October 4, 1957 with a booster "Sputnik" (R-7) from the 5th research site of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR "Tyura-Tam" (later received the open name " Baikonur Cosmodrome"") was launched the first artificial satellite of the Earth - Sputnik-1. Satellite code - PS-1(the simplest satellite-1).

If you start the player, you will hear the famous call signs of the first satellite.

Scientists M.V. Keldysh, M.K. Tikhonravov, N.S. Lidorenko, V.I. Lappo, B.S. Chekunov, A.V. astronauticsS.P. Korolev.

The launch date is consideredthe beginning of the space age of mankind , and in Russia it is celebrated as a memorableday of space troops .

Flight parameters of Sputnik-1

• Flight start - October 4, 1957 at 22:28:34 Moscow time.
• The end of the flight - January 4, 1958
• The mass of the rocket after refueling is 267 tons.
• The mass of the device is 83.6 kg. (i.e. 0.03% of the mass of the rocket).
• The maximum diameter is 0.58 m.
• Orbital inclination - 65.1°.
• The circulation period is 96.7 minutes.
• Perigee - 228 km.
• Apogee - 947 km.
• Revolutions around the Earth - 1440.

Device

The satellite body consisted of two hemispheres with a diameter of 58 cm made of aluminum alloy with docking frames interconnected by 36 bolts. Spherical half-shells were made by hydraulic drawing. The surface was specially polished to better reflect sunlight and prevent the satellite from overheating. Not even the slightest scratch was allowed on the surfaces. Inside the satellite was filled with nitrogen. The temperature inside was maintained within 20-30°C by means of forced ventilation on signals from temperature sensors. Welding seams must be airtight and controlled by X-ray. The tightness of the joint was provided by a rubber gasket, the tightness of the assembled container was checked by a PTI-4 helium leak detector.

Disassembled exact copy of Sputnik-1

Two antennas were located in the upper half-shell, each of two pins 2.4 m and 2.9 m each. 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 onboard electroautomatics; temperature and pressure sensors; onboard cable network. The power supply of the onboard equipment of the satellite was provided by electrochemical current sources (silver-zinc batteries) designed to operate for at least 2 - 3 weeks.

A special system was developed for separating the body of the rocket and the satellite. It is very difficult to test this system in terrestrial conditions. Nevertheless, special equipment and devices were created that, to some extent, imitated future conditions. The “double” of the satellite was repeatedly docked and separated from the rocket body until they were convinced that the entire chain was working reliably: the pneumatic locks were activated, the head fairing was separated, the antenna pins were released from the “stowed” position, and the pusher directed the satellite forward.

Launch vehicle device Satellite » , which launched the 1st, 2nd and 3rd satellites into orbit. The characteristic shortened shape of the bow.

Satellite sounds

The satellite signals were in the form of telegraph bursts (“beeps”) with a duration of about 0.3 seconds. The frequency of "beeps" and the pause between them were determined by pressure and temperature control sensors inside the substation, which provided a simple control of the tightness of its body.

You can listen to the recording made in Washington by launching the player:

Scientific results of PS-1 flight

Despite the fact that the satellite completely lacked 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:

• verification of calculations and basic technical solutions accepted for launch;
• studies of the passage through the ionosphere of radio waves emitted by satellite transmitters; The satellite emitted radio waves alternately at two frequencies of 20.005 and 40.002 MHz (at wavelengths of 7.5 and 15 m) in the form of telegraph packets with a duration of 0.3 seconds, 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 reflection of radio waves from regions of the ionosphere lying below the zone of maximum ionization of the ionospheric layers;
• experimental determination of the density of the upper layers of the atmosphere by the deceleration of the satellite;
• study of the operating conditions of the equipment.

Interesting Facts

1) Sputnik-1 was launchedin the year of the 100th anniversary of K.E. Tsiolkovsky (less than a month after the 100th anniversary of Tsiolkovsky, which was celebrated on September 17, 1957).

2) Only after receiving the first signals of the Sputnik did the results of telemetry data processing arrive, and it turned out that only a fraction of a second separated from failure. One of the engines was “late”, and the time to enter the regime is tightly controlled and if it is exceeded, the start is automatically canceled. The block 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 ahead of the estimated time. .

« A little more - and the first cosmic speed could not be achieved. But the winners are not judged! The great has happened! » (B.E. Chertok)

3) " 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 reflective surface of the satellite was too small for visual observation.In fact, the second stage was observed - the central block of the rocket, which went into the same orbit as the satellite . This error has been repeated many times in the tools mass media ". (B.E. Chertok "Rockets and people" book 2)

4) Calculations of the trajectory of launching Sputnik-1 into orbit were first carried outon electromechanical calculating machines, similar in design to adding machines . Only for the last stages of calculations, the BESM-1 computer was used. (From the memoirs of G.M. Grechko)

5) The satellite orientation system at that time was not yet developed, therefore it is wrong to imagine the flight of PS-1 in orbit with a spherical body - “forward”, and antennas - “back”. Most likely, he "tumbled" in orbit.

We have long been accustomed to the fact that we live in the era of space exploration. However, watching huge reusable rockets and space orbital stations today, 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 is of great importance, since this event gave rise to the so-called space race between the two superpowers: the USA and the USSR.

What was the name of the world's first artificial earth satellite? - since such devices did not previously exist, 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 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 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 follow it.

History of creation

The history of the first space satellite and space flights as a whole begins 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 one in 1944, a total of 3225 launches were made, 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, the German scientist presented to the US Department of Defense a report “Preliminary design of an experimental spacecraft orbiting 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, Joseph Stalin adopted a resolution on the creation of a rocket industry in the USSR. Sergei Korolev was appointed chief designer of ballistic missiles. For 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 on composite rockets and the results of calculations, according to which the developed 1000-kilometer rockets can reach great distances and even put 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 a 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 orbiting satellite was 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 decision was made 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 space exploration program, from the launch of an artificial satellite 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 rocket R-7 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 artificial 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.

Definitely to the question "who invented Sputnik-1?" — cannot be answered. 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 Scientific 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 according to the results of five experimental launches, it became clear that the massive warhead of the ballistic missile could not withstand the temperature load and needed to be improved, which would take about six months. For this reason, S.P. Korolev requested two rockets from N.S. Khrushchev for the experimental launch of PS-1. At the end of September 1957, the R-7 rocket arrived at Baikonur with a lightened head and a passage under the satellite. Extra 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 the 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 bring the Sputnik launch vehicle (R-7) from PS-1 to the starting position.

The reason why the management demanded that the satellite be put 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 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 informed Congress about the sensational launch of the satellite. Therefore, it was the Soviet physicist and mathematician Sedov that the world community has long considered 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 Earth orbit (apogee - 947 km, perigee - 288 km). After another 20 seconds, PS-1 separated from the missile and gave a signal. It was the repeated signals of “Beep! Beep!”, which were caught at the range for 2 minutes, until Sputnik-1 disappeared over the horizon. On the first orbit of the apparatus 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 come in about the device, which, as it turned out, was close to not reaching the first space velocity and not entering orbit. The reason for this was an unexpected failure of the fuel control system, due to which one of the engines was late. A fraction 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 radio transmitters of the device worked during the first two weeks. What caused the death of the first satellite of the Earth? - Having lost speed due to the friction of the atmosphere, Sputnik-1 began to descend and completely burned out in the dense layers of the atmosphere. It is noteworthy that many could observe some kind of brilliant object moving across the sky at that time. 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.

The meaning of flight

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 came from 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 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 the PS-1 and contained 4.5 kg of scientific equipment, it was still the second one and no longer had such an impact on the public.

Scientific results of PS-1 flight

The launch of this PS-1 had several goals:

• Testing the technical ability of the apparatus, as well as checking the calculations made for the successful launch of the satellite;
• Research of the ionosphere. Before the launch of the spacecraft, radio waves sent from the 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 apparatus due to friction against the atmosphere;
• Investigation of the influence of outer space on equipment, as well as determining 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, tracking its radio signal and analyzing its nature yielded many useful results. So a group of scientists from Sweden measured the electronic composition of the ionosphere, based on the Faraday effect, which says 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 exact definition 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 heights. 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.

Video about the first satellite.

On October 4, 1957, the USSR launched the first artificial satellite into Earth's orbit. The satellite was named PS-1, and it was launched into orbit by the R-7 launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Then this cosmodrome was called the research site of the USSR Ministry of Defense.

The satellite itself was small, its diameter is 58 centimeters, and the satellite weighed 83.6 kilograms. PS-1 was equipped with four antennas (thanks to which he received his recognizable appearance) for the purpose of signaling. The device consisted of two polished aluminum (or rather, an aluminum alloy was used) hemispheres, which were bolted together. The edges were sealed with a rubber gasket.

Inside the satellite there was a power supply unit (silver-zinc batteries, the weight of which was 50 kilograms), as well as a transmitter, a fan, a thermal control system, and various sensors.

Almost immediately after the separation of the satellite from the second stage of the PS-1 launch vehicle, it began to transmit a signal that was heard not only by specialists, but also by radio amateurs in almost all countries. From that moment, the countdown of the space age of mankind began. Since then, a lot of things will happen, there will be both good luck and disasters. But there are still more victorious projects.

And the sight of a flying point against the background of stars made an indelible impression on people all over the world and served as the best proof of what happened. People eagerly peered into the night sky, showing each other a tiny flying dot.

The flight of the first satellite of the Earth lasted 90 days, during which it made 1440 orbits around our planet.
A team of prominent Soviet scientists headed by S. P. Korolev worked on the creation of the satellite: M. V. Keldysh, M. K. Tikhonravov, N. S. Lidorenko and others.

"The first time I experienced horror - real horror, and not an encounter with demons or ghosts living in my imagination - was one October day in 1957. I had just turned ten. And, as expected, I was in a cinema - at the Stratford Theater ” in downtown Stratford, Connecticut.
…
And just at the moment when, in the last part of the film, the aliens are preparing to attack the Capitol, the tape stopped. The screen is off. The cinema was packed with kids, but oddly enough, everyone was quiet. If you look back to your younger days, remember that there are many ways for a crowd of kids to express their annoyance when a movie is interrupted or starts late: rhythmic clapping; the great cry of the children's tribe “We want a movie! We want cinema! We want cinema!”; candy boxes flying at the screen; pipes from packs of popcorn, but you never know what else. If someone with Fourth of July if a cracker was kept in his pocket, he would certainly take it out, show his friends to approve and admire, and then light it and throw it to the ceiling.

But on that October day, nothing like that happened. And the film was not torn - just turned off the projector. And then something unheard of happened: a light was turned on in the hall. We sat looking around and blinking in the bright light like moles.

The manager stepped onto the stage and raised his hand for silence, a completely unnecessary gesture. I remembered that moment six years later, on a November Friday in 1963, when the guy driving us home from school said that the president had been shot in Dallas.
…
We sat on chairs like mannequins and looked at the manager. He looked worried and sickly - or maybe the lighting was to blame. We wondered what kind of disaster had caused him to stop the film at its most tense moment, but then the manager spoke up, and the trembling in his voice confused us even more.

I want to inform you,” he began, “that the Russians have launched a space satellite into orbit around the Earth. They called it... "satellite".

The message was met with absolute, deathly silence. A movie theater full of kids with crew cuts and ponytails, in jeans and skirts, with Captain Midnight rings, kids who just got to know Chuck Berry and Little Richards and listened to the New York radio stations in the evenings with such a sinking heart, as if they were signals from another planet. We grew up on Captain Video and Terry and the Pirates. We admired in the comics how the character Casey scatters, like skittles, a whole bunch of Asians. We saw Richard Carlson in I Led Three Lives catching dirty communist spies by the thousands. We paid a quarter of a dollar each to see Hugh Marlowe in "Earth Against Flying Saucers" and as free application received this devastating news.

I remember very clearly: the terrible dead silence of the cinema hall was suddenly broken by a solitary cry; I don’t know if it was a boy or a girl, the voice was full of tears and frightened anger: “Let’s show the movie, you liar!”

The manager didn't even look in the direction the voice had come from, and somehow that was the worst part. It was proof. The Russians are ahead of us in space. Somewhere above our heads, squeaking triumphantly, an electronic ball, designed and launched behind the Iron Curtain, is rushing. Neither Captain Midnight nor Richard Carlson (who played Riders to the Stars, oh my, what a bitter irony) could stop him. He was flying up there... and they called him "satellite". The manager stood a little longer, looking at us; he seemed to be looking for something else to add, but he couldn't find it. Then he left, and soon the film resumed.

On October 4, 1957, the world's first artificial Earth satellite was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome, which successfully completed the specified program. This milestone event was a step towards the big dream of the legendary designer Sergei Korolev and the beginning of a new space age.

In 1957, Anatoly Yevich, a student at Dnepropetrovsk University, together with classmates, also watched the satellite.

"It will go out, then it will go out - we joked. Why did it blink? It was not a satellite, but the last stage of the launch vehicle that launched the satellite into space. The satellite itself is small, only 58 cm in diameter. It is not visible at such distances. But the last the stage of the launch vehicle was large, large, it turned one side to the sun, then the other - and then it turned out to shine, then it was not there, ”said Anatoly Evich, a leading employee of TsNIIMASH.

After the epochal XX Congress in the 57th - thaw. In the USSR - flows of foreigners, the World Festival of Youth and Students is in full swing. Mayakovsky and the Polytech have poetic euphoria.

"Not everyone understood why a satellite was needed. The military were indignant and said - Sergey Pavlovich, you are distracting us from military rocketry. Korolev, defending himself, said - so we can conduct reconnaissance from a satellite, take pictures of any military objects," Anatoly explained Evitch.

It was not so much about the satellite itself, but about a powerful carrier that could fly around the entire globe. Nikolai Shiganov, a materials scientist, one of those who worked on the creation of the rocket, says that the captured German FAU-2 rocket was taken as a model. On its basis, the intercontinental Soviet "P7" was developed.

"We needed to create a body that would be both strong and load-bearing at the same time without any shells. And so we were looking for the most suitable materials. We needed to be both light and strong and, very importantly, well-welded," Nikolai Shiganov, Doctor of Technical Sciences, emphasized.

In August 1957, the R7 rocket was tested, and in October a satellite was launched. Georgy Uspensky is one of those who were at the center of observation of the flight. Signalers, geophysicists, engineers were sitting in the usual assembly hall of the research institute, at huge tables, Marshal Nedelin was also here. Everything is very secret and very tense.

“In the evening, at 8 or 9 o’clock, Sokolov came up, whispered something to Nedelin, Nedelin looked at his watch, put it back, got up, and they left. It was clear to us that nothing would take place on the 3rd. But, in order not to miss moment, we lay down to sleep on the tables. What if something like this happens without us?", - recalls Georgy Uspensky, deputy head of the TsNIIMASH complex.