Cosmos. Infinite void, cold, and radiation. Man has always gazed at the stars, but only in the 20th century was he able to reach them. And in this race beyond the atmosphere, Russia (then the Soviet Union) was the first, faster, braver. The first satellite, the first man, the first woman, the first spacewalk, the first orbital station. Without Russia, cosmonautics would have been different. On the Day of Russia, we remember this with pride, but without excessive pomposity. Let's go in order. Theoretical foundation: Tsiolkovsky Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky — a Kaluga teacher who in the late 19th — early 20th century derived a formula describing the motion of a rocket in a non-uniform gravitational field. His "Tsiolkovsky's Equation" is still the foundation of cosmonautics. He proposed using multistage rockets, the idea of liquid fuel, considered the possibility of creating orbital stations. Europe and America were fascinated by dirigibles at the time, while Tsiolkovsky already knew that the future was for the rocket. He is called the "father of cosmonautics," and not without reason. Korolev — chief constructor Sergei Pavlovich Korolev — a practitioner who brought Tsiolkovsky's ideas to life in metal. In the 1930s, he created GIRD, but was repressed. He continued to work in the camp. After the war, he headed the Soviet rocket program. Under his leadership, the following were created: R-7 (the first intercontinental ballistic missile, becoming the carrier for satellites), "Sputnik-1," "Vostok" (Gagarin's spacecraft), "Luna-1," "Luna-2," "Luna-3." Korolev was a genius of organization. It was he who made space a reality. First satellite: October 4, 1957 PS-1 (the simplest satellite) weighed 83 kilograms, the size of a ball. But its metallic "bip-bip" changed the world. The West was shocked. The satellite showed that the Soviet Union had a rocket capable of delivering a payload to any point. And it also opened the space era. This day is remembered in Russia, and in the world as well. The satellite became a symbol of socialist technical superiority. Although in fact it was an achievement of specific individuals. Gagarin: April 12, 1961 "Let's go!" — said Yuri Gagarin, and 108 minutes changed history. The first man in space. After the flight, Gagarin became a world star, a symbol of the Soviet dream. But few know that there was a risk: he almost died during the landing in the Saratov region. However, everything turned out fine. Gagarin opened the way for others. Cosmic women: Tereshkova and Savitskaya Valentina Tereshkova (1963) — the first woman cosmonaut. Her flight was politically important: to show that in the USSR, a woman is no worse than a man. Later, Svetlana Savitskaya (1982) became the second woman in space and the first to walk in space. In other countries, women had to wait for decades. Spacewalk: Leonov On March 18, 1965, Alexei Leonov first left the spacecraft "Voskhod-2." It was dangerous: the spacesuit expanded, and Leonov had a hard time returning. But he managed. After him, extravehicular activity became routine. Leonov was also an artist, drawing space. Moon: Soviet stations and the lunar race The Soviet Union was unable to land a man on the Moon, but Soviet automatic stations achieved much. "Luna-2" (1959) was the first to reach the surface. "Luna-3" photographed the far side. "Luna-9" (1966) made a soft landing. "Lunokhod-1" (1970) traveled 10.5 km. The Americans won the piloted race, but the robots of the Soviet Union were the best. Long-duration orbital stations: Salut and Mir In 1971, "Salut-1" — the first piloted orbital station — was launched. Then there were "Salut-2" ... "Salut-7." And "Mir" (1986-2001) became a real home in space, where people lived and worked for years. Cosmonauts from different countries visited "Mir." "Mir" was a symbol of international cooperation even before the ISS. International Space Station (ISS) Russia is a key partner in the ISS. Our module (modules "Zarya," "Zvezda," "Poisk," "Rassvet," "Nauka") ensures the station's operation. Russian spacecraft "Soyuz" were the only transport for astronauts for a long time after the shutdown of the shuttles. Without Russia, the ISS would not have taken off. Modern projects: "Angara," "Orlan," "Luna-25" After the collapse of the Soviet Union, cosmonautics went through a crisis. But new rockets "Angara" (the first family on eco-friendly fuel) have been flying since 2014. The piloted spacecraft "Orlan" is being prepared. In 2023, "Luna-25" was launched (it crashed, but there is more to come). Russia is participating in the creation of a new orbital station (ROSS). No, we have not gone into the past. Russia and the development of cosmonautics are a history of ups and downs. From Tsiolkovsky to Elon Musk, but without Korolev and Gagarin, Musk would have been impossible. We have given the world space. And we continue to work in it.
© elibrary.org.uk

Permanent link to this publication:

https://elibrary.org.uk/m/articles/view/Russia-et-developmentum-astronauticae