|
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
Cosmodromes. History of invention and production
Directory / The history of technology, technology, objects around us The launch vehicle with the next Earth satellite or spacecraft starts from the cosmodrome. The cosmodrome is a very complex, multifaceted structure, with a large number of complex technical devices. Launch sites for launching rockets must certainly be located in a deserted area where the danger to the population in case of an accident is minimal. There are also scientifically sound reasons for choosing a place near the equator: the speed of the Earth's rotation around its axis is the highest here. A rocket launched near the equator in the direction of the Earth's rotation (to the east) begins its flight with the additional speed of the Earth's rotation at that point. This advantage is used when calculating the power of missiles. Spaceports usually occupy a fairly large area. The place for the construction of the cosmodrome is chosen taking into account many, often contradictory, conditions. The cosmodrome should be far enough away from large settlements - after all, the spent rocket stages fall to the ground shortly after launch. Missile routes should not interfere with air communications, and at the same time they should be laid so that they pass over all ground radio communication points. It is taken into account when choosing a place and climate. Strong winds, high humidity, sudden temperature changes can significantly complicate the work of the spaceport. Each country decides these issues in accordance with its natural and other conditions. Thus, the Soviet Baikonur cosmodrome is located in the semi-desert of Kazakhstan, the first French cosmodrome was built in the Sahara, the American one was built on the Florida peninsula, and the Italians created a floating cosmodrome off the coast of Kenya. The first spaceport was the famous Kapustin Yar in the Astrakhan region. Created in 1946-1947, it was originally a test site for Soviet rocket and space technology. It launched the first Soviet experimental long-range ballistic missile. In 1948-1956, many Soviet geophysical and ballistic missiles were tested at Kapustin Yar. These works were supervised by S.P. Korolev. The experience of creating and operating the test site at Kapustin Yar was used in the construction of the Plesetsk cosmodrome and the main Soviet space harbor - Baikonur.
At the Kapustin Yar cosmodrome there are launch complexes for launching vertically launched geophysical and research rockets and artificial earth satellites. Technical positions, measuring points equipped with radio systems for tracking the flight of launch vehicles on the active part of the trajectory are deployed here. Since 1964, many satellites of the Kosmos series have gone into the sky from here. And in October 1969, Kapustin Yar became an international cosmodrome - the first Interkosmos satellite was launched. The Indian satellites "Ariabhata" and "Bhaskara", the French artificial earth satellite "Sneg-3" and other spacecraft left from here to work in near-Earth orbits. Launch vehicles and spacecraft are being prepared for launch in the assembling and testing buildings of the cosmodrome. From the assembly and test buildings, the missiles with the devices installed on them are transported to one of the launch positions. The railway transporter-installer is moving slowly. The rocket rests on a lifting boom pivotally mounted on the conveyor platform. The train is approaching a massive reinforced concrete bulk - the starting position of the cosmodrome. Here, a rocket with a spacecraft is installed by powerful hydraulic lifts in a vertical position on the launch pad, where it falls into the strong "embrace" of the supporting trusses in anticipation of launch. At the start in Kapustin Yar, the technology is different. Here, the first stage was first installed on the launch pad, and then the second stage was installed on it with a docked artificial satellite. In early 1955, a decision was made to build the Baikonur cosmodrome. It began to be built in Kazakhstan, to the east of the Aral Sea, in a desert, sparsely populated region. Thousands of people worked with great enthusiasm, overcoming colossal difficulties. In the desert, in the shortest possible time, a railway and a highway, the first launch complex, and the first assembly and test building appeared. Starting, refueling, transport and installation, auxiliary equipment was installed.
Now the cosmodrome is spread over many tens of kilometers. It includes several large launch complexes and numerous technical positions. From some of the older ones, from which the Vostok ships went into the sky, spacecraft of the Soyuz type and cargo Progresses regularly launch. Others were intended for powerful Proton launch vehicles with space orbital stations. The latest grandiose launch complexes are for the mighty Energia rocket. Satellites of the Kosmos series, interplanetary automatic vehicles Luna, Venus, Mars, communication satellites Molniya, satellites of the weather service, and many others were launched from Baikonur. To better imagine the design of the cosmodrome, consider the Soyuz ground complex. The launch vehicle and the spacecraft are delivered to the cosmodrome in the form of separate blocks. Their assembly takes place at a technical position in the assembly and test building. This building is more than a hundred meters long and fifty meters wide, as high as a seven-story building. The rocket is assembled in a horizontal position, where the spacecraft, fairing, and emergency rescue system are docked to it. In the case, it is possible to simultaneously assemble several launch vehicles and spacecraft. The assembly and test building has a lot of equipment for their assembly, testing, transportation and storage. The technical position also includes a filling station for space vehicles, a charging and accumulator station, a compressor station and many other devices and structures. It is in the assembly and test building that the launch vehicle acquires a look familiar to us from TV screens and photographs. 4 lateral cone-shaped blocks are attached to the central block of the rocket - its second stage - on the assembly slipway, forming the first stage of the Soyuz launch vehicle. At the same time, the ship, carefully tested and verified using pressure chambers and space simulators, is filled with fuel components and compressed gases, docked with the third stage of the launch vehicle and cover it with a fairing. On the transport and installation unit, both assembled blocks are connected into one unit: the block of the first and second stages and the block of the third stage - with the spacecraft. The launch vehicle with the ship is delivered to the starting position along the railway line. Here it is installed on a solid reinforced concrete structure. Directly under the rocket there is a large opening, a window that turns into a spacious gas duct, through which a powerful flow of gases is diverted from the rocket engines after they are turned on. The rocket, prior to launch, essentially hangs over this gap - it is held by four support trusses. When they are brought together, it rests on a force ring formed by segments on the support trusses, the mass of the rocket presses down, keeps the force ring in a closed state. When the engines, having gained thrust, begin to lift the rocket, it stops pressing on the ring, and the trusses open under the influence of their counterweights , like a flower bud, passing a rocket up. In addition to the supporting trusses, in preparation for the launch, two trusses with several semi-annular balconies at different heights adjoin the launch vehicle. Farms have freight and passenger elevators, they are preparing, maintaining and monitoring various systems before launch. Cable masts are also adjacent to the rocket, through which various communications necessary for pre-launch preparation are connected. Of course, there are still a lot of other structures and devices - stationary systems for refueling rocket fuel components, supplying compressed gas, fire-fighting systems, remote control systems, communication systems, surveillance systems, etc. After installing the launch vehicle delivered from the assembly and test building vertically on the launch pad, pre-launch complex tests of the launch vehicle and spacecraft are carried out, refueling is carried out. With the help of a telemetric control system, all parameters of the complex are checked. At the "Start" command, the fuel supply lines to the rocket engines are purged with nitrogen, the drain valves of the tanks are closed, the turbopump fuel supply units are started, and the onboard control systems are turned on. Cable masts are removed. The fuel and oxidizer enter the combustion chambers of the launch vehicle engines, and the fuel is ignited by pyrotechnic devices. A waterfall of fire rushes into the opening and the flue, and a mighty roar spreads across the steppe. When the engines gain the necessary thrust, the "embraces" of the supporting trusses are parted and the launch vehicle, leaning on a pillar of fire, rushes into the sky. And on the tip of the rocket, above the sea of fire, in the cramped cockpit of the spaceship, there are cosmonauts... The spectacle of the launch leaves no one indifferent. In the first tens of seconds after the launch, the flight is controlled by means of the command and measurement complex of the cosmodrome. After the spacecraft enters orbit, these functions are transferred to the Mission Control Center. The most famous foreign spaceport is located in the United States at Cape Canaveral in Florida. From here, the American spacecraft Apollo 11 launched to the moon. The space center, or cosmodrome, bears the name of President John F. Kennedy, who made the decision to send the Americans to the moon. Cape Canaveral is home to a US Air Force base, which became a test site for military missiles in May 1949. This is a swampy and desert area not far from the sea. In 1962, when the lunar exploration program was on the agenda, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration took over a 55600-hectare plot of land on Merritt Island. It was here that the Kennedy spaceport was laid. The Apollo program lasted eleven years, from October 1961 to October 1972, and all rockets were launched from Merritt Island. During this time, astronauts successfully landed on the moon six times. And later, the development of the Shuttle program attracted the attention of the whole world to this place.
The Kennedy Space Center is open to tourists. True, most of the excursions are carried out from the bus, but it is still surprising that you can get here at all. Of particular interest is the museum, where you can see rockets that flew thousands of kilometers around the Earth and returned to it again. The history of space exploration is wonderfully presented here in documents and illustrations, and visitors can also look at the launch pads themselves. Among them is the one that was built specifically for the space shuttle "Shuttle". Also of interest is the building of the assembly complex, where preparations were made for the Apollo flights. The complex is still functioning, its building covers an area of almost three hectares at a height of 160 meters. When ships go into space, the spaceport, of course, closes. But the atmosphere, the tension of all forces before the start is conveyed by documentary footage. They depict both the training of astronauts and the launch of the rocket, and the projection is given on a huge screen so that the audience has an adequate impression of these minutes. Author: Musskiy S.A.
▪ Hardware
Artificial leather for touch emulation
15.04.2024 Petgugu Global cat litter
15.04.2024 The attractiveness of caring men
14.04.2024
▪ The baby's cells stay in the mother's brain ▪ A new way to control smart watches ▪ Processor Intel Celeron 2,7 GHz
▪ section of the site Intercoms. Article selection ▪ article Kamo are you coming? Popular expression ▪ Furcrey's article. Legends, cultivation, methods of application
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