Facts about flights into space in the USSR. Interesting facts about the first manned flight into space. Gagarin in space. How it was

Astronaut is one of the most dangerous jobs available. modern man. But in absolute terms, it does not look like this: in the 56 years of the history of manned astronautics and after more than 500 flights to low orbit and to the Moon, only 5 incidents are known that ended in casualties. Such figures are the result of the fact that astronautics is also one of the most serious professions, where safety is held in high esteem and the importance of a huge number of preliminary checks is understood.

Astronauts study for an extremely long time, and it’s not at all a fact that you will someday still fly into space, and not stay on Earth as an instructor or an employee of the Mission Control Center. But the fact that the future of the human species and our destiny in space to some extent depends on the work of astronauts does not mean that they cannot have some fun. After a little research, we have collected funny situations and stories about some of the space missions. The next time you gaze up at the stars and marvel at the infinity of the possibilities of the cosmos, allow yourself to laugh a little at these interesting and sometimes funny moments on the path to humanity's cosmic enlightenment.

Unsinkable Molly Brown and the first ever space smuggling

The history of world manned cosmonautics officially began with the flight of Yuri Gagarin on the Vostok spacecraft. In 1961, the USSR deservedly opened the "achievement" "Deliver a man into space." The first American astronaut will go into space shortly after Gagarin, and the first spacewalks by Leonov and White will be carried out only a few months apart.

The launch of Gemini 3 big step into space for the United States: it was the first American multi-seat spaceship with the crew on board. For the world astronautics, it became the first manned spacecraft to perform an orbital maneuver. And also - the first ever means of delivering contraband into space and the first (and so far the only) ship for a beef sandwich. Capsule pilot John Young smuggled him into orbit because he couldn't stand dehydrated food. The fact of the treacherous crime was revealed already in flight, when Young took a sandwich out of his pocket and showed it to Commander Grissom. After the bite, crumbs flew all over the capsule, the idea was unsuccessful, and Yang had to hide it back in the pocket of his suit.

Pilot John Young and Commander Virgil Grissom in the Gemini 3 capsule. Photo: NASA

The ship's crew should have eaten something similar in flight. Photo: NASA

Legendary bootleg beef sandwich encased in acrylic. Now kept at the Grissom Memorial Museum. Photo: Raymond K. Cunningham, Jr./Collectspace

Young's trick was met with extremely negative media and Congress. Politicians considered that 10 seconds spent on the stupid eating of a sandwich in an orbital flight only 5 hours long was too expensive entertainment for the country. Especially when food is being tested in flight for future launches to the moon. But the NASA leadership took the incident more calmly, and John Young even became a member of the Apollo 10 expedition in the future.

Another story is connected with the Gemini 3 flight. Crew commander Virgil Grissom insisted that his spacecraft should have its own name. Since the first ship he flew on sank in the ocean after landing, Grissom wanted to officially name the Gemini 3 after the hit musical The Unsinkable Molly Brown at the time. NASA management did not support the idea of ​​​​a name that generally implies any kind of flooding, and asked to come up with another one. In response, Grissom and Young suggested "Titanic", which, of course, received a complete ban on naming the capsule at least somehow. Officially, none of the ships of the Gemini program has received own name, but at the start, Grissom said on the air: "You're on your way, Molly Brown!"- and the nickname was fixed in the negotiations between the dispatchers. American astronautics returned to the practice of inventing names for spacecraft only in the Apollo program, when it became necessary to distinguish between two manned elements of one ship: the command module and the descent lunar module.

Despite the fact that the nickname "Molly Brown" was not officially used, after the mission, these patches were made. Photo: NASA

And here are the commemorative medallions. Photo: Heritage Auctions

Tangled parachute lines and the ship "Vostok-2"

An astronaut is a person who sits in a small capsule on a bomb the size of a 15-story building and is fully aware of the drama of this situation. Any wrong move in flight will kill you, and to figure out what the wrong move is, astronauts and the ground support team spend days training and testing systems. And astronauts also know how to treat their work and the possibility of such a situation with humor, because they are more likely to be ready for it (thanks to training and testing, of course).

German Titov was one of the first cosmonauts, the pride of the USSR and still remains the youngest person to have been in space (at just 26 years old). His flight on the ship "Vostok-2" was much longer than the first flight into space. As a result, humanity has learned about the negative impact of weightlessness on the vestibular apparatus. Or if it says in simple terms about "space sickness".

The ships of the Vostok series, unlike their American counterparts, had one significant feature: they did not return to the surface along with the astronauts. The crew ejected from the capsule after braking in dense layers of the atmosphere at a 7-kilometer altitude. Even before the flight, during preliminary training, Titov had problems with the parachute lines, which were tangled after ejection. And that was a big problem that could absolutely kill him.

Already standing near the capsule on the R-7 rocket, Titov's colleagues reminded him of the incident in training and jokingly noted that if the lines get tangled in a real flight, they "will have to fire him from the cosmonauts." The parting word worked: after 25 hours and 17 orbits around the planet, German Stepanovich returned safely to Earth, and a memorial stele is now installed at the site of his landing.

Launch of the R-7 rocket and the Vostok spacecraft. Frame from the Soviet documentary film about the flight of German Titov "700,000 kilometers in space"

Spaceship Vostok. Photo: RSC Energia/ESA/Space.com

One of the photographs of the Earth from space autographed by German Titov

Gemini 7 space toilet and some toilet humor on the way to the moon

It may seem to you that the most terrible nightmare that wakes up astronauts and cosmonauts at night is something like what you could see in the movie "Gravity". However, there are situations that are much more banal, but no less terrible than the collision of your ship with space debris or a station. American astronauts Frank Borman and James Lovell had to go through such a domestic nightmare.

As part of the Gemini 7 flight, the crew had to collect their own urine for later analysis. But the collection device leaked several times. Despite their best efforts, the team was never able to collect all the urine balls floating around the capsule. To understand the drama of the moment, you need to know that the habitable volume of the Gemini capsule is 2.55 cubic meter. The astronauts were stuck there for 13 days and 19 hours in zero gravity with particles of their own urine flying around. Later, when asked about the experience of flying, the crew compared it to two weeks spent in the men's room. Highly small toilet the size of a subcompact a car, no cleaners and air fresheners.

Gemini 7 and Gemini 6A meeting in orbit. Photo: NASA

Earth and Moon from Gemini 7. Photo: NASA

Landing of Gemini 7. long awaited Fresh air getting close. Photo: NASA

Transcription of the conversations of the crews of the Apollo spacecraft and ground services were declassified back in the early seventies, after the end of the "space race". With the advent and spread of the Internet, they, of course, traditionally found “evidence” that the crews heard UFO signals on the radio, and NASA is again hiding something. But there was something more interesting about them - one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of mankind: who went to the toilet in the Apollo 10 module on the sixth day of the flight?

The Apollo 10 mission was the last expedition to the Moon before landing. As part of the flight, the ship's team had to repeat and once again check all the operations that the Apollo 11 team was to carry out, except for the last stage - the landing itself on the surface. On the sixth day of the flight, five hours before the engine was turned on for the return to Earth maneuver, a spicy conversation took place in the command module.

Transcription of the conversations of the Apollo 10 crew. Image: NASA

And who did it?!

5:13:29:44 Commander: Ooh, who did it?

5:13:29:46 Command Module Pilot: Who did what?

5:13:29:47 Lunar Module Pilot: What?

5:13:29:49 Commander: Who did this?[Laughs.]

5:13:29:51 Lunar Module Pilot: Where did it come from?

5:13:29:52 Commander: Hurry, give me a napkin. Here in the air floats d **** o.

5:13:29:55 Command Module Pilot: I didn't do it. That's not mine.

5:13:29:57 Lunar Module Pilot: I don't think it's mine.

5:13:29:59 Commander: Mine was stickier. Throw it away.

5:13:30:06 Command Module Pilot: Oh my God.

5:13:30:08 [Laughter]

After dealing with the problem, the team returned to their normal duties. Subsequently, already during the flight to Earth, the crew recalled the incident several times with humor, but such situations did not happen again. Here it is worth remembering once again that space research is not only extremely dangerous, but also very complex. And situations in space that are completely ordinary on Earth manifest themselves from the other side. If today the crew of the ISS has a relatively comfortable vacuum toilet and structures that allow them to use it without the danger of polluting the entire station, then the crews of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft did not have such luxury.

Eugene Cernan, John Young and Thomas Stafford in front of a Saturn V rocket. Photo: NASA

Crew commander Thomas Stafford stroking his nose toy dog Snoopy before boarding the ship. Snoopy's name was the nickname of the Apollo 10 lunar module. Photo: NASA

Earth from Apollo 10. Photo: NASA

A device for collecting "solid" human waste. In fact, it was a package fixed on the lower body. A special tablet inside prevented the formation of bacteria and gases in the bag. Photo: NASA

Vulgar Apollo 10 and drunken Apollo 8

The flight of Apollo 10 was marked in the history of astronautics not only by a toilet incident, but also by a number of revealed problems with the spacecraft, which were taken into account on Earth when preparing the next flight. After the separation of the lunar module in orbit near the Moon and the development of a joint orbital flight, a failure occurred in the module program, which short term made the capsule unmanageable. Fortunately, the failure did not result in major damage, emergency mission cancellation, or casualties. Pilot Cernan's heart rate rose to 129 beats per minute. And for those few minutes, while the module rotated uncontrollably, the astronauts turned into real sailors and remembered every dirty word, describing the lunar surface that appeared and disappeared through the window. When the team returned safely to Earth, they were welcomed by a banner from their colleagues "Apollo 10 Flight - Adults Only."

Apollo 8 launched five months before the Apollo 10 mission and was the first spacecraft to fly humans to another celestial body. And his flight fell on Christmas night, which the team spent in lunar orbit. To thank them for such a sacrifice for the benefit of humanity, mission control included three miniature bottles of brandy in the ration for the gala dinner. This has led to embarrassing situations in space. The son of one of the controllers asked who was running the ship if they were all drunk. To which astronaut William Anders replied: "I think it's mostly Isaac Newton who's in charge right now."

Transcription of crew conversations. Image: NASA

One of the unopened bottles of brandy that flew on Apollo 8. It is now in the personal collection of James Lovell, the pilot of the ship's command module. Photo: Heritage Auctions

The last stage of the Saturn V rocket from Apollo 8. Photo: NASA

It is authentically known that NASA was preparing for the Christmas broadcast in advance, and the Bible was also among the personal belongings of the astronauts. After the flight, already on Earth, the crew said in an interview that there were no specific instructions for them in this regard and they were simply asked to celebrate the evening somehow “worthily”. As a result, the astronauts began to read passages from the Bible into the air. Some sources retell the story of a Japanese correspondent who covered the Apollo 8 flight from the US. Then the NASA administration warned the press that there would be a copy of the Bible in the drawers of their desks. According to legend, the correspondent thanked the agency "for the prompt provision of a transcript of the negotiations." But, unfortunately, there is no documentary evidence of this.

Space boat "Soyuz TMA-11"

A real spaceship landing is no joke, and it doesn't look like landing in science fiction movies. This part of space flight is perhaps the most dangerous and stressful for the team. The descent vehicle literally crashes into the dense layers of the atmosphere, its surface heats up to several thousand degrees, and the crew can experience an overload of up to 9g. During the landing, many things can go wrong, and even if the crew gets to Earth safe and sound, a significant deviation from the calculated landing site is fraught with, for example, an encounter with wild animals or a capsule falling off a high cliff. But sometimes problems or comical situations are not created by wild animals at all.

Regular landing of the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft. The explosion under the capsule is the work of six soft-landing engines that fire at a height of 70 centimeters from the surface. Photo: Roscosmos

The Soyuz TMA-11 crew found themselves in such a situation during their return from the ISS in 2008: Yuri Malenchenko (Russia), Peggy Whitson (USA) and Lee So-yeon (South Korea). One of the pyrobolts that divided the ship into three parts before landing did not work, and the Soyuz entered the atmosphere with one of the modules hanging somewhere on the hull. Luckily, the bolt gave up eventually, but this flight with a hot ball in the neighborhood was enough to send the whole situation out of control. The ship made an extremely hard landing, deviating from the calculated point by 420 kilometers and significantly complicating its search for ground services. And after landing on the ground, a fire started. Yuri Malenchenko, extremely weakened by half a year in zero gravity, was able to get out and met two local residents - Kazakhs, attracted to the landing site by parachute and smoke from burning grass. American astronaut Chris Hadfield in his book The Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth. what 4000 hours in orbit taught me” describes this meeting from the words of Yuri.

"Where did you come from?" one of them asked.

Yuri tried to explain that they had fallen directly from space, but they didn't seem to care much.

“Okay, what kind of boat do you have? Where did the boat come from?- asked a resident, not understanding how this "punt" ("Soyuz") can float in space.

The men helped the cosmonauts get out of the capsule, and Yuri Malenchenko asked them to get radio communication equipment from the ship, since there was no longer enough strength to return to the capsule. "No problems!"- the men volunteered to help, climbed into the "boat" and ... began to fill their pockets with everything that came to hand. Yuri was too exhausted to intervene, but soon the first rescue helicopter appeared in the sky and the new acquaintances stopped misbehaving.

Fire around the landing site of the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft. Photo: novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/A. Pantyukhin

the first successful human flight into space, Yuri Gagarin - he said "Let's go"

The history of astronautics, the first flights into space. Who flew into space before Gagarin. First flights into space- the territory of cold and weightlessness, and the world of great secrets. April 12, the official holiday of cosmonautics, in honor of the first flight of Yuri Gagarin.

April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin, cosmonaut Soviet Union, committed first manned space flight, which lasted 108 minutes. It was a huge success. A huge step forward outer space.

It was a time of great achievements of Soviet scientists. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin makes a manned flight into space in Earth's orbit! The whole country rejoiced and celebrated!

This is how it was remembered in the history of space exploration….

Yuri Gagarin's flight into space was extremely important for the Union, because there was a race for space conquests of two superpowers, the USSR and the USA. And it was necessary to prove to the whole world that only in the Union everything is the most advanced, and only under the leadership of the Communist Party great things are done.

But before the first astronaut made a historic flight, animals were the first to go into space. These are world-famous dogs, Belka and Strelka. They made the first orbital flight around the Earth, and spent a day in zero gravity. But as academician Oleg Georgievich Gazenko, an employee of a special laboratory at the Institute of Aviation Medicine of the Air Force, says, they were not the first to go into space.

- In 1948, the special laboratory was tasked with preparing dogs for space flights. For this, animals were caught on the streets, picking up 4-5 kilograms by weight. And already in 1951 we began to work closely. These are multi-level training systems - dogs getting used to wearing a vest with sensors for taking bioparameters.

To accustom them to the cramped cabin of the ship so that the animals do not have a fear of claustrophobia. Almost all kinds of tests that could be foreseen at launch, and the flight of a rocket in space, of course, except for conditions of weightlessness. It was weightlessness that worried scientists a lot about what its effect on the body would be. This question was answered by experimental animals.

But before the successful flight of Belka and Strelka, many will remember that Laika went into orbit in 1957. Preparations for this flight went on for 10 years. But the artificial satellite was not equipped with a system of descent to Earth, and the dog died.

And the dogs Gypsy and Dezik were the first to go into space, though on a high-altitude rocket, but the flight of the dogs was successful, and they returned safely to Earth. Recalls Oleg Georgievich and the dog Zhulka, who traveled to space three times. This little-known, white and fluffy astronautics heroine. Twice she successfully launched into space on high-altitude rockets. For the third time, Zhulka went into orbit in December 1960, on the ship that was Gagarin's predecessor.

But this time, many dangers fell to her lot. Due to crashes technical equipment, the ship does not reach orbit. In this case, the destruction of the ship was prescribed. But again there is a misfire in the operation of the systems, the ship is not undermined. And the satellite falls to Earth, in the expanses of Siberia, in the region of Podkamennaya Tunguska. Two days, the rescue team got to the fallen apparatus.

All this time, Zhulka, who survived all the ups and downs of the fall of the spacecraft, was in the cold, without food or drink. But she survived, and then was "decommissioned" from the participants in the space program. Oleg Georgievich took pity on the brave cosmonaut, and took the dog to his home, where Zhulka lived for about 14 more years.

I must say that not only dogs and mice, but even turtles have been in space. By the way, little known fact, but it was the turtles who were the first to fly around the moon, on the Soviet apparatus Zond-5. The turtles returned safely to Earth after splashing down in the Indian Ocean.

And just before the flight of Senior Lieutenant Gagarin, a dog named Zvezdochka went into space. All future cosmonauts were invited to the launch of the ship in March 1961, with Zvezdochka on board. To see and be convinced, the development of space technology allows a person to make a safe flight into space. Also present was Yuri Gagarin, whose successful flight took place in April.

In this flight, Senior Lieutenant Gagarin uttered the word known to several generations of earthlings: Go". Landed Gagarin already being a major. Some even now express doubts whether Yuri himself said “ Go", or so it was" necessary. — But is it important for the history of astronautics? I think not.

Some researchers, closely examining the history of Soviet cosmonautics, talk about other cosmonauts. Which allegedly went into space to Gagarin, but died during unsuccessful launches, burning up in spaceships.

According to researchers, archival documents hide the names and faces of people who will never see the spotlight. These are people who flew into space even before Gagarin. It was they who were the pioneers, the first of the people to overcome the force of gravity of the Earth.

But the names of the first cosmonauts who searched for the paths of space roads do not sound among the names of astronauts. They died in spacecraft in search of a way to orbit. And unsuccessful launches of space rockets are not needed for history, just like people. the researchers say.

Of course, I will now run a little ahead, but I want to immediately state the official point of view on this issue. Both officials and historians.

Here is what A. Pervushin said about this - “Perhaps the secrecy surrounding the space program is not well justified. And gave rise to many rumors and speculation. But in the history of Soviet cosmonautics, hidden corpses do not exist and did not exist.” And he calls it "the fruit of a violent fantasy generated by a strict regime of secrecy" and also - "no matter how cynical it may sound, but the unsuccessful return of the astronaut was of interest - it did not matter, in the conditions of the race it was the main thing to declare one's own priority«

Historians talk about the same. As already mentioned, in the space race with the Americans, it was very important that the Soviet cosmonaut was the first to fly into space. As an example, refuting unknown flights, a document of the Central Committee of the CPSU, signed 9 days before the launch of Gagarin, on April 3, 1961, is given. The document required the preparation of two TASS reports on the launch of a manned spacecraft.

One of them was laudatory, about the successful launch of a Soviet ship with a pilot on board, and the great achievement of the USSR. Another message was about the death of Gagarin. That is, there was no concealment of information, with any outcome of the flight and there was no question. According to historians admitted to the study of documents, the names of the often mentioned dead cosmonauts Ledovsky, Shiborin, Mitkov and Gromov did not actually exist, these are fictitious names by unknown people. In any case, according to historians, there was no connection with the people behind these names.

The story of the dead cosmonauts who allegedly made the first flights into space before Gagarin.

We should probably start with the famous photo on the cover of Ogonyok magazine dated October 1959. There are five people in the image, Kachura, Mikhailov, Zavadovsky, Belokonev, Grachev, testers from the Institute of Space Medicine. In the photo they are wearing helmets, and many have decided that these are the future astronauts. However, their surnames are not found among the names of astronauts. And the Western press puts forward the version that they died during the first flights into space.

Allegedly, cosmonauts Grachev and Belokonev went into space in September 1961, with the aim of flying around the moon in a two-seat spacecraft. According to journalists (in particular, the Western press), a breakdown occurs on the ship, and the astronauts cannot return. A ship with astronauts on board, having lost control, turns into a space wanderer, lost in the cold depths of space. — A tragic story of death.

However, at that time, space technology did not allow manned flights to the moon. Otherwise, the USSR would have defeated the United States in the exploration of the moon. But this does not bother journalists, the main thing is more smoke on the territory of the ideological enemy. The death of Gennady Mikhailov was completely timed to coincide with the unsuccessful launch of an automatic Venusian probe. On February 4, 1961, the launch of the station was unsuccessful, due to an accident in the upper stage, the automatic station "hung" in near-Earth orbit.

True, sometimes there are records that Kachura died this way. But the station was unmanned, fully automatic. However, here everything is already clear, from the name of the Institute it is clear what the mentioned people were doing. In addition, within the framework of the same secrecy regime, the faces "lit up" on the covers of the magazine could not participate in space flights.

But still there is one case of unknown astronauts, which researchers of the dark corners of astronautics can point to. This is Vladimir Ilyushin, the son of a famous designer, he is pointed out as the first cosmonaut. Officially, Ilyushin was in a car accident a few months before Gagarin's launch into orbit.

After being cured in his homeland, he went to China to improve his health with the help of oriental medicine. His health problems were immediately credited for an unsuccessful space flight. Allegedly, the ship, completing its flight, made an unsuccessful landing, in which the astronaut was injured. And for the sake of the same notorious secrecy, the astronaut's injuries were officially "recorded" as a car accident.

However, this version does not stand up to criticism, not only does it lack logic, it is also ridiculous. What can be hidden here? Even in this version, the launch of the ship was successful - it's easier to hide its difficult landing - and you can safely report to the whole world about the achievements of Soviet scientists.

Pyotr Dolgov, a test pilot, burned to death in the ship during an unsuccessful launch in September 1960. Yes, he died, but not when starting into orbit. And two years later, in November 1962, jumping from a stratospheric balloon with a parachute. Presumably died while testing a new spacesuit model.

Other facts cited by researchers alternative history astronautics, and secretly buried dead astronauts are identical. But there were losses among the 20 Gagarin cosmonauts. These are Grigory N., Ivan A., and Valentin F., who were expelled from the detachment for resisting an army patrol while drunk (surnames are not indicated based on ethical standards).

It is known that Grigory N., while serving in the Far East in an ordinary air regiment, said that it was he who was supposed to fly into space instead of Gagarin. True, his colleagues did not believe him. In 1966, Grigory died after falling under a train. It remains unknown whether it was an accident, suicide, or as the researchers wonder, he was overtaken by the regime of secrecy.

Another, the story of disastrous "before Gagarin" launches, as well as subsequently dead cosmonauts, was told by Italians - brothers Cordilla. I'll start with the technical capabilities of the brothers. Maybe now the design engineers will laugh, but the Cordilla brothers, alone, using only photographs of NASA ground tracking stations, were able to assemble their own device. With the help of which they listened to the conversations of the astronauts in orbit with the MCC.

This brothers managed to accomplish the impossible, while all the countries, follow the actions of the Soviet cosmonauts, trying to listen to the broadcast, do it only the Cordilla brothers could. In particular, only they managed to hear how the dying astronauts are talking to the Earth in the last seconds of their lives. In the press, including on television, the story of the Cordilla brothers is recounted in sufficient detail.

Therefore, we will not dwell on how many distress signals in orbit, screams and groans of dying astronauts were recorded by the Italians of Cordilla. But even a person who is not familiar with the details of special communications devices knows that it is impossible to listen to a communication channel on a “closed” frequency, even having a supercomputer of the future three times, it will not work to “sit down” to wiretap this channel. Here we can add that the operation of the special equipment used is strikingly different from the currently known scramblers (a device for encrypting information from unauthorized persons).

So is it within the space program, the military used open frequencies for communication? And they were able to find it only the Cordilla brothers, and the technical staff of the special services of other states turned out to be absolutely incompetent? At the same time, the Italians have been listening to negotiations since the time of Laika's flight. But they shared the information only in 2007, publishing their diary of observations.

But what is curious, as the Italian brothers report, the first flight into space was made by the dog Laika, whose heart work they managed to fix. And indeed, they could not know that the dogs Gypsy, Dezik, Zhulka had been in space, this information, due to the lack of any importance, did not spread. And the brothers could not know about it. And that means everything else can be considered fiction.

And the repetition of the well-known cases of the death of astronauts, in terms of hiding space secrets "before Gagarin's" flights, is of no interest, they are well known.

America's space history comes to mind. After all, as it is found in the press, a manned rocket launch was carried out in Germany back in 1945. This happened under the guidance of the famous inventor of the Fau, Dr. von Braun. Allegedly, the last version of the V-2 rocket was a full-fledged spacecraft. On it, one of the pilots went into outer space. And later he landed safely.

Another amusing story tells how in the mid-80s, in coastal waters near Miami, sometimes mentioned Canary Islands, falling spacecraft. The police officers who arrived at the splashdown site freeze, in front of them are three people dressed in German uniforms. and they confirm - yes, they are the pilots of the great Germany. And they were launched into orbit in the 45th year. But due to a malfunction of the suspended animation chamber, their sleep lasted longer.

Thus, they also claim the role of the first astronauts. However, in reality, you need to pay attention to one fact, and then all these stories burst easier soap bubble. Dr. von Braun, defected to the United States, and took part in the space race against the Soviet Union. Then why, the inventor, who has already sent astronauts into orbit, has been painstakingly working on the creation of a manned spacecraft for more than a dozen years. The answer is simple, there was no necessary technology, and all stories are fiction.
***
Of course, there were unsuccessful launches of Soviet spacecraft. And during unsuccessful launches, many astronauts died. But no one hid their names. Another thing is that little has been said about this, but this is a completely different story.

Some of the achievements of space technology are also interesting for use in everyday life, so to speak, in civilian life. For example, the Penguin space suit, designed to fight astronauts with weightlessness, was subsequently used to cure cerebral palsy.

Another space development is "Bifidum-bacterin", which has stepped onto the shelves of stores. Initially, it was developed for astronauts as a prophylactic for dysbacteriosis.

On dusty paths

distant planets

Our footprints will remain

"Attention! Attention! Moscow speaking! All the radio stations of the Soviet Union are working! .. ”, - this is how the announcer of the All-Union Radio, Yuri Levitan, began his message on April 12, 1961. This message about the first manned flight into space marked the beginning of a new era in the history of mankind - the beginning of manned astronautics.

From ancient times, man was excited and attracted by the bottomless heights of the sky, strewn with myriads of stars. They (the stars) showed the way to sailors and travelers, gave inspiration to poets. Their movement and influence on life on Earth were studied by scientists. But it was on the ground… and so I wanted to go up, closer to the stars! There were legends about flights into space (the legend of Icarus and Daedalus), numerous works of art were written about interplanetary travel (“Flight to the Moon” by J. Verne), about contacts with aliens (“Aelita” by A. Tolstoy), etc.

However, flying to other worlds was easy and simple only in fantastic works. In life, the path of mankind to the first flight into space took many centuries.

As is known, it is possible to overcome the force of gravity of the Earth only by developing the speed of the aircraft and the first space velocity (7.910 km/s), which allows the body to become its artificial satellite. To fly away to other planets, it is necessary to develop the second cosmic velocity (11.190 km/s).

Achieving such speeds is possible only when moving using the traction force created by the outflow of fuel combustion products from a semi-closed vessel (chamber). This principle was used by mankind already about three thousand years ago, in ancient China. In the ancient manuscripts of this country, "fire arrows" are mentioned, which were ordinary arrows equipped with a powder rocket engine made of bamboo.

The first use of military incendiary rockets in Europe dates back to 1421 during the siege of the city of Saanze. In Russia, the use of gunpowder and powder rockets began in the 15th century, but only in the middle of the 19th century did theoretical studies begin on the design and use of combat missiles. One of the most prominent specialists in the rocket science of those times were A.D. Zasyadko, K.I. Konstantinov and others. Particular mention should be made of the Russian revolutionary N.I. proposed the "Project of an aeronautical instrument" moving with the help of a powder rocket engine.

But the main work on the development of rocket technology and aeronautics as a whole began at the beginning of the twentieth century.

An invaluable contribution to the development of rocket and space technology was made by the outstanding Russian (a simple resident of the city of Kaluga) Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky. A number of ideas of K.E. Tsiolkovsky are still used in the creation of modern rocket engines and spacecraft.

The Soviet government has always supported the work of scientists in the creation of rocket technology, and after the end of the Great Patriotic War huge funds and millions of people working under the guidance of a team of outstanding scientists were attracted to this branch of science and industry: A.I. Tikhomirov, V.P. Glushko, Yu.A. and the organizer - Academician Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, whom the country after the first manned flight into space knew under the title "Chief Designer".

S.P. Korolev (1906-1966) - a prominent Soviet scientist in the field of rocket technology, the founder of practical astronautics. He made, in turn, an invaluable contribution to the development of world science and technology. In 1929 S.P. Korolev got acquainted with the works of K.E. Tsiolkovsky and, under their influence, decided to devote his life to the cause of rocket and space technology. Assessing the role of Korolev in the origin and development of Soviet rocket technology, President of the USSR Academy of Sciences M.V. Keldysh said that one of the greatest achievements of science and technology of all time is associated with the name of Korolev - the opening of the era of

outer space humanity. Before that

tragic year - 1966 - the death of an academician - all work on the creation of powerful rocket systems and space exploration, including the first manned flight into space, was carried out in the country under the direct supervision of S.P. Korolev.

The Soviet government highly appreciated the merits of S.P. Korolev, making him an academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, a laureate of the Lenin Prize. He was twice awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.

When S.P. Korolev died suddenly in 1966, the whole world saw the nationwide love for the outstanding scientist and gratitude for his work. Thousands and thousands of Muscovites and many delegations from other cities came to say goodbye to him. A multi-kilometer line of those wishing to say goodbye to him stretched to the Hall of Columns, where the body of the Queen lay. Thus, the people sought to express gratitude for everything that the academician did for our Motherland.

Beginning of practical space exploration.

On October 4, 1957, at 22:28 Moscow time, the first artificial Earth satellite (ISZ-1) was launched. This event is considered the beginning of a new space age for mankind. The satellite was a ball with protruding antennas total weight 83.6 kg. The satellite was in orbit until 01/04/1958, making 1440 revolutions around the Earth.

The launch of the first satellite and its flight produced a stunning world resonance. Almost the entire world press talked about this event, and the population of the country over which the satellite was flying, peered into the starry sky with delight at night, hoping to see a small luminous moving dot. The receivers listened to the signals of the satellite - "Pee-pee-pee."

The next stage, preceding the first manned flight into space, was the launch of living dog creatures named Belka and Strelka. They were already real astronauts - they had received special training. Here is how they wrote about them: “Dogs passed all kinds of tests.

They were obliged to stay in the cabin for a long time without moving, to endure large overloads, vibrations. The animals were not afraid, they knew how to sit in their experimental equipment, which allows recording the biocurrents of the heart, muscles, blood pressure etc." After landing on 08/20/1960, the simple Russian mongrels Belka and Strelka became famous all over the world, became everyone's favorites. Subsequently, Strelka twice brought healthy puppies, which, probably, every inhabitant of the Earth dreamed of acquiring.

On March 6, 1960, the first detachment of Soviet cosmonauts was formed, which included 20 young pilots. They have passed a special selection. They were warned of the danger that might lie in wait for them. They agreed to fly into space. Among these pilots was the future cosmonaut No. 1 - Yu.A. Gagarin.

Yu.A.Gagarin and S.P.Korolev

On April 12, 1961, the world's first spacecraft with a man on board, Vostok, was launched into the Earth's orbit in the Soviet Union. Pilot-cosmonaut of this spacecraft was Yu.A. Gagarin.

Gagarin was the first earthling to fulfill the dream of mankind - he saw our native Earth from space: “Attention! I see the horizon of the Earth! Such a beautiful halo. First, a rainbow from the very surface of the Earth, and downward such a rainbow passes. Very beautiful..” 108 minutes after the start, the Vostok landed safely on the field of the Leninsky Put collective farm.

Mankind is very lucky that on a sharp turn to the stars, it was Gagarin, our compatriot First, who came out of his ranks to the very edge of the Earth! Among billions of earthlings!

Excitement strikes like a hammer on the nerves;

Not everyone is up to it:

Get up and go on the attack very first!

I don't want to look for other comparisons.

(Konstantin Simonov).

The gigantic effort of will and thoughts of the great scientists of the past - Archimedes and Copernicus, Galileo and Bruno, Lomonosov and Newton, Aristotle and Copernicus, Kibalchich and Tsiolkovsky, was carried out by Yuri Gagarin catchphrase: "Go". Thus began the space age.

Yuri Gagarin not only rose above the planet, not just rose above Mankind, but elevated all earthlings to the level of a task that seemed impossible before him. And the tribute of gratitude that all people without exception gave him was so cordial and sincere because it expressed their completely unusual, new respect for themselves, confidence in human dignity and power. The first flight of Yuri Gagarin not only became the first stellar route to the universe, it is a flight into eternity, uniting the best representatives of the past, present and future on the basis of the greatest cultural values.

Yura's childhood passed in the village of Klushino, Smolensk region, then in the small town of Gzhatsk. Father and mother, as well as grandfathers and grandmothers, are peasants. Yuri Gagarin laughed heartily when he found out that someone spread a rumor abroad that I came from a noble family of princes Gagarins, who before the revolutions owned palaces and serfs ...

His parents, they were born before the victory of Soviet power. Therefore, education could not be obtained. Indeed, until 1917, even four classes of the school were not available to all peasant children. In the village they said: “Alexei Gagarin has golden hands!”

Mom read a lot. She could answer almost any of his questions. She seemed to Yura an inexhaustible source of wisdom.

He took teaching seriously. I didn't chase good grades in my diary, I just wanted to know as much as possible, to learn everything as quickly as possible. In fact, in the Klushinsky school, the threshold of which Yura crossed on September 1, 1941, there were no diaries at all. There was a war. In one small classroom, two classes were studying at the same time - the first and third. Then, in the second shift, - the second and fourth. Even notebooks were rare. Often I had to write on the margins of newspapers, on pieces of wallpaper ...

The war had to be faced early.

“Die yourself, but help out your comrade” - he had to hear this proverb more than once from former front-line soldiers, from instructors at the flying club, from commanders in the aviation units in which he served.

At a technical school in Saratov, I had to study physics at a high level. In the physical circle, he prepared and made two reports. The first is about the work of the Russian scientist Lebedev on light pressure. The topic of the second speech was called “K. E. Tsiolkovsky and his doctrine of rocket engines and interplanetary travel”. To prepare for the report, I had to read a collection of science fiction works by Tsiolkovsky and many other books.

For about twelve years, he, like all the guys, read the works of Jack London, Jules Verne, Alexander Belyaev. There was a queue for fantasy novels in the Gzhatsk library. The guys retold them to each other, envied the one who read the book first.

Perhaps it was with the report on the work of Tsiolkovsky that Gagarin's “space” biography began. Classes at the flying club, glider flights, parachute jumps, the Orenburg Aviation School - this is how the life and study of the future first cosmonaut continued.

To the greatest regret, Yu. Gagarin passed away very early. On March 27, 1968, he crashed during a training flight along with Colonel V. Seregin near the village of Novoselovo Vladimir region.

But with his death, the era of space achievements did not end.

The next cosmonaut, cosmonaut No. 2, was German Titov. Then the first group flight into space (cosmonauts Andrian Nikolaev and Pavel Popovich, August 1962 on the Vostok-3 spacecraft), the first manned spacewalk by A. Leonov on March 18, 1965. Then the first woman flew into space - Valentina Tereshkova.

The whole world knew the first cosmonauts by name. Then flights became more and more common and ordinary phenomena. At present (even 10-15 years ago) only specialists can list all the names of astronauts and the dates of their flights.

However, it should be noted that the words from the song written in the epigraph came true very quickly: the Americans made the first manned flight to the moon. This man was N. Armstrong, who was the first to step on the surface of the Moon, leaving his footprints on it.

To date, the first flight of a space tourist has already been carried out. The time is not far off when flight into space, at least within the solar system, will become such an ordinary event as an airplane flight across the ocean.

With the end of the century, the first stage of cosmic accomplishments ended. The names of K. Tsiolkovsky and R. Goddard, G. Oberth and R. Eno-Peltri, F. Zander and Y. Kondratyuk, S. Korolev, V. von Braun, V. Glushko, well and, of course, Y. Gagarin, V. Tereshkova, A. Leonov, N. Armstrong and others.

October 4, 1957 - the day the space age began, April 12, 1961 - the day of the world's first manned flight into space, March 18, 1965 - the day when it first became clear that people can work in outer space, July 20, 1969 - the day , when the world's first earthling stepped on the moon, and then - the launch of the first orbital station, the first international space flight, the first flight of the reusable space system, the epic of the Mir station and, finally, the beginning of the construction of the international space station. These milestones of space exploration will forever be included in the textbooks of the history of earthly civilization.

List of used literature

1. Vinitsky A.M. Rocket engines on solid fuel. Moscow 1973

2. History of Russia XX century. Textbook. Moscow 2001

3. Cosmonautics. Little encyclopedia. Ch. ed. V.P. Glushko. Moscow 1970

4. The Yonge Street Review. Prof. G. Khozin. Yuri Gagarin's superlook

Creative work in physics

on the topic:

“The first manned flight into space. (Milestones of a long journey)"

9th grade students

MOU "Lyceum-4"

Nazarova Anastasia

Krasnogorsk 2005

Most recently, the 80th anniversary of the first pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin was celebrated. I will not talk about his biography, but will tell about the flight itself - how it went. So, as you remember, the event took place on April 12, 1961.
The rocket launch was scheduled for 09:07.
Landing - at 10 hours 55 minutes. The flight duration was 108 minutes.
The duration of the flight on the descent section was approximately 30 minutes.

Characteristics and flight parameters

During Gagarin's flight:
conducts radio reporting and receives messages from the Earth;
records his impressions on a tape recorder;
controls the operation of the ship's onboard systems;
carries out trial manual control of the ship;
conducts observations through the portholes at its own discretion;
eats and drinks water;
conducts self-observation.

Before the flight, it was not yet known how the human psyche would behave in space, so special protection was provided so that the first astronaut, in a fit of insanity, would not try to control the flight of the spacecraft. To enable manual control, he had to open a sealed envelope, inside of which was a sheet with a code, by typing on the control panel it would be possible to unlock it. Gagarin constantly talked with Zorya, with designer Sergei Korolev about the operation of the rocket and his well-being, about how the Earth looks from space - he exclaimed: “How beautiful!”.

The spacecraft carried out an orbit around the Earth with a landing at the beginning of the second orbit on the territory of the USSR. When creating the ship "Vostok", a number of not the best, but simple and quickly feasible solutions were chosen.

Some components were not created in time, as a result, we had to abandon:
1) emergency rescue systems at the start,
2) systems of soft landing of the ship.

In addition, a redundant braking system was removed from the construction of the Vostok-1 ship under construction. The latter decision was justified by the fact that when the ship was launched into a low 180-200 km orbit, it would, in any case, leave it within 10 days due to natural deceleration on the upper atmosphere and return to Earth. Life support systems were calculated for the same 10 days.

The Vostok booster worked without remarks, but at the final stage the radio control system, which was supposed to turn off the 3rd stage engines, did not work. The engine shutdown occurred only after the backup mechanism (timer) was triggered, but the ship had already ascended into orbit, the highest point of which (apogee) turned out to be 100 km higher than the calculated one. Departure from such an orbit with the help of "aerodynamic braking" could take, according to various estimates, from 20 to 50 days, and air supplies would only be enough for 10 days. From the moment the braking propulsion system was turned on at 10:25 a.m., until landing, the spacecraft flew about 8,000 km.

The Vostok spacecraft moved in an elliptical orbit with the following parameters:
perigee height - 181 km;
apogee height - 327 km;
orbital inclination - 64.95o;
circulation period – 89.34 min.
The maximum speed of its flight was at perigee - 7843 m / s, i.e. 28.2. thousand kilometers per hour, the minimum flight speed for this orbit was 7671 m / s.

Return to Earth

The ship was equipped with a special catapult. At altitude, the hatch opened, and the powder charge "shot" the astronaut. At an altitude of 7 km, in accordance with the flight plan, Gagarin ejected, after which the capsule and the cosmonaut began to parachute separately (the other 5 ships from the Vostok series landed according to the same scheme). After the ejection and disconnection of the air duct of the descent vehicle, the valve in Gagarin's airtight spacesuit did not immediately open, through which outside air should flow, so that Gagarin almost suffocated.

The last problem in this flight was the landing site - Gagarin could parachute into the icy water of the Volga. Yuri was helped by a good pre-flight preparation - controlling the lines, he took the parachute away from the river and landed 1.5-2 kilometers from the coast.
Due to a failure in the braking system, the descent vehicle with Gagarin landed not in the planned area 110 km from Stalingrad, but in the Saratov region near the village of Smelovka. The astronaut was wearing a bright orange spacesuit to make it easier to detect, because the fields were still covered with melted April snow.

The first people who met the astronaut after the flight were the forester's wife Anna Akimovna Takhtarova and her six-year-old granddaughter Rita.

[+] How was the first day of the space age of humanity

5.30. Climb.
6.50. Gagarin arrived at the launch pad.
7.10. Cedar (Gagarin). How do you hear me?
Dawn (Kamanin). I hear well. How do you hear me?
Cedar. I hear you well.
7.12. Dawn (Kamanin). Proceed to check the suit. How did you understand me?
Cedar. I understand you: start checking the spacesuit. In 3 minutes. Busy right now.
Dawn (Kamanin). I understood you.
7.18. Cedar. I finished checking the suit.
Dawn (Kamanin). I understood you. Check UKB connection.
7.21. Cedar. How can you hear me?
7.22. Dawn (Kamanin). I hear you perfectly. How can you hear me?
Cedar. I hear you very weakly, I have a light and sound transmission on the board. Obviously, there is a copying from the tape recorder. How was I understood?
Dawn (Kamanin). Understood, I hear you perfectly.
7.23. Cedar. I didn't understand you. Turn off the music, if possible.
Dawn (Kamanin). I understand you now. I hear you perfectly.
7.24. Dawn. How can you hear me? Transfer of music goes through the 2nd channel.
Cedar. Done. I hear you well.
Dawn. I understood you. On channel "2" reception is good, I can hear you well.
7.25. Cedar. I work at DEMSh (DEMSh - a dynamic electromagnetic tape recorder of a helmet). I give the score: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Dawn (Kamanin). I understand you perfectly, keep working.
Cedar. I understood you.
7.26. Cedar. Checking the connection. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. How do you hear?
Dawn (Kamanin). Understood you perfectly. I hear well. How can you hear me?
Cedar. I work on laryngophones. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Dawn (Kamanin). I understood you. I hear well.
7.27. Cedar. I hear you well. I work for DEMS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. How did you understand?
Dawn (Kamanin). I can hear you perfectly. I understood you. Continue checking.
Cedar. I work on the microphone. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. How did you understand?
Dawn (Kamanin). I hear great. I understood you.
Cedar. Phone reception.
7.28. Dawn (Korolev). How do you feel, Yuri Alekseevich?
Cedar. I feel great. Checking phones and speakers went well, I turn to the phone.
Dawn (Korolev). Understood you. Things are going well for us, the car is preparing normally, everything is fine.
Cedar. Understood. I knew it.
Dawn (Korolev). I understood you well, everything is fine.
7.29. Cedar. I finished checking the connection. How did you understand? The initial position of the toggle switches on the control panel is predetermined. Globe at the place of separation, latitude north 63 degrees, longitude east 97 degrees, correction - figure 710, separation time - 9 hours 18 minutes 07 seconds; the mobile index PKRS (PKRS - a device for monitoring the descent mode) is in its original position, the first day, day. The pressure in the cabin is one, the humidity is 65 percent, the temperature is 19 degrees, the pressure in the compartment is 1.2, the pressure in the manual orientation system is 155, the second automatic orientation is 157, the pressure in the TDU cylinder (TDU - brake propulsion system) - 320 atmospheres. Feeling good, ready to start. How did you understand?
7.30. Dawn (Korolev). Understood you perfectly. I have received all your data, I confirm. Accepted readiness to start. Everything is going well for us.
7.32. Dawn (Korolev). How do you hear me? I need to convey to you.
Cedar. I hear you well.
Dawn (Korolev). Yuri Alekseevich, I just want to remind you that after a minute of readiness, about six minutes will pass before the flight begins. So don't worry.
Cedar. I understood you. Completely calm.
Dawn (Korolev). Well, great, great. After a minute of readiness, six minutes will be, so to speak, all sorts of things. I hand the phone to the chairman.
7.33. Dawn (Chairman). Yuri Alekseevich, how are you feeling, what's new with you?
Cedar. I'm alright. I check the systems. How did you understand?
Dawn (Korolev). Understood you well. The chairman heard you. Everything is going well with us.
7.34. Dawn (Popovich). Yura, how are you?
Cedar. As taught (laughter).
Dawn (Popovich). Well, okay, okay, come on. Do you understand who is talking to you?
Cedar. Understood: “Lily of the valley” (laughter. Cosmonaut Popovich P.R. is called “Lily of the valley”).
Dawn (Popovich). Now they will talk to you.
Dawn. I ask you, if you have time, to connect the "2" transmitters and talk, count down to about 20. If you have time, if you are not busy, let me know.
7.35. Cedar. I understand you. Now I will complete your task.
7.36. Dawn. When separating the toggle switch, take over.
Cedar. Understood you.
Dawn (Popovich). Understood you. That's right, Yura.
7.37. Dawn (Popovich). How do you hear?

Dawn (Popovich). I hear you perfectly. Yura, are you busy now?
Cedar. I am not very busy with work.
Dawn (Popovich). Found a continuation of "Lilies of the Valley". Understood?
Cedar. Got it, got it, keep going.
Dawn (Popovich). Let's sing tonight.
7.44. Dawn (Korolev). Everything is going great for us. How do you feel?
Cedar. I understood you. Everything is going well with me too, I feel good, now they will close hatch No. 1.
7.47. Dawn. How do you hear? I'm checking communications from the bunker.
Cedar. I hear you well. Speak a little quieter. How did you understand?
Dawn. You are understood.
7.50. Dawn. Pass it on. Did you work with one or both buttons?
Cedar. Worked with a button on the remote control. Now I work with the button on the control handle. Worked with both buttons. Do you hear well? How did you understand?
Dawn. I got you. I can hear you both well.
7.52. Dawn. Check the usability of the memo. How did you understand?
Cedar. I understand you correctly, I'll check.
Cedar. I checked the use of the memo and the ability to read signals, everything is fine.
Dawn. Understood you. Well, great, well done!
7.54. Dawn (Popovich). Yura, you have a collective hello from all the guys. Now they had. How did you understand?
Cedar. Understood you. Thanks a lot. Give them my warmest regards.
Dawn (Popovich). Good.
7.55. Dawn. How can you hear me?
Cedar. I hear you well. Like me?
Dawn. I hear you well. Product preparation is going well. Everything is fine, Yura.
Cedar. Understood. Product preparation is ok. Me too. The state of health and mood is normal, ready for the start.
Dawn. Understood.
7.56. Dawn (Korolev). Yuri Alekseevich, how do you hear me?
Cedar. I hear you well, I know who I'm talking to.
Dawn (Korolev). Yuri Alekseevich, I want to remind you that I will not give the word “seconds”, but simply give numbers, approximately 50, 100, 150 and beyond. Understandably?
Cedar. Got it, thought so.
Dawn (Korolev). Okay.
7.57. Cedar. I ask you to get in touch on the 20th (the 20th - Korolev).
Dawn (Korolev). 20th in touch.
Cedar. With a reliable connection on the active site, I ask you to report the time later or earlier up to the second of the start, if any.
Dawn (Korolev). Got you, got you. Your request will be fulfilled, Yuri Alekseevich.
7.58. Dawn (Korolev). Yuri Alekseevich, it happened to us: after closing the hatch, one contact didn’t seem to show that he was pressed, so we will probably remove the hatch now and then put it back on. How did you understand me?
Cedar. Understood you correctly. The hatch is open, the signaling devices are checked.
Dawn (Korolev). Well, great, good.
8.05. Dawn (Kamanin). The readiness of the hour has been announced. Continue to inspect the equipment. How did you understand?
Cedar. I understood you. An hour readiness has been declared. Everything is fine, I feel good, my mood is cheerful, I'm ready to start.
Dawn (Popovich). Got you perfectly, Yura.
8.06. Dawn (Popovich). Are you currently working at laring or DEMS?
Cedar. I work for DEMS.
Dawn (Popovich). I got you.
Dawn (Kamanin). I'm checking the connection. How do you hear?
Cedar. I hear you well. Like me?
Dawn (Kamanin). I can hear you perfectly.
8.08. Dawn (Kamanin). Now the railroad cars are leaving. I wonder: do you hear or not?
Cedar. I don’t hear these cars leaving, it hurts a lot, I only hear you.
Dawn (Kamanin). Okay, I understand you.
8.10. Dawn (Kamanin). 50-minute readiness announced.
Cedar. I understand you: 50-minute readiness has been announced.
8.13. Dawn (Korolev). How do you hear me? Has the lid been put on yet?
Cedar. I hear you well. The lid is already, obviously, finished wrapping.
Dawn (Korolev). Understood you. We are fine.
Cedar. I'm fine too. Feeling good, cheerful mood.
Dawn (Korolev). Well, very well. Just inquired from Moscow about your well-being. We told them that everything is fine.
Cedar. Understood you. Transferred correctly.
8.14. Dawn (Popovich). Yura, don't you get bored there?
Cedar. If there is music, you can let it go a little.
Dawn (Popovich). One minute.
8.15. Dawn (Korolev). You can probably hear the noise now. It lowers the service platforms. All work on the farms is over. How did you understand?
Cedar. I understand you: they lower the service platforms, but I don’t hear the noise. I feel some fluctuations.
Dawn (Korolev). Understandable, understandable. Everything is fine. Station "Zarya", fulfill the request of "Cedar". Give him music, give him music!
Dawn (Popovich). You heard?
“Dawn” answers: I will try to fulfill your request. Let's have some music, otherwise it's boring.
8.17. Dawn (Popovich). Well, how? Is there music?
Cedar. There is no music yet, but I hope there will be now.
Dawn (Popovich). Well, did you hear the promise?
Dawn (Korolev). Well, they gave you music, no?
Cedar. Until they gave it.
8.19. Dawn (Korolev). Clearly, these are musicians: while there, while there, things are not done so quickly, as a fairy tale affects, Yuri Alekseevich.
Cedar. Dali about love.
Dawn (Korolev). Did you give music about love? This is sensible, Yuri Alekseevich, I think.
Dawn (Popovich). Yura, well, did they give music?
Cedar. Music was given, everything is fine.
Dawn (Popovich). Well, good, then you will not be so bored.
8.20. Dawn (Popovich). Yura, the guys are all very pleased that everything is fine with you and everything is fine. Understood?
Cedar. Understood. Hearty greetings to them. I listen to Utesov.
Dawn (Popovich). Come on, come on, listen.
8.25. Dawn (Korolev). Tightness checked - everything is normal, in perfect order. How did you understand? Cedar. You understand: tightness is in order. I hear and observe: the tightness was checked. They are rattling around a bit.
Dawn (Korolev). Well, that's great, all is well.
8.27. Dawn (Korolev). We just watched you on television - everything is fine, your appearance pleased us: peppy. How do you hear me?
Cedar. I hear you well. Feeling good, cheerful mood, ready to start.
Dawn (Korolev). Well, fine, fine. Everything is going well for us.
8.30. Dawn (Popovich). Yura, are you bored now?
Cedar. Okay. They sing about love there.
Dawn (Popovich). How are you, Yura? We're fine, we're getting ready. It goes well here, without any hesitation, without anything. The guys are now going to Zarya.
Cedar. I understood you. Everything is fine with me too: calm, feeling good. Hello guys. All the time I feel their good friendly support. They are with me.
Dawn (Popovich). Well, good, good, Yura.
8.32. Dawn (Popovich). Yura, everyone here wishes you, everyone comes up and says to give you everything, a happy journey and everything, everything. Got it? Best wishes. Everyone only wants the best for you.
Cedar. Understood. Thank you very much, thank you very much.
Dawn. Moscow was interested in your health and well-being. They said that you feel good, and that means you are ready for further business.
Cedar. Reported correctly. Feeling good, cheerful mood, ready for further work.
Dawn. Understood you.
8.33. Dawn (Kamanin). Take a starting position for registration of physiological functions.
Cedar. Starting position for registration of physiological functions took.
Dawn (Kamanin). I understood you.
8.35. Dawn (Kamanin). Now the installer will be removed. How did you understand?
Cedar. You understood: the installer will take away.
8.37. Dawn (Kamanin). The installer came out fine. How did you understand?
Cedar. Understood you. The installer came out fine.
8.40. Dawn (Korolev). Yuri Alekseevich, we are now moving this negotiation point from here, from the start to the bunker. So you will have a five-minute pause, and Nikolai Petrovich and Pavel Romanovich (Cosmonaut Captain Popovich P.R.) are moving into the bunker. I'll stay here until five minutes ready. But they will broadcast what I will say to them. Got me?
Cedar. I understand you: now from the start they go to the bunker, a five-minute break, then you will transfer through them.
Dawn (Korolev). Well, everything is fine: now we are setting aside farms, everything is going according to schedule, everything is going well on the machine.
Cedar. Everything is excellent too. How, according to medical data, does the heart beat?
8.41. Dawn (Kamanin). How can you hear me?
Cedar. Can I hear you well, how can I?
Dawn (Kamanin). I can hear you perfectly. Your pulse is 64, your breathing is 24. Everything is going well.
Cedar. Understood. So the heart is beating.
8.45. Cedar. What is the readiness now?
Dawn (Kamanin). 15 minute readiness. Reminder: wear gloves. How did you understand?
Cedar. I understand you: 15-minute readiness, put on gloves. I do.
Cedar. I put on gloves, everything is fine.
8.46. Dawn (Kamanin). I understood you.
8.48. Kedr. The tape recorder does not work for automatic and manual recording: obviously, the tape has run out. Please rewind.
Dawn (Kamanin). I understand you, I will pass the command. The tape is being rewound. Do you have a light bulb on?
8.50. Cedar. I understand you, there is a rewind. Let them rewind the whole tape.
Dawn (Kamanin). Got it, it's all right.
8.55. Dawn (Kamanin). Declared 10-minute readiness. How is your pressure helmet, is it closed? Close the pressure helmet, report back.
Cedar. I understand you: a 10-minute readiness has been announced. The helmet closed. Everything is fine, I feel good, I'm ready to start.
Dawn (Kamanin). I understood you.
8.56. Dawn (Kamanin). Readiness - 5 minutes. Set the volume to full. Full volume.
Cedar. I understand you: a 5-minute readiness has been announced, turn the volume up to full. Enter full volume.
8.58. Dawn (Kamanin). So far, so good. Take a starting position for registration of physiological functions.
Cedar. I understood you. Everything is going well, take a starting position for registration of physiological functions. He took the position.
9.00. Dawn (Korolev). We're fine. Before the start of our operations, there are still a couple of minutes before the minute readiness. How do you hear me?
Cedar. I hear you well. I understand you: there are still a couple of minutes left before the start of the operation. Feeling good, cheerful mood, ready to start, everything is fine.
Dawn (Korolev). Understood you, understood well.
9.02. Dawn (Korolev). Minute readiness, how do you hear?
Cedar. You understood: minute readiness. He occupied the starting position, took it, so he was somewhat delayed with the answer.
Dawn (Korolev). Understood you.
9.03. Dawn (Korolev). During the launch, you can not answer me. Reply when you get a chance, because I'll broadcast the details.
Cedar. I understood you.
Dawn (Korolev). Key to start! Purge is given.
Cedar. Understood you.
9.04. Dawn (Korolev). The key is on the drain.
Cedar. Understood you.
9.05. Dawn (Korolev). Everything is fine with us: the drain valves have closed.
Cedar. Understood you. Cheerful mood, good health, ready to start.
Dawn (Korolev). Fine.
9.06. Dawn (Korolev). There are pressurizations, the cable mast has moved away, everything is fine.
Cedar. Understood you, felt: I hear the operation of the valves.
Dawn (Korolev). Got you, okay.
9.07. Dawn (Korolev). Ignition is given, “Cedar”.
Cedar. Understood: ignition is given.
Dawn (Korolev). Preliminary… Intermediate… Main… Rise!
Cedar. Go! Noise in the cab is barely audible. Everything is going well, I feel good, my mood is cheerful, everything is fine.
Dawn (Korolev). We all wish you a good flight, everything is fine.
Cedar. Goodbye, see you soon, dear friends!
Dawn (Korolev). Goodbye! See you soon.
Cedar. The vibration becomes more frequent, the noise grows a little, the state of health is good, the overload grows further.
9.08. Dawn (Korolev). Time - 70 (70 seconds from the start).
Cedar. Understood you. 70. I feel great, I continue the flight, G-loads are growing, everything is fine.
Dawn (Korolev). 100. “Kedr”, how do you feel?
Cedar. Feeling good.
Dawn. (Korolev). In terms of speed and time, everything is fine. How do you feel? Cedar. I feel good. Vibration, overloads are normal. I continue flying. Everything is fine.
Dawn (Korolev). Everything is in order, the car is running well.
Cedar. Finished the first step. Slept overload, vibration. The flight continues normally. I hear you well. Felt separation. The second step is working. Everything is fine.
9.10. Dawn (Korolev). Dropped the cone, everything is fine. How are you feeling?
Cedar. The head fairing has been reset. In the “Vzor” I see the Earth. The Earth is clearly visible. The overload is growing a little, the state of health is excellent, the mood is cheerful.
9.11. Dawn (Korolev). Well done, excellent! Everything goes well.
Cedar. Understood you. I see rivers. The folds of the terrain are well distinguished. Visibility is good. Everything is perfectly visible in the “Vzor”. Visibility is excellent. Good visibility. Feeling great. I continue flying. The overload, vibration grows a little. I'm getting through everything just fine. The state of health is excellent, the mood is cheerful. I observe the Earth through the Vzor window. I distinguish the folds of the terrain, snow, forest. Feeling great. How are you doing? I observe clouds above the Earth: small cumulus, and shadows from them. Beautifully. The beauty! How do you hear?
Dawn (Kamanin). We hear you perfectly, keep flying.
Cedar. The flight continues well. The g-forces are growing, the rotation is slow, everything is well tolerated, the g-forces are small, the state of health is excellent. In the window “Vzor” I observe the Earth: more and more it is covered with clouds.
Dawn (Kamanin). So far, so good. We understand you, we hear you perfectly.
9.12. Cedar. There was a shutdown of the second stage.
Dawn (Korolev). What is needed works. Final stage. Everything is fine.
Cedar. I understood you. I heard the inclusion, I feel the work. Feeling great. Visibility is good.
Dawn. I understood you.
Cedar. The flight continues well. The third step is working. TV is on. The state of health is excellent, the mood is cheerful. Everything is going well. I see the earth. I see the horizon in Vzor. The horizon is slightly shifted to the feet.
Dawn (Korolev). Understood you.
9.13. Dawn (Kamanin). Everything goes well. How do you hear? How are you feeling?
Cedar. I hear you perfectly. Feeling great, the flight continues well. I observe the Earth, visibility is good, everything can be distinguished, some space is covered with cumulus clouds, the flight continues, everything is fine.
Dawn (Kamanin). Got you, well done! Keep in touch very well. Continue in the same spirit.
9.14. Cedar. Everything works great, everything works great. Move on.
9.15. Dawn (Korolev). How are you feeling?
Cedar. I hear you very weakly, my mood is cheerful, I feel good, I continue the flight, everything is going well, the car is working normally. Right now the Earth is covered with more and more clouds. Cumulus clouds are covered with nimbostratus clouds. Such a film over the Earth, even the earth's surface becomes practically invisible. Interesting. Yes, now the folds of mountains, forests have opened up ...
9.21. Dawn. How are you feeling?
Cedar. Feeling great, continue the flight. The machine works great. Through the windows I observe the Earth, the sky, the horizon. The flight is going well. How did you understand me?
Dawn. Understood you.
Cedar. There was a separation, there was a state of weightlessness. In cylinders TDU-320 atmospheres. Feeling good. The mood is upbeat. I continue flying. I feel, I don't feel - I observe some rotation of the ship around the axes. Now the Earth has left the Vzor porthole. Feeling great. The feeling of weightlessness has a positive effect. It does not cause any such phenomena. Right now, the Sun is passing through the “Vzor” porthole, its light is a little harsh. The sun is leaving the mirror. The sky, the sky is black, the sky is black, but the stars are not visible in the sky. Maybe the lighting is interfering. I switch the lighting to work. TV light interferes. You can't see anything because of it.
9.25. Cedar. "Spring" - get in touch! How can you hear me? Zarya, can you hear me? “Spring” I don’t hear, I don’t hear “Spring” ...
Dawn. I understand you, I hear you satisfactorily.
Cedar. “Dawn”, I am “Cedar”, “Dawn”, I am “Cedar”, “Spring”, I am “Cedar”, “Spring”, I am “Cedar”. There was a separation with the carrier at 9 hours 18 minutes 07 seconds according to the task. Feeling good. “Descent-1” turned on. The moving index of the PCRS is moving to the second position. All windows of the PCRS are lit. Feeling good. The mood is upbeat. Cabin parameters: pressure - one, humidity - 65. Temperature - 20 degrees. The pressure in the compartment is one. In the manual system - 155. In the first automatic - 155, the second automatic - 157. In the TDU cylinder - 320 atmospheres. The feeling of weightlessness is well tolerated, pleasant. I continue flying in orbit. How did you understand?
9.26. Cedar. The flight is successful. The feeling of weightlessness is normal. Feeling good. All devices, the whole system works well. Here the object continues to rotate. The rotation of an object can be determined from the earth's surface. The earth's surface is moving to the left. The object rotates slightly to the right. OK! The beauty! Feeling good. I continue flying. Everything is going great. Everything is going great. There is no connection for “Dawn”, for “Spring”, for “Spring”. There is no connection with "Spring". What can you tell me?
Dawn. I can hear you well, the devices are working normally, I feel normal.
Cedar. I can hear you perfectly. The feeling of weightlessness is interesting. Everything floats. Everything floats. The beauty! Interesting! “Spring” I don’t hear, I don’t hear “Spring”. Feeling good, cheerful mood. Everything is fine. I continue the flight. Weightlessness is going well. In general, the whole flight is going well. The flight is going great. The feeling of weightlessness is normal. Feeling good. All devices, all systems work well. What can you tell me? I hear everything perfectly. What can you say about the flight? Dawn. There are no instructions from the 20th (Queen), the flight is proceeding normally.
9.27. Cedar. I understand you, no instructions are received from the 20th. Submit your flight details! Hello Blonde! (Astronaut senior lieutenant Leonov A.A. is named blonde)
Dawn. How do you hear me?
Cedar. I hear you well. Like me? Opened the porthole "Vzor". I see the earth's horizon. Comes up. But there are no stars in the sky. The earth's surface is visible. The earth's surface is visible through the window. The sky is black. And along the edge of the Earth, along the edge of the horizon, such a beautiful blue halo, which darkens with distance from the Earth.
9.30. Cedar. Can you provide your flight details?
Dawn. How can you hear me?
The Zarya connection was terminated, and the Vesna long-range radio communication system was put into operation.
9.47. Cedar. "Spring", how do you hear? The next reporting message was transmitted: 9 hours 48 minutes, the flight is successful, “Descent-1” is working normally. The mobile index PKRS is moving. The pressure in the cabin is one, the humidity is 65, the temperature is 20, the pressure in the compartment is 1.2. The pressure in manual - 150, the first automatic - 155, the second automatic - 155, in TDU cylinders - 320 atmospheres. Feeling good, cheerful mood.
9.49. Cedar. I don’t hear the earth. I am in the shade.
9.51. Cedar. Solar orientation turned on. Spring. I understood you.
9.53. Spring. The flight is proceeding normally, the orbit is calculated.
9.55. Cedar. I understand you, the flight is proceeding normally, the orbit is calculated.
9.57. Cedar. The mood is cheerful, I continue the flight, I am over America.
Spring. I understand you, you are over America.
10.04. Kedr. 10 hours 04 minutes. I am in the shadow of the Earth. I'm sending you another report. I'm at my peak. Works "Descent-1". Solar orientation works. Cabin pressure unit. Humidity - 65 percent. The temperature is 20 degrees. The pressure in the compartment is 1.2. In manual orientation - 155. The first automatic - 150. The second automatic - 155. In the TDU cylinder - 320 atmospheres. Feeling good, cheerful mood. The flight is successful. How did you understand me? Spring. I understood you.
10.06. Cedar. Attention! I see the earth's horizon. Such a beautiful halo. First, a rainbow from the very surface of the Earth and down. Very nice. Everything went through the right porthole. I see the stars through the Vzor, as the stars pass by. A very beautiful sight. The flight continues in the shadow of the Earth. In the right porthole I am now observing a star. She passes from left to right along the porthole. The asterisk is gone. He's leaving, he's leaving.
10.09. Cedar. Attention, attention! 10 hours 09 minutes 15 seconds. Came out of the shadow of the Earth. Through the right porthole "Vzor" you can see how the Sun appeared, the object rotates. Obviously, the solar orientation system is working. Right now I am observing the Earth in the “Vzor”. Watching the Earth. I'm flying over the sea. It is quite possible to determine the direction of movement over the sea. Now I'm moving on the right side. The direction over the sea can be determined. It is quite possible to orient the object.
Spring. I understood you.
10.18. Cedar. “Spring”, I am “Cedar”, “Spring”, I am “Cedar”. 10 hours 18 minutes. The second team is gone. The pressure in the orientation system is 120 atmospheres. The pressure in the TDU cylinder is 320 atmospheres. Feeling good, the flight is going well. How did you understand? Reception. All systems work well.
Spring. I understood you. The second command passed, everything is fine.
10.24. Cedar. “Spring”, I am “Cedar”. The flight is successful. Feeling great. All systems work well. At 10:23 the pressure in the cabin is one. Humidity - 65. Temperature - 20 degrees. The pressure in the compartment is 1.2. In the manual system - 150. In the first automatic - 110. In the second automatic - 115. In the TDU cylinder - 320 atmospheres. Feeling good. I continue flying. How did you understand?
10.30. The brake propulsion system was turned on, and the ship went downhill.
10.55. Cosmonaut Yu.A. Gagarin landed near the village of Smelovka, Saratov region.
10.59. A group of specialist surveyors arrived at the landing site. At the landing site, a post was erected with the inscription “Do not touch! April 12, 1961, 10:55 Moscow time.
11.06. By car Yu.A. Gagarin went to the location of the summer camp of specialists and immediately called Moscow, reporting a safe landing.
14.30. The appeal of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Government of the Soviet Union to the Communist Party and the peoples of the Soviet Union was broadcast on the radio! To the peoples and governments of all countries! To all progressive mankind!

The UN General Assembly has declared April 12 International Day of Human Space Flight.

The corresponding resolution was adopted on Thursday, April 7, at the 65th session of the Assembly.

"On April 12, 1961, the first manned flight into space took place, which was made by Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen born in Russia, and this historic event opened the way for the exploration of outer space for the benefit of all mankind," the document says.

The Assembly recognized that "this historic event paved the way for the exploration of outer space for the benefit of all mankind."

According to the UN decision, April 12 will be celebrated annually at the international level.

The resolution, which was initiated by Russia, was supported by over 60 states.

The launch of the Vostok-1 spacecraft was made on April 12, 1961 at 09:07 Moscow time from the Baikonur cosmodrome; Gagarin's call sign was "Kedr".

In orbit, Gagarin conducted the simplest experiments: he drank, ate, made notes with a pencil. "Putting" the pencil next to him, he accidentally discovered that he instantly began to float away. From this, Gagarin concluded that it is better to tie pencils and other objects in space. He recorded all his feelings and observations on the on-board tape recorder.

Having completed one revolution around the Earth, at 10:55:34 at 108 minutes the ship completed its flight. Due to a failure in the braking system lander landed with Gagarin not in the planned area 110 km from Stalingrad, but in Saratov region, not far from Engels near the village of Smelovka. At 10:48, the radar of a nearby anti-aircraft missile division spotted an unidentified target - it was a descent vehicle (anti-aircraft gunners had been warned the day before to watch for "containers from the sky").

The first people who met the astronaut after the flight were the wife of a local forester Anna (Anikhayat) Takhtarova and her six-year-old granddaughter Rita (Rumia). Soon the military from the division and local collective farmers arrived at the scene. One group of military men guarded the descent vehicle, while the other group took Gagarin to the location of the unit. From there, Gagarin reported by phone to the commander of the air defense division: “Please tell the Air Force Commander-in-Chief: I completed the task, landed in a given area, I feel good, there are no bruises and breakdowns. Gagarin.

Interesting facts about space travel

The physical laws governing artificial satellites in flight were first stated by Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) in his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), first published in the summer of 1687.

The first flight into space was prepared in a hurry,

Since intelligence received a message,

That the Americans are planning to launch a space

ship at the end of April. Management USSR not

could allow this and gave the command to get ahead

Americans in any way.

Three versions of the TASS message were prepared

About the flight of man into space. The first is solemn

"successful". The second is in case the ship

will not enter orbit and fall somewhere in the taiga or

ocean. In this TASS message, there was an appeal to

Governments of countries with a request to help in finding

Cosmonaut. And finally, the third option -

about the tragic death of the first cosmonaut.
Fortunately, the last two options did not come in handy.

In the period from 1969 to 1972, under the Apollo program, 6 flights were performed with a landing on the moon.

A total of 12 US astronauts have landed on the Moon.

With the advent of the space age, our knowledge of the moon has increased significantly. The composition of the lunar soil became known, scientists received samples of it, and a map of the reverse side was drawn up.

For the first time, the Soviet spacecraft Luna-2 reached the Moon on September 13, 1959.

For the first time, it was possible to look at the far side of the Moon in 1959, when the Soviet station Luna-3 flew over it and photographed part of its surface invisible from the Earth.

In the early 1960s, it was obvious that the United States was lagging behind the USSR in space exploration. Kennedy declared that the landing of a man on the moon would take place before 1970. To prepare for a manned flight, NASA completed several space programs: "Ranger" - photographing the surface, "Surveyor" (1966 -1968) - soft landing and surveying the terrain and "Lunar orbiter" (1966-1967) - a detailed image of the surface of the moon.

The American manned mission to the moon was called "Apollo". The first landing took place on July 20, 1969; the last one - in December 1972, the first person to set foot on the surface of the moon was the American Neil Armstrong (July 21, 1969), the second was Edwin Aldrin. The third crew member, Michael Collins, remained in the orbital module. Thus, the Moon is the only celestial body that has been visited by man, and the first celestial body whose samples were brought to Earth.

The duration of the first spacewalk (A. A. Leonov) was 12 seconds.

Immediately after returning to the earth's surface, astronauts can hardly move their limbs due to being in zero gravity. For this reason, their landing is called the second birth.

Japan managed to launch its first artificial satellite only on the fifth attempt.

Astronaut Scott Parazynski not only made seven spacewalks, but was also a member of the US national luge team.

With the help of corner reflectors installed by the Apollo 11 crew on the Moon, the distance to the Moon was measured to within centimeters.

The first launch vehicle, which was designed not in the USSR and not in the USA, is the French Diamant.

The Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov has been the longest in space. His stay in space is 438 days (i.e. 14 months) of training on board the MIR space station in 1995.

The Galileo probe observed in September 1997 a volcanic eruption on Jupiter's moon Io. The column of fire rose to a height of 120 kilometers.

Australian astronomers have counted all the stars in the visible universe. It turned out 70 sextillion (seven with 22 zeros). This is 10 times more than the number of grains of sand in all the deserts and on all the beaches of the Earth.

The Space Shuttle is simply crammed with electronics - two and a half million units and five hundred kilometers of wires. The shuttle's three engines are more powerful than twelve hydroelectric power plants.

The spaceport from which the shuttles launched is located in Florida, as it is closest to the Equator. This made the path to orbit shorter, and in addition, the shuttle went into orbit not vertically, but to the east in accordance with the direction of the Earth's rotation, which gave it additional acceleration.

The shuttle Enterprise was named after a starship from the Star Trek series at the request of the series' fans, although NASA management was against it.