Satellite launched. Who invented the first artificial Earth satellite

Today these satellites seem ridiculously simple - the Soviet "Sputniks 1 and 2" and the American "Explorer" and "Avangard". Now students are making more sophisticated spacecraft. But at one time, the launch of the creations of human hands into orbit around the Earth was a huge achievement and made an indelible impression on contemporaries. In 1957-1958, during the period of maximum solar activity, the international geophysical year was held. Within the framework of the IGY, the Soviet satellites Sputnik-1, Sputnik-2 and Sputnik-3 were launched, as well as the American satellites Explorer-1 "," Avangard-1 "," Explorer-3 "and" Explorer-4 ".
Sputnik-1 - the first artificial satellite Of the earth, the first spacecraft, was launched into orbit in the USSR on October 4, 1957. Satellite code designation - PS-1 (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 body of the satellite consisted of two hemispheres with a diameter of 58 cm made of aluminum alloy. 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.

The world's first artificial satellite of the Earth.

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.
On January 30, 1956, the government of the USSR 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 Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 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.
On January 14, 1957, the USSR Council of Ministers approved the R-7 rocket flight test program. At the same time, Korolev sent a memorandum to the Council of Ministers, where he wrote that in April - June 1957, two missiles in a satellite version could be prepared, "and launched immediately after the first successful launches of an intercontinental missile." In February, construction work at the test site was still ongoing, two missiles were already ready for dispatch. Korolev, convinced of the unreality of the timeframe for the manufacture of the orbital laboratory, sends an unexpected proposal to the government:
There are reports that in connection with the International Geophysical Year, the United States intends to launch an artificial satellite in 1958. We risk losing priority. I propose instead of a complex laboratory - object "D" to launch a simple satellite into space.
On February 15, this proposal was approved.
In early March, the first R-7 rocket was delivered to the technical position of the test site, and on May 5 it was taken out to the launch pad. Preparation for launch lasted a week, on the eighth day refueling began. The launch took place on May 15 at 19:00 local time. The launch went well, but at the 98th second of the flight, one of the outboard engines malfunctioned, after another 5 seconds all engines were automatically turned off and the rocket fell 300 km from the start. The cause of the accident was the outbreak of a fire as a result of depressurization of the high-pressure fuel line. The second rocket, R-7, was prepared taking into account the experience gained, but it was not possible to launch it at all. On June 10-11, multiple launch attempts were made, but in the last seconds the protective automatics worked. It turned out that the cause was incorrect installation of the nitrogen purge valve and freezing of the main oxygen valve. On July 12, the launch of the R-7 rocket was again unsuccessful, this rocket flew only 7 kilometers. This time, the reason was a short circuit to the body in one of the control system devices, as a result of which a false command to the steering motors passed, the rocket deviated significantly from the course and was automatically stopped.
Finally, on August 21, 1957, a successful launch was carried out, the rocket normally passed the entire active phase of the flight and reached a predetermined area - a training ground in Kamchatka. Its warhead was completely burnt out upon entering the dense layers of the atmosphere, despite this, on August 27, TASS announced the creation of an intercontinental ballistic missile in the USSR. On September 7, the second fully successful rocket flight was carried out, but the warhead again could not withstand the temperature load, and Korolev got down to preparation for the space launch.
As B.E. Chertok wrote, according to the results of flight tests of five missiles, it was obvious that it could fly, but the warhead requires radical revision. This will require, according to optimists' calculations, at least six months. The destruction of the warheads opened the way for the launch of the First Simplest Satellite.
SP Korolev obtained the consent of NS Khrushchev to use two rockets for the experimental launch of a simple satellite.

The first version of the R-7, tested in 1957.

The design of the simplest satellite began in November 1956, and at the beginning of September 1957 PS-1 underwent final tests on a vibration table and in a heat chamber. The satellite was designed as a very simple device with two beacons for trajectory measurements. The range of transmitters of the simplest satellite was chosen so that radio amateurs could track the satellite.
On September 22, a new R-7 rocket arrived at Tyura-Tam. Compared to the military models, it was significantly lightened: the massive warhead was replaced by a transition to the satellite, the radio control system equipment and one of the telemetry systems were removed, the automatic engine shutdown was simplified; As a result, the mass of the rocket was reduced by 7 tons.
On October 2, Korolev signed an order for flight tests of PS-1 and sent a notice of readiness to Moscow. No response instructions came, and Korolev independently decided to place a rocket with a satellite at the launch position.
On Friday, October 4, at 22 hours 28 minutes 34 seconds Moscow time (19 hours 28 minutes 34 seconds GMT), a successful launch was made. 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 on the first loop, 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. 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 unit entered the mode 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.
"A little more - and the first space velocity could not be reached.
But the winners are not judged!
A great thing has happened! "(BE Chertok).
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.
Boris Evseevich Chertok wrote: “The generally accepted idea at that time that without special optics, visually, we observe a satellite illuminated by the sun at night is incorrect. The reflecting surface of the satellite was too small for visual observation. went into the same orbit as the satellite. This mistake was repeated many times in the media. "

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. The nature of the orbital changes made it possible to make a preliminary estimate of the high value(about 10 8 atoms / cm³) was a big surprise for geophysicists. The results of measuring the density of the high layers of the atmosphere made it possible to create a theory of the deceleration of satellites.

Sputnik-2 - the second spacecraft, launched into Earth orbit on November 3, 1957, for the first time injected into space a living creature - the dog Laika. The satellite was officially launched as part of the International Geophysical Year. Sputnik-2 was a conical capsule of 4 meters in height, with a base diameter of 2 meters, and contained several compartments for scientific equipment, a radio transmitter, a telemetry system, a software module, a system for regeneration and control of the cabin temperature. Dog Laika was housed in a separate sealed compartment. Food and water were served to the dog in the form of jelly. The dog cooling fan was started at temperatures above 15 ° C. No TV cameras were installed on Sputnik 2 (TV images of dogs on Sputnik 5 are often mistaken for images of Laika).

Dog Laika.

Khrushchev, assessing the political success of the launch of "Sputnik-1", demanded from OKB-1 for the 40th anniversary October revolution launch another satellite. Thus, very little time was allocated for the development of a new satellite and it was not possible to improve the existing life support systems in such a short time. Therefore, the experiment with Laika turned out to be very short: due to large area the container quickly overheated, and the dog died in the first rounds. But in any case, the sources of electricity to power the life support system were enough for a maximum of six days and technologies for safe descent from orbit were not developed.
After 5-7 hours of flight, the physiological data was no longer transmitted and starting from the fourth orbit it was impossible to receive any data on the dog's condition. Later research showed that Laika probably died of overheating after 5-7 hours of flight. But this was enough to prove that a living organism can withstand a long stay in zero gravity.

"Explorer-1" (Explorer) - the first American artificial Earth satellite launched on February 1, 1958 by Werner von Braun's team. The Explorer-1 satellite stopped broadcasting on February 28, 1958, and remained in orbit until March 1970.
This launch was preceded by an unsuccessful attempt by the US Navy to launch the Avangard 1 satellite, which was widely publicized in connection with the International Geophysical Year program.
For political reasons, von Braun was not given permission to launch the first American satellite for a long time, so preparations for the launch of the Explorer began in earnest only after the Avangard accident.

Wernher von Braun (second from right) at a full-scale mock Explorer with the last stage of the launch vehicle.

For launch, a boosted version of the Redstone ballistic missile, called Jupiter-C, was created, originally intended to test scaled-down warheads. It is a direct development of the German V-2 rocket.
To achieve orbital speed, a bunch of 15 "Sergeant" solid-propellant rockets were used, which were, in fact, unguided rockets with about 20 kg of solid fuel each; 11 missiles made up the second stage, 3 - the third, and the last - the fourth. The engines of the second and third stages were mounted in two cylinders inserted into each other, and the fourth was installed from above. This whole bundle was spun up by an electric motor before the start. This allowed her to maintain a given position of the longitudinal axis while the engines were running. Jupiter-C did not have a fourth stage; the rocket, which had been redesigned for launching a satellite, "retroactively" was named Juno-1.
The exhausted engines of the 2nd and 3rd stages were sequentially discarded, but the satellite was not separated from the 4th stage. Therefore, various sources give the masses of the satellite, both taking into account the empty mass of the last stage, and without it. Without taking into account this stage, the mass of the satellite was exactly 10 times less than the mass of the first Soviet satellite - 8.3 kg, of which the mass of the equipment was 4.5 kg. However, it included a Geiger counter and a meteoric particle detector.
The Explorer's orbit was noticeably higher than the orbit of the first satellite, and if at perigee the Geiger counter showed the expected cosmic radiation, which was already known from the launches of high-altitude rockets, then at apogee it did not give a signal at all. James Van Allen suggested that at the apogee the counter saturates due to an unanticipated high level of irradiation. He calculated that in this place there can be protons of the solar wind with energies of 1-3 MeV, captured magnetic field Lands in a kind of trap. Later data confirmed this hypothesis, and the radiation belts around the Earth are called van Allen belts.

Avangard-1 - satellite launched in the USA March 17, 1958 under the International Geophysical Year program. At launch, the satellite had a mass of 1,474 grams, which was significantly less than the mass of Soviet satellites and even the Explorer-1 satellite (8.3 kg), which had already been launched a month and a half earlier. Although it was planned that the Avangard will fly back in 1957, the missile accident (Avangard TV3) at the time of the launch attempt disrupted these plans, and the satellite became the second American vehicle in space. But a sufficiently high orbit provided it with much more long life... It is still in orbit, 50 years after launch. It is the oldest man-made object in near-Earth space.

The satellite has the shape of a ball with 6 antenna rods. The diameter of the spherical shell is 16.3 cm, the satellite equipment was powered by mercury-zinc batteries, in addition, the low-power transmitter received energy from solar batteries.

Vanguard-1.

The difficult fate of this satellite was connected with the rivalry of the missile programs of the Air Force, the Navy and the US Army, each of the branches of the military sought to develop its own missile, the Avangard program belonged to the Navy, the Explorer program - to the army. The Avangard rocket, in contrast to the Jupiter-S, which launched the Explorer, was specially designed as a rocket for launching an artificial satellite. It weighed only 10 tons and remains the smallest liquid-propellant launch vehicle. The design of the rocket was very controversial, the first stage used kerosene and liquid oxygen, the second - nitric acid and UDMH. In addition, the rocket was fueled with liquid propane (used to operate the second-stage engine and for orientation) and concentrated hydrogen peroxide (for the first-stage fuel supply turbo pump). This "mishmash" was due to the desire to reduce financial and time costs and make the most of the already available "hardware" of geophysical rockets "Viking" and "Aerobi". The rocket came out not very reliable, less than half of the launches were successful.
In addition to Avangard-1, Avangard-2 and Avangard-3 were launched into orbit, they were noticeably larger and heavier than the "ancestor", although they remained, according to modern classification, microsatellites weighing 10-20 kg. Avangard-1 should be referred to as nanosatellites.
Despite the disdain for the "grapefruit" (even in the US), he helped make some pretty serious discoveries, including the refinement of the shape of the Earth.
"Explorer-3"- American artificial Earth satellite, launched on March 26, 1958 by the team of Wernher von Braun. It is similar in design and tasks to the first American satellite "Explorer-1". The second successful launch under the Explorer program. As a result of the Explorer-3 flight, the existence of the Earth's radiation belt, discovered by James Van Allen, was confirmed.

Sputnik-3 (object D)- Soviet artificial Earth satellite, launched on May 15, 1958 from the Baikonur cosmodrome by a lightweight modification of the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile, called Sputnik-3.
The first launch on April 27, 1958 ended with the crash of the launch vehicle. Object D was named after the serial number of the payload type. Objects A, B, C, D were different types nuclear warheads.
Sputnik 3 was the first full-fledged spacecraft with all the systems inherent in modern spacecraft. Conical in shape with a base diameter of 1.73 meters and a height of 3.75 meters, the satellite weighed 1,327 kilograms. 12 scientific instruments were placed on board the satellite. The sequence of their work was set by a program-time device. For the first time, it was supposed to use an onboard tape recorder to record telemetry in those parts of the orbit that were not available to ground tracking stations. Immediately before the launch, its malfunction was discovered, and the satellite went on a flight with an inoperative tape recorder.

Satellite - 3.

For the first time onboard equipment received and executed commands transmitted from the Earth. For the first time, an active thermal control system was used to maintain operating temperatures. Electricity was provided by disposable chemical sources, in addition to which, for the first time in the USSR, solar panels were used for experimental verification, from which a small radio beacon operated. Its work continued after the main batteries ran out of service on June 3, 1958. The satellite flew until April 6, 1960.
Taking into account the experience of launching the third satellite, satellites 4, 5 and 6 were prepared for flight in the Korolev Design Bureau, including the satellite with the OD index. An oriented vehicle that did not tumble in orbit, but was always oriented relative to the tangent to the orbit and could return the capsule to the ground. But the heavy load of the design bureau with military topics and the re-targeting of the space program for the exploration of the moon did not allow the continuation of work on these devices. These ideas were implemented in the Vostok spacecraft and the Zenit satellite.

Avangard-2 - American meteorological satellite designed to measure daytime cloudiness and launched on 17 February 1959 by the Avangard SLV 4 launch vehicle. Avangard-2 became the world's first meteorological satellite launched into orbit, but its meteorological data turned out to be useless.
Launches of satellites like Avangard-2 began earlier: on May 28, 1958, Vanguard 2B was launched, June 26, 1958 - Vanguard 2C, September 26, 1958 - Vanguard 2D; however, due to launch vehicle failures, these satellites did not reach orbit.
The Avangard-2 satellite is a spherical body 50.8 cm in diameter, with several whip antennas.
On board were installed two telescopes, two photocells, two radio transmitters (1 W with a 108.03 MHz carrier for telemetry; 10 mW with a 108 MHz carrier for a beacon), a battery of galvanic cells, a radio command receiver for controlling a strip chart recorder, and the corresponding electronics ...

The world's first meteorological satellite.

Telemetry transmitters worked for 19 days, but the data from the satellite were unsatisfactory due to the fact that the satellite, unsuccessfully separated from the third stage, began to rotate at a high angular velocity.
Satellite mass: 10.2 kg.
Vanguard-3, or Vanguard SLV-7- American satellite for the study of near-earth space. The last satellite launched under the Avangard program. During the launch on September 18, 1959, the spacecraft could not separate from the third stage of the launch vehicle. The satellite transmitted data for 84 days, until December 11, 1959. According to calculations, Vanguard-3 will exist in orbit for about three hundred years.

Launch of the Avangard-3 satellite.
"Explorer-4"- American artificial Earth satellite (AES), launched on July 26, 1958. The satellite was intended to study the Earth's radiation belts and the effect of nuclear explosions on these belts.

I have shared with you the information that I "dug up" and systematized. At the same time, he has not poorer at all and is ready to share further, at least twice a week. If you find errors or inaccuracies in the article, please let us know. [email protected] I will be very grateful.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the minds of people were captured by aviation. In 1908, the founder of theoretical cosmonautics published an article "Exploration of world spaces by jet devices" in the "Bulletin of Aeronautics" magazine. This and his other works anticipated the emergence of liquid-fueled rockets, artificial earth satellites and orbital stations.

The creation of the satellite was preceded by many years of hard work of research institutes and design bureaus.

Before the Great patriotic war in the laboratories of the USSR, solid-propellant missile-projectiles and accelerators for aircraft, the first domestic liquid engines were developed. In 1933, the first in the USSR rocket with a liquid-propellant rocket engine GIRD-09 was launched. Also, ballistic and cruise missiles for various purposes, solid-propellant and liquid engines were developed and tested.

Scientists and inventors who have devoted years to creating rockets with a jet engine saw space exploration as the ultimate goal of their work.

The designer, associate, said back in the 1930s: "Without exception, all work in the field of rocketry ultimately leads to space flight."

After the end of the war, Soviet inventors, led by Korolev, gained access to German captured equipment, in particular the V-2, a rocket with a flight range of up to 320 km, which became the first object to make a suborbital space flight.

On its basis, a number of Soviet missiles were subsequently created and adopted under the leadership of Korolev. In 1954, the development of the R-7 rocket began, with a range of up to 9500 km. The Seven became the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile to successfully pass tests and deliver a warhead to an intercontinental range.

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

- noted the scientist-designer Boris Chertok.

September 25, 1955 at the jubilee session of the Moscow Higher Technical School. Bauman, dedicated to his 125th birthday, Korolev, speaking with a report, said: “Our tasks are to ensure that Soviet missiles fly higher and earlier than it will be done anywhere else. Our tasks are for a Soviet man to fly on a rocket ... In order for the first artificial Earth satellite to be Soviet, created by Soviet people. "

Only a ball!

Korolev proposed the "Seven" as a candidate for launching an artificial Earth satellite into space. This initiative found support in the USSR. In April 1956, at the suggestion of Korolyov, she convened an All-Union Conference on the Study of the Upper Atmosphere. On it, Korolev read a report "Investigation of the upper atmosphere using long-range missiles."

“The modern development of technology is such that we can expect in the near future the creation of an artificial satellite of the Earth, perhaps a satellite just at relatively low altitudes, and then a permanent satellite,

- he said. - The real challenge is to develop a rocket flight to the moon and back from the moon. This problem is most easily solved when starting from the satellite, but it is also solved when starting from the Earth. "

Initially, the Government decree ordered to create a satellite, the tasks of which included measuring the ionic composition of space, corpuscular radiation of the Sun, magnetic fields, cosmic rays, the thermal regime of the satellite, its deceleration in the upper layers of the atmosphere, the duration of its existence in orbit, the accuracy of determining the coordinates and parameters of the orbit. The mass of the satellite was supposed to be 1000-1400 kg, and the equipment for research should add another 200-300 kg to this. The satellite was planned to be launched into orbit in 1957-1958.

The Korolev Design Bureau has developed several versions of a laboratory satellite weighing up to 1300 kg. However, it soon became apparent that, due to the difficulties in manufacturing reliable scientific equipment, it would not be possible to complete the creation of the satellite in time. Then Korolev suggested that instead of a complex laboratory, put into space the simplest satellite - otherwise the USSR risked missing out on the primacy of the launch. The proposal was approved.

There was a debate about what the first satellite of the Earth should have a shape. "A ball and only a ball!" - Korolyov insisted.

By September 1957, the satellite had already passed the final tests on a shaker and in a heat chamber.

The satellite, modestly named PS-1 ("The Simplest Satellite-1"), ended up in the shape of a sphere 58 cm in diameter and weighing 83.6 kg. This form made it possible to make the most of its internal space. The sealed case was made of aluminum alloys, inside was radio equipment and silver-zinc batteries, designed for 2-3 weeks. Before launch, the satellite was filled with nitrogen gas.

The satellite was equipped with two radio transmitters with a power of 1 W, emitting signals at a wavelength of 15 and 7.5 m.On the outer surface there were four rod antennas 2.4-2.9 m long.The signal duration was 0.3 seconds, reception was possible at a distance of up to 10 thousand km.

Meanwhile, at the Tyura-Tam test site, the future Baikonur cosmodrome, test launches of the Seven were carried out.

In September, a rocket intended to launch a satellite arrived at the test site. It was seven tons lighter than the standard ones - the designers replaced the warhead with a transition to the satellite, abandoned radio control equipment, and simplified the automatic engine shutdown.

On October 2, Korolev signed an order for flight tests of PS-1 and sent a notice of readiness to Moscow, but received no response. Then he independently made the decision to put a rocket with a satellite to the launching position.

Winners are not judged

On October 4, 1957, at 22:28 Moscow time, mankind entered a new space era. From the test site, the launch vehicle rushed into the night sky, for the first time developing the first space velocity and launching the first artificial Earth satellite into orbit.

The satellite signal was received by radio amateurs all over the world.

Even at the first orbit, the message sounded: "As a result of a lot of hard work of research institutes and design bureaus, the world's first artificial satellite of the Earth has been created."

“After the first enthusiasm, when the signals“ BIP-BIP-BIP, ”which became immediately known to all mankind, were received at the test site, and, finally, the telemetry was processed, it turned out that the rocket was launched“ on the eyebrows, ”Chertok recalled. - The engine of the side block "G" entered the mode with a delay, that is, less than a second before the control time. If it had been a little longer, the circuit would have automatically "reset" the setting and the start would have been canceled. Moreover, at the 16th second of the flight, the tank emptying control system failed. This led to an increased consumption of kerosene and the engine of the central block was turned off a second earlier than the calculated value. There were other issues as well. If only a little more and the first cosmic speed could not be reached. But the winners are judged! A great thing has happened! "

The orbital period of the satellite around the Earth was about 96 minutes. He stayed in earth orbit until January 4, 1958, completing 1440 orbits.

In addition to checking the decisions made for the launch and studying the operating conditions of the equipment, the launch goals also included ionospheric studies of the transmission of radio waves emitted by satellite transmitters and the experimental determination of the density of the upper atmosphere by decelerating the satellite. The collected data were of high scientific value, in particular, the results of measuring the density of the high layers of the atmosphere made it possible to create a theory of satellite deceleration.

“The world was literally overwhelmed! Sputnik has changed the political balance of power. The US Secretary of Defense said: "Victory in the war with the USSR is no longer achievable." Replacing the thermonuclear hydrogen bomb As a small companion, we have won a huge political and social victory, ”Chertok said.

At the recent International Astronautics Congress in Adelaide, Professor Robert Thomas, Advisor to the Government of the State of South Australia on environment, told the Gazeta.Ru correspondent about his childhood impressions of the flight of the first satellite.

“In 1957 I was 7 years old. We lived in the suburbs of Adelaide and that night with friends lay on our backs in the yard of my house. We knew about his flight, because by that time the newspapers had already written about him.

I was amazed by what I saw, the satellite was fantastic for us, it was an incredible event for us, especially at that age.

Then I was still too young to be interested in science, but the satellite opened my eyes to space, stars and the universe. I started to observe objects moving in the sky.

My father was an engineer, and we were both passionate about the companion, from him I inherited a craving for the study of the world around us. The second impression for me was the flight in 1961, when I was 12 years old, and I also remember this event. We said, “Wow! It's incredible, man, Russian in space. Then we witnessed the Apollo missions and the landing of a man on the moon. And now I believe that cooperation in space is one of the better ways establishing relations between countries ”.

By the way, the launch of the satellite coincided with the opening of the International Astronautics Congress, which took place in 1957 in Barcelona. It was there that Academician Leonid announced the launch of the satellite into orbit. Since the names of the leaders of the Soviet space program were classified, it was Sedov who became the "father of Sputnik" in the eyes of the world community.

On November 3, 1957, Sputnik-2 was launched, on board of which was the first living creature put into space, the dog Laika.

Alas, Laika died due to an error in calculating the satellite area and the absence of a thermal control system - the temperature in the cabin rose to 40 ° C, and the dog died from overheating.

In parallel with the USSR, the United States was also engaged in the development of a satellite. Vanguard TV3 was launched on December 6, 1957, but after two seconds the rocket lost traction due to the explosion of the fuel tanks. The satellite was damaged and could not be used further. In the press, he was mockingly nicknamed "flopnik", "kaputnik" and "upsnik" - by analogy with the word "satellite", which, after the launch of PS-1, quickly entered the languages ​​of the world.

Today, there are more than three thousand satellites in Earth's orbit, most of which, however, no longer work. More than 2/3 of them belong to Russia and the USA.

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. Russian word"Satellite" has entered all languages ​​of the world.
It was a fantastic breakthrough of mankind in the exploration of outer space, 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:

Valentin Semenovich Etkin - sounding of the Earth's surface from space by remote radio-physical methods.

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 of a 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:

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 form of natural celestial bodies our 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. Sergei Pavlovich, establishing a 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 at the dark sky, shimmering with myriads of loved ones and distant 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!

"EARTH'S FIRST ARTIFICIAL SATELLITE, SOVIET

SPACE VEHICLE LAUNCHED INTO 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".

Launch and flight

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 altitude of 947 km at apogee, 288 km at a perigee. 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 mode 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:

Valentin Semenovich Etkin - sounding of the Earth's surface from space by remote radio-physical methods.

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.

Yan Lvovich Ziman - Ph.D. thesis, defended at MIIGAiK, was devoted to the choice of orbits for satellites.

Georgy Ivanovich Petrov - together with S.P. Korolev and M.V. Keldysh, stood at the origins of cosmonautics.

Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky is the founder of the school of modern astrophysics.

Georgy Stepanovich Narimanov - programs and methods of navigation and ballistic support in flight control of artificial earth satellites.

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.

Yuri Ilyich Galperin - magnetospheric research.

Semyon Samoilovich Moiseev - Plasma and Hydrodynamics.

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 М8 × 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; each one 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 attaching antennas with fittings
pressure seals and 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.

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.

* * *

Gathering 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 out of 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 handful 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 about, and among them our famous scientist Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, has come true. 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, high level socialist science ".

Review of the "New York Times": "The success of the USSR first of all shows that it is greatest feat 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 organizing 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 that 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 ...

The development of technical progress occurs at such a pace that the most outstanding scientific achievements quickly become everyday life and cease to amaze.

Space exploration was no exception. Almost 6 decades separate us from the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite (RS-1). Let's remember how it was. Let's find out how far science has advanced in this area.

How it was

By the mid 60s of the last century in the USSR, a powerful group of like-minded people was formed who were engaged in practical cosmonautics. He headed the group.

It was decided to start the first steps into space with the launch of an artificial Earth satellite. Wherein the following tasks were set:

• verification of all theoretical calculations;
• collection of information about the operating conditions of the equipment;
• study of the upper layers of the ionosphere and atmosphere.

To carry out the required amount of research the satellite with a diameter of 58 cm housed special equipment and power supplies. To maintain a constant temperature, its internal cavity was filled with nitrogen, which was set in motion by special fans. The total weight of the first spacecraft was 83.6 kg. Its sealed body was made of a special aluminum alloy, and the polished surface has been specially treated.

Four rod antennas with a length of 2.4 to 2.9 m, installed on the outer surface of the satellite, were pressed against the body during the launch of the vehicle into orbit.

How the rocket range became a cosmodrome

To launch the RS-1 satellite, it was it was decided to use a military training ground in the Kazakhstan desert. The decisive argument in choosing the location was the proximity to the equator. This made it possible to maximize the speed of rotation of the Earth at launch. And its remoteness from Moscow made it possible to maintain the secrecy regime.

It was at the Baikonur military training ground that the space gates were first opened, and the first artificial earth satellite was launched. "Sputnik -1" started on 4 October 1957 at 22:28 Moscow time. For 92 days of work in near-earth orbit, he made about one and a half thousand revolutions around the Earth. For two weeks his beep-beep-beep signals were received not only at the flight control center, but also by radio amateurs around the world.

How the satellite was brought into orbit

To launch the first Soviet satellite, it was used a two-stage intercontinental missile R-7, which was developed as a carrier of a hydrogen bomb.

After some modifications in its design and several tests, it became clear that it would quite cope with the task of putting a satellite into a given orbit.

The satellite was placed at the head of the rocket. Its start was carried out strictly vertically. Then the rocket axis was gradually deviated from the vertical. When the rocket speed was close to first space speed, the first stage separated. The further flight of the rocket was now provided by the second stage, which increased its speed to 18-20 thousand km / h. When the rocket reached the highest point of its orbit, the satellite separated from the launch vehicle.

Further it the movement took place by inertia.

Physical foundations of satellite flight

For the body to become an AES, two main conditions must be met:

• a message to the body of a horizontal speed of 7.8 km / s (the first cosmic speed) to overcome gravity;
• moving it from dense layers of the atmosphere to very rarefied ones, which do not resist movement.

Having acquired I cosmic speed, the satellite revolves around the planet in a circular orbit.

If its rotation period is equal to 24 hours, then the satellite will rotate synchronously with the Earth, as if hovering over the same region of the planet. Such an orbit is called geostationary, and its radius, at a given speed of the vehicle, should be six times the radius of the Earth. With an increase in speed up to 11.2 km / s, the orbit becomes more and more stretched, turning into an ellipse. It was in such an orbit that the first brainchild of Soviet cosmonautics moved. In this case, the Earth was in one of the focuses of this ellipse. The farthest distance of the satellite from the Earth was 900 km.

But in the process of movement, he nevertheless plunged into the upper layers of the atmosphere, slowed down, gradually approaching the Earth. In the end, from the air resistance, he warmed up and burned up in the dense layers of the atmosphere.

60-year history of satellite launches

The launch and flight of this tiny silvery ball at such a significant distance from the Earth was a triumph of Soviet science at that time. This was followed by a number of launches, which were mainly for military purposes. They performed reconnaissance functions, were part of navigation and communication systems.

Modern workers starry sky perform a huge amount of work for the benefit of humanity. In addition to satellites intended for defense purposes, the following are in demand:

• Communication satellites (repeaters), providing stable, not dependent on the whims of the weather, communication over a large territory of the planet.
• Navigation satellites, serving to determine the coordinates and speed of all types of transport and determine the exact time.
• Satellites, allowing to photograph areas of the earth's surface."Space" photographs are in demand by many terrestrial services (foresters, ecologists, meteorologists, etc.), they are used to create extremely accurate maps of any part of the planet.
• Satellites are "scientists", these are platforms for testing new ideas and technologies, tools for obtaining unique scientific information.

Manufacturing, launching and maintaining spacecraft requires huge costs, so international projects began to appear. One of them INMASART system, providing ships on the high seas with stable communication. It is thanks to her that a lot has been saved sea ​​vessels and human lives.

Look into the night sky

At night, among the diamond scattering of stars, you can see bright, non-blinking luminous points. If, moving in a straight line, they fly through the entire sky in 5-10 minutes, then you have seen a satellite. The naked eye can only observe large enough satellites, at least 600 m in length. They are visible only when they reflect sunlight.

Such objects include international space station (ISS). She can be seen twice in one night. First, it moves from the southeastern part of the sky to the northeast. After about 8 hours, she appears in the northwest and hides behind southeastern part horizon. The best time to watch it is June – July - an hour after sunset and 40–60 minutes before sunrise.

Having followed the luminous point with your gaze, remember how much effort and knowledge has been invested in this miracle of technical thought, what courage the people working on board the orbital station have.

If this message is useful to you, it's good to see you.

We have long been accustomed to living in the era of space exploration. However, watching today the huge reusable rockets and space orbital stations, many do not realize that the first launch of the spacecraft took place not so long ago - just 60 years ago.

General information

Who launched the first artificial Earth satellite? - USSR. This question has great importance, since this event gave rise to the so-called space race between two superpowers: the USA and the USSR.

What was the name of the world's first artificial satellite of the Earth? - since such devices did not exist before, Soviet scientists considered that the name "Sputnik-1" is quite suitable for this device. The device's code designation is PS-1, which stands for "Simplest Sputnik-1".

Outwardly, the satellite had a rather uncomplicated appearance and was an aluminum sphere with a diameter of 58 cm to which two curved antennas were attached crosswise, allowing the device to spread radio emission evenly and in all directions. Inside the sphere, made of two hemispheres, fastened by 36 bolts, there were 50-kilogram silver-zinc batteries, a radio transmitter, a fan, a thermostat, pressure and temperature sensors. The total weight of the device was 83.6 kg. It is noteworthy that the radio transmitter broadcast in the range of 20 MHz and 40 MHz, that is, ordinary radio amateurs could also follow it.

History of creation

History of the first space satellite and space travel in general begins with the first ballistic missile, the V-2 (Vergeltungswaffe-2). The missile was developed by the famous German designer Werner von Braun at the end of World War II.

The first test launch took place in 1942, and the combat one took place in 1944; a total of 3,225 launches were carried out mainly in the UK.

After the war, Wernher von Braun surrendered to the US Army, in connection with which he headed the Arms Design and Development Service in the United States. Back in 1946, a German scientist presented to the US Department of Defense a report “Preliminary design of an experimental spaceship revolving around the Earth ”, where he noted that a rocket capable of launching such a ship into orbit could be developed within five years. However, funding for the project was not approved.

On May 13, 1946, Josiv Stalin adopted a decree on the creation of the missile industry in the USSR. Sergei Korolev was appointed chief designer of ballistic missiles. For the next 10 years, scientists have developed intercontinental ballistic missiles R-1, P2, R-3, etc.

In 1948, the rocket designer Mikhail Tikhonravov made a report for the scientific community on composite rockets and the results of calculations, according to which the 1000-kilometer missiles under development can reach long distances and even launch an artificial Earth satellite into orbit. However, such a statement was criticized and was not taken seriously.

Tikhonravov's department at NII-4 was disbanded due to irrelevant work, but later, thanks to the efforts of Mikhail Klavdievich, it was reassembled in 1950. Then Mikhail Tikhonravov already spoke directly about the mission to launch the satellite into orbit.

Satellite model

After the creation of the R-3 ballistic missile, its capabilities were presented at the presentation, according to which the rocket was capable not only of hitting targets at a distance of 3000 km, but also to put a satellite into orbit. So by 1953, scientists still managed to convince the top management that the launch of an orbiting satellite is possible.

And the leaders of the armed forces had an understanding of the prospects for the development and launch of an artificial earth satellite (AES). For this reason, in 1954, a resolution was adopted to create a separate group at NII-4 with Mikhail Klavdievich, which would be engaged in satellite design and mission planning. In the same year, Tikhonravov's group presented a program for space exploration, from launching an artificial satellite to landing on the moon.

In 1955, a Politburo delegation headed by NS Khrushchev visited the Leningrad Metal Plant, where the construction of a two-stage R-7 rocket was completed. The impression of the delegation resulted in the signing of a decree on the creation and launch of a satellite into Earth orbit in the next two years. The design of the satellite began in November 1956, and in September 1957 the "Simplest Sputnik-1" was successfully tested on a vibration stand and in a heat chamber.

Unambiguously the question "who invented Sputnik-1?" - it is impossible to answer. The development of the first satellite of the Earth took place under the leadership of Mikhail Tikhonravov, and the creation of the launch vehicle and the launch of the satellite into orbit - under the leadership of Sergei Korolev. However, a considerable number of scientists and researchers worked on both projects.

Launch history

In February 1955, the top management approved the creation of the Research Proving Ground No. 5 (later Baikonur), which was to be located in the Kazakhstan desert. The tests of the first ballistic missiles of the R-7 type were carried out at the test site, but based on the results of five test launches, it became clear that the massive warhead of the ballistic missile could not withstand the temperature load and required improvement, which would take about six months.

For this reason, S.P.Korolev requested from NS Khrushchev two rockets for the experimental launch of PS-1. At the end of September 1957, the R-7 rocket arrived at Baikonur with a lightweight head part and a transition under the satellite. Excess equipment was removed, as a result of which the mass of the rocket was reduced by 7 tons.

On October 2, S.P. Korolev signed an order on flight tests of the satellite and sent a notice of readiness to Moscow. And although no answers came from Moscow, Sergei Korolev decided to withdraw the Sputnik (R-7) launch vehicle from PS-1 to the launch position.

The reason why the leadership demanded that the satellite be put into orbit during this period is that the so-called International Geophysical Year was held from July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958. According to him, during the specified period, 67 countries jointly and under a single program carried out geophysical research and observations.

The launch date of the first artificial satellite is October 4, 1957. In addition, on the same day, the opening of the VIII International Astronautical Congress took place in Spain, Barcelona. The leaders of the USSR space program were not disclosed to the public due to the secrecy of the work being carried out; Academician Leonid Ivanovich Sedov reported to the Congress about the sensational launch of the satellite. Therefore, the world community has long considered the Soviet physicist and mathematician Sedov the “father of Sputnik”.

Flight history

At 22:28:34 Moscow time, a rocket with a satellite was launched from the first site of NIIP No. 5 (Baikonur). After 295 seconds, the central block of the rocket and the satellite were launched into an elliptical orbit of the Earth (apogee - 947 km, perigee - 288 km). After another 20 seconds, PS-1 separated from the rocket and gave a signal. These were repetitive beep! Beep! ”, Which were caught at the range for 2 minutes, until“ Sputnik-1 ”disappeared over the horizon.

On the first orbit of the spacecraft around the Earth, the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) broadcast a message about the successful launch of the world's first satellite.

After receiving signals from PS-1, detailed data began to arrive about the vehicle, which, as it turned out, was close to not reaching the first space velocity and not going into orbit. The reason for this was an unexpected failure of the fuel supply control system, due to which one of the engines was delayed. Fragments of a second separated from failure.

However, PS-1 nevertheless successfully reached an elliptical orbit, along which it moved for 92 days, while completing 1440 revolutions around the planet. The device's radio transmitters worked for the first two weeks. What caused the death of the first satellite of the Earth? - Having lost speed against atmospheric friction, Sputnik-1 began to decline and completely burned up in the dense layers of the atmosphere.

It is noteworthy that many could observe a certain shiny object moving across the sky at that time. But without special optics, the satellite's shiny body could not be seen, and in fact this object was the second stage of the rocket, which also rotated in orbit, along with the satellite.

Flight value

The first launch of an artificial Earth satellite in the USSR produced an unprecedented rise in pride in their country and a strong blow to the prestige of the United States. An excerpt from the United Press publication: “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 ... ”.

And despite the erroneous ideas about the technical backwardness of the USSR, it was the Soviet apparatus that became the first satellite of the Earth, moreover, its signal could be monitored by any radio amateur. The flight of the first satellite of the Earth marked the beginning of the space age and launched the space race between The Soviet Union and the USA.

Just 4 months later, on February 1, 1958, the United States launched its Explorer-1 satellite, which was assembled by a team of scientist Wernher von Braun. And although it was several times lighter than PS-1 and contained 4.5 kg of scientific equipment, it was still the second and no longer influenced the public so much.

Scientific results of the PS-1 flight

The launch of this PS-1 pursued several goals:

• Testing the technical ability of the device, as well as checking the calculations adopted for the successful launch of the satellite;


• Study of the ionosphere. Before the launch of the spacecraft, radio waves sent from Earth were reflected from the ionosphere, making it impossible to study it. Now scientists have been able to begin exploring the ionosphere through the interaction of radio waves emitted by a satellite from space and traveling through the atmosphere to the Earth's surface.


• Calculation of the density of the upper layers of the atmosphere by observing the rate of deceleration of the vehicle due to friction against the atmosphere;


• Study of the influence of outer space on equipment, as well as determination of favorable conditions for the operation of equipment in space.

Listen to the sound of the First satellite

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And although there was no scientific equipment on the satellite, tracking its radio signal and analyzing its nature gave many useful results. So a group of scientists from Sweden carried out measurements of the electronic composition of the ionosphere, relying on the Faraday effect, which states that the polarization of light changes when it passes through a magnetic field.

Also, a group of Soviet scientists from Moscow State University developed a method for observing a satellite with an accurate determination of its coordinates. Observation of this elliptical orbit and the nature of its behavior made it possible to determine the density of the atmosphere in the region of orbital altitudes. The unexpectedly increased density of the atmosphere in these areas prompted scientists to create a theory of satellite deceleration, which contributed to the development of astronautics.