1 space orbital station. What is an orbital station? What kind of orbiting space stations are there? The future of space stations

Soviet orbital space station "Salyut-1" became the first in the world so-called. "Long-term orbital station"(DOS), in contrast to the early manned orbital stations (POS), which had a gateway for docking a cargo spacecraft, and thus received autonomy and virtually unlimited technical conditions period of stay in orbit.

The device of the long-term orbital station "Salyut-1"

Technically, orbital station"Salyut-1" consisted of three compartments: two sealed (transitional and working) and a leaky aggregate.

Transition compartment of the Salyut-1 station

In the transition compartment there was an airlock for docking the spacecraft and a hatch for the transition to the working compartment of the station. The station's control panel, elements of life support and thermal control systems, internal blocks of the Orion stellar telescope, the Anna-III gamma-ray telescope, a Cherenkov scintillation telescope for studying charged particle fluxes, cameras, and blocks for biological experiments were also located here in the transition compartment.

On the outside of the transition compartment there were panels solar panels, outdoor units of the Orion telescope, antennas, attitude control sensors.

Working compartment of the Salyut-1 station

The working compartment of the Salyut-1 consisted of two cylinders connected by a conical part. The working compartment contained control panels for onboard systems, cosmonaut seats, 15 windows, scientific equipment, television and film cameras, radio equipment, control systems for the onboard complex, power supply, orientation and motion control, and telemetry.

The working compartment also housed a number of specialized work stations intended for scientific research, food and water supplies, and a "running doormat" for training cosmonauts.

Outside the working compartment, there were installed radiator panels for the thermal control system, antennas for communication and radio telemetry systems.

Aggregate compartment and power plant station "Salyut-1"

In the tail section of the Salyut-1 station, a modified aggregate compartment of the Soyuz spacecraft was installed, designed to accommodate fuel tanks and onboard engines.

The main source of energy for Salyut-1 was solar panels with a total area of ​​42 square meters. On the first "Salyut", four solar panels were mounted: 2 on the outer surface of the transition compartment and two on the outer surface of the aggregate compartment.

In addition, after the transport ship docks with the station, their power supply systems are combined, and the spacecraft's solar panels also supply power to the station's grid.

Crews and research work of the Salyut-1 space station

The first crew ("Soyuz-10": V. A. Shatalov, A. S. Eliseev, N.N. Rukavishnikov) launched to the Salyut-1 space station April 23, 1971 The launch was scheduled a day earlier, but it had to be postponed due to an abnormal situation: after the announcement of a five-minute readiness, one of the masts did not move away from the rocket, although the command to withdraw it was issued. At the moment of launch, the mast could have fallen by itself, there have been such cases, but it might not have moved away and the rocket skin could have been ripped through. They decided not to risk the life of the crew, and the astronauts were evacuated from the ship.

The next day, the launch took place safely, the spacecraft entered orbit and a day later approached the station. It would seem that the docking took place normally: the clutch locks worked, a pulling together took place, and then a rigid coupling between the Soyuz and Salyut took place.
But telemetry showed that the docking station was leaking, and the hatch could not be opened. The Earth made the decision to undock and return. There were also problems with undocking: it was successful only on the third attempt.

The next crew ( Alexey Leonov, Valery Kubasov, Pyotr Kolodin). But three days before the start, during the pre-flight medical examination, Kubasov was found to have a darkening in the lungs. The State Commission removed from the flight Kubasov, and with him the entire crew. The third crew, consisting of Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsaev(Soyuz-11 crew).

June 6, 1971 Soyuz-11 entered orbit, successfully docked with the station, the crew and began work on board. For about three days, the cosmonauts were engaged in de-mothballing the station, setting up and preparing scientific equipment for operation.

The cosmonauts carefully checked all systems and units of the station, conducted experiments on manual control complex, autonomous navigation, orbit correction, manual orientation of solar panels. A wide-angle sight was first tested aboard the Salyut, designed for accurate orientation in the sun and planets.

With the help of a gamma-ray telescope, the astronauts measured the intensity, angular distribution, spectrum and other characteristics of the primary cosmic radiation, and with the help of Orion they studied the spectral composition of the radiation of some stars.

Studies were also carried out on geological and geographical objects of the earth's surface, atmospheric formations, snow and ice cover. The cosmonauts took a large number of small-scale (to record short-term and seasonal phenomena) and medium-scale (to obtain detailed characteristics of the relief structure and natural landscapes) photographs of the Earth. A set of important biomedical studies was also carried out, in particular, the effect on the human body of prolonged weightlessness was studied, special load suits were tested, and the radiation background around the station was measured.

Completion of the space station "Salyut-1"

Having completely fulfilled the flight program, upon returning to Earth, the crew of the first long-term orbital station died as a result of the decompression of the descent vehicle.

After finding out the cause of the death of the astronauts, a meeting was held State Commission, on which it was decided to temporarily stop flights and modify the Soyuz spacecraft. The cosmonauts were to make further flights only in spacesuits, and therefore the Soyuz crew was reduced to two people. Taking this into account, research cosmonauts P. Kolodin and A. Voronov were removed from the second and fourth crews preparing for flights to the OS.

The Salyut station no longer received astronauts on board. While the spacecraft were being modified, the Salyut was flying in automatic mode.

2:09 27/03/2018

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In the early 20th century, space pioneers such as Hermann Obert, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Hermann Nordung and Werner von Braun dreamed of vast ones revolving around. These scientists assumed that space stations were the starting points for space exploration.

Wernher von Braun, architect of the American space program, has integrated space stations into his long-term vision for space exploration in the United States. To accompany von Braun's numerous space articles in popular magazines, artists drew space station concepts. These articles and drawings helped to attract public imagination and interest in space exploration, which was necessary for the creation of the US space program.

In these concepts in the space station, humans lived and worked in space. Most of the stations were wheel-like structures that rotated to provide an artificial one. Like any port, ships went to and from the station. The ship carried cargo, passengers and supplies from Earth. The departing ships went to Earth, and beyond. As you know, this general concept is no longer just the vision of scientists, artists and science fiction authors. But what steps have been taken to create such orbital structures? Although humanity has not yet grasped the full visions of scientists, there have been significant advances in the construction of space stations.

Since 1971, the United States and Russia have had orbiting space stations. The first space stations were the Russian Salyut program, the Skylab program in the United States, and the Russian World program. And since 1998, the United States, Russia, the European Space Agency, Canada, Japan and other countries have been building and operating on the near-Earth. On the ISS, people have lived and worked in space for over 10 years.

In this article, we look at the early space station programs, the use of space stations, and the future role of space stations in space exploration. But first, let's take a closer look at why we should build space stations.

Why should we build space stations?

There are many reasons for building and operating space stations, including research, industry, exploration, and even tourism. The first space stations were built to study the long-term effects of weightlessness on the human body. After all, if astronauts ever want to go to Mars or others, then we need to know how prolonged microgravity over months and years will affect their health.

Space stations are a place for cutting-edge scientific research in conditions that cannot be created on Earth. For example, gravity changes the way atoms combine into crystals. Near-perfect crystals can form under microgravity conditions. Such crystals can provide better semiconductors for faster computers or for creating effective drugs. Another effect of gravity is that it creates convection currents in the flame, which leads to unsteady processes, which makes it difficult to study the combustion process. However, under microgravity conditions, a simple, steady, slow flame is obtained; these types of flame make it easier to study the combustion process. The information obtained can provide a better understanding of the combustion process and lead to improved furnace designs or reduced air pollution by improving combustion efficiency.

From a height above the Earth, space stations offer unique views for studying the weather, Earth's topography, vegetation, oceans, etc. In addition, because space stations are above the earth's atmosphere, they can be used as manned observatories where space telescopes can look at the heavens. The Earth's atmosphere does not interfere with the views of space telescopes. In fact, we've already seen the benefits of unmanned space telescopes like.

Space stations can be used as space hotels. Here, private companies can ferry tourists from Earth to space for short-term visits or extended stays. Even the big expansion of tourism is that space stations could become space ports for expeditions to planets and stars, or even new cities and colonies that could liberate an overpopulated planet.

Now that you know why we need this, let's visit some space stations. And let's start with the Russian Salyut program, the first space station.

Salute: the first space station

Russia (then known as the Soviet Union) was the first to host a space station. The Salyut-1 station, launched into orbit in 1971, was actually a combination of the Almaz and Soyuz spacecraft systems. The Almaz system was originally intended for space military purposes, but has been converted for the civilian space station Salyut. The Soyuz spacecraft ferried astronauts from Earth to the space station and back.

Salute 1 was about 15 meters long and consisted of three main compartments, which housed dining rooms and recreation areas, food and water storage, a toilet, control stations, simulators and scientific equipment. The crew was originally supposed to live aboard Salyut-1, but their mission was related to docking problems that prevented them from entering the space station. The Soyuz-11 team was the first team to successfully survive on Salute 1, which they spent 24 days. However, the Soyuz-11 crew died tragically after returning to Earth, when the Soyuz-11 capsule depressurized during its return. Further missions to Salyut 1 were canceled and the Soyuz spacecraft was redesigned.

After Soyuz-11, another space station, Salyut-2, was launched, but it was unable to enter orbit, followed by Salyuty 3-5. These flights tested the new Soyuz spacecraft and the crews equipped with these stations for longer missions. One of the disadvantages of these space stations was that they only had one docking port for the Soyuz spacecraft and could not be re-docked with other spacecraft.

On September 29, 1977, the Soviets launched Salute 6. This station had a second docking port where the station could be replaced. Salyut-6 operated from 1977 to 1982. In 1982, the last of the Salute programs was launched. It housed 11 crews and were inhabited for 800 days. The Salyut program ultimately led to the development of the Russian space station Mir, which we will talk about a little later. But first, let's look at America's first space station: Skylab.

Skylab: America's first space station

In 1973, the United States placed its first and only space station, Skylab 1, in orbit. The station was damaged during the launch. The critical meteoroid shield and one of the station's two main solar panels were ripped off, and the other solar panel was not fully extended. This meant that Skylab had little electrical power and its internal temperature rose to 52 degrees Celsius.

The first Skylab 2 crew was launched 10 days later to fix the ailing station. The astronauts pulled out the remaining solar panel and installed an umbrella sunshade to cool the station. After repairing the station, astronauts spent 28 days in space conducting scientific and biomedical research. The modified Skylab had the following parts: orbital workshop - living and working quarters for the crew; gateway module - access to the outside of the station is allowed; several docking adapters - allowed several spacecraft to dock with the station at once (however, the station never had overlapping crews); telescopes for observation, and (keep in mind that has not yet been built); Apollo is a command and service module for transporting a crew to the Earth's surface and back. Skylab was manned by two additional crews.

Skylab was never intended as a permanent home in space, but rather a place where the United States could experience the effects of prolonged space missions (that is, more than the two weeks required to fly to the moon) on the human body when the third crew's flight was completed. Skylab was abandoned. Skylab remained airborne until intense solar flare activity caused its orbit to break earlier than expected. Skylab entered the Earth's atmosphere and burned up over Australia in 1979.

World: the first permanent space station

In 1986, the Russians launched a space station that was supposed to be permanent home in space. The first crew, cosmonauts Leonid Kizima and Vladimir Soloviev, stormed between the retired Salyut 7 and Mir. They spent 75 days aboard Mir. The world was constantly completed and built over the next 10 years and contained the following parts:

- Living quarters - separate crew cabins, toilet, shower, kitchen and garbage storage are located;

- Transportation compartment - where additional stations can be connected;

- Intermediate compartment - pluggable working module to rear docking ports;

- Assembly compartment - fuel tanks and rocket engines are located;

- Astrophysics module Kvant-1 - contained telescopes for studying galaxies, quasars and neutron stars;

- Scientific and aviation module Kvant-2 - provided equipment for biological research, Earth observation and space flight capabilities;

- Technological module "Crystal" - was used for experiments on biological and material processing; contained a docking port that could be used with the US space shuttle;

- Spectrum module - used for research and monitoring natural resources Earth and Earth's atmosphere, as well as to support experiments in biological and materials science research;

- Natural remote sensing module - contained radars and spectrometers for studying the Earth's atmosphere;

- Docking module - contained ports for future docking;

- Supply ship - an unmanned supply ship that brought new products and equipment from Earth and removed waste from the station;

- Spacecraft "Soyuz" - provided the main transport to and from the Earth's surface.

In 1994, NASA astronauts (including Norm Tagar, Shannon Lucid, Jerry Langer, and Michael Foal) spent time aboard Mir in preparation for the International Space Station (ISS). During Linier's stay, Mir was damaged by fire. During Foel's stay, the Progress ship crashed into Mir.

The Russian space agency could no longer afford to support Mir, so NASA and the Russian space agency planned to withdraw the station to focus on the ISS. On November 16, 2000, the Russian Space Agency decided to return the World to Earth. In February 2001, Mir was turned off to slow down its movement. The world re-entered the Earth's atmosphere on March 23, 2001, burned and disintegrated. The debris collapsed in the South Pacific Ocean about 1,667 km east of Australia. This marked the end of the first permanent space station.

International Space Station (ISS)

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan proposed that the United States, in collaboration with other countries, build a permanently populated space station. Reagan envisioned a station that would support government and industry. To help with the huge costs of the station, the United States has partnered with 14 other countries (Canada, Japan, Brazil, and the European Union). space agency, which includes: UK, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and Sweden). During ISS planning and after disintegration Soviet Union The United States offered Russia to cooperate on the ISS in 1993; this brought the number of participating countries to 16. NASA took the lead in coordinating the construction of the ISS.

The assembly of the ISS in orbit began in 1998. On October 31, 2000, the first ISS crew was launched from Russia. The three-man team spent nearly five months aboard the ISS, activating systems and conducting experiments.

Speaking of the future, let's see what the future holds for space stations.

The future of space stations

We are just starting the development of space stations. ISS will significantly improve compared to Salyut, Skylab and Mir; but we are still far from realizing large space stations or colonies as science fiction authors suggest. Until now, none of our space stations have had any seriousness. One of the reasons for this is that we want a place without gravity so that we can study its effects. Another is that we lack the technology to practically rotate a large structure, such as a space station, to create artificial gravity. In the future, artificial gravity will become a requirement for space colonies with large populations.

Other popular idea concerns the location of the space station. ISS will need periodic reuse due to its position in low earth orbit. However, there are two places between the Earth and the Moon called the Lagrange points L-4 and L-5. At these points, the gravity of the Earth and the gravity of the Moon are balanced, so an object placed there will not be pulled towards the Earth or the Moon. The orbit would be stable and would not require adjustment. As we learn more about our experiences on the ISS, we can build bigger and better space stations that will allow us to live and work in space, and the dreams of Tsiolkovsky and early astronautics may someday become a reality.

Station "Tiangong-1" weighs 8.5 tons. Its length is 12 m, diameter 3.3 m. It was launched into orbit in 2011. Almost three years later, control of the station was lost. Roger Handberg, professor at Central Florida University, suggested that the engines used up all the fuel to correct the orbit.

Debris from the Chinese space station Tiangong-1, which is descending from orbit, may fall on the territory of several European countries. This was reported by The Hill, citing experts from the California Aerospace Corporation. "Most likely, they will fall into the ocean, but scientists nevertheless warned Spain, Portugal, France and Greece that some debris may fall within their borders," writes The Hill.

The first orbital station in the world that was successfully launched into Earth's orbit was the Salyut-1 station. It is also the first manned space station in the world.

The rapid development of the space industry in the USSR eventually led to the idea of ​​creating the world's first space station. Such a station, according to the projects of Soviet scientists, was supposed to be a research platform that would open up the possibility of constantly and better at that time the study of space. In addition, such a spacecraft was also supposed to serve as a transport ship and a military facility.

To launch and bring something like this spacecraft a powerful and high-tech carrier was needed. Such a carrier, in the opinion of Soviet scientists and designers, could be a heavy rocket "Proton", created in the 60s of the last century.

It should be noted that the creation of the first international space station was actively announced by scientists and government representatives in the United States. These were the years of the so-called Space Race, when the two superpowers competed scientifically among themselves. According to many experts, the "space race" was part of the "arms race" that broke out between the United States and the USSR against the backdrop of the Cold War.

The development and creation of the Salyut 1 space station was carried out by the design bureaus of Chelomey and Korolev, two outstanding people in the history of world cosmonautics. The station was completed in the winter of 1971.

Launch and installation of the first space station of the USSR

The world's first space station Salyut 1 was launched into Earth orbit on April 19, 1971. The launch and the launch to the required height of the apparatus was provided with the help of a heavy carrier rocket "Proton K".

It was a station used by a crew of three. On board the station, conditions were recreated as close as possible to those on Earth. Salyut 1 station was equipped with the most modern way at that time. It consisted of several parts, namely the working compartment, which is a metal, hermetically sealed cylinder.

There were various areas where the crew of the manned space station could rest, store and eat food. The larger edema was equipped with special showers for astronauts, a space toilet, and special simulators that allow astronauts to engage in sports exercises to maintain their normal physical shape, provided they are constantly in zero gravity.

In addition, on board the Soviet orbital station there was a special research complex that allowed astronaut scientists to carry out all kinds of research and experiments, as well as to receive important information about the processes that take place in outer space.

Expeditions to the Salyut 1 space station

In total, two expeditions to the Salyut 1 station were carried out. The first of them, having received Soyuz 10, was able to safely reach the spacecraft, but due to technical problems that arose, the cosmonauts were unable to complete the docking process and penetrate the station. The team later successfully returned to Earth.

Spaceship crew "Union - 10 "

The second expedition, called Soyuz 11, was a team of three astronaut scientists: Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsaev. They successfully docked with the station and stayed on board for twenty-two days. But upon returning to the ground, a tragedy occurred, as a result of the depressurization of the launching module, the entire crew died.

After 175 days spent in Earth orbit, the Salyut 1 station was successfully deorbited. Part of the space orbital station burned up in various layers of the atmosphere, and the other part fell into the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

On April 19, 1971, the world's first manned orbital station was launched into Earth's orbit. This station was built under the "DOS" program, that is, "Long-term orbital stations". It was built by the efforts of Soviet designers, who made our country the leader of world cosmonautics. The creation of orbital stations of this type has become critical stage in the development of Soviet cosmonautics.

The history of the creation of the station "Salyut - 1"

The decision to create a DOS-type orbital station was made in 1969. In 1970, in December, the first base unit of the station was manufactured at the Khrunichev plant, after which it was transferred for testing. They were successful, and on April 19, 1971, the Salyut-1 orbital station was launched into orbit from the Baikonur cosmodrome. She took a place in orbit and after 175 days completed her work. During the operation, two expeditions were sent to the station, which, unfortunately, were unsuccessful. The first, Soyuz-10, was unable to board the station due to damage to the docking assembly, the second, Soyuz-11, was able to board the station, but died during the descent. Salyut-1 was de-orbited on October 11, 1971.

Design features

The main feature of the Salyut-1 station was that preparations for its launch were carried out at once at two enterprises - NPO Energia and KB Salyut. In addition, the manufacture of equipment for the orbital station was also organized at two factories. These were the ZIKh factories - the Kalinin machine-building plant in Yekaterinburg and the ZEM - the experimental machine-building plant. At the same time, there was a clear division of labor. Enterprise "Energia" was engaged in the design and development of almost all major systems of the orbital station. And KB "Salyut" developed design drawings. Also, the division existed in the work of the factories. The Kalinin plant manufactured sealed housings and main structural elements, moreover, the general assembly of the station took place here. And at the plant of the experimental structure, all the systems that were supposed to be equipped with the Salyut-1 station took place. The station was equipped with the latest scientific equipment, which in total weighed about 1.5 tons. It included a solar telescope, an infrared and an X-ray telescope, a device that allowed an image to be magnified 60 times, and a large number of other modern and unique equipment for that time.

To create these devices in an extremely short time (no more than 11 months), it took the efforts of several research centers at once, including FIAN (Physical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences), Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory, and Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. The Minister of Mechanical Engineering S. A. Afanasyev was actively interested in the project and supported it. It is interesting that the general designer of the Design Bureau Chelomei himself was against the creation of the station. In 1972, V. N. Chelomey and another chief designer V. P. Mishin even sent a letter to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, in which they suggested stopping the development of stations of the Salyut program. Of course, such an attitude to the project significantly hampered its development. but whole line ministries and departments of the Soviet Union supported "Salute". Experimental installations were even installed at the first orbital station: temperature control, life support, and others. The start took place in April 1971.

The main tasks of the Salyut-1 station

Since the apparatus was equipped with many devices, it was assumed that with its help active cognitive and research activities would be carried out. The tasks that were planned for the crew included research on plant growth in outer space, as well as observing changes in outer space.

Since the crew could change on the ship, it was believed that research results could be obtained immediately after the change of crew members. Transport ships were supposed to deliver materials for experiments, food for astronauts and even letters addressed to members of the scientific space group to the station. Also, according to the forecasts of the designer K.P. Feoktistov, the work at the station was supposed to help in solving earthly problems, such as predicting the harvest of agricultural crops or exploring mineral deposits.

In secret protocols, the station was referred to as "Product 17K". Station "Salyut-1" - was supposed to become a scientific breakthrough of the Soviet Union and lead the country to the usual "Ahead of the whole planet." In addition, a serious task was set before the designers who were developing this station - the station was to become as long-term as possible. In addition, in the United States, work was also underway to create manned orbital stations, and the leadership of the USSR decided to deploy this large-scale operation in our country in as soon as possible... But in our case, the apparatus was supposed to be used for research works, while in the United States, manned stations were assigned the role of military facilities.

The first expedition to "Salyut-1"

The members of the first expedition included cosmonauts A. Eliseev, N. Rukavishnikov and V. Shatalov. All of them, before leaving for the station, underwent training, which included simulation of emergency situations that can occur at the orbital station. The crew went to Salyut-1 on the Soyuz-10 spacecraft. The docking occurred on April 24, 1971, the connection went well, but other problems occurred. The docking unit installed at the orbital station turned out to be faulty and the crew members simply could not get on board Salyut-1. The commander of the ship, Vladimir Alexandrovich Shatalov, tried to fix the malfunction, but his attempts were unsuccessful. The Soyuz-10 spacecraft flew for more than five hours, being docked with the Salyut-1 orbital station, after which the crew decided to undock. The landing was made.

This first unsuccessful experience revealed a number of errors, which, in the future, were eliminated.

Tragedy of the Second Expedition

The second expedition began on July 6, 1971. The crew included experienced cosmonauts V. Volkov, V. Patsaev and G. Dobrovolsky. On June 7, at 10 am, the Soyuz-11 rocket successfully docked with the Salyut-1 orbital station. The crew was able to safely board the station and stayed there for 22 days. During this working time, the team members carried out all the required research and completed all the tasks that were assigned to the expedition. In particular, the cosmonauts carried out studies of the influence of weightlessness on the development of plants. These experiments were supposed to form the basis for the beginning of growing plants on space stations, thanks to which it would be possible to receive oxygen and food. Having carried out all the necessary research, it was decided to undock with the Salyut-1 station.

The tragedy occurred at the moment when the spacecraft began to descend and its braking engines worked. Upon separation of the Soyuz-11 rocket, a pressure equalization valve unexpectedly opened on it. As a result of the opening of the valve, all the air that was contained in the spacecraft flowed out into the vacuum of outer space. The device made a normal landing, a special parachute opened. But when a search group arrived at him, and the hatch of the apparatus was opened, it turned out that all the crew members were dead. They gasped as they flew to Earth. This incident reminded humanity that the danger that exists when going into outer space is still relevant and cannot be completely solved, no matter how high-tech the equipment is.

175 days after the launch into orbit, the first manned orbital station Salyut-1 was decommissioned. The control center gave the command to activate the brake motors and the station safely entered the atmosphere. The Salyut-1 station now rests at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.