How does a regular space rocket work. The fastest rockets in the world

11.06.2010 00:10

The American spacecraft Dawn recently set a new speed record - 25.5 thousand km / h, ahead of its main competitor - the Deep Space 1 probe. This achievement was made possible thanks to the super-powerful ion engine installed on the device. However, according to experts NASA, this is far from the limit of its capabilities.

The speed of the American spacecraft Dawn reached a record high on June 5 - 25.5 thousand km / h. However, according to scientists, in the near future the speed of the ship will reach the mark of 100 thousand km / h.

Thus, thanks to the unique engine, Dawn surpassed its predecessor, the Deep Space 1 probe, an experimental robotic spacecraft launched on October 24, 1998 by a launch vehicle. True, Deep Space 1 still retains the title of the station whose engines have worked the longest. But to get ahead of the "competitor" in this category Dawn may already in August.

The main task of the spacecraft, launched three years ago, is to study the asteroid 4 Vesta, which the device will approach in 2011, and the dwarf planet Ceres. Scientists hope to obtain the most accurate data on the shape, size, mass, mineral and elemental composition of these objects located between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars. The total path to be overcome by the device Dawn is 4 billion 800 million kilometers.

Since there is no air in outer space, having accelerated, the ship continues to move at the gained speed. On Earth, this is not possible due to frictional deceleration. The use of ion thrusters in vacuum conditions allowed scientists to make the process of gradually increasing the speed of the Dawn spacecraft as efficient as possible.

The principle of operation of the innovative engine is to ionize the gas and accelerate it electrostatic field. At the same time, thanks to high attitude charge to mass, it becomes possible to accelerate the ions to very high speeds. Thus, a very high specific impulse can be achieved in the engine, which makes it possible to significantly reduce the consumption of the reactive mass of ionized gas (compared to chemical reaction), but requires a lot of energy.

The three engines of the Dawn are not constantly running, but are switched on briefly at certain points in the flight. To date, they have worked for a total of 620 days and have used up over 165 kilograms of xenon. Simple calculations show that the speed of the probe increased by about 100 km / h every four days. By the end of the eight-year Dawn mission (although experts do not exclude its extension), the total operating time of the engines will be 2000 days - almost 5.5 years. Such indicators promise that the speed of the spacecraft will reach 38.6 thousand km / h.

This may seem like a small amount against the background of at least the first cosmic speed at which artificial Earth satellites are launched, but for an interplanetary vehicle without any external accelerators, which does not perform special maneuvers in the gravitational field of the planets, such a result is indeed remarkable.

It began in 1957, when the first satellite, Sputnik-1, was launched in the USSR. Since then, people have managed to visit, and unmanned space probes have visited all the planets, with the exception of. Satellites orbiting the Earth have become part of our lives. Thanks to them, millions of people have the opportunity to watch TV (see the article ""). The figure shows how part of the spacecraft returns to Earth using a parachute.

rockets

The history of space exploration begins with rockets. The first rockets were used for bombing during the Second World War. In 1957, a rocket was created that delivered Sputnik-1 into space. Most of the rocket is occupied by fuel tanks. Only the upper part of the rocket, called payload. The Ariane-4 rocket has three separate sections with fuel tanks. They are called rocket stages. Each stage pushes the rocket a certain distance, after which, when empty, it separates. As a result, only the payload remains from the rocket. The first stage carries 226 tons of liquid fuel. Fuel and two boosters create the huge mass necessary for takeoff. The second stage separates at an altitude of 135 km. The third stage of the rocket is hers, working on liquid and nitrogen. Fuel here burns out in about 12 minutes. As a result, only the payload remains from the European Space Agency's Ariane-4 rocket.

In the 1950s-1960s. The USSR and the USA competed in space exploration. First manned spacecraft was East. The Saturn V rocket carried humans to the moon for the first time.

Missiles of the 1950s-/960s:

1. "Satellite"

2. Vanguard

3. "Juno-1"

4. "East"

5. "Mercury-Atlant"

6. "Gemini-Titan-2"

8. "Saturn-1B"

9. "Saturn-5"

space speeds

To get into space, the rocket must go beyond. If its speed is insufficient, it will simply fall to the Earth, due to the action of the force. The speed required to go into space is called first cosmic speed. It is 40,000 km/h. In orbit, the spacecraft circles the Earth with orbital speed. The orbital speed of a ship depends on its distance from the Earth. When a spacecraft flies in orbit, it essentially just falls, but it cannot fall, because it loses height just as much as the earth's surface goes down under it, rounding.

space probes

Probes are unmanned space vehicles sent over long distances. They have visited every planet except Pluto. The probe can fly to its destination long years. When it flies up to the desired celestial body, it goes into orbit around it and sends the obtained information to Earth. Miriner-10, the only probe that has visited. "Pioneer-10" became the first space probe to leave the limits solar system. It will reach the nearest star in more than a million years.

Some probes are designed to land on the surface of another planet, or they are equipped with landers that are dropped onto the planet. The descent vehicle can collect soil samples and deliver them to Earth for research. In 1966, for the first time, a spacecraft, the Luna-9 probe, landed on the surface of the Moon. After landing, it opened up like a flower and started filming.

satellites

satellite is unmanned vehicle, which is put into orbit, usually the earth. The satellite has a specific task - for example, to monitor, transmit a television image, explore mineral deposits: there are even spy satellites. The satellite moves in orbit at orbital speed. In the picture you see a picture of the mouth of the Humber River (England), taken by Landset from Earth orbit. "Landset" can "consider areas on Earth with an area of as little as 1 square. m.

The station is the same satellite, but designed for the work of people on board. A spacecraft with a crew and cargo can dock to the station. So far, only three long-term stations have been operating in space: the American Skylab and the Russian Salyut and Mir. Skylab was launched into orbit in 1973. Three crews worked in succession on its board. The station ceased to exist in 1979.

Orbital stations play a huge role in studying the effect of weightlessness on the human body. Stations of the future, such as Freedom, which the Americans are now building with contributions from Europe, Japan, and Canada, will be used for very long-term experiments or for industrial production in space.

When an astronaut leaves a station or spacecraft for outer space, he puts on spacesuit. Inside the spacesuit is artificially created, equal to atmospheric. The inner layers of the suit are cooled by liquid. Devices monitor the pressure and oxygen content inside. The glass of the helmet is very durable, it can withstand the impact of small stones - micrometeorites.

Space exploration has long been a common thing for mankind. But flights to near-Earth orbit and to other stars are unthinkable without devices that allow you to overcome the earth's gravity - rockets. How many of us know: how the launch vehicle is arranged and functions, where the launch comes from and what is its speed, which allows to overcome the gravity of the planet in airless space. Let's take a closer look at these issues.

Device

To understand how a launch vehicle works, you need to understand its structure. Let's start the description of nodes from top to bottom.

CAC

An apparatus that puts a satellite into orbit or a cargo compartment always differs from the carrier, which is intended for transporting the crew, by its configuration. The latter has a special emergency rescue system at the very top, which serves to evacuate the compartment from astronauts in the event of a failure of the launch vehicle. This non-standard-shaped turret, located at the very top, is a miniature rocket that allows you to "pull" the capsule with people up under extraordinary circumstances and move it to a safe distance from the point of failure. This is relevant in the initial stage of the flight, where it is still possible to parachute the descent of the capsule In airless space, the role of the SAS becomes less important.In near-Earth space, the function that makes it possible to separate the descent vehicle from the launch vehicle will allow astronauts to be saved.

cargo compartment

Below the SAS there is a compartment carrying the payload: a manned vehicle, a satellite, a cargo compartment. Based on the type and class of the launch vehicle, the mass of the cargo put into orbit can range from 1.95 to 22.4 tons. All cargo transported by the ship is protected by a head fairing, which is dropped after passing through the atmospheric layers.

sustainer engine

Far from outer space, people think that if the rocket was in a vacuum, at an altitude of one hundred kilometers, where weightlessness begins, then its mission is over. In fact, depending on the task, the target orbit of the cargo being launched into space can be much further. For example, telecommunications satellites need to be transported to an orbit located at an altitude of more than 35 thousand kilometers. To achieve the necessary removal, a sustainer engine is needed, or, as it is called in another way, an accelerating unit. To enter the planned interplanetary or departure trajectory, it is necessary to change more than once speed mode flight, carrying out certain actions, therefore, this engine must be repeatedly started and turned off, this is its dissimilarity with other similar rocket assemblies.

Multistage

In a launch vehicle, only a small fraction of its mass is occupied by the transported payload, everything else is engines and fuel tanks, which are located in different stages of the apparatus. Design feature of these nodes is the possibility of their separation after the development of fuel. Then they burn up in the atmosphere before reaching the ground. True, according to the reactor.space news portal, in last years a technology was developed that allows returning the separated steps unharmed to the point allotted for this and re-launching them into space. In rocket science, when creating multi-stage ships, two schemes are used:

The first one, longitudinal, allows you to place several identical engines with fuel around the hull, which are simultaneously switched on and synchronously reset after use.

The second - transverse, makes it possible to arrange steps in ascending order, one above the other. In this case, their inclusion occurs only after resetting the lower, exhausted stage.

But often designers prefer a combination of a transverse-longitudinal pattern. A rocket can have many stages, but increasing their number is rational up to a certain limit. Their growth entails an increase in the mass of engines and adapters that operate only at a certain stage of flight. Therefore, modern launch vehicles are not equipped with more than four stages. Basically, the fuel tanks of the stages consist of reservoirs in which various components are pumped: an oxidizer (liquid oxygen, nitrogen tetroxide) and fuel (liquid hydrogen, heptyl). Only with their interaction can the rocket be accelerated to the desired speed.

How fast does a rocket fly in space?

Depending on the tasks that the launch vehicle must perform, its speed may vary, subdivided into four values:

First space. It allows you to rise into orbit where it becomes a satellite of the Earth. If translated into the usual values, it is equal to 8 km / s.

Second space. Speed at 11.2 km / s. makes it possible for the ship to overcome gravity for the study of the planets of our solar system.

Third space. Adhering to the speed of 16.650 km/s. it is possible to overcome the gravity of the solar system and leave its limits.

Fourth space. Having developed a speed of 550 km / s. the rocket is capable of flying out of the galaxy.

But no matter how great the speed of spacecraft, they are too small for interplanetary travel. With such values, it will take 18,000 years to get to the nearest star.

What is the name of the place where rockets are launched into space?

For the successful conquest of space, special launch pads are needed, from where rockets can be launched into outer space. In everyday use they are called spaceports. But this simple name includes a whole complex of buildings that occupies vast territories: the launch pad, the premises for the final test and assembly of the rocket, and the buildings of related services. All this is located at a distance from each other, so that other structures of the cosmodrome would not be damaged in the event of an accident.

Conclusion

The more space technologies improve, the more complex the structure and operation of the rocket becomes. Maybe in a few years, new devices will be created to overcome the gravity of the Earth. And the next article will be devoted to the principles of operation of a more advanced rocket.

Readers are presented fastest rockets in the world throughout the history of creation.

Speed 3.8 km/s

The fastest medium-range ballistic missile with maximum speed 3.8 km per second opens the ranking of the fastest rockets in the world. The R-12U was a modified version of the R-12. The rocket differed from the prototype in the absence of an intermediate bottom in the oxidizer tank and some minor design changes - there are no wind loads in the mine, which made it possible to lighten the tanks and dry compartments of the rocket and abandon the stabilizers. Since 1976, the R-12 and R-12U missiles began to be withdrawn from service and replaced by Pioneer mobile ground systems. They were decommissioned in June 1989, and between May 21, 1990, 149 missiles were destroyed at the Lesnaya base in Belarus.

Speed 5.8 km/s

One of the fastest American launch vehicles with a maximum speed of 5.8 km per second. It is the first developed intercontinental ballistic missile adopted by the United States. Developed under the MX-1593 program since 1951. It formed the basis of the US Air Force nuclear arsenal in 1959-1964, but then was quickly withdrawn from service in connection with the advent of the more advanced Minuteman missile. It served as the basis for the creation of the Atlas family of space launch vehicles, which has been in operation since 1959 to the present day.

Speed 6 km/s

UGM-133 A Trident II- American three-stage ballistic missile one of the fastest in the world. Its maximum speed is 6 km per second. Trident-2 has been developed since 1977 in parallel with the lighter Trident-1. Adopted in 1990. Starting weight - 59 tons. Max. throw weight - 2.8 tons with a launch range of 7800 km. The maximum flight range with a reduced number of warheads is 11,300 km.

Speed 6 km/s

One of the fastest solid-propellant ballistic missiles in the world, which is in service with Russia. It has a minimum radius of destruction of 8000 km, an approximate speed of 6 km / s. The development of the rocket has been carried out since 1998 by the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, which developed in 1989-1997. ground-based missile "Topol-M". To date, 24 test launches of the Bulava have been carried out, fifteen of them were recognized as successful (during the first launch, a mass-size model of the rocket was launched), two (the seventh and eighth) were partially successful. The last test launch of the rocket took place on September 27, 2016.

Speed 6.7 km/s

Minuteman LGM-30 G- one of the fastest land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles in the world. Its speed is 6.7 km per second. The LGM-30G Minuteman III has an estimated range of 6,000 kilometers to 10,000 kilometers, depending on the type of warhead. The Minuteman 3 has been in service with the US since 1970. It is the only silo-based missile in the United States. The first rocket launch took place in February 1961, modifications II and III were launched in 1964 and 1968, respectively. The rocket weighs about 34,473 kilograms and is equipped with three solid propellant engines. It is planned that the missile will be in service until 2020.

Speed 7 km/s

The fastest anti-missile in the world, designed to destroy highly maneuverable targets and high-altitude hypersonic missiles. Tests of the 53T6 series of the Amur complex began in 1989. Its speed is 5 km per second. The rocket is a 12-meter pointed cone with no protruding parts. Its body is made of high-strength steels using composite windings. The design of the rocket allows it to withstand large overloads. The interceptor starts at 100x acceleration and is capable of intercepting targets flying at speeds up to 7 km per second.

Speed 7.3 km/s

The most powerful and fastest nuclear rocket in the world at a speed of 7.3 km per second. It is intended, first of all, to destroy the most fortified command posts, ballistic missile silos and air bases. The nuclear explosive of one missile can destroy Big city, very most USA. Hit accuracy is about 200-250 meters. The missile is housed in the world's most durable mines. The SS-18 carries 16 platforms, one of which is loaded with decoys. Entering a high orbit, all the heads of the "Satan" go "in a cloud" of decoys and are practically not identified by radars.

Speed 7.9 km/s

An intercontinental ballistic missile (DF-5A) with a maximum speed of 7.9 km per second opens the top three fastest in the world. The Chinese DF-5 ICBM entered service in 1981. It can carry a huge 5 mt warhead and has a range of over 12,000 km. The DF-5 has a deviation of approximately 1 km, which means that the missile has one goal - to destroy cities. The size of the warhead, the deflection, and the fact that it only takes an hour to fully prepare for launch all mean that the DF-5 is a punitive weapon designed to punish any would-be attackers. The 5A version has increased range, improved 300m deflection, and the ability to carry multiple warheads.

R-7 Speed 7.9 km/s

R-7- Soviet, the first intercontinental ballistic missile, one of the fastest in the world. Its top speed is 7.9 km per second. The development and production of the first copies of the rocket was carried out in 1956-1957 by the OKB-1 enterprise near Moscow. After successful launches, it was used in 1957 to launch the world's first artificial earth satellites. Since then, launch vehicles of the R-7 family have been actively used to launch spacecraft for various purposes, and since 1961 these launch vehicles have been widely used in manned cosmonautics. Based on the R-7, a whole family of launch vehicles was created. From 1957 to 2000, more than 1,800 launch vehicles based on the R-7 were launched, of which more than 97% were successful.

Speed 7.9 km/s

RT-2PM2 "Topol-M" (15ZH65)- the fastest intercontinental ballistic missile in the world with a maximum speed of 7.9 km per second. The maximum range is 11,000 km. Carries one thermonuclear warhead with a capacity of 550 kt. In the mine-based variant, it was put into service in 2000. The launch method is mortar. The rocket's solid propellant main engine allows it to pick up speed much faster than previous types of rockets of a similar class, created in Russia and the Soviet Union. This greatly complicates its interception by missile defense systems in the active phase of the flight.

Duration of continuous human stay in space flight conditions:

During the operation of the Mir station, absolute world records were set for the duration of a continuous stay of a person in space flight conditions:
1987 - Yuri Romanenko (326 days 11 hours 38 minutes);
1988 - Vladimir Titov, Musa Manarov (365 days 22 hours 39 minutes);
1995 - Valery Polyakov (437 days 17 hours 58 minutes).

The total time spent by a person in space flight conditions:

Absolute world records were set for the duration of the total time spent by a person in space flight conditions at the Mir station:
1995 - Valery Polyakov - 678 days 16 hours 33 minutes (for 2 flights);
1999 - Sergey Avdeev - 747 days 14 hours 12 minutes (for 3 flights).

Space walks:

On the Mir OS, 78 EVAs (including three EVAs to the depressurized Spektr module) with a total duration of 359 hours and 12 minutes were performed. Participated in exits: 29 Russian cosmonauts, 3 US astronauts, 2 French astronauts, 1 ESA astronaut (German citizen). Sunita Williams is a NASA astronaut who holds the world record for the longest work time for a woman. open space. The American worked on the ISS for more than half a year (November 9, 2007) together with two crews and made four spacewalks.

Space Survivor:

According to the authoritative scientific digest New Scientist, Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev, as of Wednesday, August 17, 2005, spent 748 days in orbit, thereby breaking the previous record set by Sergei Avdeev during his three flights to the Mir station (747 days 14 hours 12 min). The various physical and mental loads endured by Krikalev characterize him as one of the most enduring and successfully adapting astronauts in the history of astronautics. Krikalev's candidacy has been repeatedly elected to carry out rather difficult missions. Texas State University physician and psychologist David Masson describes the astronaut as the best you can find.

Duration of space flight among women:

Among women, world records for the duration of a space flight under the Mir program were set by:
1995 - Elena Kondakova (169 days 05 hours 1 min); 1996 - Shannon Lucid, USA (188 days 04 hours 00 minutes, including at the Mir station - 183 days 23 hours 00 minutes).

The longest space flights foreign citizens:

Of the foreign citizens, the longest flights under the Mir program were made by:
Jean-Pierre Haignere (France) - 188 days 20 hours 16 minutes;
Shannon Lucid (USA) - 188 days 04 hours 00 minutes;
Thomas Reiter (ESA, Germany) - 179 days 01 hours 42 minutes

Cosmonauts who made six or more spacewalks on the Mir station:

Anatoly Solovyov - 16 (77 hours 46 minutes),
Sergey Avdeev - 10 (41 hours 59 minutes),
Alexander Serebrov - 10 (31 hours 48 minutes),
Nikolai Budarin - 8 (44 hours 00 minutes),
Talgat Musabaev - 7 (41 hours 18 minutes),
Victor Afanasiev - 7 (38 hours 33 minutes),
Sergey Krikalev - 7 (36 hours 29 minutes),
Musa Manarov - 7 (34 hours 32 minutes),
Anatoly Artsebarsky - 6 (32 hours 17 minutes),
Yuri Onufrienko - 6 (30 hours 30 minutes),
Yuri Usachev - 6 (30 hours 30 minutes),
Gennady Strekalov - 6 (21 hours 54 minutes),
Alexander Viktorenko - 6 (19 hours 39 minutes),
Vasily Tsibliyev - 6 (19:11).

First manned spacecraft:

First manned space flight recorded International Federation aeronautics (MFA founded in 1905) was made on the ship "Vostok" on April 12, 1961 by the USSR pilot-cosmonaut Major of the USSR Air Force Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin (1934 ... 1968). From official documents The IFA follows that the spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 06:07 GMT and landed near the village of Smelovka, Ternovsky District, Saratov Region. USSR in 108 min. The maximum flight altitude of the Vostok spacecraft with a length of 40868.6 km was 327 km with a maximum speed of 28260 km/h.

First woman in space:

The first woman to circle the earth space orbit was a junior lieutenant of the USSR Air Force (now lieutenant colonel engineer pilot cosmonaut of the USSR) Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (born March 6, 1937), who launched on the Vostok 6 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Kazakhstan of the USSR, at 9:30 GMT on June 16, 1963 and landed at 8:16 on June 19 after a flight that lasted 70:50. During this time, she made more than 48 complete revolutions around the Earth (1971000 km).

The oldest and youngest astronauts:

The oldest among the 228 cosmonauts of the Earth was Karl Gordon Henitz (USA), who at the age of 58 took part in the 19th flight of the Challenger shuttle on July 29, 1985. The youngest was a major of the USSR Air Force (currently lieutenant general pilot USSR cosmonaut) German Stepanovich Titov (born September 11, 1935) who was launched on the Vostok 2 spacecraft on August 6, 1961 at the age of 25 years 329 days.

First spacewalk:

On March 18, 1965, Lieutenant Colonel of the USSR Air Force (now Major General, pilot cosmonaut of the USSR) Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov (born May 20, 1934) was the first to go into open space from the Voskhod 2 spacecraft. He retired from the ship at a distance of up to 5 m and spent 12 min 9 s in open space outside the lock chamber.

First spacewalk by a woman:

In 1984, Svetlana Savitskaya was the first woman to go into outer space, having worked outside the Salyut-7 station for 3 hours and 35 minutes. Before becoming an astronaut, Svetlana set three world records for parachuting in group jumps from the stratosphere and 18 jet aircraft records.

Record duration of spacewalks by a woman:

NASA astronaut Sunita Lyn Williams has set the record for the longest spacewalk for a woman. She spent 22 hours 27 minutes outside the station, exceeding the previous achievement by more than 21 hours. The record was set during work on the outer part of the ISS on January 31 and February 4, 2007. Williams oversaw the preparation of the station to continue construction along with Michael Lopez-Alegria.

First autonomous spacewalk:

U.S. Navy Captain Bruce McCandles II (born June 8, 1937) was the first man to operate in open space without a tether. propulsion plant. The development of this space suit cost $15 million.

Longest manned flight:

Colonel of the USSR Air Force Vladimir Georgievich Titov (born January 1, 1951) and flight engineer Musa Hiramanovich Manarov (born March 22, 1951) launched on the Soyuz-M4 spacecraft on December 21, 1987 to space station"Mir" and landed on the Soyuz-TM6 spacecraft (together with the French cosmonaut Jean Lou Chretien) at an alternate landing site near Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, USSR, on December 21, 1988, having spent 365 days in space 22 hours 39 minutes 47 seconds.

The furthest journey in space:

Soviet cosmonaut Valery Ryumin spent almost a whole year in a spacecraft that made 5,750 revolutions around the Earth in those 362 days. At the same time, Ryumin traveled 241 million kilometers. This is equal to the distance from Earth to Mars and back to Earth.

Most Experienced Space Traveler:

The most experienced space traveler is Colonel of the USSR Air Force, USSR pilot-cosmonaut Yuri Viktorovich Romanenko (born in 1944), who spent 430 days 18 hours and 20 minutes in space in 3 flights in 1977 ... 1978, in 1980 and in 1987 gg.

Largest Crew:

The largest crew consisted of 8 cosmonauts (it included 1 woman), who launched on October 30, 1985 on the Challenger reusable spacecraft.

Most people in space:

The largest number of astronauts ever in space at the same time is 11: 5 Americans on board the Challenger, 5 Russians and 1 Indian on board orbital station Salyut 7 in April 1984, 8 Americans aboard the Challenger and 3 Russians aboard the Salyut 7 orbital station in October 1985, 5 Americans aboard the space shuttle, 5 Russians and 1 French aboard the orbital station Mir in December 1988

The most high speed:

The highest speed at which a person has ever moved (39897 km / h) was developed by the main module of Apollo 10 at an altitude of 121.9 km from the Earth's surface during the return of the expedition on May 26, 1969. On board the spacecraft were the crew commander Colonel US Air Force (now Brigadier General) Thomas Patten Stafford (b. Weatherford, Oklahoma, USA, September 17, 1930), US Navy Captain 3rd Rank Eugene Andrew Cernan (b. Chicago, Illinois, USA, 14 March 1934) and US Navy Captain 3rd Rank (now retired Captain 1st Rank) John Watt Young (born in San Francisco, California, USA, September 24, 1930).
Of the women, the highest speed (28115 km / h) was reached by the junior lieutenant of the USSR Air Force (now lieutenant colonel-engineer, pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR) Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (born March 6, 1937) on the Soviet spacecraft Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963.

The youngest astronaut:

The youngest astronaut today is Stephanie Wilson. She was born on September 27, 1966 and is 15 days younger than Anyusha Ansari.

First creature who has been in space:

The dog Laika, which was put into orbit around the Earth on the second Soviet satellite on November 3, 1957, was the first living creature in space. Laika died in agony from suffocation when the oxygen ran out.

Record time spent on the moon:

The crew of "Apollo 17" collected a record weight (114.8 kg) of samples rocks and pounds during work outside the spacecraft lasting 22 hours 5 minutes. The crew included Captain 3rd Rank US Navy Eugene Andrew Cernan (b. Chicago, Illinois, USA, March 14, 1934) and Dr. Harrison Schmitt (b. Saita Rose, New Mexico, USA, July 3 1935), who became the 12th person to walk on the moon. The astronauts were on the lunar surface for 74 hours 59 minutes during the longest lunar expedition, which lasted 12 days 13 hours 51 minutes from December 7 to 19, 1972.

First person to walk on the moon:

Neil Alden Armstrong (b. Wapakoneta, Ohio, USA, August 5, 1930, ancestors of Scottish and German ancestry), commander of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, became the first person to walk on the surface of the Moon in the Sea of Tranquility region at 2 a.m. 56 min 15 s GMT July 21, 1969. He was followed from the Eagle lunar module by US Air Force Colonel Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr. (born in Montclair, New Jersey, USA, January 20, 1930.

Highest space flight altitude:

The crew of Apollo 13 reached the highest altitude, being in a settlement (i.e., at the farthest point of its trajectory) 254 km from the lunar surface at a distance of 400187 km from the Earth's surface at 1 hour 21 minutes GMT on April 15, 1970. The crew included US Navy Captain James Arthur Lovell, Jr. (born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, March 25, 1928), Fred Wallace Hayes, Jr. (born in Biloxi, Missouri, USA, November 14, 1933 ) and John L. Swigert (1931...1982). The altitude record for women (531 km) was set by American astronaut Katherine Sullivan (born in Paterson, New Jersey, USA, October 3, 1951) during a shuttle flight on April 24, 1990.

The highest spacecraft speed:

Pioneer 10 became the first spacecraft to reach space velocity 3, which allows it to go beyond the solar system. The carrier rocket "Atlas-SLV ZS" with the modified 2nd stage "Tsentavr-D" and the 3rd stage "Tiokol-Te-364-4" on March 2, 1972 left the Earth with an unprecedented speed for that time 51682 km / h. The spacecraft speed record (240 km/h) was set by the American-German solar probe Helios-B, launched on January 15, 1976.

The maximum approach of the spacecraft to the Sun:

April 16, 1976 research automatic station"Helios-B" (USA - Germany) approached the Sun at a distance of 43.4 million km.

The first artificial satellite Lands:

The first artificial Earth satellite was successfully launched on the night of October 4, 1957 into an orbit with a height of 228.5/946 km and a speed of more than 28565 km/h from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, north of Tyuratam, Kazakhstan, USSR (275 km east of the Aral Sea). The spherical satellite was officially registered as an object "1957 alpha 2", weighed 83.6 kg, had a diameter of 58 cm and, having existed for 92 days, burned down on January 4, 1958. The launch vehicle, modified R 7, 29.5 m long, was developed under the direction of Chief designer S.P. Korolev (1907 ... 1966), who also led the entire project for launching the IS3.

The most distant man-made object:

Pioneer 10 launched from Cape Canaveral, Space Center. Kennedy, Florida, USA, on October 17, 1986, crossed the orbit of Pluto, 5.9 billion km from the Earth. By April 1989 it was located beyond the farthest point of Pluto's orbit and continues to recede into space at a speed of 49 km / h. In 1934 n. e. it will approach the minimum distance to the star Ross-248, which is 10.3 light years away from us. Even before 1991, the faster-moving Voyager 1 spacecraft will be further away than Pioneer 10.

One of the two space "Travelers" Voyager, launched from the Earth in 1977, moved away from the Sun by 97 AU in 28 years of flight. e. (14.5 billion km) and is today the most remote artificial object. Voyager 1 crossed the heliosphere, the region where the solar wind meets the interstellar medium, in 2005. Now the path of an apparatus flying at a speed of 17 km/s lies in the zone of the shock wave. Voyager-1 will be operational until 2020. However, it is very likely that information from Voyager-1 will stop coming to Earth at the end of 2006. The fact is that NASA is scheduled to cut by 30% of the budget in terms of research on the Earth and the solar system.

The heaviest and largest space object:

The heaviest object launched into near-Earth orbit was the 3rd stage of the American rocket "Saturn 5" with spaceship"Apollo 15", which weighed 140512 kg before entering the intermediate selenocentric orbit. The American radio astronomy satellite Explorer 49, launched on June 10, 1973, weighed only 200 kg, but its antenna span was 415 m.

Most Powerful Rocket:

The Soviet space transport system Energia, first launched on May 15, 1987 from the Baikonur cosmodrome, has a weight at full load of 2400 tons and develops a thrust of more than 4 thousand tons. The rocket is capable of delivering a payload weighing up to 140 m, the maximum diameter - 16 m. Basically a modular installation used in the USSR. 4 accelerators are attached to the main module, each of which has 1 RD 170 engine running on liquid oxygen and kerosene. A modification of the rocket with 6 boosters and an upper stage is capable of launching a payload weighing up to 180 tons into near-Earth orbit, delivering a load of 32 tons to the Moon and 27 tons to Venus or Mars.

Flight distance record among research apparatus on the solar energy:

The Stardust space probe has set a kind of flight distance record among all solar-powered research vehicles - it is currently at a distance of 407 million kilometers from the Sun. The main purpose of the automatic apparatus is to approach the comet and collect dust.

The first self-propelled vehicle on extraterrestrial space objects:

The first self-propelled vehicle designed to work on other planets and their satellites in automatic mode is the Soviet Lunokhod 1 (weight - 756 kg, length with an open lid - 4.42 m, width - 2.15 m, height - 1, 92 m), delivered to the Moon by the Luna 17 spacecraft and started moving in the Sea of Rains on command from the Earth on November 17, 1970. In total, it traveled 10 km 540 m, overcoming elevations up to 30 °, until it stopped on October 4, 1971. , having worked 301 days 6 h 37 min. The cessation of work was caused by the depletion of the resources of its isotopic heat source "Lunokhod-1" examined in detail the lunar surface with an area of 80 thousand m2, transmitted to Earth more than 20 thousand of its photographs and 200 telepanoramas.

Record speed and range of movement on the moon:

The record for the speed and range of movement on the moon was set by the American wheeled lunar rover Rover, delivered there by the Apollo 16 spacecraft. He developed a speed of 18 km / h down the slope and traveled a distance of 33.8 km.

Most Expensive Space Project:

total cost American program human spaceflight, including the last expedition to the moon "Apollo 17", amounted to about 25.541.400.000 dollars. The first 15 years of the USSR space program, from 1958 to September 1973, according to Western estimates, cost $45 billion. billion dollars