The satellite launched in 1957. The first artificial satellite of the Earth. Reference. A new space age

The first artificial Earth satellite was created and launched into space in the USSR. It happened on October 4, 1957. On this day, radio stations around the world interrupted their programs in order to report the most important news. The Russian word "satellite" has entered all languages ​​of the world.
It was a fantastic breakthrough of mankind in space exploration, and it marked the beginning of the great Cosmic Era of all mankind. And the palm rightfully belongs to the USSR.

Here is a picture taken in the lobby of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In the foreground is the First Sputnik, the highest technological achievement of its time.
On the second - IKI employees - outstanding scientists, creators of the first satellite, atomic weapons, space science and technology.

If not readable in the picture, here are their names:

• Yakov Borisovich Zeldovich - theoretical physicist, repeatedly awarded the 1st degree Stalin Prize for special works related to atomic bomb... Three times Hero of Social Labor.

October 4, 1957 forever entered the history of mankind as the beginning new era- space. It was on this day that the first artificial satellite (AES), Sputnik-1, was sent to surf space from the Baikonur cosmodrome. It weighed relatively little - 83.6 kilograms, but at that time delivering even such a "crumb" into orbit was a very serious task.

I think that in Russia there is no person who would not know who was the first person in space.

The situation with the first satellite is more complicated. Many do not even know which country he belonged to.

Thus began a new era in science and the legendary space race between the USSR and the USA.

The era of rocketry begins at the beginning of the last century, with theory. It was then that the outstanding scientist Tsiolkovsky, in his article on a jet engine, actually predicted the appearance of satellites. Despite the fact that the professor had many students who continued to popularize his ideas, many considered him just a dreamer.

Then new times came, the country had many things to do and problems, besides rocketry. But two decades later, a group for the study of jet propulsion was founded by Friedrich Zander and the now famous engineer aviator Korolenko. After that, there were several events that led to the fact that 30 years later the first satellite was launched into space, and after some time a man was launched:

• 1933 - Launch of the first rocket with a jet engine;
• 1943 - the invention of the German FAU-2 missiles;
• 1947-1954 - launches of P1-P7 missiles.

The device itself was ready in mid-May at 7 pm. His device was quite simple, it had 2 beacons, which made it possible to measure the trajectories of his flight. Interestingly, after sending a notification that the satellite was ready for flight, Korolev did not receive any response from Moscow and independently made a decision to place the satellite at the launch position.

The preparation and launch of the satellite was supervised by S.P. Korolev. The satellite completed 1440 full revolutions in 92 days, after which it burned up, entering the dense layers of the atmosphere. The radio transmitters worked for two weeks after the start.

The first satellite was named PS-1. When the project of the first-born space was born, there was a debate among engineers and designers-developers: what shape should it be? Having listened to the arguments of all parties, Sergei Pavlovich categorically declared: "A ball and only a ball!" - and, without waiting for questions, explained his idea: “The sphere, its shape, the conditions of its habitation from the point of view of aerodynamics have been thoroughly studied.

Its pros and cons are known. And this is of no small importance.

Understand - FIRST! When humanity sees an artificial satellite, it should evoke good feelings in it. What can be more expressive than a ball? It is close to the shape of our natural celestial bodies Solar system... People will perceive the satellite as a kind of image, as a symbol of the space age!

On board it, I consider it necessary to install such transmitters so that their callsigns can be received by radio amateurs on all continents. The orbital flight of the satellite should be calculated in such a way that, using the simplest optical instruments, everyone from the Earth could see the flight of the Soviet satellite. "

On the morning of October 3, 1957, scientists, designers, members of the State Commission gathered at the assembly and test building - everyone who was associated with the launch. We were waiting for the removal of the Sputnik two-stage rocket and space system to the launch pad.

The metal gate opened. The locomotive, as it were, pushed out a rocket placed on a special platform. Sergey Pavlovich, setting new tradition, took off his hat. His example of high respect for the work that created this miracle of technology was followed by others.

Korolev took a few steps behind the rocket, stopped and, according to the old Russian custom, said: "Well, with God!"

There were only a few hours left before the start of the space age. What awaited Korolev and his associates? Will October 4 be the victory day he has dreamed of for many years? The sky, strewn with stars that night, seemed to be closer to the Earth. And everyone who was present at the launch site involuntarily looked at Korolev. What was he thinking, looking into the dark sky, twinkling with myriads of near and far stars? Maybe he remembered the words of Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky: "The first great step of mankind is to fly out of the atmosphere and become a satellite of the Earth"?

The last meeting of the State Commission before the start. A little over an hour remained before the start of the experiment. The floor was given to S.P. Korolev, everyone was waiting for a detailed report, but the chief designer was short: “The launch vehicle and the satellite passed the launch tests. I propose to launch the rocket and space complex at the appointed time, today at 22 hours 28 minutes. "

And now the long-awaited start!

"THE FIRST ARTIFICIAL EARTH SATELLITE, THE SOVIET SPACE VEHICLE LAUNCHED IN ORBIT."

The launch was carried out from the 5th research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense "Tyura-Tam" on a launch vehicle "Sputnik", created on the basis of the intercontinental ballistic missile "R7".

On Friday, October 4, at 22:28:34 Moscow time (19:28:34 GMT), a successful launch was made.

295 seconds after the launch of the PS-1 and the central block (stage II), the missiles weighing 7.5 tons were launched to

an elliptical orbit with an apogee height of 947 km, at a perigee of 288 km. At the same time, the apogee was in the Southern Hemisphere, and the perigee was in the Northern Hemisphere. 314.5 seconds after the launch, the protective cone was dropped and Sputnik separated from the second stage of the launch vehicle, and he gave his voice. "Beep! Beep! " - so his callsigns sounded.

They were caught at the range for 2 minutes, then Sputnik went beyond the horizon. People at the cosmodrome ran out into the street, shouted "Hurray!", Shook the designers and the military.

And on the first round, the TASS message sounded:

"As a result of a lot of hard work of research institutes and design bureaus, the world's first artificial Earth satellite was created."

Only after the first satellite signals were received, the results of telemetry processing were received and it turned out that only a fraction of a second separated from failure. Before the start, the engine in the G block was "lagging", and the time to enter the mode is tightly controlled, and if it is exceeded, the start is automatically canceled.

The block went into operation less than a second before the control time. At the 16th second of the flight, the tank emptying system (SOB) failed, and due to the increased consumption of kerosene, the central engine turned off 1 second earlier than the estimated time. According to the memoirs of B. Ye. Chertok: “A little more - and the first cosmic velocity could not be reached.

But the winners are not judged! A great thing has happened! "

The inclination of Sputnik-1's orbit was about 65 degrees, which meant that Sputnik-1 flew approximately between the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic Circle, shifting 24 degrees in longitude due to the rotation of the Earth during each revolution 37.

The orbital period of Sputnik-1 was initially 96.2 minutes, then it gradually decreased due to the lowering of the orbit, for example, after 22 days it became less by 53 seconds.

History of creation

The flight of the first satellite was preceded by long-term work of scientists and designers, in which scientists played a significant role.

Here are their names:

1. Valentin Semenovich Etkin - sounding of the Earth's surface from space by remote radio-physical methods.
2. Pavel Efimovich Elyasberg - during the launch of the first Artificial Earth Satellite, he supervised the work on determining the orbits and predicting the satellite's motion based on the measurement results.
3. Yan Lvovich Ziman - Ph.D. thesis, defended at MIIGAiK, was devoted to the choice of orbits for satellites.
4. Georgy Ivanovich Petrov - together with S.P. Korolev and M.V. Keldysh, stood at the origins of cosmonautics.
5. Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky is the founder of the school of modern astrophysics.
6. Georgy Stepanovich Narimanov - programs and methods of navigation and ballistic support in flight control of artificial earth satellites.
7. Konstantin Iosifovich Gringauz, the first artificial Earth satellite, launched in 1957, carried on board a radio transmitter created by a scientific and technical group led by K. I. Gringauz.
8. Yuri Ilyich Galperin - magnetospheric research.
9. Semyon Samoilovich Moiseev - Plasma and Hydrodynamics.
10. Vasily Ivanovich Moroz - Physics of planets and small bodies of the Solar system.

Satellite device

The satellite body consisted of two power hemispherical shells 58.0 cm in diameter made of aluminum-magnesium alloy AMg-6 2 mm thick with docking frames connected by 36 M8 × 2.5 studs. Before launch, the satellite was filled with dry nitrogen gas at a pressure of 1.3 atmospheres. The tightness of the joint was ensured by a vacuum rubber gasket. The upper half-shell had a smaller radius and was covered by a hemispherical outer screen 1 mm thick to provide thermal insulation.

The surfaces of the shells were polished and processed to give them special optical properties. On the upper half-shell, there were two corner dipole antennas, facing backwards, in a criss-cross pattern; each consisted of two arms-pins 2.4 m long (VHF antenna) and 2.9 m long (HF antenna), the angle between the arms in a pair was 70 °; the shoulders were bred to the required angle with a spring
mechanism after separation from the launch vehicle.

Such an antenna provided close to uniform radiation in all directions, which was required for stable radio reception due to the fact that the satellite was not oriented. The antenna design was proposed by G. T. Markov (MPEI). On the front half-shell there were four sockets for fastening antennas with pressure sealed fittings and a filling valve flange. On the rear half-shell there was a blocking heel contact, which turned on the autonomous on-board power supply after separation of the satellite from the launch vehicle, as well as the flange of the test system connector.

Scheme of the orbit of the first satellite of the Earth. / From the newspaper "Soviet Aviation" /. 1957 g.

Inside the sealed case were placed:

• block of electrochemical sources (silver-zinc batteries);
• radio transmitting device;
• a fan that turns on from a thermostat at a temperature above + 30 ° C and turns off when the temperature drops to + 20 ... 23 ° C;
• thermal relay and air duct of the thermal control system;
• switching device of on-board electrical automatics; temperature and pressure sensors;
• onboard cable network. Weight - 83.6 kg.

Flight parameters

• The flight began on October 4, 1957 at 19:28:34 GMT.
• The end of the flight is January 4, 1958.
• The mass of the device is 83.6 kg.
• The maximum diameter is 0.58 m.
• The orbital inclination is 65.1 °.
• The circulation period is 96.2 minutes.
• Perigee - 228 km.
• Apogee - 947 km.
• Turns - 1440.

Memory

In honor of the beginning of the space era of mankind in 1964, a 99-meter obelisk to the Conquerors of Space was opened in Moscow on Prospekt Mira.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the launch of "Sputnik-1" on October 4, 2007 in the city of Korolev, on Kosmonavtov Avenue, a monument to the "First artificial Earth satellite" was unveiled.

In honor of "Sputnik-1" in 2017, the ice plateau on Pluto was named.

Gaining speed, the rocket confidently went up. Everyone who was involved in the launch of the satellite gathered at the launch site. The nervous excitement did not subside. Everyone was waiting for the satellite to fly around the Earth and appear over the cosmodrome. “There is a signal,” the operator's voice came over the speakerphone.

At the same moment, the clear, confident voice of a companion poured from the speaker over the steppe. Everyone applauded in unison. Someone shouted "Hurray!" Strong handshakes, hugs. An atmosphere of happiness reigned ... Korolev looked around: Ryabinin, Keldysh, Glushko, Kuznetsov, Nesterenko, Bushuev, Pilyugin, Ryazansky, Tikhonravov. Everybody here, everybody is near - "a mighty bunch in science and technology", adherents of Tsiolkovsky's ideas.

It seemed that the general jubilation of those gathered at these moments at the launch site was impossible to calm down. But then Korolev rose to the impromptu rostrum. There was silence. He did not hide his joy: his eyes shone, his face, usually stern, shone.

“Today, what the best sons of mankind dreamed of has come true, and among them is our famous scientist Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky. He brilliantly predicted that humanity will not remain forever on Earth. The companion is the first confirmation of his prophecy. The assault on space has begun. We can be proud that our Motherland started it. Everyone - a big Russian thank you! "

Here are the reviews from the foreign press.

The Italian scientist Beniamino Segre, having learned about the satellite, said: "As a person and as a scientist, I am proud of the triumph of the human mind, which underlines the high level of socialist science."

Review of The New York Times: “The success of the USSR first of all shows that this is the greatest feat of Soviet science and technology. Such a feat could only be accomplished by a country with first-class conditions in a very wide area of ​​science and technology. "

The statement of the German rocket scientist Hermann Obert is curious: “Only a country with a huge scientific and technical potential could successfully solve such a difficult task as the launch of the first Earth satellite. A considerable number of specialists also had to be available. And the Soviet Union has them. I admire the talent of Soviet scientists. "

The most profound assessment of what had happened was given by a physicist, laureate Nobel Prize Frederic Joliot-Curie: “This a great victory man, which is a turning point in the history of civilization. Man is no longer chained to his planet. "

In all languages ​​of the world that day sounded: "space", "satellite", "USSR", "Russian scientists".

In 1958 S.P. Korolev makes a report "On the program of the study of the Moon", supervises the launch of a geophysical rocket with research equipment and two dogs in the descent vehicle, participates in the organization of the flight of the third artificial Earth satellite - the first scientific station. And many more others scientific work was done under his direction.

And finally, the triumph of science - April 12, 1961. Sergey Pavlovich Korolev - the head of the historical flight of a man into space. This day became an event in the history of mankind: for the first time, man defeated gravity and rushed into outer space ... Then it took real courage and courage to get into the “space ball”, as the “Vostok” ship was sometimes called, and, not thinking about his own fate, fly away into the boundless starry space.

The day before, Korolev addressed the members of the State Commission: “Dear comrades! Less than four years have passed since the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite, and we are already ready for the first manned flight into space. There is a group of astronauts here, each of them ready to fly. It was decided that Yuri Gagarin would fly first. Others will follow him in the near future. Next in line we have new flights, which will be interesting for science and for the good of mankind. "

Korolev's Martian project remained unfinished. New ones will come, those who will continue this project and lead their ships along The milky way to distant planets, to distant worlds ...

On my own I can add that glory to the Fatherland is brought and will be brought by the heroes of science, who have imprinted Knowledge with their lives.

Above us are the same, like ancient, heaven,
And they pour their streams to us in the same way,
And miracles are happening these days
And in our day there are prophets ...

(V.G. Benediktov)

The cry of the first companions
was touchingly thin.
So among the stellar young cereals
the planet has hatched
like a chicken
from a blue air-shell.
Vladimir Kostrov

60 years ago, on October 4, 1957, the space age began in the history of mankind. For the first time, an object created by the hands of terrestrial engineers was launched into orbit. They named it Sputnik.

Satellite prototypes

The idea of ​​an artificial Earth satellite (satellite, satellite, moon) arose quite a long time ago. Isaac Newton in the monograph "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"(1687), as an example to his reasoning, cited a description of a huge cannon with which it would be possible to launch a core into a permanent orbit around the Earth. Newton proposed to imagine the highest mountain, the peak of which is outside the atmosphere, and a cannon mounted at its very top and shooting horizontally. The more powerful the charge is used when firing, the farther from the mountain the core will fly away. Finally, upon reaching a certain power of the charge, the nucleus will develop such a speed that it will not fall to the Earth at all and will revolve around our planet. This speed is now called the "first cosmic" and for the Earth it is 7.91 km / s.

Sir Isaac Newton is the founder of not only physics, but also astronautics. "Newton's Cannon": the core flies, but does not fall (original illustration)

Both scientists who discussed the prospects of astronautics and science fiction writers subsequently turned to the figurative example of Newton. The technical implementation of Newton's cannon was described in his novel by the science fiction classic Jules Verne in his novel "500 Million Begums" (1879).

Large French cannon for space launches.

The great Tsiolkovsky looks to the future.

The founders of theoretical cosmonautics spoke at length about the need to launch an artificial Earth satellite. However, they justified this need in different ways. Our compatriot Konstantin Tsiolkovsky proposed launching a rocket with a crew into a circular orbit in order to immediately begin human space exploration.

German Hermann Obert proposed to assemble a large orbital station from the stages of carrier rockets, which could solve the tasks of military intelligence, sea navigation, geophysical research and relaying information messages.

In addition, by equipping this station with a large mirror, it would be possible, according to Obert, to focus Sun rays and send them to Earth, affecting the climate or threatening enemy troops and cities. Obert's idea was played in his novel World Fire (1925) German author Karl-August Laffert.

Many scientists and science fiction writers agreed that an artificial satellite of the Earth would be used primarily as transshipment base for interplanetary ships flying to the Moon, Mars and Venus. And in fact, why would a spacecraft carry all the fuel needed for acceleration into orbit if it can refuel from a satellite?

At the same time, they came up with the idea of ​​equipping the future satellite with a telescope, so that astronomers could observe distant space objects directly from orbit, getting rid of the distortions introduced by the atmosphere forever.

Inhabited satellite in Earth's orbit (original illustration from V. Nikolsky's book "In a Thousand Years"). Inhabited satellite in Earth's orbit (original cover for the American edition of O. Gail's novel "The Moonstone").

Artificial satellites of this type are described in the novels of Otto Gail Moonstone (1926), Vadim Nikolsky "In a Thousand Years" (1927) and Alexandra Belyaeva "Star of the CEC" (1936).

However, time passed, and it was not possible to build a satellite delivery vehicle into orbit. Building large cannons proved to be extremely time-consuming and expensive, and small rockets, which were launched in large numbers before World War II, could not even theoretically reach first space velocity.

Due to the lack of a carrier, very exotic projects appeared. For example, in 1944, Major General Georgy Pokrovsky published an article "A new satellite of the Earth", in which he proposed launching a metal satellite using a directional explosion. He understood, of course, that after such an explosion, only "some unorganized masses of metals" would go into orbit, but he was sure that such an experience is necessary for mankind, since observing the movement of an "unorganized" object would give a lot of new information about the processes that occur in the higher layers of the atmosphere.

Launching the Pokrovsky satellite with an explosion (original illustration).
Pokrovsky satellite in orbit (original illustration).

First attempts

As is well known, the first large liquid-fueled rockets learned how to make in the Third Reich. And already there they talked about using them to launch satellites.

There is evidence that, when discussing future developments at the German rocket center Peenemünde, it was proposed to pay homage to the first space travelers to place their embalmed bodies in glass balls launched in orbits around the Earth.

The appearance of heavy rockets "V-2" predetermined the development of astronautics.

In March 1946, US Air Force experts prepared a "Preliminary Design of an Experimental Spacecraft for Orbiting the Earth." In this document, the first serious attempt was made to assess the possibility of creating a spacecraft that will revolve around the Earth as its satellite.

Already in the introduction to the project, it is emphasized that, despite the ambiguity of the prospects for the start of space activities, two points do not raise doubts: “1) A spacecraft equipped with appropriate instrumentation is likely to become one of the most effective means scientific research 20th century. 2) The launch of the satellite by the United States will spark the imagination of mankind and will surely have an impact on events in the world, comparable to the explosion of an atomic bomb.

On October 4, 1950, exactly seven years before the launch of the first satellites, the American scientist Kechkemeti presented a research report "Rocket spacecraft - Earth satellite: political and psychological problems." The memorandum analyzed "the likely political consequences of the launch of an artificial Earth satellite in the United States and its successful use in the interests of military intelligence." The report shows that military experts in the early 1950s were well aware of the political and military significance of a satellite launch. It was no longer a question of glass balls with the bodies of space explorers - entire orbital groupings were drawn to the imagination of the designers, monitoring the territory of a potential enemy.

V-2 at White Sands. This is how American astronautics began.

At the 4th International Astronautics Congress, held in 1953 in Zurich, Fred Singer from the University of Maryland openly stated that the United States has the prerequisites for creating an artificial Earth satellite, abbreviated as "MAUZ" ("Minimum Orbital Unmanned Satellite of Earth"). The hypothetical Singer satellite was an autonomous instrumentation system placed in a strong ball, which, upon reaching a given height, was separated from the third stage of the composite launch vehicle. The satellite's orbit with an altitude of 300 km was supposed to pass through both poles of the Earth.

Werner von Braun's rocket at launch

On June 25, 1954, a meeting was held at the Naval Research Directorate in Washington, which was attended by leading American missilemen: Wernher von Braun, Professor Singer, Professor Whipple from Harvard, David Young from Aerojet and others. On the agenda was the question of whether it is possible to launch large-scale satellites into an orbit with an altitude of 320 km in the near future. The "near term" meant a period of 2-3 years.

Werner von Braun stated that the historic launch could be carried out much earlier, and outlined his considerations for using a Redstone rocket for this purpose as the first stage and several Loki rocket bundles as subsequent stages. The main advantage was that it could use existing missiles. This is how the Orbiter project was born. The launch of the satellite was scheduled for the summer of 1957.

American satellite "Explorer-1". Wernher von Braun still managed to launch it.

However, by that time, other projects had also received serious development.

July 29, 1955 The White house officially announced the upcoming launch of the satellite under the Avangard Naval Forces program.

A three-stage carrier was proposed for launch, consisting of a modified Viking rocket as the first stage, a modified Aerobi rocket as the second stage and a solid-propellant third stage. It was originally planned that the Avangard satellite would weigh 9.75 kg. They wanted to equip it with measuring instruments. With a small power supply and a camera on board, the satellite could even transmit color images to Earth.

However, the launch of the first Soviet satellite confused the Americans' plans. In its final form, the spherical Avangard-1 weighed only 1.59 kg and had only two primitive radio transmitters on board, powered by mercury and solar batteries.

American satellite "Avangard". He could have been the first, but he did not even become the second. The rocket with "Avangard-1" exploded at the start on December 6, 1957.

Meanwhile in the USSR

Cover of the futurological issue of the journal "Knowledge is Power"

In November 1954, an unusual futurological issue of the Znanie - Sila magazine was published, dedicated to the upcoming flight to the moon. In this issue, the leading Soviet popularizers of science and science fiction writers shared their views on the upcoming space expansion. A forecast was given on the pages of the magazine: the first artificial satellite will be launched in 1970. The authors of the issue were mistaken - the space age began much earlier.

The chief designer of Soviet rocketry, Sergei Korolev, started talking seriously about the satellite in 1953. At that time, work was just underway on the R-7 intercontinental rocket, but it was clear to specialists that this rocket was capable of reaching the first space velocity.

On May 26, 1954, Korolev sent a memo "On an artificial Earth satellite" to the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers. The answer was negative, because the Queen was expected first of all combat missile, which will fly to America - research topics at the top at that time worried little. But Korolev did not give up hope to convince the leadership and turned to the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.

On August 30, 1955, leading experts in rocketry, including Sergei Korolev, Mstislav Keldysh and Valentin Glushko, gathered in the office of the chief scientific secretary of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Academician Topchiev.

Academicians M. V. Keldysh and S. P. Korolev.

Korolev made a short report in which, in particular, he said: “I consider it necessary to create a special body at the USSR Academy of Sciences to develop a program of scientific research using a series of artificial earth satellites, including biological ones with animals on board. This organization should pay the most serious attention to the manufacture of scientific equipment and attract leading scientists to this event. "

The Academy was supported by the Queen. From December 1955 to March 1956, a number of meetings of scientists of various specialties were held, one way or another interested in space exploration... After that, the government could no longer shrug off the “fantastic project”. On January 30, 1956, Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 149-88ss was adopted, which provided for the creation "Object D"- this was the name of an unoriented satellite weighing from 1000 to 1400 kg. From 200 to 300 kg were allocated for scientific equipment. The term of the first test launch on the basis of the long-range missile "R-7" is the summer of 1957.

Object "D" - space laboratory. He could have become the first Soviet satellite, but he became the third.

Having received the long-awaited decree, Korolyov immediately began to implement his plans. In its design bureau OKB-1, a department was formed that was supposed to deal exclusively with the development of artificial earth satellites. At Keldysh's suggestion, the department was working on several versions of Object D at once, one of which provided for a container with a "biological load" - a test dog.

Sergei Korolev closely followed the work of his American colleagues and feared that he might be outstripped. Therefore, immediately after the successful launch of the R-7 rocket, which took place on September 7, 1957, the chief designer gathered the employees involved in the design of the satellite and proposed to temporarily freeze the work on the “Object D”, and make a small light satellite “even on the knee”.

"The simplest satellite first" ("PS-1").

Two engineers, Mikhail Khomyakov and Oleg Ivanovsky, were entrusted with the management of the design and manufacture of PS-1 (“The simplest first satellite”). Mikhail Ryazansky invented special signals for the transmitter. Rocket nose cone protecting the satellite from impact environment, designed by the group of Sergei Okhapkin.

Although the satellite looked very simple according to the scheme, but it was created for the first time, there were no analogues of an orbiting artificial object in technology. Only one thing was set - the weight limit: no more than 100 kg. (In the final form, it weighed even less - 83.6 kg). Quite quickly, the designers came to the conclusion that it was beneficial to make a satellite in the form of a ball.

Scheme "PS-1" (general view). Poster "The first artificial Earth satellite" (1958).

Inside the satellite, it was decided to place two radio transmitters with operating frequencies of 20.005 and 40.002 MHz. The satellite body consisted of two half-shells with docking frames connected by 36 bolts. The tightness of the joint was ensured by a rubber gasket. Externally, the satellite looked like an aluminum sphere with a diameter of 0.58 m, with four antennas. The power supply of the satellite onboard equipment was provided by electrochemical current sources (silver-zinc batteries), designed to operate for 2-3 weeks.

Internal layout "PS-1".

Work on the Soviet satellite was not kept secret. Six months before the historic launch, V. Vakhnin's article "Artificial Earth Satellites" was published in the mass magazine "Radio", which reported the parameters of the orbits of future Soviet satellites and the frequencies at which radio amateurs should catch their signals.

One week prior to launch on scientific conference in Washington, Sergei Poloskov read a report on the space plans of the USSR and for the first time pronounced the name of the new spacecraft. Soon, all print media in the world will repeat this word - Sputnik.

• The day of the launch of Sputnik-1 is celebrated in Russia as the Commemorative Day of the Space Forces.
• In 1964, in honor of the launch of Sputnik-1 in Moscow, near the VDNKh metro station, a 99-meter monument to the Conquerors of Space was erected in the form of a rocket taking off, leaving a trail of fire behind.
• The Sputnik 1 model was donated by the Soviet government to the UN and now adorns the entrance to the UN Headquarters Hall in New York.
• On November 4, 1997, the cosmonauts of the Russian orbital station "Mir" manually launched into space a model "Sputnik-1" ("RS-17", "Sputnik-40"). This model was made on a 1: 3 scale by Russian and French students specifically for the 40th anniversary of the launch of the first satellite.
• In 2003, an exact copy (backup) of Sputnik 1, made back in 1957, was sold at an eBay auction. Before the sale, the copy was listed as an educational exhibit of one of the Kiev institutes. It is believed that in preparation for the historic launch, four copies of the "Simplest Satellite" were made.

Monument to the Conquerors of Space in Moscow.

Beep, beep, beep

Sergei Korolev at the launch site of the Baikonur cosmodrome.

On September 20, 1957, a meeting of the special commission for the launch of the satellite was held at Baikonur, where all services confirmed their readiness for launch. Finally, on October 4, 1957 at 22:28:34 Moscow time, the brightest flash illuminated the night Kazakh steppe. The M1-1SP launch vehicle (a modification of the R-7 rocket, later called Sputnik-1) went up with a roar. Her torch gradually weakened and soon became indistinguishable against the background of the starry sky.

In 295 seconds after the launch "PS-1" and the central block of the rocket weighing 7.5 tons were launched into an elliptical orbit with an altitude of 947 km at apogee, at a perigee of 288 km. At 314.5 seconds after the launch, the satellite separated, and it began to send signals: “Beep! Beep! Beep! " At the cosmodrome they were caught for two minutes, then the satellite went beyond the horizon. The specialists ran out of hiding places, shouted "Hurray!", Shook the designers and the military. And already at the first orbit, the TASS report sounded: “As a result of a lot of hard work of research institutes and design bureaus, the world's first artificial Earth satellite was created. On October 4, 1957, the first satellite was successfully launched in the Soviet Union. "

The moment of separation of the nose fairing and the last stage of the launch vehicle from the PS-1 (still from the training film).

Observations on the first orbits showed that the satellite entered orbit with an inclination of 65.1 ° and with a maximum distance of 947 km from the Earth's surface. For each orbit around the Earth, the satellite spent 96 minutes 10.2 seconds.

Klim Voroshilov presents Sergei Korolev with the Order of Lenin (1957).

At 20:07 New York time, the RSA radio station in New York picked up the signals from the Soviet satellite, and soon radio and television spread the news across the United States. NBC radio suggested that Americans "listen to the signals that forever separated the old from the new."

Another detail of the historical launch is of some interest. It is generally accepted that an asterisk that appeared after October 4, 1957, as if quickly running through the sky, is a visually observed satellite. In fact, the reflecting surface of the PS-1 was too small for visual observation; the second stage was visible from the Earth - the very central block of the rocket, which entered the same orbit as the satellite.

According to official information, "PS-1" flew 92 days, until January 4, 1958, having completed 1440 revolutions around the Earth and covered about 60 million kilometers.

Photo of "PS-1" during its passage over Melbourne.

However, there is evidence that it entered the dense layers of the atmosphere and burned up a little earlier - on December 8, 1957. It was on this day that someone Earl Thomas discovered a flaming debris near his home in Southern California. The analysis showed that it consists of the same materials as "PS-1". These fragments are currently on display at the Beat Museum near San Francisco.

Perhaps these are fragments of the filling of the first satellite that fell into the United States.

Alternatives

New York Times issue dedicated to the launch of Sputnik 1.

The launch of the satellite caused shock throughout the world, and above all in the United States. For the first time, the Americans have received clear evidence that they are not leading in all spheres of life, that the "potential enemy" has bypassed them in the most important direction. "90 percent of the talk about artificial earth satellites was in the United States," wrote The New York Times. “As it turned out, 100 percent of the case fell on Russia ...” It was frightening. And it was very frightening!

The "king of horror films" Stephen King admitted in his book "Dance of Death" that the news of the Soviet Union launching a satellite into orbit was the most powerful shock of his youth.

The fear was so strong that in the first days of October 1957, especially hot heads from the Pentagon proposed to “close the sky”, that is, throw tons of scrap metal into orbital heights: balls from bearings, nails, steel shavings, which would lead to the termination of any space launches. This little-known detail from the history of astronautics indicates that the Americans initially perceived space as their property. And they could not admit the thought that someone else would dare to claim it.

But America really could become the first space power.

Poster "Soviet Artificial Earth Satellites" (1958).

If before the Second World War no one thought about it, then after the war, being impressed by the successes of the missilemen of the Third Reich, the US leaders seriously thought about a new "strategic bridgehead". Thanks to the documents and specialists exported from Germany, the Americans were able to quite quickly overcome the lag in ballistic missiles, and therefore create the prerequisites for the launch of satellites into outer space.

The US leadership made only one mistake. He should have trusted the experience and talent of Wernher von Braun and accepted the Orbiter project, which promised the launch of the first satellite by the end of 1956. Most likely, the German designer would have been able to fulfill his promises, and the United States would have acquired the much-desired "right of ownership."

What would that change? Only one thing, but the most important thing. Having established itself in outer space, having secured one of the most important priorities, the United States would hardly get involved in a space "race" that would require huge financial costs. But an attempt to "catch up and overtake America" ​​in space could lead to the fact that Soviet cosmonauts would not only become the first in orbits, but would also land on the moon. The history of astronautics would have changed dramatically.

The launch of the Soviet satellite unleashed the space "race" in which the Americans won by landing on the moon.

* * *

It is impossible to say whether people would be happier in such a world or not, but it does not matter. After all, it has never been and never will be, because it was the Soviet satellite that opened the space era, and its ringing signals notified the entire Universe about it ...

In 1957, under the leadership of S.P. Korolev, the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile R-7 was created, which in the same year was used to launch the world's first artificial satellite of the Earth.

Artificial Earth Satellite (Satellites) is a spacecraft orbiting the Earth in a geocentric orbit. - the trajectory of a celestial body along an elliptical trajectory around the Earth. One of the two focuses of the ellipse, along which the celestial body moves, coincides with the Earth. To spaceship ended up in this orbit, he needs to be told a speed that is less than the second cosmic speed, but not less than the first cosmic speed. AES flights are performed at altitudes up to several hundred thousand kilometers. The lower limit of the AES flight altitude is determined by the need to avoid the process of rapid deceleration in the atmosphere. The orbital period of a satellite, depending on the average flight altitude, can range from one and a half hours to several days.

Of particular importance are satellites in geostationary orbit, whose orbital period is strictly equal to days and therefore, for a ground observer, they "hang" motionless in the sky, which makes it possible to get rid of rotary devices in the antennas. Geostationary orbit(GSO) - a circular orbit located above the equator of the Earth (0 ° latitude), in which an artificial satellite revolves around the planet with an angular velocity equal to the angular velocity of the Earth's rotation around its axis. The movement of an artificial Earth satellite in a geostationary orbit.

Sputnik-1- the first artificial Earth satellite, the first spacecraft, launched into orbit in the USSR on October 4, 1957.

Satellite code designation - PS-1(The simplest Sputnik-1). The launch was carried out from the 5th research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense "Tyura-Tam" (later this place was called the Baikonur cosmodrome) on the "Sputnik" (R-7) launch vehicle.

Scientists M.V. Keldysh, M.K. Tikhonravov, N. S. Lidorenko, V. I. Lapko, B. S. Chekunov, A. V. Bukhtiyarov and many others.

The date of the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite is considered the beginning of the space age of mankind, and in Russia it is celebrated as a memorable day for the Space Forces.

The body of the satellite consisted of two hemispheres 58 cm in diameter made of aluminum alloy with docking frames connected by 36 bolts. The tightness of the joint was ensured by a rubber gasket. In the upper half-shell were two antennas, each of two pins 2.4 m and 2.9 m long. Since the satellite was not oriented, the four-antenna system gave uniform radiation in all directions.

A block of electrochemical sources was placed inside the sealed case; radio transmitting device; fan; thermal relay and air duct of the thermal control system; switching device of on-board electrical automatics; temperature and pressure sensors; onboard cable network. First satellite mass: 83.6 kg.

The history of the creation of the first satellite

On May 13, 1946, Stalin signed a decree establishing the rocket science and industry in the USSR. In August S. P. Korolev was appointed chief designer of long-range ballistic missiles.

But back in 1931 in the USSR, the Jet Propulsion Research Group was created, which was engaged in the design of missiles. This group worked Tsander, Tikhonravov, Pobedonostsev, Korolev... In 1933, on the basis of this group, the Jet Institute was organized, which continued work on the creation and improvement of missiles.

In 1947, V-2 missiles were assembled in Germany and flight tests were carried out, and they marked the beginning of Soviet work on the development of rocket technology. However, V-2 embodied in its design the ideas of the lone geniuses Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Hermann Obert, Robert Goddard.

In 1948, at the Kapustin Yar test site, tests of the R-1 rocket were already carried out, which was a copy of the V-2, manufactured entirely in the USSR. Then the R-2 with a range of up to 600 km appeared, these missiles were put into service since 1951. And the creation of the R-5 rocket with a range of up to 1200 km was the first separation from the V-2 technology. These missiles were tested in 1953, and research began immediately on their use as a carrier. nuclear weapons... On May 20, 1954, the government issued a decree on the development of a two-stage intercontinental missile P-7. And already on May 27, Korolev sent a report to the Minister of Defense Industry DF Ustinov on the development of an artificial satellite and the possibility of launching it with the help of the future R-7 rocket.

Launch!

On Friday, October 4, at 22 hours 28 minutes 34 seconds Moscow time, the successful launch... 295 seconds after the launch, PS-1 and the central block of the rocket weighing 7.5 tons were launched into an elliptical orbit with an apogee height of 947 km, at a perigee of 288 km. At 314.5 seconds after the launch, the Sputnik separated and he gave his vote. "Beep! Beep! " - so his callsigns sounded. They were caught at the range for 2 minutes, then Sputnik went beyond the horizon. People at the cosmodrome ran out into the street, shouted "Hurray!", Shook the designers and the military. And even at the first loop, the TASS report sounded: "... As a result of a lot of hard work of research institutes and design bureaus, the world's first artificial Earth satellite was created ..."

Only after the first satellite signals were received, the results of telemetry processing were received and it turned out that only a fraction of a second separated from failure. One of the engines "lagged", and the time to reach the mode is tightly controlled and when it is exceeded, the start is automatically canceled. The block went into operation less than a second before the control time. At the 16th second of the flight, the fuel supply control system failed, and due to the increased consumption of kerosene, the central engine turned off 1 second earlier than the estimated time. But the winners are not judged! The satellite flew for 92 days, until January 4, 1958, completing 1440 revolutions around the Earth (about 60 million km), and its radio transmitters worked for two weeks after launch. Due to friction against the upper layers of the atmosphere, the satellite lost speed, entered the dense layers of the atmosphere and burned out due to friction against the air.

Officially, "Sputnik-1" and "Sputnik-2" were launched by the Soviet Union in accordance with their obligations under the International Geophysical Year. The satellite emitted radio waves at two frequencies of 20.005 and 40.002 MHz in the form of telegraph messages with a duration of 0.3 s, this made it possible to study the upper layers of the ionosphere - before the launch of the first satellite, it was possible to observe only the reflection of radio waves from the regions of the ionosphere lying below the zone of maximum ionization of the ionospheric layers.

Launch goals

• verification of calculations and basic technical solutions adopted for the launch;
• ionospheric studies of the passage of radio waves emitted by satellite transmitters;
• experimental determination of the density of the upper layers of the atmosphere by the deceleration of the satellite;
• investigation of the operating conditions of the equipment.

Despite the fact that the satellite was completely lacking any scientific equipment, the study of the nature of the radio signal and optical observations of the orbit made it possible to obtain important scientific data.

Other satellites

The second country to launch satellites was the United States: on February 1, 1958, an artificial earth satellite was launched Explorer-1... It was in orbit until March 1970, but stopped broadcasting as early as February 28, 1958. The first American artificial Earth satellite was launched by Brown's team.

Werner Magnus Maximilian von Braun- German, and since the late 1940s, American designer of rocket and space technology, one of the founders of modern rocketry, the creator of the first ballistic missiles. In the United States, he is considered the "father" of the American space program. For political reasons, von Braun was not given permission to launch the first American satellite for a long time (the US leadership wanted the satellite to be launched by the military), so preparations for the launch of the Explorer began in earnest only after the Avangard accident. For the launch, a boosted version of the Redstone ballistic missile, called Jupiter-C, was created. The satellite's mass was exactly 10 times less than the mass of the first Soviet satellite - 8.3 kg. It was equipped with a Geiger counter and a meteoric particle sensor. The Explorer's orbit was noticeably higher than the orbit of the first satellite.

The following countries that launched satellites - Great Britain, Canada, Italy - launched their first satellites in 1962, 1962, 1964 ... on American launch vehicles... And the third country to launch the first satellite on its launch vehicle was France November 26, 1965

Now satellites are being launched more than 40 countries (as well as individual companies) using both their own launch vehicles (LV) and those provided as launch services by other countries and interstate and private organizations.

Booster rocket Launch pad Flight duration Deorbiting NSSDC ID SCN Specifications Weight Dimensions (edit)

maximum diameter 0.58 m.

Orbital elements Semi-major axis Eccentricity Mood Period of circulation Apocenter

7310 km from center, 939 km from surface

Pericenter

6586 km from center, 215 km from surface

Sputnik-1 at Wikimedia Commons

The editorial of the Pravda newspaper dedicated to the launch of the satellite

Satellite code designation - PS-1(The simplest Sputnik-1). The launch was carried out from the 5th research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense "Tyura-Tam" (which later received the open name of the Baikonur cosmodrome) on a launch vehicle "Sputnik" (R-7).

The scientists M.V. Keldysh, M.K.Tikhonravov, N. S. Lidorenko, V. I. Lapko, B. S. Chekunov worked on the creation of an artificial Earth satellite, led by the founder of practical cosmonautics S. P. Korolev, A. V. Bukhtiyarov and many others.

The launch date is considered the beginning of the space era of mankind, and in Russia it is celebrated as a memorable day for the Space Forces.

Flight parameters

• Flight start- October 4 at 19:28:34 GMT
• End of flight- 4 January
• Machine weight- 83.6 kg;
• Maximum diameter- 0.58 m.
• Orbit inclination- 65.1 °.
• Period of circulation- 96.7 minutes
• Perigee- 228 km.
• Apogee- 947 km.
• Vitkov - 1440

Device

The body of the satellite consisted of two hemispheres 58 cm in diameter made of aluminum alloy with docking frames connected by 36 bolts. The tightness of the joint was ensured by a rubber gasket. In the upper half-shell were two antennas, each of two pins 2.4 m and 2.9 m long. Since the satellite was not oriented, the four-antenna system gave uniform radiation in all directions.

Inside the sealed case were placed: a block of electrochemical sources; radio transmitting device; fan; thermal relay and air duct of the thermal control system; switching device of on-board electrical automatics; temperature and pressure sensors; onboard cable network. Weight: 83.6 kg.

History of creation

USSR postage stamp depicting Sputnik-1

Mail envelope dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the launch of the 1st Earth satellite

The flight of the first satellite was preceded by the long work of Soviet rocket designers headed by Sergei Korolev.

1931-1947

In 1931, in the USSR, a Jet Propulsion Study Group was created, which was engaged in the design of missiles, in which, in particular, Tsander, Tikhonravov, Pobedonostsev, Korolev worked. In 1933, this group was transformed into, which continued to work on the creation and improvement of missiles.

1947-1957. From "V-2" to "PS-1"

The history of the creation of the First Satellite is the history of the rocket. The missile technology of the Soviet Union and the United States had a German origin.

The developed rocket design of the new layout on November 20, 1954 was approved by the Council of Ministers of the USSR. It was necessary in the shortest possible time to solve many new problems, which included, in addition to the development and construction of the rocket itself, the choice of a place for the launch site, the construction of launch facilities, the commissioning of all the necessary services and equipment with observation posts of the entire 7000-kilometer flight route.

The first R-7 missile complex was built and tested during 1955-1956 at the Leningrad Metal Plant, at the same time, in accordance with a government decree of February 12, 1955, construction of NIIP-5 began in the area of ​​the Tyura-Tam station. When the first rocket in the factory shop was already assembled, the factory was visited by a delegation of the main members of the Politburo, headed by N. S. Khrushchev. The rocket made an amazing impression not only on Soviet leadership, but also on leading scientists.

We [nuclear scientists] believed that we have a large scale, but there we saw something, an order of magnitude larger. I was struck by the huge, visible to the naked eye, technical culture, the coordinated work of hundreds of highly qualified people and their almost everyday, but very businesslike attitude to those fantastic things with which they dealt ...

- (collection "The First Space", p. 18)

On January 30, 1956, the government signed a decree on the creation and launch into orbit in 1957-1958. "Object" D "" - a satellite with a mass of 1000-1400 kg, carrying 200-300 kg of scientific equipment. The development of the equipment was entrusted to the USSR Academy of Sciences, the construction of the satellite - OKB-1, the implementation of the launch - to the Ministry of Defense. By the end of 1956, it became clear that reliable satellite equipment could not be created within the required time frame.

Officially, Sputnik-1, like Sputnik-2, was launched by the Soviet Union in accordance with its obligations under the International Geophysical Year. The satellite emitted radio waves at two frequencies of 20.005 and 40.002 MHz in the form of telegraph messages with a duration of 0.3 s, this made it possible to study the upper layers of the ionosphere, because before the launch of the first satellite, it was possible to observe only the reflection of radio waves from the regions of the ionosphere, lying below the zone of maximum ionization of the ionospheric layers ...

The satellite was of great political importance. His flight was seen by the whole world, the signal emitted by him could be heard by any radio amateur anywhere in the world. Radio magazine published detailed recommendations on receiving signals from space in advance. This ran counter to the idea of ​​a strong technical backwardness of the Soviet Union. The launch of the first satellite dealt a big blow to US prestige. United Press reported: “90 percent of the talk about artificial earth satellites was in the United States. As it turned out, 100 percent of the case fell on Russia ... ”. The launch of the first US satellite took place only on February 1, 1958, when Explorer-1 was launched on the second attempt, with a mass 10 times less than PS-1.

Scientific results of the PS-1 flight

Launch goals:

• verification of calculations and basic technical solutions adopted for the launch;
• ionospheric studies of the passage of radio waves emitted by satellite transmitters;
• experimental determination of the density of the upper layers of the atmosphere by the deceleration of the satellite;
• investigation of the operating conditions of the equipment.

Despite the fact that the satellite was completely lacking any scientific equipment, the study of the nature of the radio signal and optical observations of the orbit made it possible to obtain important scientific data.

Immediately after the launch, a small then team of scientists from the Kiruna Geophysical Observatory (now the Swedish Institute of Space Physics), which had just been created in Sweden, drew attention to this event. Under the leadership of Bengt Hultqvist, measurements of the total electronic composition of the ionosphere using the Faraday effect began. When the next satellites were launched, similar measurements were continued.

The first artificial earth satellite, launched on October 4, 1957, marked the beginning of a new era - the era of space exploration.

This colossal technical breakthrough is the merit of a team of Soviet scientists and designers headed by the recognized founder of cosmonautics S.P.Korolev.

General information about Sputnik - 1

Sputnik - 1 was originally named PS - 1. This name stands for "The simplest satellite - 1". It is a spherical object made of high strength magnesium alloy.

The sphere diameter is 58 cm. It consists of two bolted parts. Four antennas for VHF and HF bands are mounted on its surface. The presence of antennas allows you to track its location during the flight.

The upper part of the satellite has a hemispherical screen. It plays the role of a thermal insulation coating. The satellite contains batteries, a radio transmitter and all the necessary instruments and sensors.

History of creation

Attempts to create an artificial satellite were made long before PS - 1 flew. Leading German designer Wernher von Braun worked on the creation of an unmanned orbital object.

As an employee of the American service strategic weapons, he presented to the military his experimental model of the spacecraft. But none of his attempts were successful.

In the USSR, teams of enthusiastic engineers worked selflessly on this idea. They were not assembled in design laboratories or in spacious hangars and workshops. The ideas of space flights were born in locksmiths and basements.

1946 was the year of the creation of the USSR rocket industry, the head of which was appointed the brilliant Soviet designer S.P.Korolev. Despite the fact that the country has not yet recovered from the terrible consequences of the Second World War, Soviet scientists and engineers managed to create a powerful technical base.

Several years later, the first successful launch of the R-1 ballistic missile was carried out. Later, its analogue "R-2" was launched, which was distinguished by large indicators of range and flight speed.

Model of the first space satellite

After successful tests of the new R-3 intercontinental rocket, Soviet scientists managed to convince the government of the advisability of creating the first space satellite of the earth.

In 1955, this project received the approval of the highest authorities of the government, which was the beginning of the hard work to create the world's first orbital object.

It is difficult to say with complete certainty who invented and created the satellite. In many ways, this is the merit of the entire team of designers and engineers headed by S.P.Korolev and M.K. Tikhonravov.

Two years later, the satellite was ready. Its weight was about 84 kg. The shape of the satellite was not chosen by chance. It is the sphere that represents the ideal shape with the maximum volume with the minimum surface.

In addition, this object was supposed to become a symbol of the space age and be an example of an ideal spacecraft, primarily from the point of view of its appearance.

Launch of the first artificial Earth satellite

With each passing day, space became more and more accessible. On October 4, 1957, in the Kazakh steppe, one of the greatest events in the history of mankind - an intercontinental rocket with a spherical object on board was launched at the Baikonur cosmodrome.

The R-7 launch vehicle soared skyward with a shrill roar. A few minutes later, the spacecraft was launched into orbit, the height of which was about 950 km.

Some time later, the first man-made object set off on its legendary free flight. Long-awaited signals began to be received on the ground.

The satellite flew over the ground for 92 days, making 1400 revolutions. After that, the satellite was destined to die. Losing speed, he began to approach the surface of the earth and simply burned out, overcoming the resistance of the atmosphere.

After the first orbit around the Earth, the main announcer of the country of the Soviets Yu. B. Levitan announced the successful launch of the first satellite.

Thanks to the special power settings of the radio transmitter, the signal from the satellite could be easily received by both specialists and ordinary radio amateurs. Millions of people around the world clung to radio speakers to hear the "voice from outer space."

For each revolution around the Earth, the satellite spent on average 95 - 96 minutes. It is noteworthy that the satellite as such was not visible to the naked eye, although after its launch, a moving point could be observed in the sky.

In fact, this flying star is nothing more than the last stage of the launch vehicle, which continued to move in orbit for some time until it burned out in the atmosphere.

Its useful to note: despite the fact that all instruments and control devices of the apparatus were created, as they say, from scratch, none of them failed during the flight.

When creating electronic power supplies, Newest technologies those years, which had no analogues in any country for many years.

Scientific results of the "Sputnik-1" flight

It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this legendary event. In addition to strengthening faith in space travel and enhancing the country's prestige, he made an invaluable contribution to the development and strengthening of the scientific potential of that time.

The analysis of the PS-1 flight made it possible to begin the study of the ionosphere, the properties of which had not been fully studied. In particular, scientists were interested in the issue of the propagation of radio waves in its environment. In addition, measurements were made of the parameters of the density of the atmosphere and its influence on the orbital object.

Analysis of the collected data has become a good help in the design and creation of new components and mechanisms of future spacecraft.

Some of the more curious facts:

The era of the conquest of space remembers many significant events, each of which was given at the cost of incredible efforts and losses. One way or another, the thorny path to the stars was laid just then - on October 4, 1957.

It was this date that served as the starting point for the development of domestic cosmonautics as an independent industry and determined its further destiny.