1957 the first artificial earth satellite. The first satellite of the earth
Day of the beginning of the space age of mankind (October 4, 1957); proclaimed by the International Astronautical Federation in September 1967 (on this day the world's first artificial Earth satellite was successfully launched in the USSR)
On October 4, 1957, the world's first artificial satellite Earth, who ushered in the space age in human history. The satellite, which became the first artificial celestial body, was launched into orbit by the R-7 launch vehicle from the 5th research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense, which later received the open name of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The PS-1 spacecraft (the simplest satellite-1) was a ball with a diameter of 58 centimeters, weighed 83.6 kilograms, and was equipped with four pin antennas 2.4 and 2.9 meters long for transmitting signals from battery-powered transmitters. 295 seconds after launch, PS-1 and the central block of the rocket, weighing 7.5 tons, were launched into an elliptical orbit with an altitude of 947 km at apogee and 288 km at perigee. At 315 seconds after launch, the satellite separated from the second stage of the launch vehicle, and its call signs were immediately heard by the whole world. The PS-1 satellite flew for 92 days, until January 4, 1958, completing 1,440 revolutions around the Earth (about 60 million km), and its radio transmitters operated for two weeks after launch. The United States was able to repeat the success of the USSR only on February 1, 1958, launching on the second attempt the Explorer 1 satellite, weighing 10 times less than the first satellite. Scientists M.V. worked on the creation of an artificial Earth satellite, led by the founder of practical cosmonautics S.P. Korolev. Keldysh, M.K. Tikhonravov, N.S. Lidorenko, V.I. Lapko, B.S. Chekunov and many others.
The formation of the rocket and space industry and technology in our country practically began in the spring of 1946. It was then that research institutes, design bureaus, testing centers and factories for the development and production of long-range ballistic missiles were formed. Then NII-88 (later OKB-1, TsKBM, NPO Energia, RSC Energia) appeared - the main institute in the country's jet weapons, headed by S.P. Korolev. Together with the chief designers - on rocket engines, control systems, command instruments, radio systems, launch complexes, etc., S.P. Korolev supervised the creation of rocket and space systems that ensured the first and subsequent flights of automatic and manned vehicles. In a short historical period, a powerful industry was created in the country to produce a wide variety of rocket and space technology. Thousands of devices for various purposes were designed, built and sent into space, and a huge amount of work was done to study outer space. Launch vehicles “Zenit”, “Proton”, “Cosmos”, “Molniya”, “Cyclone” launched scientific research, applied, meteorological, navigation, and military satellites “Electron”, “Gorizont”, “Start” into space orbit. , “Cosmos”, “Resource”, “Gals”, “Forecast”, communication satellites “Ekran”, “Molniya” and others. Unique work was done by automatic spacecraft during flights to the Moon, Mars, Venus, and Halley's comet.
We have long been accustomed to the fact that we live in the era of space exploration. However, watching today's huge reusable rockets and space orbital stations, many do not realize that the first launch of a spacecraft took place not so long ago - only 60 years ago.
Who launched the first artificial Earth satellite? - THE 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? - since such devices did not exist before, Soviet scientists considered that the name “Sputnik-1” was quite suitable for this device. Code designation device - PS-1, which stands for “Simple Sputnik-1”.
Externally, the satellite had a rather simple appearance and was an aluminum sphere with a diameter of 58 cm to which two curved antennas were attached crosswise, allowing the device to distribute radio emission evenly and in all directions. Inside the sphere, made of two hemispheres fastened with 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 monitor it.
History of creation
History of the first space satellite and space flights in general begin with the first ballistic missile- V-2 (Vergeltungswaffe-2). The rocket was developed by the famous German designer Wernher von Braun at the end of World War II. The first test launch took place in 1942, and the combat launch in 1944; a total of 3,225 launches were carried out, mainly across Great Britain. After the war, Wernher von Braun surrendered to the US Army, and therefore headed the Weapons Design and Development Service in the United States. Back in 1946, a German scientist presented the US Department of Defense with a report “Preliminary design of an experimental spaceship, orbiting the Earth,” where he noted that within five years a rocket capable of launching such a ship into orbit could be developed. However, funding for the project was not approved.
On May 13, 1946, Joseph Stalin adopted a decree on the creation of a missile industry in the USSR. Sergei Korolev was appointed chief designer of ballistic missiles. Over the next 10 years, scientists developed intercontinental ballistic missiles R-1, R2, R-3, etc.
In 1948, rocket designer Mikhail Tikhonravov gave a report to the scientific community about composite rockets and the results of calculations, according to which the 1000-kilometer rockets being developed could reach great 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, through the efforts of Mikhail Klavdievich, it was reassembled in 1950. Then Mikhail Tikhonravov spoke directly about the mission to put 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 missile was capable of not only hitting targets at a distance of 3000 km, but also launching a satellite into orbit. So by 1953, scientists still managed to convince top management that the launch of an orbital satellite was possible. And the leaders of the armed forces began to understand the prospects of developing and launching 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 satellites to landing on the Moon.
In 1955, a delegation of the Politburo headed by N. S. Khrushchev visited the Leningrad Metal Plant, where the construction of the two-stage R-7 rocket was completed. The delegation's impression resulted in the signing of a resolution 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 “Simple Sputnik-1” was successfully tested on a vibration stand and in a thermal chamber.
Definitely answering the question “who invented Sputnik 1?” — it is impossible to answer. The development of the first Earth satellite took place under the leadership of Mikhail Tikhonravov, and the creation of the launch vehicle and launch of the satellite into orbit was under the leadership of Sergei Korolev. However, a considerable number of scientists and researchers worked on both projects.
Launch history
In February 1955, senior management approved the creation of Research Test Site No. 5 (later Baikonur), which was to be located in the Kazakhstan desert. The first ballistic missiles of the R-7 type were tested at the test site, but based on the results of five experimental launches, it became clear that the massive warhead of the ballistic missile could not withstand the temperature load and required modification, which would take about six months. For this reason, S.P. Korolev requested from N.S. 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 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 for flight testing of the satellite and sent a notification of readiness to Moscow. And although no answers came from Moscow, Sergei Korolev decided to launch the Sputnik (R-7) launch vehicle from PS-1 to the launch position.
The reason why management demanded the launch of the satellite into orbit during this period is that from July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958, the so-called International Geophysical Year was held. According to it, during this period, 67 countries jointly and under a single program carried out geophysical research and observations.
The launch date of the first artificial satellite was October 4, 1957. In addition, the opening took place on the same day VIII international Congress of Astronautics 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 Congress about the sensational launch of the satellite. Therefore, it was the Soviet physicist and mathematician Sedov that the world community long considered to be 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. It was a repeated signal of “Beep! Beep!”, which were caught at the test site for 2 minutes, until Sputnik 1 disappeared over the horizon. On the first orbit of the device around the Earth Telegraph Agency Soviet Union(TASS) reported the successful launch of the world's first satellite.
After receiving the PS-1 signals, detailed data began to arrive about the device, which, as it turned out, was close to not reaching the first escape velocity and not entering orbit. The reason for this was an unexpected failure of the fuel control system, which caused one of the engines to lag. Failure was a split second away.
However, PS-1 still successfully achieved an elliptical orbit, in 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 Earth satellite? — Having lost speed due to atmospheric friction, Sputnik 1 began to descend and completely burned up in dense layers of the atmosphere. It is noteworthy that many could observe a certain brilliant object moving across the sky during that period. But without special optics, the shiny body of the satellite 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 meaning
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 a United Press publication: “90 percent of the talk about artificial Earth satellites came from the United States. As it turned out, 100 percent of the case fell on Russia...” And despite erroneous ideas about the technical backwardness of the USSR, it was the Soviet device that became the first satellite of the Earth, and its signal could be tracked by any radio amateur. The flight of the first Earth satellite marked the beginning of the space age and launched the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States.
Just 4 months later, on February 1, 1958, the United States launched its Explorer 1 satellite, which was assembled by the 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 second and no longer had the same impact on the public.
Scientific results of the PS-1 flight
The launch of this PS-1 had several goals:
- Testing the technical ability of the device, as well as checking the calculations taken for the successful launch of the satellite;
- Ionosphere research. Before the launch of the spacecraft, radio waves sent from Earth were reflected from the ionosphere, eliminating the possibility of studying it. Now scientists have been able to begin studying the ionosphere through the interaction of radio waves emitted by a satellite from space and traveling through the atmosphere to the surface of the Earth.
- Calculation of the density of the upper layers of the atmosphere by observing the rate of deceleration of the vehicle due to friction with the atmosphere;
- Study of the influence of outer space on equipment, as well as the determination of favorable conditions for the operation of equipment in space.
Listen to the sound of the First Satellite
And although the satellite did not have any scientific equipment, monitoring its radio signal and analyzing its nature gave many useful results. Thus, 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 passing through a magnetic field. Also, a group of Soviet scientists from Moscow State University developed a technique for observing the satellite with precise 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 the theory of satellite braking, which contributed to the development of astronautics.
Video about the first satellite.
October 4, 1957 began space age humanity. From the 5th Research Site of the USSR Ministry of Defense, which later received the name BAIKONUR Cosmodrome, the first artificial Earth satellite was launched by the R-7 launch vehicle.
The creation of the first spacecraft began at OKB-1 in November 1956. The satellite was developed as a very simple device, which is why it was named the PS-1 spacecraft (the simplest satellite). It was a ball with a diameter of 58 centimeters and a weight of 83.6 kilograms. PS-1 was equipped with four whip antennas to transmit signals from battery-powered transmitters.
A whole group of scientists and designers, led by the founder of practical cosmonautics, Sergei Korolev, worked on the creation of an artificial Earth satellite.
Exhibit of the Baikonur Cosmodrome History Museum
On October 4, 1957, at 22:28:34 Moscow time, the Sputnik (R-7) launch vehicle was successfully launched. 295 seconds after launch, the first satellite was launched into an elliptical orbit with an altitude of 947 km at apogee and 288 km at perigee. At 315 seconds after launch, the satellite separated, and it cast its vote. “Beep! Beep! – that’s exactly what his call sign sounded like. PS-1 became the first artificial object. The satellite flew for 92 days, made 1440 revolutions around the Earth (flying about 60 million km), and its battery-powered radio transmitters operated for two weeks after launch.
Newspaper "Pravda" dated October 5th and 6th, 1957 
In September 1967, the International Astronautical Federation proclaimed October 4 as the Day of the Beginning of the Human Space Age. Also, the date of launch of the first artificial Earth satellite is considered the day Space Force. It was the launch and control parts of spacecraft that carried out the launch and control of the flight of the first artificial Earth satellite. Subsequently, the first manned flight into space and many domestic and international space programs were carried out with the direct participation of military units launch and control of spacecraft. Due to the increasing role of space in issues national security By decree of the President of Russia in 2001, an independent branch of the military was created - the Space Forces. Today the Space Forces are part of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
maximum diameter 0.58 m.
7310 km from the center, 939 km from the surface
6586 km from the center, 215 km from the surface
Editorial from the Pravda newspaper dedicated to the launch of the satellite
Satellite code designation - PS-1(The simplest Sputnik-1). The launch was carried out from the 5th research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense "Tyura-Tam" (which later received the open name Baikonur Cosmodrome) on a Sputnik (R-7) launch vehicle.
Scientists M.V. Keldysh, M.K. Tikhonravov, N.S. Lidorenko, V.I. Lapko, B.S. Chekunov, worked on the creation of an artificial Earth satellite, led by the founder of practical cosmonautics S.P. Korolev, A.V. Bukhtiyarov and many others.
The launch date is considered the beginning of the space age of mankind, and is celebrated in Russia as a memorial day of the Space Forces.
Flight parameters
- Start of flight- October 4 at 19:28:34 GMT
- End of flight- 4 January
- Device weight- 83.6 kg;
- Max diameter- 0.58 m.
- Orbital inclination- 65.1°.
- Circulation period- 96.7 min.
- Perigee- 228 km.
- Apogee- 947 km.
- Vitkov - 1440
Device
The satellite's body consisted of two hemispheres with a diameter of 58 cm made of aluminum alloy with docking frames connected to each other by 36 bolts. The tightness of the joint was ensured by a rubber gasket. In the upper half-shell there were two antennas, each of two rods 2.4 m and 2.9 m long. Since the satellite was unoriented, the four-antenna system gave uniform radiation in all directions.
Inside sealed housing were placed: a block of electrochemical sources; radio transmitting device; fan; thermal relay and air duct of the thermal control system; switching device for on-board electrical automation; temperature and pressure sensors; onboard cable network. Weight: 83.6 kg.
History of creation
USSR postage stamp depicting Sputnik 1
Postal envelope dedicated to the 5th anniversary of the launch of the 1st Earth satellite
The flight of the first satellite was preceded by long work by Soviet rocket designers led by Sergei Korolev.
1931-1947
In 1931, the Jet Propulsion Study Group was created in the USSR, engaged in the design of rockets, in which, in particular, Zander, Tikhonravov, Pobedonostsev, Korolev worked. In 1933, this group was transformed into, which continued work on creating and improving missiles.
1947-1957. From "V-2" to "PS-1"
The history of the creation of the First Sputnik is the history of a rocket. The rocket technology of the Soviet Union and the United States had a German origin.
The developed project of a rocket of a new layout was approved by the Council of Ministers of the USSR on November 20, 1954. It was necessary to as soon as possible solve many new problems, which included, in addition to the development and construction of the rocket itself, choosing a location for the launch site, building launch facilities, commissioning all the necessary services and equipping the entire 7,000-kilometer flight route with observation posts.
The first complex of the R-7 rocket was built and tested during 1955-1956 at the Leningrad Metal Plant, at the same time, in accordance with the government decree of February 12, 1955, construction of NIIP-5 began in the area of the Tyura-Tam station. When the first rocket in the factory workshop was already assembled, the plant was visited by a delegation of the main members of the Politburo, headed by N. S. Khrushchev. The rocket made a stunning impression not only on the Soviet leadership, but also on leading scientists.
We [nuclear scientists] thought that our scale was large, but there we saw something that was an order of magnitude larger. I was struck by the enormous technical culture visible to the naked eye, the coordinated work of hundreds of highly qualified people and their almost everyday, but very business attitude to the fantastic things they dealt with...
- (collection “First Space”, p. 18)
On January 30, 1956, the government signed a decree on the creation and launch into orbit in 1957-1958. “Object “D”” - a satellite weighing 1000-1400 kg carrying 200-300 kg of scientific equipment. The development of the equipment was entrusted to the USSR Academy of Sciences, the construction of the satellite was entrusted to OKB-1, and the launch was entrusted to the Ministry of Defense. By the end of 1956, it became clear that reliable equipment for the satellite could not be created in the required time frame.
Officially, Sputnik 1, like Sputnik 2, was launched by the Soviet Union in accordance with its obligations under the International Geophysical Year. The satellite emitted radio waves at two frequencies of 20.005 and 40.002 MHz in the form of telegraphic messages lasting 0.3 s, this made it possible to study the upper layers of the ionosphere, because before the launch of the first satellite it was possible to observe only the reflection of radio waves from regions of the ionosphere lying below the zone of maximum ionization of the ionospheric layers .
The satellite had great political significance. His flight was seen by the whole world, the signal emitted by him could be heard by any radio amateur anywhere globe. Radio magazine published detailed recommendations in advance for receiving signals from space. This went against the idea of the strong technical backwardness of the Soviet Union. The launch of the first satellite dealt a big blow to the prestige of the United States. United Press reported: “Ninety percent of the talk about artificial satellites has come from the United States. As it turned out, 100 percent of the case fell on Russia...” The launch of the first US satellite took place only on February 1, 1958, when Explorer 1, weighing 10 times less than PS-1, was launched on the second attempt.
Scientific results of the PS-1 flight
Launch goals:
- verification of calculations and basic technical decisions taken for the launch;
- ionospheric studies of the passage of radio waves emitted by satellite transmitters;
- experimental determination of the density of the upper layers of the atmosphere by satellite deceleration;
- study of equipment operating conditions.
Despite the fact that the satellite was completely devoid of any scientific equipment, studying the nature of the radio signal and optical observations of the orbit made it possible to obtain important scientific data.
Immediately after the launch, this event drew the attention of a small team of scientists from the newly created Geophysical Observatory of Kiruna (now the Swedish Institute of Space Physics) in Sweden. Under the leadership of Bengt Hultquist, measurements of the total electron composition of the ionosphere began to be made using the Faraday effect. During the launches of subsequent satellites, similar measurements were continued.
Flight parameters
- Start of flight- October 4, 1957 at 19:28:34 GMT
- End of flight- 4 January
- Device weight- 83.6 kg;
- Max diameter- 0.58 m.
- Orbital inclination- 65.1°.
- Circulation period- 96.7 min.
- Perigee- 228 km.
- Apogee- 947 km.
- Vitkov - 1440
Device
The satellite's body consisted of two half-shells with connecting frames connected to each other by 36 bolts. The tightness of the joint was ensured by a rubber gasket. In the upper half-shell there were two antennas, each of two pins 2.4 m and 2.9 m long. Inside the sealed housing were placed: a block of electrochemical sources; radio transmitting device; fan; thermal relay and air duct of the thermal control system; switching device for on-board electrical automation; temperature and pressure sensors; onboard cable network.
Launch history
Satellite signal
The flight of the first satellite was preceded by titanic work by Soviet rocket designers led by Sergei Korolev.
1947-1957. In ten years from V-2 to PS-1.The history of the creation of the First Sputnik is the history of a rocket. The rocket technology of the Soviet Union and the United States had a German origin.
The developed project of a rocket of a new layout was approved by the Council of Ministers of the USSR on November 20, 1954. It was necessary to solve many new problems in the shortest possible time, which included, in addition to the development and construction of the rocket itself, choosing a location for the launch site, building launch facilities, commissioning all the necessary services and equipping the entire 7,000-kilometer flight route with observation posts. The first complex of the R-7 rocket was built and tested during 1955-1956 at the Leningrad Metal Plant, at the same time, in accordance with the government decree of February 12, 1955, construction of NIIP-5 began in the area of the Tyura-Tam station. When the first rocket in the factory workshop was already assembled, the plant was visited by a delegation of the main members of the Politburo, headed by N. S. Khrushchev. The rocket made a stunning impression not only on the Soviet leadership, but also on leading scientists.
We [nuclear scientists] thought that our scale was large, but there we saw something that was an order of magnitude larger. I was struck by the enormous technical culture visible to the naked eye, the coordinated work of hundreds of highly qualified people and their almost everyday, but very business-like attitude towards the fantastic things they were dealing with...
- (collection “First Space”, p. 18)
On January 30, 1956, the government signed a decree on the creation and launch into orbit in 1957-1958. “Object “D”” - a satellite weighing 1000-1400 kg carrying 200-300 kg of scientific equipment. The development of the equipment was entrusted to the USSR Academy of Sciences, the construction of the satellite was entrusted to OKB-1, and the launch was entrusted to the Ministry of Defense. By the end of 1956, it became clear that reliable equipment for the satellite could not be created in the required time frame.
Multimedia
- The sound of a signal from the first artificial satellite(info)
Literature
- First Space (a collection of articles dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the space age) / compiled by O. V. Zakutnyaya. - M.: 2007. - ISBN 978-5-902533-03-0
Links
- “Sputnik as a Warning,” Los Angeles Times, September 30, 2007 - “Moscow was the first to go into space to show in the face of US provocation military force. Fifty years have passed - and the same thing is starting again” - Matthew Brzezinski.
- “France celebrates the anniversary of the launch of the first Soviet satellite,” Izvestia. Ru”, 10/04/07 - “A stamp dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the launch of the first satellite and human exploration of space has been issued”
- A satellite instead of a bomb. Documentary Roscosmos television studio
Notes
Sputnik series Previous flight:
-Sputnik-1 Next flight:
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