedition (4th international crew consisting of: V.N. Kubasov, B. Farkash.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-36". Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station of the crew of the 5th visiting expedition (4th international crew). Crew: commander VN Kubasov, cosmonaut-researcher, citizen of Hungary B. Farkas. Launch - 05/26/1980 Docking with Salyut-6 - 05/27/1980 Docking, descent and landing on 08/3/1980 with the crew of the 7th visiting expedition consisting of: V.V. Gorbatko, Pham Tuan (Vietnam) ).
Spacecraft "Soyuz-37". Delivery to the orbital station of the crew of the 7th visiting expedition (5th international crew). Crew: commander V.V. Gorbatko, cosmonaut-researcher, Vietnamese citizen Pham Tuan. Launch - 07/23/1980 Docking with Salyut-6 - 07/24/1980 Docking, descent and landing - 10/11/1980 with the crew of the 4th main expedition consisting of: L.I. Popov, V.V. .Ryumin.
Spacecraft "Soyuz-38". Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station and return of the crew of the 8th visiting expedition (6th international crew). Crew: commander Yu.V.Romanenko, cosmonaut-researcher, Cuban citizen M.A.Tamayo. Launch - 09/18/1980 Docking with Salyut-6 - 09/19/1980 Docking, descent and landing 09/26/1980
Spacecraft "Soyuz-39". Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station and return of the 10th visiting crew (7th international crew). Crew: commander V.A. Dzhanibekov, cosmonaut-researcher, citizen of Mongolia Zh. Gurragcha. Launch - 03/22/1981 Docking with Salyut-6 - 03/23/1981 Docking, descent and landing - 03/30/1981
Spacecraft "Soyuz-40". Delivery to the Salyut-6 orbital station and return of the crew of the 11th visiting expedition (8th international crew). Crew: commander L.I.Popov, cosmonaut-researcher, citizen of Romania D.Prunariu. Launch - 05/14/1981 Docking with Salyut-6 - 05/15/1981 Docking, descent and landing 05/22/1981
The spacecraft resembles a submarine: here and there the crew is forced to live in a pressurized cabin, completely isolated from the external environment. The composition, pressure, temperature and humidity of the air inside the cabin will be regulated by a special apparatus. But the advantage of a spacecraft over a submarine is the smaller difference between the pressure inside the cabin and outside. And the smaller this difference, the thinner the walls of the case can be.
The sun's rays can be used to heat and illuminate the ship's cabin. The skin of the ship, like the earth's atmosphere, delays the ultraviolet rays of the Sun penetrating interplanetary space, which are harmful to the human body in large quantities. For better protection during collisions with meteoric bodies, it is advisable to make the ship's skin multilayered.
The design of a spacecraft depends on its purpose. A ship to land on the moon will be very different from a ship designed to fly around it; a ship to Mars must be built differently from a ship to Venus; a rocket ship powered by thermochemical fuel will be significantly different from a nuclear ship.
The spacecraft on thermochemical fuel, designed to fly to an artificial satellite, will be a multi-stage rocket the size of an airship. At launch, such a rocket should weigh several hundred tons, and its payload is about a hundred times less. Tightly adjacent stages will be enclosed in a streamlined body to better overcome air resistance when flying in the atmosphere. A relatively small cabin for the crew and a cabin for the rest of the payload will apparently be located in the bow of the ship. Since the crew will have to spend only a short time on board such a ship (less than an hour), there will be no need for complex equipment, which will be equipped with interplanetary ships designed for a long flight. Flight control and all measurements will be carried out automatically.
The spent stages of the rocket can be lowered back to Earth either by parachute or with the help of retractable wings that turn the stage into a glider.
Consider another version of the spacecraft (see Fig. 8, center, on pages 24-25). The ship will go from an artificial satellite into flight around the moon for a long survey of its surface without landing. After completing the task, he will return directly to Earth. As you can see, this ship consists mainly of two twin rockets with three pairs of cylindrical tanks filled with fuel and oxidizer, and two space gliders with retractable wings designed to descend to the Earth's surface. The ship does not need a streamlined skin, since the launch is made outside the atmosphere.
Such a ship will be completely built and tested on Earth, and then transferred to the interplanetary station disassembled. Fuel, equipment, food supplies and oxygen for breathing will be delivered there in separate batches.
After the ship is assembled at the interplanetary station, it will go further into world space.
Fuel and oxidizer will enter the engine from the central cylindrical tanks, which are the main cabins of the spacecraft, temporarily filled with fuel. They are emptied a few minutes after takeoff. Temporarily the crew is located in a less comfortable glider cockpit.
It is enough to open a small valve connecting the tanks with airless space, so that the remaining fuel instantly evaporates. Then the cockpit tanks are filled with air, and the crew enters them from the glider; here the astronauts will spend the rest of the flight.
Having flown to the Moon, the ship turns into its artificial satellite. For this, fuel and an oxidizer located in the rear side tanks are used. After using the fuel, the tanks are unhooked. When on -
The return time will come and the engine will be turned on. Fuel for this purpose is stored in the front side tanks. Before diving into the Earth's atmosphere, the crew transfers to space gliders, which are unhooked from the rest of the ship, which continues to circle the Earth. The glider enters the Earth's atmosphere and, maneuvering retractable wings, descends.
When flying with the engine off, people and objects on the ship will be weightless. This presents a great inconvenience. Designers may have to create artificial gravity on board the ship.
The ship shown in Fig. 8 is built exactly on this principle. Its two components, taking off as one, are then separated from each other, remaining, however, connected by cables, and with the help of small rocket engines are driven in a circular motion around a common center of gravity (Fig. 6). After the required rotation speed is reached, the motors are turned off and the movement continues by inertia. The centrifugal force that arises in this case, according to the idea of Tsiolkovsky, should replace the travel
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:
A 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 aircraft(OS) aerospace aircraft(VKS) is a winged aircraft of an aircraft scheme that enters or launches into the orbit of an artificial satellite of the Earth by means of a vertical or horizontal launch and returns from it after fulfilling the target tasks, making a horizontal landing on the airfield, actively using the glider's lifting force 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...
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.
|
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"
