Material on astronautics, how it was created briefly. Extracurricular event "stages of development of astronautics"

Cosmonautics in Russia largely inherits space programs Soviet Union. The main governing body of the space industry in Russia is the state corporation Roscosmos.

This organization controls a number of enterprises, as well as scientific associations, the vast majority of which were created during the Soviet era. Among them:

• Mission control center. Research division of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (FSUE TsNIIMash). Founded in 1960 and based in a science city called Korolev. The mission of the Mission Control Center is to control and manage the flights of spacecraft, which can be serviced simultaneously by up to twenty devices. In addition, the MCC carries out calculations and research aimed at improving the quality of apparatus control and solving certain problems in the field of management.
• Star City is a closed urban-type settlement, which was founded in 1961 on the territory of the Shchelkovsky district. However, in 2009 it was allocated to separate district and removed from Shchelkovo. On an area of ​​317.8 hectares there are residential buildings for all personnel, Roscosmos employees and their families, as well as all cosmonauts who undergo space training at the Cosmonaut Training Center here. As of 2016, the number of residents of the town is more than 5,600.
• Cosmonaut training center named after Yuri Gagarin. Founded in 1960 and located in Star City. Cosmonaut training is provided by a number of simulators, two centrifuges, a laboratory aircraft and a three-story hydro laboratory. The latter makes it possible to create weightless conditions similar to those on the ISS. This uses a full-size layout space station.
• Baikonur Cosmodrome. Founded in 1955 on an area of ​​6,717 km² near the city of Kazaly, Kazakhstan. On this moment leased by Russia (until 2050) and is the leader in the number of launches - 18 launch vehicles in 2015, while Cape Canaveral lags behind by one launch, and the Kourou spaceport (ESA, France) has 12 launches per year . The maintenance of the cosmodrome includes two amounts: rent - $115 million, maintenance - $1.5 billion.
• The Vostochny cosmodrome began to be created in 2011 in the Amur region, near the city of Tsiolkovsky. In addition to creating the second Baikonur on Russian territory, Vostochny is also intended for commercial flights. The cosmodrome is located close to developed railway junctions, highways, and airfields. In addition, due to the favorable location of the Vostochny, the separated parts of the launch vehicles will fall in sparsely populated areas or even in neutral waters. The cost of creating the cosmodrome will be about 300 billion rubles; a third of this amount was spent in 2016. On April 28, 2016, the first rocket launch took place, which launched three satellites into Earth orbit. The launch of the manned spacecraft is scheduled for 2023.
• Cosmodrome "Plesetsk". Founded in 1957 near the city of Mirny, Arkhangelsk region. Occupies 176,200 hectares. "Plesetsk" is intended for launches of strategic defense complexes, unmanned space scientific and commercial vehicles. The first launch from the cosmodrome took place on March 17, 1966, when the Vostok-2 launch vehicle took off with the Kosmos-112 satellite on board. In 2014, the newest launch vehicle called Angara was launched.

Launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome

Chronology of the development of domestic cosmonautics

The development of domestic cosmonautics dates back to 1946, when Experimental Design Bureau No. 1 was founded, the purpose of which is to develop ballistic missiles, launch vehicles, and satellites. In 1956-1957, through the efforts of the bureau, the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile launch vehicle was designed, with the help of which the first artificial satellite"Sputnik-1". The launch took place at the Tyura-Tam research site, which was developed specifically for this purpose, and which would later be named Baikonur.

On November 3, 1957, the second satellite was launched, this time with a living creature on board - a dog named Laika.

Laika is the first Living being in earth's orbit

Since 1958, launches of interplanetary compact stations began to study, within the framework of the program of the same name. On September 12, 1959, for the first time, a human spacecraft (“Luna-2”) reached the surface of another cosmic body – the Moon. Unfortunately, Luna 2 fell onto the lunar surface at a speed of 12,000 km/h, causing the structure to instantly turn into a gas state. In 1959, Luna 3 received images of the far side of the Moon, which allowed the USSR to name most of its landscape elements.

The history of space exploration is the most striking example of the triumph of the human mind over rebellious matter in the shortest possible time. From the moment a man-made object first overcame Earth's gravity and developed sufficient speed to enter Earth's orbit, only a little over fifty years have passed - nothing by the standards of history! Most of the planet's population vividly remembers the times when a flight to the moon was considered something out of science fiction, and those who dreamed of piercing the heavenly heights were considered, at best, crazy people not dangerous to society. Today, spaceships not only “travel the vast expanse”, successfully maneuvering in conditions of minimal gravity, but also deliver cargo, astronauts and space tourists into Earth orbit. Moreover, the duration of a space flight can now be as long as desired: the shift of Russian cosmonauts on the ISS, for example, lasts 6-7 months. And over the past half century, man has managed to walk on the Moon and photograph it dark side, blessed Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury with artificial satellites, “recognized by sight” distant nebulae using the Hubble telescope and is seriously thinking about colonizing Mars. And although we have not yet succeeded in making contact with aliens and angels (at least officially), let us not despair - after all, everything is just beginning!

Dreams of space and attempts at writing

For the first time in the reality of flight to distant worlds progressive humanity believed at the end of the 19th century. It was then that it became clear that if the aircraft is given the speed necessary to overcome gravity and maintains it for a sufficient time, it will be able to go beyond the limits earth's atmosphere and gain a foothold in orbit, like the Moon, revolving around the Earth. The problem was in the engines. The existing specimens at that time either spat extremely powerfully but briefly with bursts of energy, or worked on the principle of “gasp, groan and go away little by little.” The first was more suitable for bombs, the second - for carts. In addition, it was impossible to regulate the thrust vector and thereby influence the trajectory of the apparatus: a vertical launch inevitably led to its rounding, and as a result the body fell to the ground, never reaching space; the horizontal one, with such a release of energy, threatened to destroy all living things around (as if the current ballistic missile were launched flat). Finally, at the beginning of the 20th century, researchers turned their attention to a rocket engine, the operating principle of which has been known to mankind since the turn of our era: fuel burns in the rocket body, simultaneously lightening its mass, and the released energy moves the rocket forward. The first rocket capable of launching an object beyond the limits of gravity was designed by Tsiolkovsky in 1903.

View of Earth from the ISS

First artificial satellite

Time passed, and although two world wars greatly slowed down the process of creating rockets for peaceful use, space progress still did not stand still. The key moment of the post-war period was the adoption of the so-called package rocket layout, which is still used in astronautics today. Its essence is the simultaneous use of several rockets placed symmetrically with respect to the center of mass of the body that needs to be launched into Earth orbit. This provides a powerful, stable and uniform thrust, sufficient for the object to move at a constant speed of 7.9 km/s, necessary to overcome gravity. And so, on October 4, 1957, a new, or rather the first, era in space exploration began - the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite, like everything ingenious, simply called “Sputnik-1”, using the R-7 rocket, designed under the leadership of Sergei Korolev. The silhouette of the R-7, the ancestor of all subsequent space rockets, is still recognizable today in the ultra-modern Soyuz launch vehicle, which successfully sends “trucks” and “cars” into orbit with cosmonauts and tourists on board - the same four “legs” of the package design and red nozzles. The first satellite was microscopic, just over half a meter in diameter and weighed only 83 kg. It completed a full revolution around the Earth in 96 minutes. The “star life” of the iron pioneer of astronautics lasted three months, but during this period he covered a fantastic path of 60 million km!

The first living creatures in orbit

The success of the first launch inspired the designers, and the prospect of sending a living creature into space and returning it unharmed no longer seemed impossible. Just a month after the launch of Sputnik 1, the first animal, the dog Laika, went into orbit on board the second artificial Earth satellite. Her goal was honorable, but sad - to test the survival of living beings in space flight conditions. Moreover, the return of the dog was not planned... The launch and insertion of the satellite into orbit was successful, but after four orbits around the Earth, due to an error in the calculations, the temperature inside the device rose excessively, and Laika died. The satellite itself rotated in space for another 5 months, and then lost speed and burned up in dense layers of the atmosphere. The first shaggy cosmonauts to greet their “senders” with a joyful bark upon their return were the textbook Belka and Strelka, who set off to conquer the heavens on the fifth satellite in August 1960. Their flight lasted just over a day, and during this time the dogs managed to fly around the planet 17 times. All this time, they were watched from monitor screens in the Mission Control Center - by the way, it was precisely because of the contrast that white dogs were chosen - because the image was then black and white. As a result of the launch, the spacecraft itself was also finalized and finally approved - in just 8 months, the first person will go into space in a similar apparatus.

In addition to dogs, both before and after 1961, monkeys (macaques, squirrel monkeys and chimpanzees), cats, turtles, as well as all sorts of little things - flies, beetles, etc., were in space.

During the same period, the USSR launched the first artificial satellite of the Sun, the Luna-2 station managed to softly land on the surface of the planet, and the first photographs of the side of the Moon invisible from Earth were obtained.

The day of April 12, 1961 divided the history of the exploration of space into two periods - “when man dreamed of the stars” and “since man conquered space.”

Man in space

The day of April 12, 1961 divided the history of the exploration of space into two periods - “when man dreamed of the stars” and “since man conquered space.” At 9:07 Moscow time, the Vostok-1 spacecraft with the world's first cosmonaut on board, Yuri Gagarin, was launched from launch pad No. 1 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Having made one revolution around the Earth and traveled 41 thousand km, 90 minutes after the start, Gagarin landed near Saratov, standing on long years the most famous, revered and beloved person on the planet. His “let’s go!” and “everything is visible very clearly - space is black - the earth is blue” were included in the list of the most famous phrases of humanity, his open smile, ease and cordiality melted the hearts of people around the world. The first manned flight into space was controlled from Earth; Gagarin himself was more of a passenger, albeit an excellently prepared one. It should be noted that the flight conditions were far from those that are now offered to space tourists: Gagarin experienced eight to tenfold overloads, there was a period when the ship was literally tumbling, and behind the windows the skin was burning and the metal was melting. During the flight, several failures occurred in various systems of the ship, but fortunately, the astronaut was not injured.

Following Gagarin's flight, significant milestones in the history of space exploration fell one after another: the world's first group space flight, then the first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova went into space (1963), the first multi-seat spacecraft flew, Alexey Leonov became the first person to perform a spacewalk (1965) - and all these grandiose events are entirely the merit of the Russian cosmonautics. Finally, on July 21, 1969, the first man landed on the Moon: American Neil Armstrong took that “small, big step.”

Best View in the Solar System

Cosmonautics - today, tomorrow and always

Today, space travel is taken for granted. Hundreds of satellites and thousands of other necessary and useless objects fly above us, seconds before sunrise from the bedroom window you can see the planes of the solar panels of the International Space Station flashing in rays still invisible from the ground, space tourists with enviable regularity set off to “surf the open spaces” (thereby embodying the ironic phrase “if you really want to, you can fly into space”) and the era of commercial suborbital flights with almost two departures daily is about to begin. Space exploration controlled devices and completely amazes every imagination: here are photographs of stars that exploded long ago, and HD images of distant galaxies, and strong evidence of the possibility of the existence of life on other planets. Billionaire corporations are already coordinating plans to build space hotels in Earth’s orbit, and projects for the colonization of our neighboring planets no longer seem like an excerpt from the novels of Asimov or Clark. One thing is obvious: once having overcome earth's gravity, humanity will again and again strive upward, to the endless worlds of stars, galaxies and universes. I would only like to wish that the beauty of the night sky and myriads of twinkling stars, still alluring, mysterious and beautiful, as in the first days of creation, never leaves us.

Space reveals its secrets

Academician Blagonravov focused on some new achievements Soviet science: in the field of space physics.

Beginning on January 2, 1959, each flight of Soviet space rockets conducted a study of radiation at large distances from the Earth. The so-called outer radiation belt of the Earth, discovered by Soviet scientists, was subjected to detailed study. Studying the composition of particles in radiation belts using various scintillation and gas-discharge counters located on satellites and space rockets made it possible to establish that the outer belt contains electrons of significant energies up to a million electron volts and even higher. When braking in shells spaceships they create intense, penetrating x-ray radiation. During the flight of the automatic interplanetary station towards Venus, the average energy of this X-ray radiation was determined at distances from 30 to 40 thousand kilometers from the center of the Earth, amounting to about 130 kiloelectronvolts. This value changed little with the distance, which allows one to judge that the energy spectrum of electrons in this region is constant.

Already the first studies showed instability of the outer radiation belt, movements of the maximum intensity associated with magnetic storms caused by solar corpuscular flows. Recent measurements from an automatic interplanetary station launched towards Venus have shown that although changes in intensity occur closer to Earth, the outer boundary of the outer belt in a quiet state magnetic field for almost two years it remained constant both in intensity and spatial location. Research recent years also made it possible to construct a model of the ionized gas shell of the Earth based on experimental data for a period close to the maximum of solar activity. Our studies have shown that at altitudes of less than a thousand kilometers, the main role is played by atomic oxygen ions, and starting from altitudes lying between one and two thousand kilometers, hydrogen ions predominate in the ionosphere. The extent of the outermost region of the Earth's ionized gas shell, the so-called hydrogen “corona,” is very large.

Processing of the results of measurements carried out on the first Soviet space rockets showed that at altitudes of approximately 50 to 75 thousand kilometers outside the outer radiation belt, electron flows with energies exceeding 200 electron volts were detected. This allowed us to assume the existence of a third outermost belt of charged particles with a high flux intensity, but lower energy. After the launch of the American Pioneer V space rocket in March 1960, data were obtained that confirmed our assumptions about the existence of a third belt of charged particles. This belt is apparently formed as a result of the penetration of solar corpuscular flows into the peripheral regions of the Earth's magnetic field.

New data were obtained regarding the spatial location of the Earth's radiation belts, and an area of ​​increased radiation was discovered in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, which is associated with a corresponding terrestrial magnetic anomaly. In this area, the lower boundary of the Earth's internal radiation belt drops to 250 - 300 kilometers from the Earth's surface.

The flights of the second and third satellites provided new information that made it possible to map the distribution of radiation by ion intensity above the surface globe. (The speaker demonstrates this map to the audience).

For the first time, currents created by positive ions included in solar corpuscular radiation were recorded outside the Earth's magnetic field at distances of the order of hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the Earth, using three-electrode charged particle traps installed on Soviet space rockets. In particular, on the automatic interplanetary station launched towards Venus, traps were installed oriented towards the Sun, one of which was intended to record solar corpuscular radiation. On February 17, during a communication session with the automatic interplanetary station, its passage through a significant flow of corpuscles (with a density of about 10 9 particles per square centimeter per second) was recorded. This observation coincided with the observation of a magnetic storm. Such experiments open the way to establishing quantitative relationships between geomagnetic disturbances and the intensity of solar corpuscular fluxes. On the second and third satellite ships it was studied in quantitative terms radiation hazard, caused by cosmic radiation outside the earth's atmosphere. The same satellites were used for research chemical composition primary cosmic radiation. The new equipment installed on the satellite ships included a photoemulsion device designed to expose and develop stacks of thick-film emulsions directly on board the ship. The results obtained are of great scientific value for elucidating the biological influence of cosmic radiation.

Flight technical problems

Next, the speaker focused on a number of significant problems that ensured the organization of human flight into space. First of all, it was necessary to resolve the issue of methods for launching a heavy ship into orbit, for which it was necessary to have powerful rocket technology. We have created such a technique. However, it was not enough to inform the ship of a speed exceeding the first cosmic speed. It was also necessary high accuracy launching the ship into a pre-calculated orbit.

It should be borne in mind that the requirements for the accuracy of orbital movement will increase in the future. This will require movement correction using special propulsion systems. Related to the problem of trajectory correction is the problem of maneuvering a directional change in the flight trajectory of a spacecraft. Maneuvers can be carried out with the help of impulses transmitted by a jet engine in individual specially selected sections of trajectories, or with the help of thrust that lasts for a long time, for the creation of which electric jet engines (ion, plasma) are used.

Examples of maneuvers include transition to a higher orbit, transition to an orbit entering the dense layers of the atmosphere for braking and landing in a given area. The latter type of maneuver was used when landing Soviet satellite ships with dogs on board and when landing the Vostok satellite.

To carry out a maneuver, perform a number of measurements and for other purposes, it is necessary to ensure stabilization of the satellite ship and its orientation in space, maintained for a certain period of time or changed according to a given program.

Turning to the problem of returning to Earth, the speaker focused on following questions: speed braking, protection from heating when moving in dense layers of the atmosphere, ensuring landing in a given area.

The braking of the spacecraft, necessary to dampen the cosmic speed, can be carried out either using a special powerful propulsion system, or by braking the apparatus in the atmosphere. The first of these methods requires very large reserves of weight. Using atmospheric resistance for braking allows you to get by with relatively little additional weight.

The complex of problems associated with the development of protective coatings during braking of a vehicle in the atmosphere and the organization of the entry process with overloads acceptable for the human body represents a complex scientific and technical problem.

The rapid development of space medicine has put on the agenda the issue of biological telemetry as the main means of medical control and scientific medical research during space flight. The use of radiotelemetry leaves a specific imprint on the methodology and technology of medical biological research, since the equipment placed on board spacecraft has a number of requirements special requirements. This equipment should have very light weight and small dimensions. It should be designed for minimal energy consumption. In addition, the onboard equipment must operate stably during the active phase and during descent, when vibrations and overloads are present.

Sensors designed to convert physiological parameters into electrical signals must be miniature and designed for long-term operation. They should not create inconvenience for the astronaut.

The widespread use of radio telemetry in space medicine forces researchers to pay serious attention to the design of such equipment, as well as to matching the volume of information necessary for transmission with the capacity of radio channels. Since new challenges facing space medicine will lead to further deepening of research and the need to significantly increase the number of recorded parameters, the introduction of systems that store information and coding methods will be required.

In conclusion, the speaker dwelled on the question of why the option of orbiting the Earth was chosen for the first space travel. This option represented a decisive step towards the conquest of outer space. They provided research into the issue of the influence of flight duration on a person, solved the problem of controlled flight, the problem of controlling the descent, entering the dense layers of the atmosphere and safely returning to Earth. Compared to this, the flight recently carried out in the USA seems of little value. It could be important as an intermediate option for checking a person’s condition during the acceleration stage, during overloads during descent; but after Yu. Gagarin’s flight there was no longer a need for such a check. In this version of the experiment, the element of sensation certainly prevailed. The only value of this flight can be seen in testing the operation of the developed systems that ensure entry into the atmosphere and landing, but, as we have seen, testing similar systems developed here in the Soviet Union for more difficult conditions, was reliably carried out even before the first human space flight. Thus, the achievements achieved in our country on April 12, 1961 cannot be compared in any way with what has been achieved so far in the United States.

And no matter how hard, the academician says, people abroad who are hostile to the Soviet Union try to belittle the successes of our science and technology with their fabrications, the whole world evaluates these successes properly and sees how much our country has moved forward along the path of technical progress. I personally witnessed the delight and admiration that was caused by the news of the historic flight of our first cosmonaut among the broad masses of the Italian people.

The flight was extremely successful

Academician N. M. Sissakyan made a report on the biological problems of space flights. He described the main stages of development space biology and summed up some of the results of scientific biological research related to space flights.

The speaker cited the medical and biological characteristics of Yu. A. Gagarin's flight. The barometric pressure was maintained in the cabin within 750 – 770 millimeters mercury, air temperature – 19 – 22 degrees Celsius, relative humidity– 62 – 71 percent.

In the pre-launch period, approximately 30 minutes before the launch of the spacecraft, the heart rate was 66 per minute, the respiratory rate was 24. Three minutes before the launch, some emotional stress manifested itself in an increase in the pulse rate to 109 beats per minute, breathing continued to remain even and calm.

At the moment the spacecraft took off and gradually gained speed, the heart rate increased to 140 - 158 per minute, the respiratory rate was 20 - 26. Changes in physiological indicators during the active phase of the flight, according to telemetric recordings of electrocardiograms and pneimograms, were within acceptable limits. By the end of the active section, the heart rate was already 109, and the respiration rate was 18 per minute. In other words, these indicators reached the values ​​characteristic of the moment closest to the start.

During the transition to weightlessness and flight in this state, cardiovascular and respiratory systems consistently approached the initial values. So, already in the tenth minute of weightlessness, the pulse rate reached 97 beats per minute, breathing - 22. Performance was not impaired, movements retained coordination and the necessary accuracy.

During the descent section, during braking of the apparatus, when overloads arose again, short-term, rapidly passing periods of increased breathing were noted. However, already upon approaching the Earth, breathing became even, calm, with a frequency of about 16 per minute.

Three hours after landing, the heart rate was 68, breathing was 20 per minute, i.e., values ​​​​characteristic of a calm, normal condition Yu. A. Gagarin.

All this indicates that the flight was extremely successful, the health and general condition of the cosmonaut during all parts of the flight was satisfactory. Life support systems were working normally.

In conclusion, the speaker focused on the most important upcoming problems of space biology.

One of the most outstanding achievements Soviet science is undoubtedly space exploration in the USSR. Similar developments were carried out in many countries, but only the USSR and the USA were able to achieve real success at that time, ahead of other states by many decades. Moreover, the first steps in space really belong to to the Soviet people. It was in the Soviet Union that the first successful launch was carried out, as well as the launch of a launch vehicle with the PS-1 satellite into orbit. Before this triumphant moment, six generations of rockets had been created, with the help of which it was not possible to successfully launch into space. And only the R-7 generation made it possible for the first time to develop the first cosmic speed of 8 km/s, which made it possible to overcome the force of gravity and place the object into low-Earth orbit. First space rockets were converted from combat ballistic missiles long range. They were improved and the engines were boosted.

The first successful launch of an artificial earth satellite occurred on October 4, 1957. However, only ten years later this date was recognized as the official day of proclamation space age. The first satellite was called PS-1, it was launched from the fifth research site, under the jurisdiction of the Union Ministry of Defense. By itself, this satellite weighed only 80 kilograms, and its diameter did not exceed 60 centimeters. This object stayed in orbit for 92 days, during which time it covered a distance of 60 million kilometers.

The device was equipped with four antennas through which the satellite communicated with the ground. This device included an electrical power supply, batteries, a radio transmitter, various sensors, on-board electrical automation system, thermal control device. The satellite did not reach the earth; it burned up in the earth's atmosphere.

Further space exploration by the Soviet Union was, of course, successful. It was the USSR that first managed to send a person on a space journey. Moreover, the first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, managed to return alive from space, thanks to which he became national hero. However, subsequently, space exploration in the USSR, in short, was restrained. The technical lag and the era of stagnation had an effect. However, Russia continues to enjoy the successes achieved in those days to this day.

Space exploration in the USSR: facts, results

August 12, 1962 - the world's first group space flight was carried out on the Vostok-3 and Vostok-4 spacecraft.

June 16, 1963 - the world's first flight into space by female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova was made on the Vostok-6 spacecraft.

October 12, 1964 - the world's first multi-seat spacecraft, Voskhod-1, flew.

March 18, 1965 - the first human spacewalk in history took place. Alexey Leonov made a spacewalk from the Voskhod-2 spacecraft.

October 30, 1967 - the first docking of two unmanned spacecraft “Cosmos-186” and “Cosmos-188” was carried out.

September 15, 1968 - the first return of the Zond-5 spacecraft to Earth after orbiting the Moon. There were living creatures on board: turtles, fruit flies, worms, bacteria.

January 16, 1969 - the first docking of two manned spacecraft Soyuz-4 and Soyuz-5 was carried out.

November 15, 1988 - the first and only space flight of the Buran spacecraft in automatic mode.

Planetary exploration in the USSR

January 4, 1959 - the Luna-1 station passed at a distance of 60 thousand km from the surface of the Moon and entered a heliocentric orbit. She is the world's first artificial satellite of the Sun.

September 14, 1959 - the Luna-2 station was the first in the world to reach the surface of the Moon in the region of the Sea of ​​​​Clarity.

October 4, 1959 - the automatic interplanetary station “Luna-3” was launched, which for the first time in the world photographed the side of the Moon invisible from the Earth. During the flight, a gravity assist maneuver was carried out for the first time in the world.

February 3, 1966 - AMS Luna-9 made the world's first soft landing on the surface of the Moon, panoramic images of the Moon were transmitted.

March 1, 1966 - the Venera 3 station reached the surface of Venus for the first time. This is the world's first flight of a spacecraft from Earth to another planet. April 3, 1966 - the Luna-10 station became the first artificial satellite of the Moon.

On September 24, 1970, the Luna-16 station collected and subsequently delivered samples of lunar soil to Earth. This is the first unmanned spacecraft to bring rock samples from another cosmic body to Earth.

November 17, 1970 - soft landing and start of operation of the world's first semi-automatic self-propelled vehicle Lunokhod-1.

December 15, 1970 - the world's first soft landing on the surface of Venus: Venera 7.

October 20, 1975 - the Venera-9 station became the first artificial satellite of Venus.

October 1975 - soft landing of two spacecraft "Venera-9" and "Venera-10" and the world's first photographs of the surface of Venus.

The Soviet Union did a lot for the study and exploration of space. The USSR was many years ahead of other countries, including the superpower USA.

Sources: antiquehistory.ru, prepbase.ru, badlike.ru, ussr.0-ua.com, www.vorcuta.ru, ru.wikipedia.org

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The history of space exploration began in the 19th century, long before the first aircraft was able to overcome the gravity of the Earth. The undisputed leader in this process at all times has been Russia, which today continues to implement large-scale projects in interstellar space. scientific projects. They are of great interest throughout the world, as is the history of space exploration, especially since 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of man’s first spacewalk.

Background

Oddly enough, the first design of an aircraft for space travel with an oscillating combustion chamber capable of controlling the thrust vector was developed in prison dungeons. Its author was the People's Volunteer revolutionary N.I. Kibalchich, who was subsequently executed for preparing an assassination attempt on Alexander II. It is known that before his death, the inventor turned to the investigative commission with a request to hand over the drawings and manuscript. However, this was not done, and they became known only after the publication of the project in 1918.

More serious work, supported by appropriate mathematical apparatus, was proposed by K. Tsiolkovsky, who proposed equipping ships suitable for interplanetary flights with jet engines. These ideas received further development and in the works of other scholars such as Hermann Oberth and Robert Goddard. Moreover, if the first of them was a theorist, then the second managed to launch the first rocket using gasoline and liquid oxygen in 1926.

Confrontation between the USSR and the USA in the struggle for primacy in space exploration

Work on the creation of combat missiles began in Germany during the Second World War. Their leadership was entrusted to Wernher von Braun, who managed to achieve significant success. In particular, already in 1944 the V-2 rocket was launched, becoming the first artificial object to reach space.

IN last days During the war, all Nazi developments in the field of rocket science fell into the hands of the American military and formed the basis of the US space program. Such a favorable “start,” however, did not allow them to win the space confrontation with the USSR, which first launched the first artificial Earth satellite and then sent living beings into orbit, thereby proving the hypothetical possibility of manned flights in outer space.

Gagarin. First in space: how it happened

In April 1961, one of the most famous events in the history of mankind took place, which in its significance is incomparable to anything. After all, on this day the first spacecraft piloted by a man was launched. The flight went well, and 108 minutes after launch, the descent vehicle with the astronaut on board landed near the city of Engels. Thus, the first man in space spent only 1 hour and 48 minutes. Of course, compared to modern flights, which can last up to a year or even more, it seems like a cakewalk. However, at the time of its completion, it was regarded as a feat, since no one could know how weightlessness affects human mental activity, whether such a flight is dangerous to health, and whether the astronaut will even be able to return to Earth.

Brief biography of Yu. A. Gagarin

As already mentioned, the first person in space who was able to overcome gravity was a citizen of the Soviet Union. He was born in the small village of Klushino into a peasant family. In 1955, the young man entered the aviation school and after graduation he served for two years as a pilot in a fighter regiment. When recruitment was announced for the newly formed first corps of cosmonauts, he wrote a report on his enrollment in its ranks and took part in the acceptance tests. On April 8, 1961, at a closed meeting of the state commission leading the project to launch the Vostok spacecraft, it was decided that the flight would be made by Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, who was ideally suited both from the point of view physical parameters and training, and had a corresponding origin. It is interesting that almost immediately after landing he was awarded a medal “For the development of virgin lands,” apparently meaning that outer space at that time was also, in a sense, virgin land.

Gagarin: triumph

People of the older generation still remember the joy that swept the country when the successful completion of the flight of the world's first manned spacecraft was announced. Within a few hours after this, the name and call sign of Yuri Gagarin - “Kedr” - was on everyone’s lips, and the cosmonaut was showered with fame on a scale in which no other person had received it either before or after. After all, even in the conditions of the Cold War, he was accepted as a triumphant in the camp “hostile” to the USSR.

First man in outer space

As already mentioned, 2015 is an anniversary year. The fact is that exactly half a century ago a significant event occurred, and the world learned that the first man had been in outer space. He became A. A. Leonov, who on March 18, 1965, went beyond the Voskhod-2 spacecraft through the airlock chamber and spent almost 24 minutes floating in weightlessness. This short “expedition into the unknown” did not go smoothly and almost cost the astronaut his life, as his space suit swelled and he could not return to board the ship for a long time. Troubles awaited the crew on the “return route.” However, everything worked out, and the first man in space, who took a walk in interplanetary space, returned safely to Earth.

Unknown heroes

Recently, the feature film "Gagarin. First in Space" was presented to the audience. After watching it, many became interested in the history of the development of astronautics in our country and abroad. But it is fraught with many mysteries. In particular, only in the last two decades have residents of our country been able to become acquainted with information regarding disasters and victims, at the cost of which successes in space exploration were achieved. Thus, in October 1960, an unmanned rocket exploded at Baikonur, as a result of which 74 people were killed or died from wounds, and in 1971, depressurization of the descent module cost the lives of three Soviet cosmonauts. There were many victims in the process of implementing the United States space program, therefore, when talking about the heroes, one should also remember those who fearlessly took on the task, of course, realizing the risk to which they were putting their lives.

Cosmonautics today

At the moment, we can proudly say that our country has won the championship in the struggle for space. Of course, one cannot belittle the role of those who fought for its development on the other hemisphere of our planet, and no one will dispute the fact that the first man in space to set foot on the moon, Neil Amstrong, was an American. However, at the moment the only country capable of delivering people into space is Russia. And although the International Space Station is considered a joint project in which 16 countries participate, it cannot continue to exist without our participation.

Today no one can say what the future of astronautics will be like in 100-200 years. And this is not surprising, because in the same way, in the now distant 1915, hardly anyone could have believed that in a century the vastness of space would be plowed by hundreds of aircraft for various purposes, and in low-Earth orbit a huge “house” would revolve around the Earth, where People from different countries will live and work permanently.

September 1967 was marked by the proclamation International Federation astronautics October 4 is the world day of the beginning of the space age of mankind. It was on October 4, 1957 that a small ball with four antennas tore apart the near-Earth space and marked the beginning of the space age, ushering in the golden age of astronautics. How it was, how space exploration took place, what the first satellites, animals and people in space were like - this article will tell you about all this.

Chronology of events

First let's give short description chronology of events one way or another connected with the beginning of the space age.

Dreamers from the distant past

As long as humanity has existed, it has been attracted by the stars. Let's look for the origins of astronautics and the beginning of the space age in ancient tomes and give just a few examples of amazing facts and insightful predictions. In the ancient Indian epic "Bhagavad Gita" (circa 15th centuries BC), an entire chapter is devoted to instructions for flying to the moon. Clay tablets from the library of the Assyrian ruler Assurbanipal (3200 BC) tell the story of King Etan, who flew to a height from which the Earth looked like “bread in a basket.” The inhabitants of Atlantis left the Earth, flying to other planets. And the Bible tells about the flight on the fiery chariot of the prophet Elijah. But in 1500 AD, the inventor Wang Gu from Ancient China could have become the first cosmonaut if he had not died. He made a flying machine from kites. Which was supposed to take off when 4 powder rockets were set on fire. Since the 17th century, Europe has been delirious about flights to the Moon: first Johannes Kepler and Cyrano de Bergerac, and later Jules Verne with his idea of ​​cannon flight.

Kibalchich, Hanswind and Tsiolkovsky

In 1881, in solitary confinement at the Peter and Paul Fortress, awaiting execution for the assassination attempt on Tsar Alexander II, N.I. Kibalchich (1853-1881) drew a jet space platform. The idea of ​​his project is to create jet thrust burning substances. His project was discovered in the archives of the Tsarist secret police only in 1917. At the same time, the German scientist G. Hanswied is creating his own spacecraft, where thrust is provided by flying bullets. And in 1883, the Russian physicist K. E. Tsiolkovsky (1857-1935) described a ship with a jet engine, which was embodied in 1903 in the scheme liquid rocket. It is Tsiolkovsky who is considered to be the father of Russian cosmonautics, whose works already in the 20s of the last century received wide recognition from the world community.

Just a satellite

The artificial satellite, which marked the beginning of the space age, was launched by the Soviet Union from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on October 4, 1957. An aluminum sphere weighing 83.5 kilograms and a diameter of 58 centimeters, with four bayonet antennas and equipment inside, soared to a perigee altitude of 228 kilometers and an apogee height of 947 kilometers. They simply called it Sputnik 1. Such a simple device was a tribute to the Cold War with the United States, which was developing similar programs. America with their satellite Explorer 1 (launched on February 1, 1958) was almost six months behind us. The Soviets, who launched an artificial satellite first, won the race. A victory that was no longer conceded, because the time had come for the first cosmonauts.

Dogs, cats and monkeys

The beginning of the space age in the USSR began with the first orbital flights of rootless tailed cosmonauts. The Soviets chose dogs as astronauts. America - monkeys, and France - cats. Immediately after Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2 flew into space with the most unfortunate dog on board - the mongrel Laika. It was November 3, 1957, and the return of Sergei Korolev’s favorite Laika was not planned. The well-known Belka and Strelka, with their triumphant flight and return to Earth on August 19, 1960, were not the first and far from the last. France launched the cat Felicette into space (October 18, 1963), and the United States, after the rhesus monkey (September 1961), sent the chimpanzee Ham (January 31, 1961), who became a national hero, to explore space.

Human conquest of space

And here the Soviet Union was first. On April 12, 1961, near the village of Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), the R-7 launch vehicle with the Vostok-1 spacecraft took off into the sky. In it, Air Force Major Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin went on his first space flight. At a perigee altitude of 181 km and an apogee of 327 km, it flew around the Earth and, 108 minutes into the flight, landed in the vicinity of the village of Smelovka (Saratov region). The world was blown up by this event - agrarian and bastard Russia overtook the high-tech States, and Gagarin's "Let's go!" has become an anthem for space fans. It was an event of planetary scale and incredible significance for all humanity. Here America lagged behind the Union by a month - on May 5, 1961, the Redstone launch vehicle with the Mercury-3 spacecraft from Cape Canaveral launched the American astronaut Captain 3rd Rank of the Air Force Alan Shepard into orbit.

During a space flight on March 18, 1965, the co-pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Leonov (the first pilot was Colonel Pavel Belyaev), went into outer space and stayed there for 20 minutes, moving away from the ship at a distance of up to five meters. He confirmed that a person can be and work in outer space. In June, American astronaut Edward White spent just a minute longer in outer space and proved the possibility of performing maneuvers in outer space using a hand-held gun powered by compressed gas, similar to a jet. The beginning of the space age of man in outer space has come to an end.

First human casualties

Space has given us many discoveries and heroes. However, the beginning of the space age was also marked by sacrifices. The first Americans to die were Virgil Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee on January 27, 1967. The Apollo 1 spacecraft burned down in 15 seconds due to an internal fire. The first Soviet cosmonaut to die was Vladimir Komarov. On October 23, 1967, he successfully deorbited on the Soyuz-1 spacecraft after an orbital flight. But the main parachute of the descent capsule did not open, and it crashed into the ground at a speed of 200 km/h and completely burned out.

Apollo Lunar Program

On July 20, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin felt the surface of the Moon under their feet. Thus ended the flight of the Apollo 11 spacecraft with the Eagle lunar module on board. America did take over the leadership in space exploration from the Soviet Union. And although later there were many publications about the falsification of the fact of the American landing on the Moon, today everyone knows Neil Armstrong as the first person to set foot on its surface.

Salyut orbital stations

The Soviets were also the first to launch orbital stations - spacecraft for long stay astronauts. Salyut is a series of manned stations, the first of which was launched into orbit on April 19, 1971. In total, in this project, 14 space objects were launched into orbit under the military program “Almaz” and the civil program “Long-term orbital station”. Including the Mir station (Salyut-8), which was in orbit from 1986 to 2001 (sunk in the spaceship cemetery in Pacific Ocean 23.03.2001).

First international space station

The ISS has a complex history of creation. Started as American project Freedom (1984), which became a joint Mir-Shuttle project in 1992 and today is an international project with 14 participating countries. The first module of the ISS was launched into orbit by the Proton-K launch vehicle on November 20, 1998. Subsequently, the participating countries brought out other connecting blocks, and today the station weighs about 400 tons. It was planned to operate the station until 2014, but the project has been extended. And it is jointly managed by four agencies - the Space Flight Control Center (Korolev, Russia), the Flight Control Center named after. L. Johnson (Houston, USA), European Space Agency Control Center (Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany) and Aerospace Exploration Agency (Tsukuba, Japan). There is a crew of 6 astronauts at the station. The station program provides for the constant presence of people. According to this indicator, it has already broken the record of the Mir station (3664 days of continuous stay). The power supply is completely autonomous - solar panels weigh almost 276 kilograms, power up to 90 kilowatts. The station contains laboratories, greenhouses and living quarters (five bedrooms), a gymnasium and bathrooms.

A few facts about the ISS

The International Space Station is currently the most expensive project in the world. More than $157 billion has already been spent on it. The station's orbital speed is 27.7 thousand km/h, with a weight of more than 41 tons. Cosmonauts observe sunrise and sunset at the station every 45 minutes. In 2008, the “Disc of Immortality” was delivered aboard the station, a device containing digitized DNA of outstanding representatives of humanity. The purpose of this collection is to preserve human DNA in the event of a global catastrophe. In the laboratories of the space station, quails are born and flowers bloom. And viable bacterial spores were found on its skin, which makes us think about the possible expansion of space.

Commercialization of space

Humanity can no longer imagine itself without space. In addition to all the advantages of practical space exploration, the commercial component is also developing. Since 2005, construction of private spaceports has been underway in the USA (Mojave), UAE (Ras Alm Khaimah) and Singapore. Virgin Corporation Galactic (USA) is planning space cruises for seven thousand tourists at an affordable price of 200 thousand dollars. And the famous space businessman Robert Bigelow, owner of the Budget Suites of America hotel chain, announced the project of the first orbital Skywalker hotel. For $35 billion, Space Adventures (a partner of Roscosmos Corporation) will take you on a space journey for up to 10 days tomorrow. By paying another 3 billion, you will be able to go into outer space. The company has already organized tours for seven tourists, one of them is the head of the Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte. The same company is preparing a new tourism product for 2018 - a trip to the moon.

Dreams and fantasies became reality. Once overcoming gravity, humanity is no longer able to stop in its quest for stars, galaxies and universes. I would like to believe that we will not get too carried away, and that we will continue to be surprised and delighted by the myriads of stars in the night sky. All as mysterious, alluring and fantastic as in the first days of creation.