A spacecraft used for flights in near-Earth orbit, including under human control.
All spacecraft can be divided into two classes: manned and launched in control mode from the Earth's surface.
In the early 20s. 20th century K. E. Tsiolkovsky once again predicts the future exploration of outer space by earthlings. In his work "Spaceship" there is a mention of the so-called celestial ships, the main purpose of which is the implementation of human spaceflight.
The first spaceships of the Vostok series were created under the strict guidance of the general designer of OKB-1 (now the Rocket and Space Corporation Energia) S.P. Korolev. The first manned spacecraft "Vostok" was able to deliver a man into outer space on April 12, 1961. This cosmonaut was Yu. A. Gagarin.
The main objectives of the experiment were:
1) study of the impact of orbital flight conditions on a person, including his performance;
2) verification of the principles of spacecraft design;
3) development of structures and systems in real conditions.
The total mass of the ship was 4.7 tons, diameter - 2.4 m, length - 4.4 m. Among the onboard systems with which the ship was equipped, the following can be distinguished: control systems (automatic and manual modes); system of automatic orientation to the Sun and manual - to the Earth; life supporting system; thermal control system; landing system.
In the future, the developments obtained during the implementation of the Vostok spacecraft program made it possible to create much more advanced ones. To date, the "armada" of spacecraft is very clearly represented by the American reusable transport spacecraft "Shuttle", or Space Shuttle.
It is impossible not to mention the Soviet development, which is currently not used, but could seriously compete with the American ship.
Buran was the name of the Soviet Union's program to create a reusable space system. Work on the Buran program began in connection with the need to create a reusable space system as a means of deterring a potential adversary in connection with the start of the American project in January 1971.
To implement the project, NPO Molniya was created. In the shortest possible time in 1984, with the support of more than a thousand enterprises from all over the Soviet Union, the first full-scale copy was created with the following technical characteristics: its length was more than 36 m with a wingspan of 24 m; starting weight - more than 100 tons with a payload weight of up to
30 tons
"Buran" had a pressurized cabin in the nose compartment, which could accommodate about ten people and most of the equipment for flight in orbit, descent and landing. The ship was equipped with two groups of engines at the end of the tail section and in front of the hull for maneuvering, for the first time a combined propulsion system was used, which included oxidizer and fuel fuel tanks, pressurization temperature control, fluid intake in zero gravity, control system equipment, etc.
The first and only flight of the Buran spacecraft was made on November 15, 1988 in an unmanned, fully automatic mode (for reference: the Shuttle still only lands on manual control). Unfortunately, the flight of the ship coincided with the difficult times that began in the country, and due to the end of the Cold War and the lack of sufficient funds, the Buran program was closed.
The start of a series of American spacecraft of the "Shuttle" type was laid in 1972, although it was preceded by a project of a reusable two-stage aircraft, each stage of which was similar to a jet.
The first stage served as an accelerator, which, after entering orbit, completed its part of the task and returned to Earth with the crew, and the second stage was an orbital ship and, after completing the program, also returned to the launch site. It was the time of an arms race, and the creation of a ship of this type was considered the main link in this race.
To launch the ship, the Americans use an accelerator and the ship's own engine, the fuel for which is placed in an external fuel tank. Spent boosters after landing are not reused, with a limited number of launches. Structurally, the ship of the Shuttle series consists of several main elements: the Orbiter aerospace plane, reusable rocket boosters and a fuel tank (disposable).
Due to a large number of shortcomings and design changes, the first flight of the spacecraft took place only in 1981. In the period from April 1981 to July 1982, a series of orbital flight tests of the Columbia spacecraft was carried out in all flight modes. Unfortunately, in a series of flights of the Shuttle series, there were tragedies.
In 1986, during the 25th launch of the Challenger, a fuel tank exploded due to an imperfect design of the apparatus, as a result of which all seven crew members died. Only in 1988, after a number of changes were made to the flight program, the Discovery spacecraft was launched. To replace the Challenger, a new ship, the Endeavor, was put into operation, which has been operating since 1992.
Work on the preliminary design of the spacecraft of the future has been going on for more than a year. Rocket and Space Corporation (RKK) Energia, which won the tender, received 800 million rubles for the first stage of development and is due to present the project in June. The Space Corporation has provided exclusive video footage illustrating what the next generation of spacecraft should be like.
Work on the project of the new ship is being carried out in strict secrecy, its sketches are a complete secret of RSC Energia. At the disposal of the TV channel "Russia 24" were only preliminary sketches. Initially, it was assumed that the spacecraft will receive the short name "Rus". Now it became known that this is one of the working names of the launch vehicle with a carrying capacity of 20 tons. Vitaly Lopota, President of Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, said: “The name Rus was assigned to one of the launch vehicle projects, but we didn’t go out on the ship with such an initiative, because now we are in the preliminary design and search for the look. Or rather, the look of the new ship already understood and formed. We hope to start flight tests by 2015."
Earlier, the head of the Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov, said: "The term is very limited at the present time - in 2015 the first flight should be carried out in a cargo version, and in 2018 - with a crew."
So far, the name of the ship is "Promising Manned Transport System", abbreviated as PPTS. Some also call it "Clipper" by analogy with. Roskosmos considered the project not meeting the requirements. For example, wings are not required for a spacecraft and may even be a problem when returning to earth. Vitaly Lopota spoke about the technical details of the new development: “We are forced to look for forms, and we found them. These forms are somewhat reminiscent of a spinning top, half cut off - a conical shape. This ship will be more technologically advanced in manufacturing, will use fundamentally new materials, it will light enough."
According to preliminary developments, the ship will have the shape of a cone. After all, a cone is the optimal shape for passing through dense layers of the atmosphere. The descent vehicle crashes into them at the first cosmic speed - more than seven kilometers per second. "The spacecraft, which flies into our atmosphere with the first cosmic speed, heats up to 2-2.5 thousand degrees. No materials, no steel, metals can withstand this. Therefore, we are forced to abandon the developed surface. It will be a combination of various landing systems - that is, parachute, jet," Vitaly Lopota explained.
Approximately according to the same principle, the American NASA followed, creating its future Orion spacecraft. Its first flight is scheduled for 2014. The next-generation Russian spacecraft is designed for 15 years of operation and at least 10 flights, but not all of its parts will be reusable. "When entering the atmosphere, and in this critical situation, the instrument-aggregate compartment will be superfluous - it will be fired, and for the next use it will be necessary to install a new one. The heat shield will be fired, which will take on the maximum energy upon entry into the atmosphere. And the most expensive - it's a reentry vehicle, it's people, it's a life support system, a control system, a propulsion system," the President of RSC Energia specified.
It is known about the ships of the new system that they will weigh from 18 to 20 tons, depending on the purpose. The new ships will be able to launch up to six crew members into low Earth orbit and carry at least 500 kilograms of cargo. They will be able to deliver four cosmonauts and 100 kilograms of cargo to lunar orbit. It is assumed that the unmanned version of the PPTS will be able to put at least two tons of cargo into low-Earth orbit and return about half a ton to Earth.
Vitaly Lopota also spoke about other features of the system being created: “Actually, the ship should provide takeoff and quick docking with the expeditionary complex for docking with the station, either for flying to other planets, or for performing tasks in orbit. If long flights are needed, we are able to dock household compartment.
As previously stated by the head of Roscosmos Anatoly Perminov, the crew of the ship will be at least four to six people. "The ship must fly successfully both to low-Earth orbit, that is, to other stations of the same type, to the future assembly complex in low-Earth orbit, and be able to fly into orbit around the Moon, be in autonomous flight for at least 30 days," - he specified.
The future assembly and experimental complex in near-Earth orbit is a continuation of the manned program for the next two or even three decades. Perhaps even when the International Space Station has already served its term. Roskosmos has high hopes for this program. Aleksey Krasnov, Head of the Manned Programs Department of Roscosmos, spoke about the proposed tasks: “The possibility of assembling a small spacecraft on the basis of the ISS that would fly from space orbit beyond the near-Earth space. Until the goal is determined, this remains to be done, but it could be lunar orbit, it could be an asteroid. It flew away and came back."
Probably, the new apparatus will become part of the Martian program. The future interplanetary complex will be assembled in the so-called low Earth orbit. Its weight can be up to 500 tons. Once assembled, the structure will be gradually raised to a height of 200 thousand kilometers, and this will take several months. The crew of the Martian expedition will be delivered at the last moment before the launch, so that the astronauts do not receive an additional dose of solar radiation, and the complex starts from a high orbit towards the Red Planet.
Orion
After the tragedy with the Columbia shuttle, the authority of the Space Shuttle program was seriously undermined, and NASA faced the task of creating a new reusable manned shuttle. In the mid-2000s, this project was called the Crew Exploration Vehicle, but later acquired a more sonorous and beautiful name - "Orion".
The Orion is a partially manned reusable spacecraft, which, in fact, repeats the technical design of the Apollo series ships, but has much more advanced "stuffing", especially electronic. Almost everything has been updated - even the toilet in the new shuttle will be in the image of those used on the ISS.
It is assumed that the Orion ships will begin with near-Earth activities - mainly, they will be engaged in the delivery of astronauts to the orbital station. Then the fun begins: NASA representatives say that the new shuttle will be able to return a man to the moon, help land astronauts on an asteroid, and even make the “next giant leap” (Next Giant Leap is already officially one of the slogans accompanying the Orion program) - to allow man finally set foot on the surface of Mars.
The first serious test (Exploration Flight Test-1) of a largely finished ship will begin in December 2014 - however, it will only be an orbital and unmanned flight for primary tests. The first flight of astronauts on Orion is scheduled for the early 2020s. The most attractive, and thus the most likely (because of its comparatively low cost) manned mission for NASA's new shuttle so far is to visit an asteroid previously delivered into lunar orbit.
Orion shuttle concept / ©NASA
SpaceShipTwo
The British company Virgin Galactic, headed by billionaire Richard Branson, is one of the locomotives of space tourism and is soon going to take commercial space to a new level.
Approximately by the end of 2014, the first passenger launches of the suborbital shuttle will begin, which for 250 thousand dollars will be able to ride six lucky people at an altitude of 110 km above sea level. This is 10 km higher than the Karman Line, the International Aviation Federation's boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space.
Rockets are not used when launching SpaceShipTwo; instead of them, the shuttle raises the main aircraft - WhiteKnightTwo - to the required height, then the ship is dropped, and the main - already rocket - engine is turned on on it, specially designed for it (RocketMotorTwo), which brings the ship to the cherished line of 110 km. Then the ship descends and re-enters the atmosphere at a speed of 4200 km/h (and can do it at any angle), and then sits on the airfield on its own.
The number of people signed up for the first flights of SpaceShipTwo is approaching a thousand. Among them are actors Ashton Kutcher and Angelina Jolie, as well as, for example, Justin Bieber. Seats for flying with Leonardo DiCaprio were generally raffled off at a charity auction - it turned out that many were not averse to paying a million dollars for such a service.
By the way, the UK's recent decision to build its own commercial spaceport was dictated, among other things, by the need to create infrastructure for companies such as Virgin Galactic. The company currently uses Spaceport America, located in the US state of New Mexico.
SpaceShipTwo in solo flight / ©MarsScientific
Dawn
The mission of the interplanetary automatic station Dawn ("Dawn") is unique: the satellite must explore a pair of dwarf planets of the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter), and directly from their orbit. If all goes well, this device will become the first satellite in history to visit the orbits of two different celestial bodies (not including the Earth).
Developed by NASA and launched in 2007, and equipped with an experimental ion thruster, the vehicle has already successfully completed its mission to explore the rocky protoplanet Vesta in 2012. All data received by the satellite is in the public domain.
At the moment, Dawn is heading towards an even more interesting object - the icy Ceres. This protoplanet (previously classified as an asteroid) has a diameter of 950 kilometers and is very close to a spherical shape. Having a mass of a third of the entire asteroid belt, Ceres could officially become a planet (5th from the Sun), but in 2006, together with Pluto, it received the status of a dwarf planet. According to calculations, the ice mantle on its surface can reach 100 km in depth; this means that there is more fresh water on Ceres than on Earth.
Both objects - both Vesta and Ceres - are of great interest to scientists. Their study will allow us to delve deeper into the understanding of the processes occurring during the formation of planets, as well as the factors influencing it.
Dawn is expected to orbit Ceres in February 2015.
Dawn approaching Vesta concept / ©NASA/JPL-Caltech
New Horizons
A little later, in July 2015, another major event is planned related to the mission of another interplanetary automatic station. Around this time, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, launched in 2006, will reach Pluto's orbit, the mission of which is a thorough study of Pluto and its satellites, as well as a couple of objects in the Kuiper Belt (depending on which will be most accessible in around the satellite in 2015)
At the moment, the device has a striking record - it has reached the highest speed in comparison with any device launched from Earth, and is heading towards Pluto at a speed of 16.26 km / s. To achieve this, New Horizons was helped by the gravitational acceleration that he received when flying near Jupiter.
By the way, many research functions of the apparatus were tested on Jupiter and its satellites. After leaving the Jovian system, the energy-saving apparatus plunged into a "sleep" from which it would only be awakened by the approach of Pluto.
The concept of New Horizons against the backdrop of Pluto and its satellite / ©NASA
Don Quijote
The mission of the interplanetary automatic station "Don Quixote", developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), is truly chivalrous. Consisting of two vehicles - the research "Sancho" and the "impact" "Hidalgo", "Don Quixote" will have to demonstrate once and for all whether humanity can be saved from an imminent asteroid fall by forcing a potential murderer to change course.
It is assumed that both parts of the device will reach some pre-selected asteroid with a diameter of about 500 meters. "Sancho" will revolve around him, doing the necessary research.
When everything is ready, Sancho will move away from the asteroid to a safe distance, and Hidalgo will crash into it at a speed of 10 km / s. Then the Sancho will again study the object - more precisely, what consequences the collision left: whether the asteroid's course has changed, how strong the destruction is in its structure, etc.
Don Quixote is scheduled to launch around 2016.
Don Quijote concept with an unnamed asteroid in the background / ©ESA - AOES Medialab
Luna Globe
Projects of lunar vehicles are being revived in Russia, and people responsible for the Russian space industry are increasingly talking about creating a lunar colony with a tricolor.
The creation of a space base on the Moon is still a distant prospect, but the projects of interplanetary automatic stations for the study of an artificial satellite of the Earth are quite feasible right now, and for several years now the Luna-Glob program has been the main one in Russia - in fact, the first necessary step en route to a potential lunar settlement.
The interplanetary automatic probe "Luna-Glob" will mainly consist of a landing descent vehicle. It will land on the lunar surface in its south polar region, presumably in the Boguslavsky crater, and work out the mechanism for landing on the lunar surface. Also, the probe will study the lunar soil - drilling in order to take soil samples and further analyze it for the presence of ice (water is necessary both for the life of astronauts and potentially as hydrogen fuel for rockets).
The launch of the device was postponed many times for various reasons, at the moment the launch year is 2015. In the future, before the manned flight planned for the 2030s, it is planned to launch several more heavier probes, including Luna-Resource, which will the study of the Moon and other necessary preparatory measures for the future landing of astronauts.
The concept of the Luna Globe lander / ©Rusrep
dream chaser
The Dream Chaser mini-shuttle from Sierra Nevada Corporation is being developed for NASA as a reliable and reusable manned vehicle for suborbital and orbital flights. The Dream Chaser is supposed to be used to deliver astronauts to the ISS.
The launch of the device is carried out by the Atlas-5 rocket. The shuttle itself, capable of carrying 7 people, is powered by hybrid rocket engines. Landing, like SpaceShipTwo, it carries out independently and horizontally - at the spaceport.
Along with SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's CST-100, the Dream Chaser is a commercial contender for US and NASA's new primary manned spacecraft (all three projects have received government funding). It is worth noting that these devices are being developed by the private sector of the American space industry with partial state support and are aimed at operations in near-Earth space. As for activities in deeper space, NASA already has its own manned spacecraft program, and this is the Orion mentioned above.
Most recently (July 22, 2014), Dream Chaser tests were carried out, which showed the readiness of all key systems for space flights. The first test manned flight of the shuttle is scheduled for 2016.
Concept Dream Chaser, docked to the ISS / ©NASA
Inspiration Mars
Of course, many people know about the Mars One project, a planned space reality show, the authors of which are now holding a worldwide competition to select applicants for a manned flight to Mars by the early 2020s and the creation of a permanent human settlement there. However, there is another similar project - Inspiration Mars.
The Inpsiration Mars Foundation is a non-profit organization created by the first American space tourist, Dennis Tito. Tito proposes to raise the necessary funds and send two people on a spaceship to Mars. There are no plans to land or enter orbit; only a flyby of the Red Planet and return to Earth. With luck, the mission should take 501 days.
It is supposed to attract funds both from the private sector and from the US budget; in total, from 1 to 2 billion dollars is required, the exact cost has not yet been named. The American Orion is called as an apparatus that can be involved in the mission.
Tito believes that the flight should be completed already in 2018 (Mars at this moment will again be as close as possible to the Earth, which will create favorable conditions for interplanetary flight; the next time this will be only in 2031).
There is also a “Plan B” in case the mission is not ready by 2018: extend the mission to 589 days, launch the device in 2021 and fly not only past Mars, but also past Venus.
The trajectory of the probable flight of Inspiration Mars / ©Inpsiration Mars Foundation
James WebbTelescope
A space telescope that costs more than three Curiosity rovers. The James Webb Telescope is the successor to the world-famous Hubble telescope (which continues to age). Not only the United States, but also 16 other countries participated in the development of the project. NASA received substantial assistance from the space agencies of Europe and Canada.
The $8 billion telescope (the latest figure released by Congress) is expected to be launched on an Arian 5 rocket in October 2018 and placed at the Lagrange point between the Sun and Earth.
The main mirror of the telescope consists of 18 gilded movable mirrors connected into one, and has a diameter of 6.5 meters. The telescope will "see" in the optical, near and mid-infrared ranges. With its help, it is supposed to study the early stages of the development of the Universe and see celestial bodies extremely distant from our galaxy, as well as to make clearer than ever pictures of objects in the solar system.
In terms of its capabilities, James Webb will surpass not only Hubble, but also another important space telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope.
James Webb Telescope concept / ©NASA
JUICE
The interplanetary automatic station Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer is likely to change our understanding of the small bodies of the solar system. The JUICE satellite, developed by ESA, will go to Jupiter in 2022 and will be engaged in long-awaited studies of some of the most interesting objects in the solar system - the three closest and largest satellites of Jupiter from the so-called Galilean group: Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
It is assumed that each of these celestial bodies has an under-ice ocean, that is, theoretically, the conditions for the origin of life. JUICE will come to grips with the study of the physical characteristics of these satellites, the search for organic molecules and the study of the composition of the ice (remotely, through the scientific equipment on board).
The data obtained by JUICE will help analyze Jovian moons as potential targets for future manned missions. In the event of a successful launch at the scheduled time, the device will reach the Jupiter system in 2030.
JUICE concept with Jupiter and Europa in the background / ©ESA
The most exciting concepts, as a rule, are very far from the real implementation. But if our ancestors had not studied things that seemed unlikely at that time, then humanity would never have seen the Sea of Tranquility and would not have been able to break up atoms into protons and neutrons. Today, people dream of flying into deep space, and you can be sure that these dreams will come true. Perhaps the flight will take place on one of the 10 concept ships from our survey.space.
1 Swarm Flyby Gravimetry: Swarm Of Tiny Satellites
While most satellites are getting bigger, space engineer Justin Atchison proposes to do the opposite - and significantly reduce their size. His Swarm Flyby Gravimetry project was awarded a grant from NASA. Swarms of tiny probes are to be used on small asteroids, where they will be delivered by a large parent probe. Basically, the project is designed to determine the mass of asteroids and measure their gravitational field. Also, a group of cheap nanoprobes will be able to take samples to determine the chemical composition of space bodies.
2. Talise: kayaks on Titan
While Europa and Mars (Europe has an ocean under ice and Mars was once very similar to Earth) are considered the first candidates for the existence of extraterrestrial life, Saturn's largest moon, Titan, may also host one of the most unusual hypothesized life forms. But at minus 180 degrees Celsius, Titan's seas should not be water, but liquid hydrocarbons.
Therefore, any form of life that arises in this environment will have a unique structure. Ordinary rovers cannot swim. Thus, to find these unusual life forms, you need an apparatus that can swim. Developed by Spanish engineers and astrobiologists, the 100-kilogram Talise apparatus will have to sail through Titan's second largest sea, Ligeia. While there are disputes about what propulsion device to equip the "titan rover".
3. Mars helicopter
Over the years, countless rover concepts have been proposed. What kind of devices did not come up with - rolling, jumping, digging tunnels and even floating. But until now, there were almost no projects for flying rovers. The size of the helicopter-drone developed by NASA is only about 1.2 meters, and it weighs just over 1 kg. The main responsibility of the helicopter will be autonomous reconnaissance of the surface, on which the rover will subsequently move. Such an apparatus could save hundreds of millions of dollars by preventing research apparatuses from getting stuck. NASA hopes to build a fully working prototype within three years.
4 Tiny Submarine For Europe
Jupiter's moon Europa is of great interest to scientists, because in this frozen world under the ice shell there is a salty ocean, which is very similar to the earth. But the thickness of the ice shell is more than 15 kilometers in some places, so getting to the water is problematic. NASA has developed a submersible probe DADU (Deeper Access, Deeper Understanding). Firstly, this probe is very light, and its delivery to Europe will not cost an astronomical amount. Secondly, the size of the probe is very small, so it will be able to penetrate through the ice through cracks. NASA's plan is for the lander to drill a hole through the ice and launch a tethered probe into it (continuously providing it with power). DADU will be equipped with temperature sensors, sonar and a water sampling device.
5. Disco ball in space
DANDE (Drag and Atmospheric Neutral Density Explorer), developed by students of the University of Colorado, won the experimental spacecraft competition. This psychedelic disco ball was made to estimate the drag force in the thermosphere (the penultimate layer of the Earth's atmosphere) at an altitude of 320-480 kilometers. Six years after the creation of DANDE, the students involved in the project saw their dreams come true on September 29, 2013, when SpaceX's SpaceX Falcon 9 launched DANDE into orbit.
6 Bigelow Space Habitat
Bigelow Aerospace is a privately funded (mainly founder Robert Bigelow) start-up focused on future space dwellings. Airship-like structures are not very aesthetically pleasing, but in space, aerodynamic shapes are simply not needed. The Bigelow BA 330, which is currently under development, is larger than the Destiny ISS capsule at 14 meters long, compared to Destiny's 8 meters long, so potential astronauts will be able to accommodate more comfortably.
All important devices and tools are located in the center of the capsule, and not along the walls, as in the ISS. On Earth, the Bigelow is packaged in a miniature case, while in space it will "inflate" to a working size. Bigelow plans to connect two such vehicles and lease them as a commercial space station.
7. Starship for 100 years
The earth is very big. But in order to become a truly developed civilization, people need to throw off the earthly shackles and populate the cosmos. Although it may seem like a very distant future, an interstellar adventure is already being planned. The 100-Year Starship Program (100YSS) has already received financial grants from NASA and DARPA, and is supported by the notorious SETI project. The goal of the project is to make interstellar travel possible within 100 years. One of the concepts that can be further developed within the framework of the project was developed back in the 1970s and was called Daedalus. Comparable to the USS Nimitz in size, this gigantic space ark will roam the galaxy in search of a viable place to found Earth-II.
8 SOAR
The Franco-Italian company Thales Alenia Space, known for the construction of satellites, together with Swiss Space Systems, has proposed a new version of orbital flight. SOAR is essentially a shuttle that an Airbus A300 airliner will launch into sub-orbit. Initially, the device was made as an unmanned satellite, but was converted into a manned version. SOAR, which cost $290 million, offers the opportunity to use the unique platform as a microgravity lab. Typically, it is used for ISS missions.
9. Nautilus X
NASA's Nautilus-X looks like it was made from pieces of kitchenware, but this space station can comfortably accommodate a crew of six for two years. Non-Atmospheric Universal Transport Intended for Lengty United States Exploration (Nautilus-X) is a versatile and mobile space station that can deliver astronaut crews throughout the solar system. Unfortunately, it will not be able to land on the surface of other planets.
The cost of the station is only $3.7 billion, which is roughly the same as the combined cost of the tiny Curiosity rover and the Rosetta probe. Nautilus-X is also expected to be the successor to the $150 billion International Space Station. The station's distinguishing feature is a torus around it that will spin artificial gravity.
10 Cloud City On Venus
Hell hasn't always been created on the surface of Venus. It is possible that life flourished on it billions of years ago. This could happen again if NASA's "cloud city" concept comes to fruition. Since Venus is closer to Earth than Mars, it is possible that the space station will be sent there initially. The NASA Air City will float 50 kilometers above the surface of Venus. At this altitude, conditions are very similar to those on Earth, and the colonists will also be protected from the deadly radiation of the Sun. A lighter-than-air airship would be able to float in Venus's atmosphere for just 30 days, with a round trip taking more than a year.
Man masters not only space, but also the depths of the sea. And today they are no less interesting than spaceships.
Cosmonautics in Russia largely inherits the space programs of the 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 (FGUP TsNIIMash). Founded in 1960 and based in the science city called Korolev. The tasks of the MCC include the control and management of spacecraft flights, which can be serviced simultaneously in the amount of up to twenty vehicles. In addition, the MCC conducts calculations and studies aimed at improving the quality of apparatus control and solving some problems in the field of control.
- 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 separated into a separate district and removed from Shchelkovo. On the territory of 317.8 hectares there are residential buildings for all personnel, employees of Roscosmos and their families, as well as all cosmonauts who are also undergoing space training at the CTC. In 2016, the number of inhabitants of the town is more than 5600.
- 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, an aircraft laboratory and a three-story hydro laboratory. The latter makes it possible to create weightlessness conditions similar to those on the ISS. In this case, a full-size layout of the space station is used.
- Baikonur Cosmodrome. It was founded in 1955 on an area of 6717 km² near the city of Kazaly, Kazakhstan. It is currently leased by Russia (until 2050) and is the leader in the number of launches - 18 launch vehicles in 2015, while Cape Canaveral is one launch behind, and the Kourou cosmodrome (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 town of Tsiolkovsky. In addition to creating a second Baikonur in Russia, Vostochny is also intended for commercial flights. The spaceport is located near developed railway junctions, highways, and airfields. In addition, due to the successful location of Vostochny, the separated parts of 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 has been spent in 2016. On April 28, 2016, the first rocket launch took place, which brought three satellites into Earth orbit. The launch of the manned spacecraft is scheduled for 2023.
- Cosmodrome "Plesetsk". Founded in 1957 near the town of Mirny, Arkhangelsk region. It occupies 176,200 hectares. "Plesetsk" is intended for launching strategic defense systems, unmanned space scientific and commercial vehicles. The first launch from the cosmodrome took place on March 17, 1966, when the Vostok-2 launch vehicle was launched, with the Kosmos-112 satellite on board. In 2014, the launch of the newest launch vehicle called Angara took place.
Launch from 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 the development of ballistic missiles, launch vehicles, and satellites. In 1956-1957, the work of the Bureau designed the carrier rocket, the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile, with the help of which, on October 4, 1957, the first artificial satellite Sputnik-1 was launched into the Earth's orbit. The launch took place at the Tyura-Tam research site, which was designed specifically for this purpose and which would later be named Baikonur.
On November 3, 1957, a second satellite was launched, this time with a living creature on board - a dog named Laika.
Laika is the first living creature to orbit the earth
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 to the surface of the Moon at a speed of 12,000 km / h, as a result of which the structure instantly went into a gaseous state. In 1959, Luna-3 took pictures of the far side of the Moon, which allowed the USSR to name most of its landscape elements.
