What does a spaceship for kids consist of. School Encyclopedia

Perhaps, uttering tricky words without any explanation, professional rocketeers (and those who are among them) see themselves as a separate intellectual caste. But what about an ordinary person who, being interested in rockets and space, is trying to master an article strewn with incomprehensible abbreviations on the fly? What is BOKZ, SOTR or DPK? What is "crumpled gas" and why did the rocket "gone over the hill", while the carrier and the spacecraft - two completely different products - bear the same name "Soyuz"? By the way, BOKZ is not Albanian boxing, but block for determining the coordinates of stars(colloquially - a star tracker), SOTR is not a violent abbreviation of the expression "I will erase into powder", but thermal management system, and WPC is not a furniture "wood-polymer composite", but the most rocket (and not only) drain safety valve. But what if there are no transcripts in the footnote or in the text? This is a problem ... And not so much the reader as the “writer” of the article: they won’t read it a second time! To avoid this bitter fate, we undertook the modest task of compiling a short dictionary of rocket and space terms, abbreviations and names. Of course, he does not pretend to be complete, and in some places - and the severity of the wording. But, we hope, it will help the reader interested in astronautics. And besides, the dictionary can be supplemented and refined endlessly - after all, the cosmos is endless! ..

Apollo- the American program of landing a man on the moon, which also included test flights of astronauts on a three-seat spacecraft in near-Earth and lunar orbit in 1968-1972.

Ariane-5- the name of a European disposable heavy-class launch vehicle designed to launch payloads into low-Earth orbits and departure trajectories. From June 4, 1996 to May 4, 2017, it completed 92 missions, of which 88 were completely successful.

Atlas V- the name of a series of American disposable medium-class launch vehicles created by Lockheed Martin. From August 21, 2002 to April 18, 2017, 71 missions were completed, 70 of them were successful. It is mainly used to launch spacecraft on orders from US government departments.

ATV(Automated Tranfer Vehicle) is the name of a European disposable automatic transport vehicle designed to supply the ISS with cargo and flew from 2008 to 2014 (five missions completed).

BE-4(Blue Origin Engine) is a powerful liquid propellant propulsion engine with a thrust of 250 tf at sea level, powered by oxygen and methane, and has been developed since 2011 by Blue Origin for installation on promising Vulcan and New Glenn launch vehicles. It is positioned as a replacement for the Russian RD-180 engine. The first comprehensive firing tests are scheduled for the first half of 2017.

CCP(Commercial Crew Program) - a modern state American commercial manned program, conducted by NASA and facilitating the access of private industrial firms to technologies for the study and exploration of space.

CNSA(China National Space Agency) is the English abbreviation of the state agency that coordinates the work on the study and development of outer space in China.

CSA(Canadian Space Agency) is a government agency that coordinates space exploration in Canada.

Cygnus- the name of the American disposable automatic transport vehicle created by Orbital to supply the ISS with supplies and cargo. From September 18, 2013 to April 18, 2017, eight missions were completed, seven of them were successful.

Delta IV- the name of a series of American disposable launch vehicles of medium and heavy classes, created by Boeing under the EELV program. From November 20, 2002 to March 19, 2017, 35 missions were carried out, 34 of them were successful. It is currently used exclusively for launching spacecraft on orders from US government departments.

Dragon- the name of a series of American partially reusable transport vehicles developed by the private company SpaceX under a contract with NASA as part of the CCP program. It is capable of not only delivering cargo to the ISS, but also returning them back to Earth. From December 8, 2010 to February 19, 2017, 12 unmanned ships were launched, 11 of them were successful. The start of flight tests of the manned version is scheduled for 2018.

dream chaser- the name of an American reusable transport orbital rocket plane, developed since 2004 by Sierra Nevada to supply orbital stations with supplies and cargo (and in the future, in a seven-seat version, for crew change). The start of flight tests is scheduled for 2019.

EELV(Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle) - a program for the evolutionary development of disposable launch vehicles for use (primarily) in the interests of the US Department of Defense. As part of the program, which began in 1995, the launch vehicles of the Delta IV and Atlas V families were created; since 2015 they have been joined by the Falcon 9.

EVA(Extra-Vehicular Activity) - the English name for extravehicular activity (VKD) of astronauts (work in outer space or on the surface of the moon).

FAA(Federal Aviation Administration) - The Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates the legal issues of commercial space flight in the United States.

Falcon 9- the name of a series of American partially reusable medium-class carriers created by the private company SpaceX. From June 4, 2010 to May 1, 2017, 34 missile launches of three modifications were carried out, 31 of them were completely successful. Until recently, the Falcon 9 served both to launch Dragon unmanned cargo ships into orbit to supply the ISS, and for commercial launches; is now included in the program for launching spacecraft into orbit by order of the US government departments.

Falcon Heavy- the name of an American partially reusable heavy-class launch vehicle developed by SpaceX based on the Falcon-9 launch vehicle stages. The first flight is scheduled for autumn 2017.

Gemini - the name of the second American manned space program, during which astronauts on a two-seat spacecraft made near-Earth flights in 1965-1966.

H-2A (H-2B)- variants of a Japanese disposable medium-class launch vehicle designed to launch payloads into low-Earth orbits and departure trajectories. From August 29, 2001 to March 17, 2017, 33 launches of the H-2A variant (of which 32 were successful) and six launches of the H-2B (all successful) were performed.

HTV(H-2 Transfer Vehicle), also known as Kounotori, is the name of a Japanese automatic transport vehicle designed to supply the ISS with cargo and has been flying since September 10, 2009 (six missions completed, three remaining according to the plan).

JAXA(Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) is an agency that coordinates space exploration activities in Japan.

Mercury- the name of the first American manned space program, during which astronauts on a single-seat spacecraft made near-Earth flights in 1961-1963.

NASA(National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is a government agency that coordinates aviation and space exploration in the United States.

New Glenn is the name of a partially reusable heavy-duty launch vehicle being developed by Blue Origin for commercial launches and use in the lunar transport system. Announced in September 2016, the first launch is planned for 2020-2021.

Orion MPCV(Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle) is the name of the multifunctional manned spacecraft developed by NASA as part of the Exploration program and designed for astronaut flights to the ISS and beyond low Earth orbit. The start of flight tests is scheduled for 2019.

skylab- the name of the first American space station, on which three expeditions of astronauts worked in 1973-1974.

SLS(Space Launch System) is the name of the American family of super-heavy launch vehicles developed by NASA as part of the Exploration program and designed to launch elements of space infrastructure (including manned Orion spacecraft) on departure trajectories. The start of flight tests is scheduled for 2019.

SpaceShipOne(SS1) is the name of an experimental reusable suborbital rocket plane, created by Scaled Composites, which became the first non-state manned vehicle to overcome the Karman line and reach space. Theoretically, it was supposed to carry a crew of three, in fact it was controlled by one pilot.

SpaceShipTwo(SS2) is the name of a reusable multi-seat (two pilots and six passengers) suborbital rocket plane manufactured by Virgin Galactic, designed for short tourist trips into space.

space shuttle, otherwise STS (Space Transportation System) - a series of American reusable manned transport spacecraft, created by order of NASA and the Department of Defense under the state program and made 135 missions to near-Earth space from 1981 to 2011.

Starliner (CST-100)- the name of an American partially reusable manned transport vehicle developed by Boeing under a contract with NASA under the CCP program. The start of flight tests is scheduled for 2018.

ULA(United Launch Alliance) - "United Launch Alliance", a joint venture established in 2006 by Lockheed Martin and Boeing to cost-effectively operate Delta IV and Atlas V launch vehicles.

Vega- the name of a European light-class launch vehicle developed in international cooperation with the decisive participation of Italy (Avio) for launching payloads into near-Earth orbits and departure trajectories. From February 13, 2012 to March 7, 2017, nine missions were completed (all were successful).

Vulcan- the name of a promising American rocket designed to replace Delta IV and Atlas V carriers. It has been developed since 2014 by the United Launch Alliance ULA. The first launch is planned for 2019.

X-15- an American experimental rocket plane, created by North American by order of NASA and the Ministry of Defense to study the conditions of flight at hypersonic speeds and entry into the atmosphere of winged vehicles, evaluate new design solutions, heat-shielding coatings and psychophysiological aspects of control in the upper atmosphere. Three rocket planes were built, which made 191 flights in 1959-1968, setting several world speed and altitude records (including 107,906 m on August 22, 1963).

Ablation— the process of entrainment of mass from the surface of a solid by a flow of incoming gas, accompanied by the absorption of heat. Underlies ablative thermal protection, protecting the structure from overheating.

"Angara"- the name of the Russian spacecraft, as well as a family of disposable modular launch vehicles of light, medium and heavy classes, designed to launch payloads into near-Earth orbits and departure trajectories. The first launch of the Angara-1.2PP light rocket took place on July 9, 2014, the first launch of the Angara-A5 heavy carrier took place on December 23, 2014.

Apogee- the point of the satellite's orbit (natural or artificial) that is farthest from the center of the Earth.

Aerodynamic quality is a dimensionless quantity, the ratio of the lift force of an aircraft to the drag force.

ballistic trajectory- the path along which the body moves in the absence of aerodynamic forces acting on it.

Ballistic missile - an aircraft that, after turning off the engine and leaving the dense layers of the atmosphere, flies along a ballistic trajectory.

"East"- the name of the first Soviet single-seat manned spacecraft, on which cosmonauts flew in the period from 1961 to 1963. Also - the open name of a series of Soviet disposable light-class launch vehicles, created on the basis of the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile and used from 1958 to 1991.

"Sunrise"- the name of the multi-seat modification of the Soviet manned spacecraft "Vostok", on which the astronauts made two flights in 1964-1965. Also - the open name of a series of Soviet disposable medium-class launch vehicles used from 1963 to 1974.

Gas rocket engine(gas nozzle) - a device that serves to convert the potential energy of a compressed working fluid (gas) into thrust.

Hybrid rocket engine(GRD) - a special case of a chemical jet engine; a device that uses to create thrust the chemical energy of the interaction of fuel components that are in a different state of aggregation (for example, a liquid oxidizer and solid fuel). The engines of SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo rocket planes are built on this principle.

Gnomon- an astronomical instrument in the form of a vertical stand, which allows, by the smallest length of the shadow, to determine the angular height of the sun in the sky, as well as the direction of the true meridian. A photognomon with a color calibration scale served to document lunar soil samples collected during the Apollo missions.

ESA(European Space Agency) is an organization that coordinates the activities of European states in the study of outer space.

Liquid propellant rocket engine(LRE) - a special case of a chemical jet engine; a device that uses the chemical energy of the interaction of liquid fuel components stored on board the aircraft to create thrust.

Capsule- one of the names of the wingless descent vehicle of artificial satellites and spacecraft.

spacecraft- the general name of various technical devices designed to perform targeted tasks in outer space.

Space rocket complex(CRC) is a term that characterizes a set of functionally related elements (technical and launch complex of the cosmodrome, measuring instruments of the cosmodrome, ground control complex of the spacecraft, launch vehicle and upper stage) that ensure the launch of the spacecraft to the target trajectory.

Karman Line- the internationally agreed conditional boundary of space, which lies at an altitude of 100 km (62 miles) above sea level.

"World"- the name of the modular Soviet / Russian orbital space station, which flew in 1986-2001, receiving numerous Soviet (Russian) and international expeditions.

ISS(International Space Station) is the name of a manned complex that was created in near-Earth orbit by the efforts of Russia, the USA, Europe, Japan and Canada to conduct scientific research related to the conditions of a long stay of a person in outer space. English abbreviation for ISS (International Space Station).

Multi-stage (composite) rocket- a device in which, as the fuel is used up, there is a sequential discharge of used and unnecessary structural elements (stages) for further flight.

Smooth landing— contact of the spacecraft with the surface of a planet or other celestial body, in which the vertical speed allows to ensure the safety of the structure and systems of the vehicle and/or comfortable conditions for the crew.

Orbital inclination- the angle between the plane of the orbit of a natural or artificial satellite and the plane of the equator of the body around which the satellite revolves.

Orbit- a trajectory (most often elliptical), along which one body (for example, a natural satellite or a spacecraft) moves relative to the central body (the Sun, the Earth, the Moon, etc.). In a first approximation, a near-Earth orbit is characterized by such elements as inclination, height of perigee and apogee, and period of revolution.

first cosmic speed- the smallest speed that must be given to the body in a horizontal direction near the surface of the planet, so that it enters a circular orbit. For the Earth - about 7.9 km / s.

Overload is a vector quantity, the ratio of the sum of the thrust and/or aerodynamic force to the weight of the aircraft.

Perigee is the point in the orbit of a satellite that is closest to the center of the earth.

Period of circulation- the period of time during which the satellite makes a complete revolution around the central body (Sun, Earth, Moon, etc.)

Manned transport ship of the new generation (PTK NP) "Federation"- a reusable four-six-seat spacecraft developed by the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation to provide access to space from Russian territory (from the Vostochny Cosmodrome), deliver people and cargo to orbital stations, fly into polar and equatorial orbit, explore the moon and land on it . It is being created as part of FKP-2025, the start of flight tests is scheduled for 2021, the first manned flight with docking with the ISS should take place in 2023.

"Progress"- the name of a series of Soviet (Russian) unmanned automatic vehicles for the delivery of fuel, cargo and supplies to the space stations "Salyut", "Mir" and the ISS. From January 20, 1978 to February 22, 2017, 135 ships of various modifications were launched, of which 132 were successful.

"Proton-M" is the name of a Russian disposable heavy-class launch vehicle designed to launch payloads into low-Earth orbits and take-off trajectories. Created on the basis of "Proton-K"; the first flight of this modification took place on April 7, 2001. Until June 9, 2016, 98 launches were made, of which 9 were completely and 1 were partially unsuccessful.

Upper block(RB), the closest Western equivalent in meaning - "upper stage" (upper stage), - the stage of the launch vehicle, designed to form the target trajectory of the spacecraft. Examples: Centaur (USA), Breeze-M, Fregat, DM (Russia).

launch vehicle- at present, the only means of launching a payload (satellite, probe, spacecraft or automatic station) into outer space.

Super heavy launch vehicle(RN STK) is the code name of a Russian development project designed to create a means of launching space infrastructure elements (including manned spacecraft) on departure trajectories (to the Moon and Mars).

Various proposals for the creation of a super-heavy class carrier based on the modules of the Angara-A5V, Energia 1K and Soyuz-5 rockets. Graphics by V. Shtanin

Solid propellant rocket engine(RDTT) - a special case of a chemical jet engine; a device that uses the chemical energy of the interaction of solid propellant components stored on board an aircraft to create thrust.

rocket plane- a winged aircraft (aircraft) using a rocket engine for acceleration and / or flight.

RD-180- a powerful propulsion liquid-propellant rocket engine with a thrust of 390 tf at sea level, running on oxygen and kerosene. It was created by the Russian NPO Energomash by order of the American company Pratt and Whitney for installation on carriers of the Atlas III and Atlas V families. It has been mass-produced in Russia and has been supplied to the USA since 1999.

Roscosmos- the short name of the Federal Space Agency (in the period from 2004 to 2015, from January 1, 2016 - the state corporation "Roscosmos"), a state organization that coordinates work on the study and development of outer space in Russia.

"Firework"- the name of a series of Soviet long-term orbital stations that flew in near-Earth orbit from 1971 to 1986, receiving Soviet crews and cosmonauts from the countries of the socialist community (Interkosmos program), France and India.

"Union"- the name of a family of Soviet (Russian) multi-seat manned spacecraft for flights in near-Earth orbit. From April 23, 1967 to May 14, 1981, 39 ships flew with a crew on board. Also, the open name for a series of Soviet (Russian) disposable medium-class launch vehicles used to launch payloads into low-Earth orbits from 1966 to 1976.

Soyuz-FG is the name of a Russian disposable medium-class launch vehicle that, since 2001, has been delivering manned (Soyuz) and automatic (Progress) spacecraft into near-Earth orbit.

"Soyuz-2"- the name of a family of modern Russian disposable launch vehicles of light and medium class, which since November 8, 2004 have been launching various payloads into near-Earth orbits and departure trajectories. In the Soyuz-ST versions, from October 21, 2011, it is launched from the European Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

Soyuz T- the name of the transport version of the Soviet manned spacecraft Soyuz, which from April 1978 to March 1986 made 15 manned flights to the Salyut and Mir orbital stations.

Soyuz TM- the name of a modified version of the Soviet (Russian) transport manned spacecraft "Soyuz", which from May 1986 to November 2002 made 33 manned flights to the Mir orbital stations and the ISS.

Soyuz TMA- the name of the anthropometric version of the modification of the Russian Soyuz transport spacecraft, created to expand the allowable range of height and weight of crew members. From October 2002 to November 2011 he made 22 manned flights to the ISS.

Soyuz TMA-M- further modernization of the Russian transport spacecraft Soyuz TMA, which from October 2010 to March 2016 performed 20 manned flights to the ISS.

Soyuz MS— the final version of the Russian transport spacecraft Soyuz, which made its first mission to the ISS on July 7, 2016.

suborbital flight- movement along a ballistic trajectory with a short-term exit into outer space. In this case, the flight speed can be either less or more than the local orbital one (remember the American probe Pioneer-3, which had a speed higher than the first space one, but still fell to Earth).

"Tiangun" is the name of a series of Chinese manned orbital stations. The first one (Tyangun-1 laboratory) was launched on September 29, 2011.

"Shenzhou"- the name of a series of modern Chinese three-seat manned spacecraft for flights in near-Earth orbit. From November 20, 1999 to October 16, 2016, 11 ships were launched, 7 of them with astronauts on board.

Chemical jet engine- a device in which the energy of the chemical interaction of the fuel components (oxidizer and fuel) is converted into the kinetic energy of a jet stream that creates thrust.

Electric rocket engine(EP) is a device in which, to create thrust, the working fluid (usually stored on board an aircraft) is accelerated using an external supply of electrical energy (heating and expansion in a jet nozzle or ionization and acceleration of charged particles in an electric (magnetic) field).

The ion electric rocket engine has low thrust, but high efficiency due to the high speed of the expiration of the working fluid.

Emergency Rescue System- a set of devices for rescuing the spacecraft crew in the event of a launch vehicle failure, i.e., in the event of a situation in which it is impossible to reach the target trajectory.

suit- an individual sealed suit that provides conditions for the work and life of an astronaut in a rarefied atmosphere or in outer space. There are emergency and rescue suits for extravehicular activities.

Descent (return) vehicle- a part of a spacecraft intended for descent and landing on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body.

Specialists of the search and rescue group examine the descent vehicle of the Chinese Chang'e-5-T1 probe, which returned to Earth after flying around the moon. Photo by CNSA

thrust- reactive force that sets in motion an aircraft on which a rocket engine is installed.

Federal space program(FKP) is the main document of the Russian Federation that defines the list of the main tasks in the field of civil space activities and their financing. Compiled for a decade. The current FKP-2025 is valid from 2016 to 2025.

"Phoenix"- the name of the development work within the framework of FKP-2025 to create a medium-class launch vehicle for use as part of the Baiterek, Sea Launch and STK launch vehicles.

Characteristic speed (XC, ΔV) is a scalar value that characterizes the change in the energy of the aircraft when using rocket engines. The physical meaning is the speed (measured in meters per second) that the device will acquire, moving in a straight line only under the action of traction at certain fuel costs. It is used (among other things) to estimate the energy costs required to perform rocket-dynamic maneuvers (required CS), or available energy, determined by the onboard supply of fuel or working fluid (available CS).

Removal of the launch vehicle "Energia" with the orbital ship "Buran"

"Energy" - "Buran"- Soviet KRK with a super-heavy class launch vehicle and a reusable winged orbital ship. It has been developed since 1976 as a response to the American Space Shuttle system. In the period from May 1987 to November 1988, he made two flights (with a mass-dimensional analogue of the payload and with an orbital ship, respectively). The program closed in 1993.

ASTP(experimental flight "Apollo" - "Soyuz") - a joint Soviet-American program, during which in 1975 the manned spacecraft "Soyuz" and Apollo made a mutual search, docking and joint flight in near-Earth orbit. Known as ASTP (Apollo-Soyuz Test Project) in the USA.

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

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

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

Photo of Signus with Soyuz TMA-M

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

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

The main points of the spacecraft modernization program:

• the energy efficiency of solar panels will be increased through the use of more efficient photovoltaic converters;


• reliability of rendezvous and docking of the spacecraft with the space station by changing the installation of the approaching and orientation engines. The new scheme of these engines will make it possible to perform rendezvous and docking even in the event of a failure of one of the engines and to ensure the descent of a manned spacecraft in the event of any two engine failures;


• a new communication and direction finding system, which will allow, in addition to improving the quality of radio communications, to facilitate the search for a descent vehicle that has landed at any point on the globe;


• new rendezvous and docking system Kurs-NA;


• digital television radio link;


• additional meteorite protection.

The upgraded Soyuz TMA-MS will be equipped with GLONASS sensors. At the stage of parachuting and after landing of the descent vehicle, its coordinates obtained from GLONASS/GPS data will be transmitted via the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system to the MCC.

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

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

• ensuring national security;


• technological independence;


• unimpeded access of Russia to space;


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Interesting video about the international space station / ISS

April 12 is celebrated as Cosmonautics Day in Russia in honor of the first manned flight into space, which took place in 1961.

Citizen of the Soviet Union, pilot Yuri Gagarin on the spacecraft "Vostok" was the first person who visited the near-Earth orbit. This flight was a victory in the race of scientific achievements with the United States and marked the beginning of the era of space exploration.

On this day, we bring to your attention a letter from Yuri Gagarin to his family, which he wrote before his flight into space, and his report to the leadership of the USSR on April 14, 1961.

Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin was born in 1934 into a peasant family. He graduated from the flight school and became a pilot. A few years later, in 1961, he made the world's first manned space flight. After this flight, which forever made Gagarin the number one man in space, he returned to flying practice - flying jet aircraft. He died tragically in 1968 near the village of Novoselovo, Vladimir Region. Buried at the Kremlin wall.

The first manned flight into space became an event of paramount importance not only for our country, but for the whole world. In fact, this flight meant the exit of mankind beyond the boundaries of its planet and the beginning of the exploration of the space of the Universe. It is impossible to keep silent about the fact that it took place in the midst of a peaceful competition between the USSR and the USA. These two superpowers were on a par in many scientific developments, including space ones. And of course, they followed each other and tried to get ahead of each other. American scientists were also preparing a manned flight. According to Soviet intelligence, they were going to launch their ship on the twentieth of April 1961. Therefore, it was so important that Gagarin's flight took place on April 12 of the same year. Not all technical components were yet perfected, and the degree of risk was significant. And the astronaut, of course, knew about it. The amazing dedication of Gagarin, his willingness to die in the name of higher values ​​will surprise and delight at all times. And this dedication is not ostentatious. Here is a private letter from Yuri Gagarin, which he wrote to his wife and daughters in case of his death in flight. (It was presented to Valentina Gagarina only in 1968.)

Today, a government commission decided to send me into space first. You know, dear Valyusha, how glad I am, I want you to be glad with me. An ordinary person was entrusted with such a big state task - to pave the first road into space!

Can you dream of more? After all, this is history, this is a new era! I have to start in a day. At this time, you will already be doing your own thing. A very big task fell on my shoulders. Before that, I would like to spend a little time with you, to talk with you. But alas, you are far away. However, I always feel you next to me.

I have complete faith in technology. She must not fail. But it happens after all that out of the blue a person falls and breaks his neck. Something can happen here too. But I don't believe in it myself. Well, if something happens, then I ask you, and first of all you, Valyusha, not to be killed with grief. After all, life is life, and no one is guaranteed that he will not be crushed by a car tomorrow. Please take care of our girls, love them as I love. Grow out of them, please, not white hands, not mother's daughters, but real people who would not be afraid of the bumps of life. Raise people worthy of a new society - communism. The government will help you with this. Well, arrange your personal life as your conscience tells you, as you see fit. I do not impose any obligations on you, and I have no right to do so. Something too mournful letter turns out.

I don't believe in it myself. I hope that you will never see this letter and I will be ashamed of myself for this fleeting weakness. But if something happens, you must know everything to the end.

So far I have lived honestly, truthfully, for the benefit of people, although it was small.

Once, as a child, I read the words of V.P. Chkalov: "If to be, then to be the first." That's what I'm trying to be and will be until the end. I want, Valechka, to dedicate this flight to the people of the new society, communism, which we are already entering, to our great Motherland, our science.

I hope that in a few days we will be together again, we will be happy. Valechka, please don't forget my parents, if possible, help with something. Say hello to them for me, and forgive me for not knowing anything about it, but they were not supposed to know. Well, it seems that's all. Goodbye, my family. I hug and kiss you tightly, with greetings, your dad and Yura.

10.04.61 Gagarin

Report of cosmonaut Yu. A. Gagarin to the leadership of the USSR at the Vnukovo airfield on April 14, 1961

Comrade First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR!

I am glad to report to you that the task of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Soviet government has been completed. The first flight in the history of mankind on the Soviet Vostok spacecraft was successfully completed on April 12.

All instruments and equipment of the ship worked accurately and flawlessly. I feel great. Ready to fulfill any new task of our party and government.

Major Gagarin.

That year, a record number of young parents across the country named their newborn sons Yurami. And Yuri Gagarin himself received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Then there were trips around the world, meetings with leaders from different countries, social work. Of course, after a while, the series of celebrations and celebrations ended. After studying at the academy, Gagarin returned to work. He participated in the domestic "lunar program" and was even a member of the crew of one of the lunar ships preparing to launch. Gagarin returned to his main profession - the profession of a fighter pilot. One of Gagarin's sorties ended tragically: on March 27, 1968, the MiG-15 jet plane piloted by him crashed near the village of Novoselovo, Vladimir Region.

Manned spacecraft Soyuz-TMA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1st generation spaceships:

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

Spaceships of the 2nd generation:

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

Shuttle with space equipment on board

Reusable transport spacecraft

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

Partially reusable spacecraft:

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

A spacecraft is an aircraft designed to fly people or transport goods in outer space.

About ships for the transportation of goods in near-Earth orbit was described in the article "Artificial Earth Satellite". This article will focus on vehicles designed for the flight of people into space, as well as vehicles for flights beyond the earth's orbit to other planets in the solar system.

On January 2, 1959, the Soviet automatic interplanetary station "Luna? 1" was launched to the Moon. For the first time, an artificial body created on Earth was given a second cosmic velocity equal to 11.2 km/s. This speed was reached by the last stage of a multi-stage rocket, which, according to a given program, entered the trajectory of movement towards the Moon. The last stage of the rocket weighed 1472 kg without fuel and was equipped with a container with scientific equipment with a total weight of 361.3 kg. The AMS housed radio equipment, a telemetric system, instruments for the study of interplanetary space. At the last stage of the rocket, equipment was installed for the formation of an artificial comet.

Calculations of the elements of the trajectory of movement were carried out on electronic computers according to the measurement data automatically received by the coordination computer center. The rocket passed at a distance of 5 thousand km from the Moon and became a satellite of the Sun - the first artificial planet in the solar system. Its maximum distance from the Sun, aphelion, was 197.2 million km, the minimum, perihelion, 146.4 million km.

The measurements carried out during the flight provided new information about the Earth's radiation belt and outer space. In the world press "Moon? 1" was called "Dream".

Two months later, on March 3, the United States, after a series of attempts using the Juno-2 rocket system, launched the Pioneer-4 space rocket, which passed at a distance of almost 60,000 km from the Moon.

On March 11, 1960, another solar satellite, Pioneer 5, with a useful weight of 42 kg, was launched in the United States using a 3-stage rocket of the Thor Able type.

On September 12, 1959, the automatic interplanetary station "Luna? 2" was launched in the USSR, which for the first time reached the surface of the moon. The task was set - the study of outer space during the flight to the moon. The last stage of the rocket, moving towards the Moon, exceeded the second space velocity. The last stage of the rocket was a 1511 kg guided missile (without propellant) that carried a container with scientific equipment. On September 14, 1959, at 0:02:24 Moscow time, Luna?2, together with the last stage of the carrier rocket, reached the surface of the Moon east of the Sea of ​​Clarity near the craters Aristides, Archimedes and Autolycus.

Such a flight required the creation of a highly advanced multi-stage rocket, powerful rocket engines operating on high-calorie fuel, a high-precision rocket flight control system, an automatic measuring complex on Earth to track the rocket flight, etc.

Research carried out during the flight showed, for example, that the Moon does not have any noticeable magnetic field.

On October 4, 1959, a Soviet space rocket was launched, which put the Luna-3 automatic interplanetary station into orbit. Her weight reached 278.5 kg. On board the AMS were radio engineering and telemetric systems, a photo-television system with automatic film processing on board, a complex of scientific equipment, orientation systems relative to the Sun and the Moon, solar batteries, and a thermal control system.

The last stage of the carrier rocket brought the Luna? 3 AMS into a circumlunar orbit. Going around the Moon, the station passed at a distance of 6200 km from its surface. On October 7, 1959, the reverse surface of the Moon was photographed from its board. After processing the film on board, the resulting images were transmitted by a television system to Earth.

After flying around the moon, "Luna? 3" passed into the orbit of an artificial satellite of the Earth and, having completed 11 revolutions around the Earth, ceased to exist, having burned out in the dense layers of the atmosphere.

On February 12, 1961, a heavy artificial Earth satellite was launched into orbit by an improved multi-stage rocket, and on the same day a guided space rocket was launched from it, which brought the automatic interplanetary station "Venera-1" to the trajectory of Venus. AMS weight was 643.5 kg. On board was scientific equipment for conducting research on cosmic radiation, magnetic fields, interplanetary matter and recording collisions with micrometeorites. The flight speed of the AMS at the beginning of its introduction to the trajectory to Venus exceeded the value of the second cosmic velocity.

On May 19-20, 1961, Venera-1 passed at a distance of about 100,000 km from Venus and entered the orbit of the Sun's satellite.

In parallel with the flights of automatic interplanetary stations, preparations were underway for the flight into human space. Back in 1951, the dogs Dezik and Gypsy took off in a high-altitude flight in a hermetic container placed in the head of the B-1A geophysical rocket, created at the Korolev Design Bureau. They returned safely to Earth. After that, fruit flies, mice, rats, and guinea pigs were launched. These flights made it possible to analyze the state of a living organism under rocket flight conditions.

During these experiments, various methods were tested for returning animals to earth: together with a sealed container, as well as in a high-altitude spacesuit with a transparent pressure helmet on a parachute separately from the container.

On the second artificial satellite of the Earth, the dog Laika went into orbit. During the flight, the condition of the animal was monitored.

On January 11, 1960, a decision was made to create a cosmonaut corps. Later it became known as the Cosmonaut Training Center. The first part of the detachment included Yuri Gagarin, German Titov, Pavel Popovich and other pilots who later became cosmonauts. The first class of cosmonauts took place on March 14, 1960 in Moscow.

In the same year, testing of the parachute system of the Vostok spacecraft began in Kazakhstan.

In May 1960, the first launch of the Vostok spacecraft with an orientation system and a brake propulsion system took place. As a result of the failure of the infrared installation, instead of braking, the ship began to accelerate and moved to a higher orbit.

On August 19, 1960, the second spacecraft-satellite entered orbit, carrying the dogs Belka and Strelka, as well as rats, mice, and fruit flies. The next day, the ship landed in a given area.

On December 1, 1960, the third ship was launched, on which were the dogs Pchelka and Mushka. The descent ship, in which they were, fell into an off-design trajectory and died.

At the same time, at Cape Canaveral in Florida, the Americans launched the Mercury capsules. In the summer of 1960, the rocket exploded 65 seconds after launch. In November 1960, the capsule did not separate from the rocket and fell into the ocean with it. Two weeks later there was a rocket fire at the start.

On January 31, 1961, a capsule was launched containing the chimpanzee Ham. He was trained to press buttons and levers, reacting to light signals, in case of failure, receiving electric shocks. During the flight, an emergency acceleration of the carrier occurred, which led to 18-fold overloads. Automation failed, and Ham constantly received electric shocks. The capsule splashed down 130 miles from the set point.

On March 9, 1961, the 4th satellite was launched. In his pilot's seat sat a mannequin - an average stuffed human. They called him "Ivan Ivanovich". The dog Chernushka flew with him. After 88 minutes of flight, the ship landed safely.

The last rehearsal of the flight was the launch on March 25 of the 5th satellite with the next "Ivan Ivanovich" and the dog Zvezdochka.

After that, it was decided to start a man.

On April 5, the head of the Cosmonaut Training Center N.P. Kamanin and 6 candidates flew to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Korolev met them at the gangway and informed them that the flight would take place on April 10–12.

At the meeting of the State Commission, two candidates were considered - Gagarin and Titov. Gagarin was approved. On April 11, he arrived at the launch site to meet with the staff of the space complex. Together with Titov and Kamanin, Gagarin tried space food in tubes. Then he was called for a briefing.

April 12, 1961 Gagarin arrived at the cosmodrome and, after a report to the chairman of the State Commission, took a seat in the cockpit of the Vostok. At 9:07 a.m. Vostok, with the world's first cosmonaut on board, took off into space. The spacecraft entered orbit with a maximum distance from the Earth of 327 km. The period of its revolution around the Earth was 89.1 minutes, the highest flight speed reached 28,000 km / h. The total power of the launch vehicle engines was 20 million liters. With. After flying around the globe at 10:25, the braking propulsion system was turned on, and the spacecraft began to descend from orbit for landing. At 10:55 a.m., the ship landed in the Saratov region.

The Vostok spacecraft consisted of two main compartments: a spherical descent vehicle and an instrument compartment.

The descent vehicle with the cosmonaut's cabin was made in the form of a ball with a diameter of 2.3 m and a mass of 2.4 tons.

In the body of the astronaut's cabin there were 3 windows with heat-resistant glass. The life support system maintained normal pressure in the cabin, the chemical composition of the atmosphere, temperature and humidity. The supply of water, food and regenerative substances was designed for 10 days. For additional insurance in flight, a special spacesuit was used.

The astronaut's seat ensured the safety of a person in flight and under the influence of overloads. The spacesuit ventilation system, ejection and pyrotechnic devices, parachute systems, an emergency supply, including food and water, rescue and signal devices, which could be used after landing, were mounted in its hull.

The ship also had equipment for monitoring the operation of systems and controlling the ship, radio equipment for communicating with the Earth, automatic recording of data on the operation of instruments, a radio telemetry system, equipment for monitoring the astronaut's condition, an orientation system, a radio system for measuring orbit parameters, a landing system, an optical device "Vzor » for manual orientation, television equipment, braking propulsion system.

To control the ship in the cockpit there was a remote control with a dashboard and a handle with a control unit. The astronaut could determine the projection of his position on the Earth's surface using a miniature Earth globe located on the dashboard.

For the ship's deorbit and landing, a braking propulsion and parachute systems were used. The first was used to deorbit the ship, the second - for braking at the final stage of descent and landing.

This was the beginning of the era of manned space flights.

On May 5, 1961, American astronaut A. Sheppard made a suborbital flight along a ballistic trajectory at an altitude of 195 km with a duration of 15 minutes. He landed 500 km from the start. On July 21, 1961, V. Grissom made the same flight.

On August 6, 1961, the Vostok? 2 spacecraft was launched into space in the Soviet Union, piloted by G. S. Titov. This flight lasted 25 hours 18 minutes. The spacecraft flew over 700 thousand km, making more than 17 revolutions around the Earth. The flight of G. S. Titov proved the possibility of a long stay of a person in outer space.

On August 11 and 12, 1962, the Vostok? 3 spacecraft (cosmonaut A. G. Nikolaev) and Vostok? 4 (cosmonaut P. R. Popovich) were launched into orbit. They made the first group flight, during which the minimum distance between the ships was about 5 km. Radio contact was made between them. For the first time, there was a live television broadcast from space.

On June 16, 1963, the Vostok? 6 spacecraft was launched into space, piloted by the first woman, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova. She stayed in space for 3 days and landed on June 19.

On the same day, June 19, the Soviet automatic interplanetary station "Mars? 1", launched on November 1, 1962, flew near Mars.

On October 12, 1964, the Voskhod spacecraft delivered three cosmonauts into orbit at once - V. M. Komarov, K. P. Feoktistov and B. B. Egorov. They were in the ship without spacesuits, in ordinary clothes.

The Voskhod multi-seat ship weighed 5.32 tons and consisted of a cabin, an instrument compartment and could be equipped with an airlock. The brake installations and the landing system were duplicated. The control of the ship and landing could be carried out automatically and manually.

On March 18, 1965, during the Voskhod? 2 flight, A. A. Leonov made the first spacewalk, which lasted 20 minutes.

1967 opened the account for the dead astronauts. On January 27, during a fire on the launch pad in the Apollo spacecraft, V. Grissom, E. White and R. Chaffee burned down. The culprit was a cotton wool soaked in alcohol, which fell on the open coil of the heater. The pure oxygen atmosphere used on American ships contributed to the rapid spread of fire.

On April 24, while testing the new Soyuz? 1 spacecraft during landing, V. M. Komarov died due to malfunctions in the parachute system.

In the late 1960s, manned flights to the Moon began. On December 24, 1968, the American Apollo No. 8 entered the lunar orbit. On July 20, 1969, the first landing on the moon was carried out by Apollo 11 with N. Armstrong and E. Aldrin.

On November 17, 1970, the Lunokhod? 1 was delivered to the Moon, controlled by a radio signal from the Earth. For 11 lunar days, he traveled 10.5 km in the area of ​​the Sea of ​​​​Rains.

In 1971, the first Salyut orbital station was put into orbit. 4 days after the launch, the station docked with the Soyuz-10 spacecraft.

"Salute" consisted of 3 compartments: transitional, working and aggregate.

The transition compartment was one of the residential compartments of the station. It was intended for scientific experiments. It included a docking station for connection with the transport spacecraft, the transition of astronauts and the transfer of cargo. Inside the compartment were a thermal control and life support system, scientific equipment, and control panels. Solar panels, antennas, compressed air tanks, a stellar telescope and other instruments were installed outside.

The working compartment was the largest at the station. It was located in its middle part and served for work and rest of astronauts. It contained the main instruments and units of the station control system, life support systems, radio communication equipment, water and food supplies, and scientific equipment.

In it, the astronauts operated the station, conducted research, and rested. In front of this compartment, there was a central station control post with pilot consoles, an on-board computer control panel and other control systems.

In the working compartment there were other posts for observing the Earth's surface, for conducting biomedical experiments and working with navigation equipment. In total, there were 15 windows in the working compartment for orientation, photographing and visual observations.

Normal atmospheric pressure, humidity and temperature were maintained in the working compartment. On its outer part there was a part of scientific equipment, antennas and sensors of the orientation system, panels of radiators of the thermal control system, communication and teleradiometry antennas.

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