|
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese
English
French
German
Hebrew
Hindi
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Malay
Polish
Portuguese
Spanish
Turkish
Ukrainian
Vietnamese|
HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGY, OBJECTS AROUND US
Orbital station Mir. History of invention and production
Directory / The history of technology, technology, objects around us Mir is a manned research orbital complex that operated in near-Earth space from February 20, 1986 to March 23, 2001. As early as the beginning of the XNUMXth century, K.E. Tsiolkovsky, dreaming about the construction of "ethereal settlements", outlined ways to create orbital stations. What is it? As the name implies, this is a heavy artificial satellite that flies for a long time in near-earth, near-lunar or near-planetary orbit. The orbital station is distinguished from ordinary satellites, first of all, by its size, equipment and versatility: a large complex of various studies can be carried out on it. As a rule, it does not even have its own propulsion system, since its orbit is corrected using the transport ship's engines. But it has much more scientific equipment, it is more spacious and comfortable than a ship. Astronauts come here for a long time - for several weeks or even months. During this time, the station becomes their space home, and in order to maintain good performance throughout the flight, they must feel comfortable and calm in it. Unlike manned spacecraft, orbital stations do not return to Earth.
The first orbital space station in history was the Soviet Salyut, launched into orbit on April 19, 1971. On June 30 of the same year, the Soyuz-11 spacecraft docked at the station with cosmonauts Dobrovolsky, Volkov and Patsaev. The first (and only) watch lasted 24 days. Then, for some time, Salyut was in automatic unmanned mode, until on November 11 the station ended its existence, burning up in the dense layers of the atmosphere. The first Salyut was followed by a second, then a third, and so on. For ten years, a whole family of orbital stations has worked in space. Dozens of crews conducted many scientific experiments on them. All Salyuts were space multi-purpose research laboratories for long-term research with a removable crew. In the absence of astronauts, all station systems were controlled from Earth. For this, small-sized computers were used, in the memory of which standard programs for controlling flight operations were laid. The largest was Salyut-6. The total length of the station was 20 meters, and the volume was 100 cubic meters. Mass "Salyut" without a transport ship - 18,9 tons. A lot of various equipment was placed at the station, including the large Orion telescope and the Anna-111 gamma-ray telescope. Following the USSR, the United States launched its orbital station into space. On May 14, 1973, their Skylab station ("Heavenly Laboratory") was launched into orbit. It was based on the third stage of the Saturn-5 rocket, which was used in previous lunar expeditions to accelerate the Apollo spacecraft to the second space velocity. The large hydrogen tank has been converted into utility rooms and a laboratory, while the smaller oxygen tank has been converted into a waste collection container. "Skylab" included the actual block of the station, a lock chamber, a berthing structure with two docking nodes, two solar panels and a separate set of astronomical instruments (it included eight different devices and a digital computer). The total length of the station reached 25 meters, weight - 83 tons, internal free volume - 360 cubic meters. To put it into orbit, a powerful Saturn-5 launch vehicle was used, capable of lifting up to 130 tons of payload into low Earth orbit. Skylab did not have its own engines for orbit correction. It was carried out using the engines of the Apollo spacecraft. The orientation of the station was changed with the help of three power gyroscopes and micromotors operating on compressed gas. During the operation of Skylab, three crews visited it. Compared to the Salyut, the Skylab was much more spacious. The lock chamber was 5,2 meters long and 3,2 meters in diameter. Here, in high-pressure cylinders, on-board gas supplies (oxygen and nitrogen) were stored. The station block had a length of 14,6 meters and a diameter of 6,6 meters. The Russian orbital station Mir was launched into orbit on February 20, 1986. The base unit and the station module were developed and manufactured by the State Space Research and Production Center named after M.V. Khrunichev, and the terms of reference were prepared by the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation. The total mass of the Mir station is 140 tons. The length of the station is 33 meters. The station consisted of several relatively independent blocks - modules. Its individual parts and on-board systems are also built according to the modular principle. Over the years of operation, in addition to the base unit, five large modules and a special docking compartment were introduced into the complex.
The base unit is similar in size and appearance to the Russian orbital stations of the Salyut series. It is based on a sealed working compartment. The central control post and means of communication are located here. The designers also took care of the comfortable conditions for the crew: the station had two individual cabins and a common wardroom with a work desk, devices for heating water and food, a treadmill and a bicycle ergometer. On the outer surface of the working compartment there were two rotary panels of solar batteries and a fixed third, mounted by the astronauts during the flight. In front of the working compartment is a sealed transitional compartment, which could serve as a gateway for spacewalks. There are five docking ports for connecting to transport ships and science modules. Behind the working compartment there was an unpressurized aggregate compartment with a sealed transition chamber with a docking station, to which the Kvant module was subsequently connected. Outside the aggregate compartment, a highly directional antenna was installed on a rotary rod, providing communication through a relay satellite, which was in geostationary orbit. A similar orbit means that the satellite hangs over one point on the earth's surface. In April 1987, the Kvant module was docked to the base unit. It is a single hermetic compartment with two hatches, one of which served as a working port for receiving Progress-M transport ships. Around it was located a complex of astrophysical instruments, intended primarily for the study of X-ray stars inaccessible to observations from the Earth. On the outer surface, the cosmonauts mounted two attachment points for rotary reusable solar batteries. The structural elements of the international station are two large-sized trusses "Rapana" and "Sofora". On the "Mir" they passed long-term tests for strength and durability in space. At the end of the Sophora was an external roll propulsion system. Kvant-2 was docked in December 1989. Another name for the block is the retrofit module, since it contained the equipment necessary for the operation of the station's life support systems and the creation of additional comfort for its inhabitants. In particular, the airlock compartment was used as a storage for spacesuits and as a hangar for an autonomous means of moving an astronaut. The Kristall module (which was docked in 1990) housed mainly scientific and technological equipment for research into the technology of producing new materials under weightless conditions. A docking compartment was attached to it through the transition node. The equipment of the "Spektr" module (1995) made it possible to conduct continuous observations of the state of the atmosphere, the ocean and the earth's surface, as well as conduct biomedical research, etc. The "Spektr" was equipped with four rotary solar arrays that provide electricity to power the scientific equipment. The docking bay (1995) is a relatively small module designed specifically for the American spacecraft Atlantis. It was delivered to Mir by the American reusable manned transport spacecraft Space Shuttle. The "Nature" block (1996) housed high-precision instruments for observing the earth's surface. The module also included about a ton of American equipment for studying human behavior during long-term space flight. On June 25, 1997, during an experiment on docking with the Mir station using remote control, the unmanned cargo ship Progress M-34 damaged the solar battery of the Spektr module with its seven tons and pierced its hull. Air began to leak out of the station. In such accidents, early return of the station crew to Earth is envisaged. However, the courage and competent coordinated actions of cosmonauts Vasily Tsibliyev, Alexander Lazutkin and astronaut Michael Foul saved the Mir station for work. The author of the book "Dragonfly" Brian Burrow reproduces the situation at the station during this accident. Here is an excerpt from this book, partially published in GEO magazine (July 1999): "... Foul gets out of the Soyuz compartment to head to the base unit and find out what's wrong. Suddenly Lazutkin appears and starts fiddling with the Soyuz hatch. Foul understands that the evacuation is beginning. "What should I do, Sasha "- he asks. Lazutkin does not pay attention to the question - or does not hear it; in the deafening howl of the siren it is difficult to hear even his own voice. Grasping, like a wrestler in the arena, a thick ventilation pipe, Lazutkin tears it in half. He opens one connection after another of wires to free the Soyuz for launch. Without saying a word, he pulls out the plugs one by one. Foul silently looks at all this. A minute later, all connections are open - except for the pipe that drains condensed water from the Soyuz to the central tank. Lazutkin shows Foul how to unscrew the pipe, Foul sneaks into the Soyuz and begins to hurriedly wield the key with all his might. Only after making sure that Foul is doing everything right, Lazutkin returns to the Spectrum. Foul still believes that the leak came from the base unit or the Quantum. But Lazutkin does not need to guess - he watched how everything happened through the porthole and therefore knows where to look for the hole. He dives headfirst into the Spectra's hatch and immediately hears a whistling sound as air is escaping into outer space. Involuntarily, Lazutkin is pierced by the thought: is it really all, the end? ... To save the Mir, you need to somehow close the hatch of the Spektr module. All hatches are arranged in the same way: a thick ventilation pipe passes through each, as well as a cable of eighteen white and gray wires. You need a knife to cut them. Lazutkin returns to the main module, where, as he remembers, there were large scissors, to Tsibliyev, who is just leaving for a communication session with the Earth. And then Lazutkin sees with horror that there are no scissors. There is only a small knife for stripping wires (“which is just right not to cut the cable, but to cut butter,” he later recalls), Foul, having finally coped with the pipe, leaves the Soyuz and sees that Lazutkin is working with the Spektra hatch. “I was absolutely sure that he had mixed up the hatch,” Foul later said. “And I decided that I would not interfere for now. But all the time I thought: should I stop him?” However, the feverishness with which Lazutkin worked had an effect on Foul. He grabbed the loose ends of the cut cable and began to tie them together with a rubber band he found in the base unit. "Why are we disconnecting the Spektr?" he shouted into Lazutkin's ear so that he could hear him over the siren. "To block the leak, we need to start with the Kvant!" "Michael! I saw it myself - a hole in the Specter." Only now Foul understands why Lazutkin is in such a hurry: he wants to isolate the depressurized Spektr in order to save the station in time. In just three minutes, he manages to disconnect fifteen of the eighteen wires. The remaining three have no connectors. Lazutkin uses a knife and cuts the sensor cables. The last one left. Lazutkin begins to shred the wire with all his might - sparks fly to the sides, and he is shocked: the cable is energized. Foul sees the horror on Lazutkin's face. "Come on, Sasha! Cut!" Lazutkin does not seem to react. "Cut faster!" But Lazutkin doesn't want to cut the electric cable... ... In some dark corner, Lazutkin gropes for the connecting part of the electric cable - and, guided by it, gets to the Spektr module. There he finally finds a connector. With one furious tug, Lazutkin disconnects the cable. Together with Foul, they rush to the internal valve of the Specter. Lazutkin grabs onto it and wants to close it. The valve does not fit. The reason is clear to both: the artificial atmosphere of the station, like a jet of water, flows out with great pressure through the hatch and further, through the hole, into outer space ... Of course, Lazutkin could go to Spektr and close the valve from there - but then he will be there forever stay and die of suffocation. Lazutkin does not want a heroic death. Again and again, together with Foal, they try to close the hatch of the Specter from the side of the station. But the stubborn hatch does not give in in any way, does not move a centimeter ... ... The valve still does not give in. It has a smooth surface and no handles. If you close it by grasping the edge, you can lose your fingers. "A lid!" shouts Lazutkin. "We need a lid!" Foul immediately understands that, since the internal valve of the module does not lend itself, he will have to close the hatch from the side of the base unit. All modules are equipped with two round, trash can-like flaps - one heavy and one light. At first, Lazutkin grabs the heavy lid, but it is fastened with many bandages, and he understands that there is no time to cut them all. He rushes to the light cover, held only by two bandages, and cuts them. Together with Foul, they begin to fit the cover to the opening of the hatch. It needs to be secured with staples. And here they are lucky - as soon as they manage to close the hole, the pressure difference helps them: the air jet tightly presses the lid to the hatch. They are saved..." So life once again confirmed the reliability of the Russian station, the ability to restore its functions in case of depressurization of one of the modules. The cosmonauts lived for a long time at the Mir station. Here they carried out scientific experiments and observations in real space conditions, tested technical devices. Many world records were set at the Mir station. The longest flights were made by Yuri Romanenko (1987-326 days), Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov (1988-366 days), Valery Polyakov (1995-437 days). Valery Polyakov (2 flights - 678 days) and Sergey Avdeev (3 flights - 747 days) have the longest total time at the station. Records among women are held by Elena Kondakova (1995-169 days), Shannon Lucid (1996-188 days). 104 people visited Mir. Anatoly Solovyov flew here 5 times, Alexander Viktorenko 4 times, Sergey Avdeev, Victor Afanasiev, Alexander Kaleri and US astronaut Charles Precourt flew 3 times. 62 foreigners from 11 countries and the European Space Agency worked on Mir. More than others from the USA - 44 and from France - 5. Mir carried out 78 spacewalks. Anatoly Solovyov went out of the station more than others - 16 times. The total time spent by him in outer space was 78 hours! Numerous scientific experiments have been carried out at the station. “The talk that in recent years no science has been done on Mir is a lie,” says Yury Semenov, general designer of the Korolev Space Corporation Energia. “Brilliant experiments have been carried out. award. And also "Veil" - providing a second life support circuit. "Reflector" - a new quality of telecommunications. Bringing the module to a libration point to prevent magnetic storms. A new principle of a refrigeration plant in weightlessness..." Mir is a unique orbital station. Many of the astronauts simply fell in love with her. Pilot-cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyov says: “Five times I flew into space - and all five times to the Mir. Arriving at the station, I caught myself thinking that my hands themselves were doing the usual actions. This is the subconscious memory of the body, the Mir got used to Did my wife dissuade me from flying? Never. Now I can admit that the reason for jealousy was: "Mir" is impossible to forget, like the first woman. I will become an old man, but I will not forget the station. " Author: Musskiy S.A.
▪ Compass
Artificial leather for touch emulation
15.04.2024 Petgugu Global cat litter
15.04.2024 The attractiveness of caring men
14.04.2024
▪ New image recognition processors from Toshiba ▪ Diamond nanowires are more efficient than Li-Ion batteries ▪ Special electrodes for battery operation in cold weather ▪ Dyson headphones with built-in air purifier
▪ site section Batteries, chargers. Article selection ▪ article Drink the cup to the bottom. Drink the cup to the bottom. Popular expression ▪ article Who were tropical cyclones named after in the late 19th century? Detailed answer ▪ article Stonecrop white. Legends, cultivation, methods of application ▪ article Sound indicator of ultrasound. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering
Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews
www.diagram.com.ua |
We recommend interesting articles Section 
See other articles Section 
Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:
All languages of this page