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.

General information

Who launched the first artificial Earth satellite? - THE USSR. This question is of 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. The code designation of the device is PS-1, which stands for “The Simplest 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

The history of the first space satellite and space flights in general begins with the first ballistic rocket - the 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 spacecraft 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 separate group at NII-4 with Mikhail Klavdievich, which would be involved 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, on the same day the opening of the VIII International Congress of Astronautics 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 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, the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) transmitted a message about 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

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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.

“Humanity will not remain on Earth forever,
in pursuit of light, space,
it will first timidly penetrate beyond the boundaries of the atmosphere,
and then will conquer the entire circumsolar space.”
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

The Treaty of Versailles did not include a ban on the construction of long-range missiles in Germany. Therefore, after Hitler came to power, a small group of engineers and scientists led by the young and gifted Wernher von Braun, having received the support of the army, began active work in this direction. The ideas of designers and inventors Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Robert Goddard, Hermann Oberth found their application in specific systems created by teams from Siemens, Lorenz, Telefunken and numerous scientific universities. In 1943, the V-2 ballistic missile or “Fergeltung”, which means “Retribution,” was created. The rocket marked the birth of long-range unmanned, automatically controlled devices. Immediately after the end of World War II, a new nuclear threat arose in the world. The USSR hastily developed means of delivering the atomic bomb. On May 13, 1946, Stalin approved a decree on the formation of a rocket industry in the USSR, which led to the creation of an entire committee dedicated to jet technology, as well as dozens of new organizations, research institutes and design bureaus. Old factories were repurposed and testing grounds were created. The main organization for all work in this area was NII-88 or the State Union Scientific Research Institute. By order of the Minister of Defense, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was appointed general designer for the creation of long-range missiles. It was this time that can be considered the beginning of the creation of an artificial Earth satellite (abbreviated AES).

The person who made a significant contribution to the implementation of the idea of ​​going into space was Mikhail Klavdievich Tikhonravov. He had incredible curiosity - he collected beetles, painted oil paintings, and studied the flight of insects. Tikhonravov and his small group of like-minded people of seven people in 1947-1948, without any computers, did a tremendous amount of calculation work, scientifically proving that there is a real version of a rocket package capable of accelerating a certain load to a speed equal to the first cosmic speed. Fellow scientists responded to him with ridicule in the form of cartoons and epigrams, and the authorities disbanded the group, demoting Mikhail Klavdievich. However, he was heard by Korolev, who was a great psychologist and realist, realizing that one cannot even mention any satellite until there is a rocket capable of putting an end to the atomic blackmail of the Americans. In the USA, the main ideologist and leader of the work was von Braun, who emigrated after the war. In the spring of 1946, his colleagues informed the Ministry of Defense that they could create a rocket for launching artificial satellites by 1951. But, like our country, the American military department was occupied with missiles only for military purposes and refused to give them the necessary funds.

In 1947, tests of the German V-2 were carried out. In 1948, at the first Soviet missile test site in the town of Kapustin Yar, copies of the V-2, made from domestic materials, called R-1 missiles, were tested. The series has developed. In 1950, tests of the R-2 with a range of 600 kilometers began, and in 1953 the R-5 flew 1,200 kilometers. On May 20, 1954, a Government resolution appeared on the creation of an intercontinental missile with two stages.

The first domestic long-range guided ballistic missile R-1 was an exact copy of the German A-4 (“V-2”) (Photo from the archives of RSC Energia)

In October of the same year, the International Geophysical Community appealed to world powers with a proposal to consider the possibility of launching an artificial Earth satellite for peaceful purposes. Dwight Eisenhower reported that the United States would comply with this request. Our country has risen to the challenge. From that moment on, all work on creating satellites was given the green light. On January 30, 1956, at a meeting of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, a resolution was approved on the creation of object D - a satellite weighing up to 1400 kg, the preliminary design of which was ready by June. The launch year was set at 1957. Outstanding scientists of that time worked on the creation of the first satellite under the leadership of Korolev: M. V. Keldysh, B. S. Chekunov, N. S. Lidorenko, M. K. Tikhonravov, V. I. Lapko, A. V. Bukhtiyarov and many others. In America, on May 26, 1955, the National Security Council also approved the artificial satellite launch program. Unlike our country, where everything was concentrated in the hands of Korolev, the work could be carried out by all types of armed forces, each of which subsequently presented its own project. The ad hoc commission conducted an analysis and eventually settled between the Naval Research Laboratory's Vanguard satellite program and Rand's Explorer satellite project, designed by Wernher von Braun. Brown claimed that he could deliver the satellite into orbit in January 1956. If they had believed him, the Americans would have launched their satellite earlier than we did. But they didn’t want a German with a Nazi past to become the “father” of astronautics and a national hero; the choice was made in favor of Vanguard.

Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 1017-419ss of May 13, 1946
Considering the most important task is the creation of jet weapons and the organization of research and experimental work in this area, the Council of Ministers of the USSR DECIDES:
1. Create a Special Committee on Jet Technology...
5. To oblige the Special Committee on Jet Technology to submit for approval to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR a plan of research and experimental work for 1946-1948, to define as a priority task the reproduction of missiles of the V-2 type (long-range guided missile) using domestic materials and Wasserfall (anti-aircraft guided missile)…
13. Oblige the Committee on Jet Technology to select from the relevant ministries and send to Germany the required number of specialists in various fields to study and work on jet weapons, bearing in mind that, in order to gain experience, Soviet specialists should be attached to each German specialist...
22. Instruct the Special Committee to submit to the Council of Ministers of the USSR proposals for sending the Commission to the USA to place orders and purchase equipment and instruments for the laboratories of the Research Institutes for Jet Technology, providing in these proposals that the Commission be granted the right to purchase under an open license in the amount of 2 million dollars...
25. Instruct the Ministry of the Armed Forces of the USSR (Comrade Bulganin) to submit proposals to the Council of Ministers on the location and construction of the State Central Test Site for rocket weapons...
32. Consider work on the development of jet technology to be the most important state task and oblige all ministries and organizations to carry out tasks on jet technology as a priority.

At the end of 1956, it became clear that it would not be possible to prepare object D by the appointed date. The schedule was always disrupted. Inventive scientists, who were mostly theoreticians, reached a dead end when it came to production. There was no interaction between science and industry in the country. Korolev was nervous, but Tikhonravov suddenly suggested making the satellite simpler and lighter. Korolev quickly appreciated the idea; the small object could be produced on its own with a minimum number of subcontractors.

After this, Korolev wrote to the government: “There is news that America intends to launch an artificial satellite as early as 1958. We risk losing priority. I propose sending a simple satellite into space instead of object “D.”

On February 15, 1957, the decision to launch a simple satellite (abbreviated as PS) into orbit was made. Although it was called the simplest, its production took a lot of time and all the efforts of the best minds in the country. Quite quickly, the developers came to the conclusion that it should be made in the shape of a ball with a diameter of 580 mm. The hull consisted of hemispheres with connecting frames connected by 36 bolts. The rubber gasket ensured the tightness of the joint. The satellite was filled with nitrogen. The internal temperature was maintained between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius using sensor-powered ventilation. Two transmitters with an operating frequency of 20.005 and 40.002 MHz were placed inside the satellite, broadcasting a signal lasting about 0.3 seconds in the form of telegraphic parcels. They worked alternately. Antennas were mounted on the outer surface - four rods up to 2.9 meters long. The power supply for on-board equipment was provided by silver-zinc batteries. The main difficulty was in the production of half-shells and perfect polishing outer surface. The welding of the seams was controlled by X-ray, and the tightness of the assembled container was checked with a helium leak detector.

M.K. Tikhonravov and S.P. Korolev (Photo from the archive of B. Ryabchikov)

The production of parts went hand in hand with the design. Nevertheless, all systems managed to be thoroughly checked. A system for separating the satellite and the rocket body was developed, which was tested on the ground using special equipment that simulated future conditions. But the most important thing is that the launch vehicle has not yet flown.

On May 15, 1957, the first launch of the new R-7 rocket was made. She left okay from the start. The controlled flight lasted 98 seconds. Then the R-7 lost stability, and the engines turned off due to large deviations. The rocket fell 300 kilometers from the launch. The Queen was congratulated on his success, since on the most important, first stage, the flight was normal, but he himself was upset. The second R-7 was prepared, taking into account all the mistakes, but it never took off due to an oversight in installing the nitrogen purge valves. The third R-7 took off normally, but then, due to a short circuit in the new control system unit, all engines switched off. The rocket fell apart, falling 7 km from the launch. Finally, on August 21, after the fourth launch, the R-7 flew the entire trajectory. It reached Kamchatka and burned up, entering the dense layers of the atmosphere. The last test launch of the R-7 took place on September 7, 1957. All units worked perfectly, but the warhead burned out again in the atmosphere. Based on the results of five tests, it became clear that the rocket could fly, but the warhead needed improvement. However, this did not interfere with the launch of the Earth satellite, since there was no need to enter the dense layers of the atmosphere.

The launch of the first artificial Earth satellite took place on October 4, 1957 at 22:28 Moscow time. The rocket launched from the fifth research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense, which later received the name “Baikonur Cosmodrome”. The Sputnik launch vehicle was significantly lighter compared to the standard R-7, unnecessary equipment was removed, and engine automation was simplified. With fuel, it weighed “only” 267 tons. The launch date is considered the beginning of a new space era for humanity, and in Russia it is celebrated as the Day of the Space Forces. This launch was a flight to a place hitherto completely unknown to mankind. Korolev did not know for sure whether the flight path was chosen correctly or where the boundaries of the atmosphere were. He did not know whether the transmitter signals would pass through the ionosphere, whether the satellite would withstand the impacts of micrometeorites, and how the ventilation would cope with heat removal. When the first data appeared, it turned out that only a split second saved the project from failure. One of the engines reached the specified mode less than a second before the start was automatically cancelled. And at the 16th second, the system that controls the fuel supply failed, as a result of which the central engine turned off a full second earlier. This was barely enough to reach the first escape velocity.

Drawing by A. Sokolov. On October 4 at 22:28:34 Moscow time (October 5 at 00:28:34 local time) the WORLD'S FIRST ARTIFICIAL EARTH SATELLITE (“the simplest satellite” PS) was launched by the first space launch vehicle R-7 ( product 8K71PS)

The satellite remained in orbit for 92 days (until January 4), making 1440 revolutions. He completed each of them in 96 minutes 10.2 seconds. In the end, due to friction with the upper layers of the atmosphere, the satellite lost speed, entered the dense layers of the atmosphere and burned up. The reaction of the world community was very stormy.
There are no indifferent people left in any country. Millions of ordinary people all over the planet perceived this event as the greatest achievement of human intellect and will, the most serious breakthrough since Columbus's discovery of America. The satellite changed the balance of power to political map peace. The authority of the United States as a world scientific and technological leader has been shaken. The “space race” has begun.

United Press noted: “Ninety percent of the talk about satellites came from America. As it turned out, 100 percent of the matter fell on the USSR.”

American journalists wrote: “We did not expect Sputnik from the Soviets, and therefore it produced the effect of a new technical Pearl Harbor on America.”

“We must work feverishly to find solutions to problems that the USSR already understood... In this race, the prize will be leadership of the world.”

On November 3 of the same year, our country launched the second satellite. It was already a whole scientific laboratory. The dog Laika went into outer space. The Americans were in a hurry to keep up with us. On December 6, their first satellite was launched, which ended in complete failure. A couple of seconds after liftoff, the launch vehicle fell. The explosion scattered the entire launch pad. Subsequently, out of eleven launches of the Avangard program, only three were successful. It is curious that America's first artificial satellite was von Braun's Explorer, launched on January 31, 1958. Today satellites are launched in more than 40 countries around the world using their own carriers or purchased from other countries, as well as interstate private organizations.

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

Artificial Earth satellite (satellite) is a spacecraft revolving around the Earth in a geocentric orbit. - the trajectory of a celestial body along an elliptical path around the Earth. One of the two foci of the ellipse along which the celestial body moves coincides with the Earth. In order for the spacecraft to be in this orbit, it must be given a speed that is less than the second escape velocity, but not less than the first escape velocity. AES flights are carried out at altitudes of up to several hundred thousand kilometers. The lower limit of the satellite's flight altitude is determined by the need to avoid the process of rapid braking in the atmosphere. The orbital period of a satellite, depending on the average flight altitude, can range from one and a half hours to several days.

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

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

Satellite code designation - PS-1(The simplest Sputnik-1). The launch was carried out from the 5th research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense "Tyura-Tam" (later this place was named the 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, A. worked on the creation of an artificial Earth satellite, led by the founder of practical cosmonautics S.P. Korolev. V. Bukhtiyarov and many others.

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

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.

A block of electrochemical sources was placed inside the sealed housing; 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. Mass of the first satellite: 83.6 kg.

The history of the creation of the first satellite

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

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

In 1947, the V-2 rocket was assembled and flight tested in Germany, which marked the beginning of Soviet work on the development of rocket technology. However, the V-2 embodied in its design the ideas of single geniuses Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Hermann Oberth, Robert Goddard.

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

Launch!

On Friday, October 4, at 22 hours 28 minutes 34 seconds Moscow time, the successful launch. 295 seconds after 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 314.5 seconds after launch, Sputnik separated and it cast its vote. “Beep! Beep! - that was his call sign. They were caught at the training ground for 2 minutes, then the Sputnik went beyond the horizon. People at the cosmodrome ran out into the street, shouted “Hurray!”, shook the designers and military personnel. And even on the first orbit, a TASS message was heard: “... As a result of a lot of hard work by research institutes and design bureaus, the world’s first artificial Earth satellite was created...”

Only after receiving the first signals from Sputnik did the results of processing telemetry data arrive and it turned out that only a fraction of a second separated it from failure. One of the engines was “delayed”, and the time to enter the mode is strictly controlled and if it is exceeded, the start is automatically canceled. The unit entered mode less than a second before the control time. At the 16th second of flight, the fuel supply control system failed, and due to increased kerosene consumption, the central engine turned off 1 second earlier than the estimated time. But the winners are not judged! The satellite flew for 92 days, until January 4, 1958, completing 1,440 revolutions around the Earth (about 60 million km), and its radio transmitters operated for two weeks after launch. Due to friction with the upper layers of the atmosphere, the satellite lost speed, entered the dense layers of the atmosphere and burned up due to friction with the air.

Officially, Sputnik 1 and Sputnik 2 were 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 - 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.

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.

Other satellites

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

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

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

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

FishKit BOX - DRAWING LESSONS FOR CHILDREN + MATERIALS: https://ribakitbox.wixsite.com/ribakit (creativity kit) FishKit - Dad draws: http://www.youtube.com/ribakit3 I really liked Cosmonautics Day as a child. I also liked everything related to space and rockets. I read educational books about astronauts and the structure of the universe. Today I have grown up and become a little boring. But I’ll try to remember my childhood and draw a few drawings about space. You will see: The first artificial earth satellite, dogs Belka and Strelka on a rocket, the Vostok space rocket, Lunokhod, the Soyuz spacecraft, an astronaut in outer space, an astronaut's family. "Daddy for Kids" - these are drawing lessons for the little ones. I choose simple topics that are interesting to children: houses, people, animals, cars, games. We draw and paint step by step. link to the video: https://youtu.be/M-b6m19Z490 DRAWING WITH CHILDREN My Little Pony - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeaKe2Tx4mM&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs1AydT-qGBiERC7dzPVLr4H PUZZLE / INSIDE OUT - http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj70GA0zEQY&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs34dpeCUwILdCyTHsIsUU3j Masha and the Bear - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o41LqUA31I&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs1Vkfjy5OiYnIwdsTVjP6mZ Crazy drawings of Vova - http:// www.youtube.com/watch? v=i1T-kt_-I4E&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs3dClqtaeDNeRQLw_5iMq2O TELL UNCLE / Drawing games - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lngUg6snxmg&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs0M0vCVF84u9IRe9iAfJBLW Nikita's lessons - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =xGsxuzxFD1I&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs3QHTflEn0YbwzndY4kFkrm BATTLE GAME - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaM90fRcE9Y&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs0-OeyoIYZVUXkO5_NQmbHP CARTOONS Guess what? Riddles - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1eo_F2lFY0&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs3ff5SbbeuXPrsGSkGkurg5 5 cats - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv44vqjp4hI&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs18T6JpiXgXEvBCZoLfcfIv Coloring book for children - http ://www.youtube .com/watch?v=L7rsIT8mXA4&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs2VccRlg7BMXtTp1AcbFY4d Crazy Tank - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGISxfNVugw&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs0sPFjd6OaFFFW9jumT0QCS Watercolor paints cars - http://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=mkpm8sVdTgw&list= PLYxRAqw5QWs1YGY5SBGomqAMvU1nlZaHn ZOOM Market - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSCnZ7suXs&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs1kccPa_BIWJAc3duGl6an3 Zhe Sponge Car Wash - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6RWwz8sCDw&list=PLYx RAqw5QWs2Gr9TtW_t3lIEOUBkuDLN2 COLLECTIONS Notebooks - http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=AUGOvO4UPXs&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs0HJOhCLc9dSdgCrwRPU5RL Buttons Pictures - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKqm5Fh_-3Q&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs2Izh7Fw-zaSUPY6_nDo9Mf RED - http://www.youtube .com/watch? v=i7FG0N4yCv0&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs0NxJDgzGMOVc_pkU9ljAFc Pope's Paints - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3eIOUsOuFc&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs3p42Tkh7KD7KLUdR3WmbU1 Drawings on Bananas - http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=f2WSygsl6Fo&list=PLYxRAqw5QWs1C645nY7Empp-l_xgUBbqP

The cry of the first satellites
was touchingly subtle.
So among the starry young cereals
the planet hatched,
like a chicken
from a blue airy shell.
Vladimir Kostrov

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

Prototypes of the satellite

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

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

Large French cannon for space launches.

The great Tsiolkovsky looks to the future.

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

The German Hermann Oberth proposed to assemble a large orbital station from the stages of launch vehicles, which could solve the problems of military reconnaissance, maritime navigation, geophysical research and relaying information messages.

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

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

It was then that they came up with the idea of ​​equipping the future satellite with a telescope so that astronomers could observe distant space objects directly from orbit, freeing themselves forever from distortions introduced by the atmosphere.

Artificial satellites of this type are described in the novels of Otto Geil "Moonstone" (1926), Vadim Nikolsky "After a Thousand Years" (1927) and Alexandra Belyaev "KEC Star" (1936).

However, time passed, and it was not possible to build a means of delivering the satellite into orbit. The creation of large guns turned out to be extremely labor-intensive and expensive, and small rockets, which were launched in large numbers before World War II, could not even theoretically reach the first cosmic speed.

Due to the lack of a medium, very exotic projects appeared. For example, in 1944, Major General Georgy Pokrovsky published an article “New Earth Satellite,” in which he proposed launching a metal satellite using a directed explosion. He understood, of course, that after such an explosion only “some unorganized masses of metals” would go into orbit, but he was sure that humanity needed such an experience, since observing the movement of an “unorganized” object would provide a lot of new information about the processes that occur in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

First attempts

As is well known, the first large liquid fuel rockets were learned to be made in the Third Reich. And already there there was talk of using them to launch satellites.

There is evidence that when discussing future developments at the German rocket center Peenemünde, it was proposed to honor the first space travelers by placing their embalmed bodies in glass balls launched into orbit around the Earth.

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

In March 1946, US Air Force experts prepared a "Preliminary Design for an Experimental Spacecraft for Flight around the Earth." This document was the first serious attempt to evaluate the possibilities of creating a spacecraft that would orbit the Earth as its satellite.

Already in the introduction to the project it is emphasized that, despite the uncertainty of the prospects regarding the start of space activities, two points are beyond doubt: “1) A spacecraft equipped with appropriate instrumentation will, in all likelihood, become one of the most effective means scientific research of the 20th century. 2) The launch of Sputnik by the United States will excite the imagination of mankind and will certainly have an impact on world events comparable to the explosion of an atomic bomb.”

On October 4, 1950, exactly seven years before the launch of the first satellite, the American scientist Kecskeméti presented a research report “Rocket vehicle - Earth satellite: political and psychological problems" The memo analyzed “the likely political consequences that would arise from the launch of an artificial Earth satellite in the United States and its successful use for military intelligence purposes.” The report shows that military experts, back in the early 1950s, were well aware of the political and military significance the launch of Sputnik would have. We were no longer talking about glass balls with the bodies of space explorers - the designers’ imagination imagined entire orbital groups monitoring the territory of a potential enemy.

"V-2" at the White Sands training ground. This is how American astronautics began.

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

Wernher von Braun's rocket at launch

On June 25, 1954, a meeting was held at the Naval Research Office building in Washington, which was attended by leading American rocket scientists: Wernher von Braun, Professor Singer, Professor Whipple from Harvard, David Young from Aerojet and others. On the agenda was the question of whether it would be possible to launch large satellites into an orbit at an altitude of 320 km in the near future. By “near future” we meant a period of 2-3 years.

Wernher von Braun said that the historic launch could be accomplished much earlier, and outlined his thoughts on using a Redstone rocket as the first stage and several clusters of Loki rockets as subsequent stages for this purpose. The main advantage was that it could use existing missiles. This is how the Orbiter project was born. The launch of the satellite was scheduled for the summer of 1957.

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

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

On July 29, 1955, the White House officially announced the upcoming launch of the satellite under the Navy's Vanguard program.

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

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

Meanwhile in the USSR

Cover of the futurological issue of the magazine “Knowledge is Power”

In November 1954, an unusual futurological issue of the magazine “Knowledge is Power” was published, dedicated to the upcoming flight to the Moon. In this issue, leading Soviet popularizers of science and science fiction writers shared their ideas about the coming space expansion. On the pages of the magazine a forecast was given: the first artificial satellite will be launched in 1970. The authors of the issue were mistaken - the space age began much earlier.

The chief designer of Soviet rocketry, Sergei Korolev, began talking seriously about Sputnik in 1953. At that time, work on the R-7 intercontinental rocket was just beginning, but it was clear to specialists that this rocket was capable of reaching the first cosmic speed.

On May 26, 1954, Korolev sent a memo "About the artificial satellite of the Earth" to the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers. The answer was negative, because from Korolev, first of all, they expected a combat missile that would fly to America - the top people were of little concern about research topics at that time. But Korolev did not give up hope of convincing the leadership and turned to the USSR Academy of Sciences.

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

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

Korolev made a brief speech in which, in particular, he said: “I consider it necessary to create a special body in the USSR Academy of Sciences to develop a program of scientific research using a series of artificial Earth satellites, including biological ones with animals on board. This organization must pay the most serious attention to the manufacture of scientific equipment and involve leading scientists in this activity.”

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

Object “D” is a space laboratory. It could have become the first Soviet satellite, but it became the third.

Having received the long-awaited resolution, Korolev immediately began implementing his plans. In his design bureau OKB-1, a department was formed that was supposed to deal exclusively with the development of artificial Earth satellites. At Keldysh’s suggestion, the department worked on several versions of “Object D” at once, one of which provided for the presence of a container with “biological cargo” - an experimental dog.

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

“The simplest satellite first” (“PS-1”).

The management of the design and production of PS-1 (The Simplest Satellite First) was entrusted to two engineers - Mikhail Khomyakov and Oleg Ivanovsky. Special signals for the transmitter were invented by Mikhail Ryazansky. The rocket's nose fairing protects the satellite from impact. environment, designed by Sergei Okhapkin’s group.

Although the satellite looked very simple in design, it was created for the first time; no analogues of an orbital artificial object existed in technology. Only one thing was set - a weight limit: no more than 100 kg. (In its final form it weighed even less - 83.6 kg). Quite quickly, the designers came to the conclusion that it would be advantageous to make a satellite in the shape of a ball.

They decided to place two radio transmitters inside the satellite with operating frequencies of 20.005 and 40.002 MHz. 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. Externally, the satellite looked like an aluminum sphere with a diameter of 0.58 m, with four antennas. The power supply for the satellite's onboard equipment was provided by electrochemical current sources (silver-zinc batteries), designed to operate for 2-3 weeks.

Internal layout of "PS-1".

Work on the Soviet satellite was not kept secret. Even six months before the historic launch, the mass magazine Radio published an article by V. Vakhnin, “Artificial Earth Satellites,” which reported the orbital parameters of future Soviet satellites and the frequencies at which radio amateurs should catch their signals.

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

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

Monument to the Conquerors of Space in Moscow.

Beep, beep, beep

Sergei Korolev at the launch site of the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

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

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 314.5 seconds after launch, the satellite separated, and it began to signal: “Beep! Beep! Beep! At the cosmodrome they were caught for two minutes, then the satellite went beyond the horizon. The specialists ran out of their hiding places, shouted “Hurray!”, and shook up the designers and military personnel. And already on the first orbit a TASS message was heard: “As a result of a lot of hard work by research institutes and design bureaus, the world’s first artificial Earth satellite was created. On October 4, 1957, the first satellite was successfully launched in the Soviet Union.”

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

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

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

At 20:07 minutes New York time, the RSA radio station in New York received signals from the Soviet satellite, and soon radio and television spread the news throughout the United States. The NBC radio station invited Americans to “listen to the signals that forever separated the old from the new.”

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

According to official information, PS-1 flew for 92 days, until January 4, 1958, making 1,440 revolutions around the Earth and covering about 60 million kilometers.

Photo of PS-1 during its passage over Melbourne.

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

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

Alternatives

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

The launch of the satellite caused shock throughout the world, and above all in the United States. For the first time, Americans received clear proof that they were not leading in all areas of life, that the “potential enemy” had bypassed them in the most important area. “Ninety percent of the talk about artificial Earth satellites came from the United States,” wrote the New York Times. “As it turned out, 100 percent of the case fell on Russia...” It was scary. And it was very scary!

“The King of Horror Movies,” Stephen King, admitted in his book “Dance of Death” that the announcement of the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik into orbit was the greatest shock of his youth.

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

But America really could have become the first space power.

Poster “Soviet artificial satellites of the Earth” (1958).

If before World War II no one thought about this, then after the war, impressed by the successes of the rocket scientists of the Third Reich, US leaders seriously thought about a new “strategic bridgehead.” Thanks to documents and specialists brought from Germany, the Americans were able to quickly overcome the gap in ballistic missiles, and therefore create the prerequisites for launching satellites into outer space.

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

What difference would it make? Only one thing, but the most important thing. Having established itself in outer space and secured one of its most important priorities, the United States would hardly get involved in a space “race” that would require huge financial expenditures. But an attempt to “catch up and overtake America” in space could lead to the fact that Soviet cosmonauts would not only become the first in orbit, but also land on the Moon. The history of astronautics would change in the most dramatic way.

The launch of the Soviet satellite started a space race, which the Americans won by landing on the Moon.

* * *

It’s impossible to say whether people would be happier in such a world or not, but that doesn’t matter. After all, it never existed and never will, because it was the Soviet satellite that opened the space age, and its ringing signals notified the entire Universe about it...