Which countries are launching satellites into space. Space countries of the world. Which country has its own multi-module space station

Tell me, how vast is the light?
And what about the smallest distant stars?

M. Lomonosov.

In their indestructible desire to know the Universe, the half-century that has passed since the first manned flight into space has not lived in vain. A representative of the Earth set foot on the Moon, people learned how to live and work for a long time in near-Earth orbit, launch spacecraft into near and far space ... In total, more than 500 people from 38 countries of the world have been in space since Yuri Gagarin's flight.

Today it can be stated that during the “reporting period” the so-called club of space powers was formed in the world - countries that sent their representatives or spacecraft into space. In 2009, the world spent $68 billion on space programs, including $48.8 billion in the US, $7.9 billion in the EU, $3 billion in Japan, $2.8 billion in Russia, and China $2 billion

How far are the ambitions of the leading space countries (agencies) in the field of providing the “essential presence in outer space” at a time when manned astronautics is about to return to the Moon and turn their eyes to other planets in the solar system, primarily to Mars?

Russia

In 2010, the budget of the Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) amounted to about 1.8 billion dollars. Over the past seven years, Roscosmos has increased the volume of launches of unmanned vehicles. For example, in 2010, there were 74 space launches in the world, of which 70 were successful, with 31 launches in Russia, 15 each in the United States and China. In 2009, 32 Russian launches were made, or 43 percent of the global value .

Russia's space activities until 2040 will be carried out in the following main areas: further development of near-Earth space, exploration of the Moon, preparation and implementation of a flight to Mars. At the same time, a flight to the Moon can take place by 2025, until 2035 it is planned to create a base on the Earth's satellite. A flight to Mars is planned after 2035. After 2026, Russia intends to create a system to protect the Earth from asteroids.

Immediate plans: this year, within the framework of the Phobos-Grunt project, an automatic spacecraft will go to the closest satellite to the planet Mars for soil - this will be the first attempt by earthlings to bring soil from Phobos. In 2014, according to the Luna-Globe project, an automatic landing will take place, the purpose of which is to study the lunar soil and water and solve other problems. In 2015, the second phase of the Luna-Resource project will start, the result of which will probably be the delivery of samples of lunar soil to Earth.

USA

The new US space program, unveiled in April 2010, in addition to the Moon and Mars, according to President Obama, requires robotic exploration of the solar system and sampling of the Sun's "atmosphere". The Americans assume that they will be the first in the history of space exploration to deliver astronauts to an asteroid, and by the mid-30s they will be able to deliver people to Mars orbit, safely return them to Earth, and then land on Mars.

Immediate Intentions: In 2011, it is planned that a new generation rover, which is an autonomous chemical laboratory, will analyze Martian soils and atmospheric components. It is possible that deciphering this data will put an end to the debate about whether life has ever existed on Mars.

One of the NASA missions, which will be implemented in the very near future, is the study of the unusual gravitational field of the Moon. Perhaps this will lift the veil of secrecy over the origin of both the Moon and the Earth, as well as other Earth-like planets.

In 2013, NASA intends to send avatar robots to the Moon instead of people who will move according to commands from Earth. This will be the first stage in the creation of an American lunar base.

China

In October 2007, Chang'e-1 was launched, China's first artificial lunar satellite, which is the initial stage of China's lunar settlement program. Among the prospects of the Chinese space exploration program is the construction of an orbital space station, which is scheduled for completion by 2025.

Immediate intentions: the launch of the unmanned module "Tiangong-1" ("Tiangong 1") is scheduled for the second half of 2011, which should be part of the future Chinese orbital station.

According to the second stage of the Chinese lunar program, in 2013 there will be a landing on the surface of lunar rovers.

In 2013, it is possible to send a Chinese probe into space to study the surface of Mars. In November 2011, a Russian launch vehicle is to launch the Inho-1 (Yinghuo-1) Martian probe into space, which will study the Martian surface from orbit.

By 2020, China intends to create its own navigation satellite system. Between 2011 and 2015, China intends to launch 12 to 14 satellites into orbit.

In addition, China has started building the third Chinese lunar probe, Chang'e-3, which will land on the surface of the moon and carry out some scientific experiments. The launch of the device is scheduled for 2013. The goal of the lunar project is to land on the moon, which is scheduled for 2024.

India

In 2013, India, which has its own spaceport, will continue the lunar epic, but in partnership with Russia. According to the Luna-Resource-1 (Chandroyan-2) project, an Indian apparatus will be delivered to the orbit of the Earth satellite, and an Indian lunar rover and a Russian research apparatus will be delivered to its surface.

Japan

In 2015, Japan plans to start colonizing the moon with maido-kun humanoid robots. Humanoid machines will be engaged in geological exploration of the moon.

European Space Agency

By the end of the 20th century, the European Space Agency (ESA) had taken the lead in commercial launches. By 2018, it intends to develop its own European multipurpose manned spacecraft CSTS. The ESA has come up with an ambitious Aurora Plan that would eventually include missions to the Moon and Mars after 2030.

Among the immediate plans is the launch in 2014 of the automatic space mission BepiColombo. ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will send a probe to Mercury. The device will study the planet's magnetosphere.

What is the practical - in the next time period - the goal of mankind's aspirations in the knowledge of the cosmos?

Judging by the content of the programs of technologically advanced powers - space exploration! Just fifty years after the historic flight of man into space, the Russians, for example, set themselves the goal of studying the possibilities of artificially changing the physical conditions first on the surface of Mars, and then on Venus, since this may be necessary for the settlement of our people there.
distant descendants.

According to electronic media.

65 nanometers is the next goal of the Zelenograd Angstrem-T plant, which will cost 300-350 million euros. The enterprise has already submitted an application for a soft loan for the modernization of production technologies to Vnesheconombank (VEB), Vedomosti reported this week, citing Leonid Reiman, chairman of the board of directors of the plant. Now Angstrem-T is preparing to launch a line for the production of chips with a 90nm topology. Payments on the previous VEB loan, for which it was purchased, will begin in mid-2017.

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Sputnik (Sputnik-1) is the first artificial satellite of the Earth, a Soviet spacecraft launched into orbit on October 4, 1957. The code designation of the satellite is PS-1 (The Simplest Sputnik-1). The launch was carried out from the 5th research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense "Tyura-Tam" (which later received the open name of the Baikonur Cosmodrome) on a Sputnik launch vehicle, created on the basis of the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile.

Scientists M. V. Keldysh, M. K. Tikhonravov, N. S. Lidorenko, G. Yu. Maksimov, V. I. Lapko, B. S. Chekunov, A. V. Bukhtiyarov and many others.

The launch date is considered the beginning of the space age of mankind, and in Russia it is celebrated as a memorable day for the Space Forces.

The history of the creation of the first satellite of the Earth

Back in 1939, Mikhail Klavdievich Tikhonravov, one of the founders of practical cosmonautics in the USSR, the closest associate of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, wrote: “Without exception, all work in the field of rocket technology eventually leads to space flight.” Further events confirmed his words: in 1946, almost simultaneously with the development of the first Soviet and American ballistic missiles, the development of the idea of ​​launching an artificial Earth satellite began. The times were hard. The Second World War had barely ended, and the world was already teetering on the brink of a new one, this time nuclear. The atomic bomb appeared, and means of delivery were hastily developed - first of all, combat missile systems. On May 13, 1946, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a detailed Decree on issues of jet weapons, the creation of which was declared the most important state task. They were ordered to create a special committee on jet technology and dozens of new enterprises - research institutes, design bureaus; factories were redesigned for the production of new equipment, testing grounds were created. On the basis of Artillery Plant No. 88, the State Allied Research Institute (NII-88) was created, which became the lead organization for the entire range of work in this area. On August 9 of the same year, by order of the Minister of Defense, Korolev was appointed chief designer of long-range ballistic missiles, and on August 30 he became head of the department for ballistic missile design tests of "product No. 1" - R-1 missiles.

It was in this context that the creation of an artificial satellite of the Earth began, for which it was necessary to attract huge financial, material and human resources. In other words, government support was required. At the first stage (until 1954), the development of the idea of ​​launching a satellite was carried out in conditions of misunderstanding and opposition from top leaders and those who determined the technical policy of states. In our country, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was the main ideologist and leader of the practical work on the implementation of access to outer space, in the USA - Wernher von Braun.

On May 12, 1946, the von Braun group submitted to the US Department of Defense a report "Preliminary design of an experimental spacecraft orbiting the Earth", which stated that a rocket for launching a satellite weighing 227 kg into a circular orbit with an altitude of about 480 km could be created in five years, that is, by 1951. The military department refused to allocate the necessary appropriations to von Braun's proposal.

In the USSR, Mikhail Klavdievich Tikhonravov, who worked at the NII-1 MAP, proposed a project for a high-altitude rocket VR-190 with a pressurized cabin with two pilots on board for flying along a ballistic trajectory with an ascent to a height of 200 km. The project was reported to the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Board of the Ministry of Aviation Industry and received a positive assessment. On May 21, 1946, Tikhonravov sent a letter to Stalin, and this was the point. After moving to the NII-4 of the Ministry of Defense, Tikhonravov and his group of seven people continued to work on the scientific substantiation of the possibility of launching an artificial Earth satellite. On March 15, 1950, he reported the results of the research work "Compound long-range liquid fuel rockets, artificial satellites of the Earth" at the plenary session of the scientific and technical conference of the Department of Applied Mechanics of the USSR Academy of Sciences. His report was approved, nevertheless, Tikhonravov continually received "bruises and bumps" from his superiors, and ridicule in the form of cartoons and epigrams from his fellow scientists. In accordance with the “spirit of the times” (at the very beginning of the 1950s), a “signal to the top” was even sent - they say that state funds are being wasted, and we need to see if this is sabotage? The inspectorate of the Ministry of Defense, which checked NII-4, recognized the work of Tikhonravov's group as unnecessary, and the idea as fantastic and harmful. The group was disbanded, and Tikhonravov was demoted.

Meanwhile, work continued: in 1950-1953, research was carried out behind the scenes, almost secretly, and in 1954 their results were made public. And after that, the idea was able to "come out of the underground." This, however, was facilitated by some additional circumstances. Both Korolev and Brown, each in their own country, did not abandon their efforts to gain understanding of the decision makers, putting forward accessible arguments of the military and political importance of developing and launching satellites. President of the USSR Academy of Sciences Mstislav Keldysh most actively supported the idea of ​​launching an artificial satellite. Beginning in 1949, academic institutions conducted research into the upper atmosphere and near-Earth space, as well as the reactions of living organisms in rocket flights. Rockets for scientific research were developed on the basis of combat missiles, they were called "academic". The first geophysical rocket was the R1-A rocket, developed on the basis of the R-1 combat rocket. In October 1954, the organizing committee of the International Geophysical Year turned to the leading world powers with a request to consider the possibility of launching satellites for scientific research. On June 29, US President Dwight Eisenhower announced that the US would launch such a satellite. Soon the Soviet Union made the same statement. This meant that the work on creating an artificial satellite of the Earth was legalized, and there was no room left for ridicule and denial of the idea.

On June 26, 1954, Korolev submitted to the Minister of Defense Industry Dmitry Ustinov a memorandum "On an artificial satellite of the Earth", prepared by Tikhonravov, with an overview of work on satellites abroad. The note said: “At present, there are real technical possibilities to achieve with the help of rockets a speed sufficient to create an artificial satellite of the Earth. The most realistic and feasible in the shortest possible time is the creation of an artificial satellite of the Earth in the form of an automatic device that would be equipped with scientific equipment, have radio communication with the Earth and revolve around the Earth at a distance of about 170–1100 km from its surface. Such a device will be called the simplest satellite.

In the United States, on May 26, 1955, at a meeting of the National Security Council, a program for launching a scientific satellite was approved - provided that it does not interfere with the development of combat missiles. The fact that the launch will take place within the framework of the International Geophysical Year will emphasize its peaceful nature, the military believed. Unlike our country, where everything was "in the same hands" - Korolev and Tikhonravova - these works were carried out by all branches of the armed forces, and it was necessary to decide which project to give preference to. For this, a special commission was created. The final choice was between the Naval Research Laboratory project (Vanguard satellite) and the Rand Corporation project (Explorer satellite, developed under the direction of Wernher von Braun). Brown stated that, given sufficient funds, the satellite could be launched into orbit in January 1956. Perhaps, if he had been believed, the United States would have launched its satellite earlier than the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, the choice was made in favor of the "Vanguard" ("Vanguard"). Apparently, von Braun's personality played a role here: the Americans did not want a German with a recent Nazi past to become the "father" of the first American satellite. But, as the further development of events showed, their choice was not very successful.

In 1955, the USSR was working on the problems associated with the creation of satellites. On January 30, 1956, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopts a resolution on the development of object D (a satellite weighing 1000–1400 kg and with scientific equipment for 200–300 kg). The launch date is 1957. The draft design is ready by June. A ground-based command and measurement complex (CMC) is being developed to ensure the flight of the satellite. By the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of September 3, 1956, it was ordered to organize seven ground measuring points (NIP) on the territory of our country along the flight route. The task was entrusted to the Ministry of Defense, NII-4 was identified as the head organization.

By the end of 1956, it became clear that it would not be possible to prepare object D by the appointed date, and it was decided to urgently develop a small, simple satellite. It was a spherical container with a diameter of 580 mm and a mass of 83.6 kg with four antennas. On February 7, 1957, the Council of Ministers of the USSR issued a resolution on the launch of the First AES, and on October 4, the launch was successfully carried out.

On October 4, 1957, the world's first artificial Earth satellite was launched into near-Earth orbit, which opened the space era in the history of mankind.

The satellite, which became the first artificial celestial body, was launched into orbit by an R-7 carrier rocket from the 5th Research Test Site of the USSR Ministry of Defense, which later received the open name Baikonur Cosmodrome.

“... On October 4, 1957, the first satellite was successfully launched in the USSR. According to preliminary data, the launch vehicle reported to the satellite the required orbital speed of about 8000 meters per second. At present, the satellite describes elliptical trajectories around the Earth and its flight can be observed in the rays of the rising and setting sun using the simplest optical instruments (binoculars, telescopes, etc.).

According to the calculations, which are now being refined by direct observations, the satellite will move at altitudes up to 900 kilometers above the Earth's surface; the time of one complete revolution of the satellite will be 1 hour 35 minutes, the angle of inclination of the orbit to the plane of the equator is 65 °. Over the area of ​​the city of Moscow on October 5, 1957, the satellite will pass twice - at 1 hour 46 minutes. night and at 6 o'clock. 42 min. morning Moscow time. Messages about the subsequent movement of the first artificial satellite, launched in the USSR on October 4, will be transmitted regularly by broadcast radio stations.

The satellite has the shape of a ball with a diameter of 58 cm and a weight of 83.6 kg. Two radio transmitters are installed on it, continuously emitting radio signals with a frequency of 20.005 and 40.002 megahertz (wavelength about 15 and 7.5 meters, respectively). The power of the transmitters ensures reliable reception of radio signals by a wide range of radio amateurs. The signals have the form of telegraph parcels with a duration of about 0.3 seconds. with a pause of the same duration. A signal of one frequency is sent during a pause of a signal of another frequency ... ".

The device was put into orbit with perigee 228 and apogee 947 km. The time of one revolution was 96.2 minutes. The satellite was in orbit for 92 days (until January 4, 1958), making 1440 revolutions. According to the factory documentation, the satellite was called PS-1, that is, the simplest satellite. However, the design and scientific and technical problems that the developers faced were by no means simple. In fact, it was a test of the possibility of launching a satellite, which ended, as Academician Boris Evseevich Chertok, one of Korolev's closest associates, put it, with the triumph of the launch vehicle. A thermal control system, power supplies, two radio transmitters were installed on board the satellite, operating at different frequencies and sending signals in the form of telegraph parcels (the famous "beep-beep-beep"). In the orbital flight, studies were carried out on the density of the high layers of the atmosphere, the nature of the propagation of radio waves in the ionosphere, and the issues of observing a space object from the Earth were worked out.

The reaction of the world community to this event was very stormy. There were no indifferent people. Millions and millions of "ordinary people" of the planet perceived this event as the greatest achievement of human thought and spirit. The time of the passage of the satellite over various settlements was announced in advance in the press, and people on different continents came out of their homes at night, looked at the sky and saw: among the usual fixed stars, one is moving! In the United States, the launch of the first satellite was a real shock. It suddenly turned out that the USSR, a country that had not yet really recovered from the war, had a powerful scientific, industrial and military potential, and that it must be reckoned with. The prestige of the United States as a world leader in the scientific, technical and military fields has been shaken.

Ray Bradbury:
"On that night, when Sputnik first traced the sky, I (...) looked up and thought about the predestination of the future. After all, that little light, rapidly moving from edge to edge of the sky, was the future of all mankind. I knew that although the Russians are beautiful in our endeavors, we will soon follow them and take their proper place in the sky (...) That fire in the sky made mankind immortal.Earth still could not remain our haven forever, because one day death from cold or overheating may await it. Mankind was ordered to become immortal, and that light in the sky above me was the first glimpse of immortality.

I blessed the Russians for their audacity and anticipated the creation of NASA by President Eisenhower shortly after these events."

At this stage, the “space race” began, from a letter from American scientists to Eisenhower: “We must work feverishly to solve those technical problems that Russia has undoubtedly solved ... In this race (and this is undoubtedly a race), the prize will be given only to the winner, this prize is the leadership of the world ...”.

On November 3 of the same 1957, the Soviet Union launched a second satellite weighing 508.3 kg. It was already a real scientific laboratory. For the first time, a highly organized living creature, the dog Laika, went into outer space. The Americans had to hurry: a week after the launch of the second Soviet satellite, on November 11, the White House announced the upcoming launch of the first US satellite. The launch took place on December 6 and ended in complete failure: two seconds after leaving the launch pad, the rocket fell and exploded, destroying the launch pad. In the future, the Avangard program went very hard, out of eleven launches, only three were successful. Von Braun's Explorer was the first American artificial satellite. It was launched on January 31, 1958. Although the satellite carried 4.5 kg of scientific equipment, and the 4th stage was part of its design and did not undock, its mass was 6 times less than PS-1 - 13.37 kg. This was made possible through the use

60 years ago, the USSR launched the first artificial Earth satellite, opening the era of human space exploration. Yuri Gagarin, Alexei Leonov are legends not only of Soviet, but also of world history. The Cosmos program invites you to Moscow for a detailed discussion about the first satellite.

"Basketball" - into space

Back to basics. We are at the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation museum. An enterprise that in 1956-57 was engaged in the design and construction of the first artificial Earth satellite.
Would you like to take a look at it? In the Hall of Fame - 1:1 scale model. Our guide, cosmonaut, hero of Russia Alexander Kaleri recalls how Soviet scientists approached the idea of ​​launching a satellite: “After the first successful launches of the R7 rocket, it was proposed to launch the simplest satellite, which would not have any scientific equipment, there would be only power sources, passive thermal control means. and transmission equipment.

NazarNews: PHOTO - The mascot of the new ISS expedition will be a model of the first Earth satellite https://t.co/8xsWDgfDll

— NazarNews.kg (@NazarNewsKg) 1 September 2017

The world learned the word “satellite” on October 4, 1957, when the USSR launched a “ball” a little larger than a basketball into orbit. It weighed about 84 kg and circled the Earth in 98 minutes.

Igor Komarov, General Director, Roskosmos: “I think it was really very important, emotionally important for the Soviet people, because it was a major breakthrough, proof of technological development and the success of those programs that were implemented by Sergei Pavlovich Korolev and many other scientists and researchers who created the rocket and space industry, which is a world leader in many areas.”

An hour and a half after the launch, the first signals from space came. Exciting news spread around the world ...

Roger-Maurice Bonnet, former Director of Science, European Space Agency: “It was a grandiose event, the beginning of the conquest of space by the Soviet Union. That's what no one expected back then! Yes, the world had its hopes in the Americans, who soon had their say as well. But at that moment, real panic reigned in the Western world, in the capitals. How? The Russians, the Soviets were capable of THIS!”

John Caige, historian of science: “The launch of the first satellite was an incredibly important event that started the race in space with the United States. People often misunderstand what is most important in this story. They think it's all about the satellite itself. No, it's the rocket that got him into orbit. It was an intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Soviet Union and tested just a month before Sputnik was launched. Then, for the first time in recent history, the United States felt threatened.”

— DocHistory (@History_Buffs) 6 septembre 2017

Companion, dog, human...

And so the great space race began. The “father” of the satellite, designer, founder of practical astronautics Sergei Pavlovich Korolev and his team are switching to an accelerated mode of operation. Less than a month after the launch of the first satellite, a second was launched into orbit - with a dog on board. Laika became the first living creature to leave our planet.
Soviet scientists are preparing to launch a man into space ...

Alexei Leonov, cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union: “Sergey Pavlovich Korolev set the task of creating a manned spacecraft with the Vostok carrier, which was used to launch the first satellite, and gave the task of recruiting test pilots for spacecraft crews. In 1959, we were already in the first test group.”

Alexander Kaleri, test cosmonaut, hero of Russia: “A program for further research in outer space was issued by a corresponding document, by the decision of the government, which spoke about the flight of automatic stations to the Moon, and about flights to Mars, to Venus, and about a manned flight man into space, and about the flight and landing of man on Mars, on Venus, on the Moon, on the creation of alien stations there. And it was December 1959!”

The era of constantly confirmed superiority: the first satellite, the first man in space, the first woman astronaut, the first spacewalk, the first expedition to Venus, then to Mars ...

“Criticize someone else's, offer your own. Offering - do "
(Sergey Pavlovich Korolev) pic.twitter.com/WgHqyI5oSs

— Game Intuit (@GameIntuit)

We have long been accustomed to the fact that we live in the era of space exploration. However, watching huge reusable rockets and space orbital stations today, many do not realize that the first launch of a spacecraft took place not so long ago - only 60 years ago.

Who launched the first artificial earth satellite? - THE USSR. This question is of great importance, since this event gave rise to the so-called space race between the two superpowers: the USA and the USSR.

What was the name of the world's first artificial earth satellite? - since such devices did not previously exist, Soviet scientists considered that the name "Sputnik-1" was quite suitable for this device. The code designation of the device is PS-1, which stands for "The Simplest Sputnik-1".

Externally, the satellite had a rather uncomplicated appearance and was an aluminum sphere with a diameter of 58 cm to which two curved antennas were attached crosswise, allowing the device to spread radio emission evenly and in all directions. Inside the sphere, made of two hemispheres fastened with 36 bolts, there were 50-kilogram silver-zinc batteries, a radio transmitter, a fan, a thermostat, pressure and temperature sensors. The total weight of the device was 83.6 kg. It is noteworthy that the radio transmitter broadcast in the range of 20 MHz and 40 MHz, that is, ordinary radio amateurs could follow it.

History of creation

The history of the first space satellite and space flights as a whole begins with the first ballistic missile - V-2 (Vergeltungswaffe-2). The rocket was developed by the famous German designer Wernher von Braun at the end of World War II. The first test launch took place in 1942, and the combat one in 1944, a total of 3225 launches were made, mainly in the UK. After the war, Wernher von Braun surrendered to the US Army, in connection with which he headed the Arms Design and Development Service in the United States. Back in 1946, the German scientist presented to the US Department of Defense a report “Preliminary design of an experimental spacecraft orbiting the Earth”, where he noted that a rocket capable of launching such a ship into orbit could be developed within five years. However, funding for the project was not approved.

On May 13, 1946, Joseph Stalin adopted a resolution on the creation of a rocket industry in the USSR. Sergei Korolev was appointed chief designer of ballistic missiles. For the next 10 years, scientists developed intercontinental ballistic missiles R-1, R2, R-3, etc.

In 1948, rocket designer Mikhail Tikhonravov gave a report to the scientific community on composite rockets and the results of calculations, according to which the developed 1000-kilometer rockets can reach great distances and even put an artificial Earth satellite into orbit. However, such a statement was criticized and was not taken seriously. Tikhonravov's department at NII-4 was disbanded due to irrelevant work, but later, through the efforts of Mikhail Klavdievich, it was reassembled in 1950. Then Mikhail Tikhonravov spoke directly about the mission to put a satellite into orbit.

satellite model

After the creation of the R-3 ballistic missile, its capabilities were presented at the presentation, according to which the missile was capable of not only hitting targets at a distance of 3000 km, but also launching a satellite into orbit. So by 1953, scientists still managed to convince top management that the launch of an orbiting satellite was possible. And the leaders of the armed forces had an understanding of the prospects for the development and launch of an artificial Earth satellite (AES). For this reason, in 1954, a decision was made to create a separate group at NII-4 with Mikhail Klavdievich, which would be engaged in satellite design and mission planning. In the same year, Tikhonravov's group presented a space exploration program, from the launch of an artificial satellite to landing on the moon.

In 1955, a delegation of the Politburo headed by N. S. Khrushchev visited the Leningrad Metal Plant, where the construction of the two-stage rocket R-7 was completed. The impression of the delegation resulted in the signing of a decree on the creation and launch of a satellite into earth orbit in the next two years. The design of the artificial satellite began in November 1956, and in September 1957 the Simplest Sputnik-1 was successfully tested on a vibration stand and in a heat chamber.

Definitely to the question "who invented Sputnik-1?" — cannot be answered. The development of the first satellite of the Earth took place under the leadership of Mikhail Tikhonravov, and the creation of the launch vehicle and the launch of the satellite into orbit - under the leadership of Sergei Korolev. However, a considerable number of scientists and researchers worked on both projects.

Launch history

In February 1955, the top management approved the creation of the Scientific Research Test Site No. 5 (later Baikonur), which was to be located in the Kazakhstan desert. The first ballistic missiles of the R-7 type were tested at the test site, but according to the results of five experimental launches, it became clear that the massive warhead of the ballistic missile could not withstand the temperature load and needed to be improved, which would take about six months. For this reason, S.P. Korolev requested two rockets from N.S. Khrushchev for the experimental launch of PS-1. At the end of September 1957, the R-7 rocket arrived at Baikonur with a lightened head and a passage under the satellite. Extra equipment was removed, as a result of which the mass of the rocket was reduced by 7 tons.

On October 2, S.P. Korolev signed the order on flight tests of the satellite and sent a notice of readiness to Moscow. And although no answers came from Moscow, Sergei Korolev decided to bring the Sputnik launch vehicle (R-7) from PS-1 to the starting position.

The reason why the management demanded the launch of the satellite into orbit during this period is that from July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958, the so-called International Geophysical Year was held. According to it, during the specified period, 67 countries jointly and under a single program carried out geophysical research and observations.

The launch date of the first artificial satellite is October 4, 1957. In addition, on the same day, the opening of the VIII International Astronautical Congress took place in Spain, Barcelona. The leaders of the USSR space program were not disclosed to the public due to the secrecy of the work being carried out; Academician Leonid Ivanovich Sedov informed Congress about the sensational launch of the satellite. Therefore, it was the Soviet physicist and mathematician Sedov that the world community has long considered the "father of Sputnik."

Flight history

At 22:28:34 Moscow time, a rocket with a satellite was launched from the first site of NIIP No. 5 (Baikonur). After 295 seconds, the central block of the rocket and the satellite were launched into an elliptical Earth orbit (apogee - 947 km, perigee - 288 km). After another 20 seconds, PS-1 separated from the missile and gave a signal. It was the repeated signals of “Beep! Beep!”, which were caught at the range for 2 minutes, until Sputnik-1 disappeared over the horizon. On the first orbit of the apparatus around the Earth, the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) transmitted a message about the successful launch of the world's first satellite.

After receiving the PS-1 signals, detailed data began to come in about the device, which, as it turned out, was close to not reaching the first space velocity and not entering orbit. The reason for this was an unexpected failure of the fuel control system, due to which one of the engines was late. A fraction of a second separated from failure.

However, PS-1 nevertheless successfully reached an elliptical orbit, along which it moved for 92 days, while completing 1440 revolutions around the planet. The radio transmitters of the device worked during the first two weeks. What caused the death of the first satellite of the Earth? - Having lost speed due to the friction of the atmosphere, Sputnik-1 began to descend and completely burned out in the dense layers of the atmosphere. It is noteworthy that many could observe some kind of brilliant object moving across the sky at that time. But without special optics, the shiny body of the satellite could not be seen, and in fact this object was the second stage of the rocket, which also rotated in orbit, along with the satellite.

The meaning of flight

The first launch of an artificial Earth satellite in the USSR produced an unprecedented rise in pride in their country and a strong blow to the prestige of the United States. An excerpt from the United Press publication: “90 percent of the talk about artificial Earth satellites came from the United States. As it turned out, 100 percent of the case fell on Russia…”. And despite the erroneous ideas about the technical backwardness of the USSR, it was the Soviet apparatus that became the first satellite of the Earth, moreover, its signal could be tracked by any radio amateur. The flight of the first Earth satellite marked the beginning of the space age and launched the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Just 4 months later, on February 1, 1958, the United States launched its Explorer 1 satellite, which was assembled by the team of scientist Wernher von Braun. And although it was several times lighter than the PS-1 and contained 4.5 kg of scientific equipment, it was still the second one and no longer had such an impact on the public.

Scientific results of PS-1 flight

The launch of this PS-1 had several goals:

• Testing the technical ability of the apparatus, as well as checking the calculations made for the successful launch of the satellite;
• Research of the ionosphere. Before the launch of the spacecraft, radio waves sent from the Earth were reflected from the ionosphere, excluding the possibility of studying it. Now, scientists have been able to begin exploring the ionosphere through the interaction of radio waves emitted by a satellite from space and traveling through the atmosphere to the Earth's surface.
• Calculation of the density of the upper layers of the atmosphere by observing the rate of deceleration of the apparatus due to friction against the atmosphere;
• Study of the influence of outer space on equipment, as well as determining favorable conditions for the operation of equipment in space.

Listen to the sound of the First Satellite

And although the satellite did not have any scientific equipment, tracking its radio signal and analyzing its nature yielded many useful results. So a group of scientists from Sweden measured the electronic composition of the ionosphere, based on the Faraday effect, which says that the polarization of light changes when it passes through a magnetic field. Also, a group of Soviet scientists from Moscow State University developed a method for observing the satellite with an accurate determination of its coordinates. Observation of this elliptical orbit and the nature of its behavior made it possible to determine the density of the atmosphere in the region of orbital heights. The unexpectedly increased density of the atmosphere in these areas prompted scientists to create a theory of satellite deceleration, which contributed to the development of astronautics.

Video about the first satellite.