“For the first time I experienced horror - real horror, and not an encounter with demons or ghosts living in my imagination - on an October day in 1957. I just turned ten. And, as expected, I was in a movie theater - 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 has a cracker in his pocket since the Fourth of July, he will 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 didn't tear - 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 at 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, and the trembling in his voice confused us even more.
“I want to inform you,” he began, “that the Russians have put 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 to see Hugh Marlowe in Earth vs. Flying Saucers and got this damn news as a free app.
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.

Developing ballistic missiles long range and especially the R-7 intercontinental rocket, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev constantly returned to the idea of ​​practical space exploration. His dream took on real shape and was close to being realized. Meetings held by S.P. Korolev with leading scientists of the country in various fields of science, especially in geophysics and astronomy, determined the main tasks of research in outer space. On March 16, 1954, a meeting was held with Academician M.V. Keldysh, where the range of scientific problems solved with the help of artificial Earth satellites was determined. The President of the USSR Academy of Sciences A.N. Nesmeyanov.

May 27, 1954 S.P. Korolev turned to D.F. Ustinov with a proposal to develop an artificial satellite and sent him a memorandum "On an artificial satellite of the Earth", prepared by M.K. Tikhonravov, which gave a detailed overview of the state of work on satellites abroad. At the same time, the fundamental idea was expressed that "AES is an inevitable stage in the development of rocket technology, after which interplanetary communications will become possible." Attention was drawn to the fact that over the past two or three years, the attention of the foreign press to the problem of creating satellites and interplanetary communications has increased. The initiators of the work on satellites also took care to communicate the necessary information on this score to other responsible persons who made the decision, since priority issues should be the main argument for the entire subsequent period of the development of astronautics. In August 1954, the Council of Ministers of the USSR approved the submitted by V.A. Malyshev, B.L. Vannikov, M.V. Khrunichev K.N. Rudnev proposals for the study of scientific and theoretical issues related to space flight.

Among the initiators of raising the issue of artificial intelligence, confidence gradually matured that a positive decision would be achieved. At the direction of S.P. Koroleva, employee of OKB-1 I.V. Lavrov prepared proposals for organizing work on space objects. A memorandum on this subject, dated June 16, 1955, contained numerous notes by S.P. Queen, which allow us to judge his attitude to certain provisions of the document.

Of great importance for a positive resolution of the issue was the meeting on August 30, 1955 with the chairman of the military-industrial complex V.M. Ryabikov. S.P. Korolev went to a meeting with B.M. Ryabikov with new proposals. On his instructions, the head of the OKB-1 sector, E.F. Ryazanov prepared data on the parameters spacecraft to fly to the moon. For this, two variants of the third stage of the R-7 rocket were proposed with fuel components oxygen - kerosene and fluorine monoxide - ethylamines. The apparatus delivered to the Moon was supposed to have a mass of 400 kg in the first version and 800-1000 kg - in the second. M.V. Keldysh supported the idea of ​​creating a three-stage rocket for lunar exploration, but engineer-colonel A.G. Mrykin expressed concern that the development of the R-7 rocket would be delayed and that the development of the satellite would divert attention from the main work, and suggested that the creation of the satellite be postponed until the testing of the R-7 rocket was completed. The resolution on work on satellites was adopted on January 30, 1956. This Decree provided for the creation in 1957-1958 and the launch of a non-oriented satellite (object D) with a mass of 1000-1400 kg with equipment for scientific research weighing 200-300 kg.

By the same Decree, the general scientific management and provision of research equipment was entrusted to the Academy of Sciences of the USSR; the creation of satellites as a special carrier of equipment for scientific research - to the Ministry of Defense Industry (head contractor OKB-1); development of a complex of a control system, radio equipment and telemetry systems - for the Ministry of Radio Engineering Industry; the creation of gyroscopic instruments - to the Ministry of the shipbuilding industry; development of a complex of ground launching, filling and handling equipment - for the Ministry of Mechanical Engineering; conducting launches - to the Ministry of Defense.

The development of a preliminary design of the artificial satellite was entrusted to the design department, led by S.S. Kryukov; M.K. became a scientific consultant. Tikhonravov, E.F. Sector worked on the draft design. Ryazanov as part of I.V. Lavrova, V.V. Molodtsova, V.I. Petrova, N.P. Kutyrkina, A.M. Sidorova, L.N. Soldatova, M.S. Floriansky, N.P. Belousova, V.V. Noskova and others.

By July 1956, the preliminary design was ready. Relevant projects were developed by related organizations. By the time the project was completed, the composition of the scientific tasks solved by the satellite was determined, which formed the ideological basis of the new development. By the end of 1956, it became clear that there was a real threat of disruption of the planned plans for the launch of type D satellites due to the difficulties in creating scientific equipment and the lower specific thrust impulse in the void of the R-7 rocket engines (304 instead of 309-310 kgf-s / kg according to project). The government set a new launch date - April 1958. In this regard, OKB-1 made a proposal to launch the simplest satellite with a mass of about 100 kg in April - May 1957, before the start of the International Geophysical Year (July 1957). In connection with the new proposal of OKB-1, on February 15, 1957, a Decree was adopted providing for the launch of the simplest unoriented Earth satellite (PS object) into orbit, checking the possibility of observing the PS in orbit and receiving signals transmitted from the PS object. It was supposed to launch two satellites using two R-7 (8K71) missiles. The launch of satellites was allowed only after one or two launches of the R-7 rocket with positive results.

The simplest satellite PS-1 was a spherical container with a diameter of 580 mm. Its hull consisted of two half-shells with docking frames, interconnected by 36 bolts. The tightness of the joint was provided by a rubber gasket. After assembly, the container was filled with dry nitrogen to a pressure of 1.3 kgf/cm. In the upper half-shell there were two antennas 2.4 m long and two - 3.9 m, as well as a spring mechanism that spreads the pins at an angle of 35 ° from the longitudinal axis of the container. The antennas were developed by the laboratory of M.V. Krayushkin.

Outside, the upper half-shell was covered with a protective screen, and on its inner surface there was a bracket for attaching a radio transmitter (developer V.I. Lappo from NII-885, chief designer M.S. Ryazansky). The power supply unit, consisting of three batteries based on silver-zinc cells, was created at the Institute of Current Sources under the direction of N.S. Lidorenko. The PS-1 equipment also included a remote switch, a fan of the thermal control system, a dual thermal relay and control thermal and pressure relays,

A radio transmitter with a power of 1 W periodically emitted signals with a duration of 0.4 s alternately at waves of 7.5 and 15 m. kgf/cm due to the operation of one of the control thermo- or barorelays. The temperature in PS-1 was maintained by a fan, triggered by a thermal relay at a temperature above 23°C. The power supplies were designed for continuous operation for two weeks. The total mass of the PS-1 was 83.6 kg. A special transfer compartment was provided for docking the PS-1 with the missile. The separation system ensured the release of the head fairing and the separation of the satellite from the central block of the rocket.

The work of production workers and designers in the manufacture of the first artificial satellite was carried out simultaneously due to very tight deadlines. The main difficulty was in the manufacture of spherical half-shells by hydraulic extraction, their welding with a frame and polishing of the outer surfaces: even the slightest scratch was not allowed on them, the welding of the seams must be tight and controlled X-ray, and the tightness of the assembled container was checked by a PTI-4 helium leak detector.

During the experimental testing of the satellite, prototyping of the placement of onboard equipment, cable network and mechanisms was carried out; leak test of the satellite after its assembly using a helium leak detector; testing the processes of dropping the head fairing and separating the satellite from the launch vehicle (a mock-up sample of the satellite was repeatedly docked and undocked from the launch vehicle with simultaneous dropping of the head fairing); study of the thermal regime in order to determine the actual temperatures of the satellite. Experimental testing of the satellite confirmed the high reliability of its design and equipment, which made it possible to make a decision on its launch. The preparation of the satellite for flight at the test site was carried out in the assembly and test building of the technical position of the launch vehicle, where a special workplace was organized for this purpose. All satellite systems were tested for operation.

The preparation of the 8K71PS rocket at the technical position was carried out under special control and supervision, and special attention was paid to monitoring the correctness of the passage of commands to drop the head fairing and separate the satellite.

The launch of the rocket with the first artificial satellite of the Earth was carried out in accordance with the "Program for conducting test launches of the simplest non-oriented satellites (PS object) using the 8K71PS product", approved by D.F. Ustinov, V.D. Kalmykov, A.N. Nesmeyanov, V.M., Ryabikov, M.I. Nedelin. The launch of the 8K71PS No. M1-PS carrier rocket with the first satellite took place on October 4, 1957 at 22:28 Moscow time (this was the fifth launch of the R-7 rocket). The second stage of the rocket with the satellite went into orbit with a perigee of 228 and an apogee of 947 km and a time of one revolution around the Earth of 96.2 minutes. The satellite separated from the second stage of the launch vehicle at the 315th second after launch.

Rocket and Space Corporation Energia named after S.P. Korolev”, Publishing House of RSC Energia, 1996

At the beginning of 1957, S.P. Korolev applied to the government with a request to be allowed to expedite the preparation and conduct of the first launches of two rockets to put artificial earth satellites into orbit. At the same time, it was indicated that on the basis of an intercontinental rocket, a carrier rocket for an artificial Earth satellite with a satellite mass of about 1200 kg is being developed. In the United States at the same time, very intensive preparations were underway for the launch of an artificial satellite under the Avangard project. The American satellite was supposed to be a spherical container with a diameter of 50 cm and a mass of about 10 kg.

In the USSR, preparations for the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite were in full swing. Half a month before the opening of the space age of mankind, at a solemn meeting dedicated to the centenary of the birth of K. E. Tsiolkovsky, S. P. Korolev made a report in which he said: "The Soviet Union successfully tested an ultra-long intercontinental multistage ballistic missile. The results obtained show that it is possible to launch missiles in any area the globe. In the near future, for scientific purposes, the first test launches of artificial Earth satellites will be carried out in the USSR and the USA.

Back in the spring of 1957, S.P. Korolev decided to focus the Design Bureau on the development of a satellite, called the simplest one, without stopping work on the initial design of the apparatus, which then went into orbit around the Earth as the third.

Although the satellite was called the simplest, it was created for the first time, there were no analogues in technology. Only one thing was set - a weight limit (no more than 100 kg). Quite quickly, the designers came to the conclusion that it is advantageous to make it in the form of a ball. The spherical shape made it possible, with a smaller surface of the shell, to use the internal volume to the fullest extent.

Inside the satellite, they decided to place two radio transmitters with a radiation frequency of 20.005 and 40.002 MHz. Reception of their signals would allow scientists to study the conditions for the passage of radio waves from space to Earth. In addition, it was necessary to transmit information about the pressure and temperature inside the satellite.

Design was carried out at a fast pace, and the production of parts went in parallel with the release of drawings.

The preparation of the rocket, which was later called Sputnik, required great attention and a lot of effort. It was necessary to ensure the placement of the satellite. To do this, it was necessary to make a transition compartment and a head fairing. We developed a special system 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.

The satellite was made as simple and reliable as possible, and yet it made it possible to carry out a number of scientific studies. The spherical shape of the body contributed to the most accurate determination of the density of the atmosphere at very high altitudes, where scientific measurements have not yet been made. The body was made of aluminum alloy, and the surface was specially polished to better reflect sunlight and provide the necessary thermal conditions for the satellite.

The radio transmitter of the satellite had to have a radiation power of 1 watt. This made it possible to receive its signals at considerable distances to a wide range of radio amateurs in the range of short and ultra-short waves, as well as to ground tracking stations. As a result, it was supposed to obtain a large amount of statistical data on the propagation of radio waves through the ionosphere during a sufficiently long flight.

The satellite signals were in the form of telegraph bursts with a duration of about 0.3 s. When one of the transmitters worked, the other had a pause. The estimated time of continuous operation was at least 14 days.

Antennas in the form of four rods up to 2.9 m long were installed on the outer surface of the satellite. After being put into orbit, the antennas occupied their working position.

The satellite was not oriented, and this four-antenna system gave an almost uniform radiation in all directions, in order to exclude the influence of its rotation on the intensity of the received radio signals.

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.

Inside the satellite was filled with nitrogen. The temperature inside was maintained within the range of 20-30°C with the help of forced ventilation based on signals from temperature sensors.

The first, simplest, satellite could not yet be equipped with a special radio telemetry system. Experts could judge the change in temperature and pressure by changing the frequency of telegraph bursts and the ratio between their duration.

At dawn on October 3, 1957, the rocket, docked with the satellite, was carefully removed from the assembly and test building. Creators of the world's first space complex walked nearby. At the starting position, the powerful arrow of the installer raised the rocket vertically. And then the fuel from the railway tanks began to be pumped into the rocket tanks.

After refueling, the rocket weighed 267 tons. And the bulk of the rocket before launch was amazingly beautiful. She was all sparkling, covered with frost.

On October 4, 1957, at 22:28 Moscow time, the brightest burst of light illuminated the night steppe, and the rocket went up with a roar. Her torch gradually weakened and soon became indistinguishable against the background of heavenly bodies.

The first cosmic velocity, calculated by Newton, now, three centuries later, was first achieved by the creation of the mind and human hands.

After the separation of the satellite from the last stage of the rocket, the transmitters began to work and the famous signals "Beep ... beep ... beep" flew into the air. Observations on the first orbits showed that the satellite went into orbit with an inclination of 65 ° 6 ", with a perigee height of 228 km and a maximum distance from the Earth's surface of 947 km. For each revolution around the Earth, it spent 96 min 10.2 s. At 1 h 46 min October 5, 1957 the satellite passed over Moscow.

This small man-made star seemed to lift the ruby ​​stars of the Kremlin into orbit, made the successes of our country visible to the whole world.

The Russian word "sputnik" immediately entered the languages ​​of all peoples of the world. Full houses on the front pages of foreign newspapers of those historic October days of 1957 were full of admiration for the feat of our country. "The Greatest Sensation of the Century", "Mankind's Treasured Dream Come True", "The Soviets Opened a Window to the Universe", "This a great victory is a turning point in the history of civilization", "It is already clear that October 4, 1957 will forever go down in the annals of history" - these were some of the then headlines of the world press.

It became clear to the whole world that the success of the Soviet Union was not accidental: achievements in space are a mirror of its grandiose creative work on Earth. In the United States, militaristic psychosis has been replaced by a sober understanding of the significance of our success in space exploration. They understood that the space takeoff of the USSR is due primarily to a broad democratic system of education, which allows any capable person to rise to the heights of knowledge. It was understood that Soviet space technology grew up on a powerful foundation of developed science, technology and industry. All fabrications about Russia's "weakness" appeared in their true light. And this sobering up played a huge political role. Soviet satellites caused a weakening of the Cold War and, in fact, became a prologue to the policy of détente.

People began to realize that humanity has one single home, one planet, and there is a goal that can unite all peoples - the study of the Earth for the benefit of all people. Outer space was becoming an arena for scientific collaboration, and world science enriched with new invaluable data. Soviet scientists generously shared their results with specialists from all countries.

Thanks to the first Soviet satellites, world science was enriched with new knowledge of great fundamental importance about the upper layers of the earth's atmosphere and outer space. Laika's flight did not reveal any insurmountable physiological obstacles to the life of living beings in orbit. In fact, then a serious step was taken towards the flight into human space.

The first satellite in the history of mankind existed as a cosmic body for a relatively short time - 92 days, having completed 1440 revolutions around the Earth. For 21 days, signals from the first man-made "Moon" were coming from space. But their "echo" is heard to this day. After all, this was the beginning of a great era of practical space exploration.

When the 25th anniversary of the launch of the first satellite was celebrated, the president of the International Astronautical Federation, Czechoslovakian professor L. Perek, wrote in the Izvestia newspaper: “The first satellite changed life on our planet. rivers of practical applications in various fields of human activity, to a paradoxical change in many scientific ideas. The Italian professor L. Napolitano said that in our time the launch of the first satellite means about the same thing as the discovery of America by Columbus for the Middle Ages. The then president of the International Astronautical Academy, American Ch. Draper, emphasized: "... it can be figuratively said that the first Soviet satellite put the entire huge family of modern spacecraft into orbit by the hand."

"Cosmonautics of the USSR", M .: Mashinostroenie, Planeta, 1986.

Mikhail Klavdievich Tikhonravov was a man of incredible curiosity. Mathematics and many engineering disciplines that he mastered at the Academy. N. E. Zhukovsky, did not dry up his romantic passion and propensity for fantastic reflections. He painted landscapes in oil, amassed a collection of lumberjack beetles, and studied the dynamics of insect flight, secretly hoping to discover in the beating of tiny wings some new principle for constructing the incredible aircraft. He liked to mathematize dreams, and he took, perhaps, equal pleasure when the calculations showed their reality, and when, on the contrary, they led to absurdity: he liked to find out. Once Tikhonravov decided to shortchange an artificial satellite of the Earth. Of course, he read Tsiolkovsky and knew that a single-stage rocket would not be able to put a satellite into orbit, carefully studied his Space Rocket Trains, Top speed rockets” and other works in which the idea of ​​a multi-stage rocket was first theoretically substantiated, but it was interesting for him to figure out various options for connecting these stages, to see what all this translates into by weights, in short, to decide how real the very idea of ​​​​getting the first space velocity required by the satellite at the current level of development of rocket technology. I started counting and got carried away in earnest. The Defense Research Institute, in which Mikhail Klavdievich worked, was engaged in things incomparably more serious than an artificial satellite of the Earth, but to the credit of his boss, Alexei Ivanovich Nesterenko, all this unscheduled semi-fantastic work at the institute was not only not prosecuted, but, on the contrary, was encouraged and supported by him, although it was not advertised in order to avoid accusations of projecting. Tikhonravov and a small group of his equally enthusiastic employees in 1947-1948, without any computers, did a colossal calculation work and proved that there really is a real version of such a rocket package, which, in principle, can accelerate a certain load to the first cosmic speed.

In June 1948, the Academy of Artillery Sciences was preparing to hold a scientific session, and a paper arrived at the institute where Tikhonravov worked, asking what reports the research institute could submit. Tikhonravov decided to report the results of his calculations on artificial Earth satellites. No one actively objected, but the topic of the report still sounded so strange, if not outlandish, that they decided to consult with the president of the artillery academy, Anatoly Blagonravov.

Completely gray-haired at 54, a handsome, exquisitely polite academician in the uniform of an artillery lieutenant general, surrounded by several of his closest employees, listened very carefully to the small delegation from NIIZ. He understood that Mikhail Klavdievich's calculations were correct, that all this was not Jules Verne or H. G. Wells, but he also understood something else: such a report would not decorate the scientific session of the artillery academy.

An interesting question, - Anatoly Arkadyevich said in a tired, colorless voice, - but we will not be able to include your report. They will hardly understand us ... They will accuse us of not doing what we need to do ...

The people in uniform sitting around the president nodded in agreement.

When the small delegation of the research institute left, Blagonravov experienced some kind of spiritual discomfort. He worked a lot with the military and adopted from them, in general, a useful rule not to revise the decisions made, but here again and again he returned to Tikhonravov's report and at home in the evening he thought about it again, he could not drive away the thought that this report was not serious really serious.

Tikhonravov was a real researcher and a good engineer, but he was not a fighter. The refusal of the President of the AAN upset him. At the Research Institute, its young employees, who had kept quiet in the president's office, now raised a ruckus, in which, however, new serious arguments in favor of their report flashed.

Why were you silent there? - Mikhail Klavdievich got angry.

We must go again and persuade the general! the youth decided.

And the next day they went again. There was an impression that Blagonravov seemed to rejoice at their arrival. He smiled, and listened half-heartedly to the new arguments. Then he said:

OK then. The report will be included in the session plan. Get ready - we will blush together ...

Then there was a report, and after the report, as Blagonravov had expected, one very serious person in a considerable rank asked Anatoly Arkadevich, as if in passing, looking over the interlocutor's head:

The Institute, probably, has nothing to do, and therefore you decided to go into the realm of fantasy ...

There were plenty of ironic smiles. But there were more than just smiles. Sergei Korolev went up to Tikhonravov without a smile, said, sternly puffing up in his manner:

We need to have a serious talk...

They met in the summer of 1927 on Mount Uzyn-Syrt near Koktebel during the fourth all-Union meeting of glider pilots, and became friends at the GIRD, in the basement on Sadovo-Spasskaya. Then their paths parted... And now a new meeting...

Korolev understood the importance of what Tikhonravov had done, and in a year his own work would be published: "Principles and Methods for Designing Long-Range Missiles", in which he also analyzes various options for multi-stage "packages". But Korolev was a great realist and psychologist. He understood that the technical difficulties in creating a space package of rockets were, of course, great, although they were surmountable, but he also understood something else: if he started work now, these difficulties would increase hundreds of times and become insurmountable, since we were not psychologically prepared for the satellite. The Cold War will freeze such a project in the bud. It is impossible to talk about any satellite until there is a missile capable of stopping the atomic blackmail of the Americans. He began the development of the R-3 missile with a range of three thousand kilometers. It's a lot, but it's still very little...

We quickly agreed with Tikhonravov: to continue work. Soon, Mikhail Klavdievich analyzed the two-stage package and proved that a rather heavy satellite could be put into orbit. The Queen liked the scheme: it made it possible not to start the engine in a void - they have not yet learned how to do this.

In February 1953, a decision was made to create an intercontinental ballistic missile. The speculative schemes of a huge machine were washed with mathematics, and just as something contrasting pops up on a white sheet of photographic paper in a bath with a developer, the formulas revealed the contrasts of these schemes, their advantages and disadvantages. Already in May, of the two most promising ones: a two-stage ballistic and a two-stage with a winged second stage, the first scheme was chosen - Korolev began the main business of his life.

Giant, capable of reaching any point on the globe, the rocket was needed for the defense of the country. But Korolev immediately understood: it was this rocket that would lift the satellite into space. Tikhonravov is extraordinarily excited: now we are talking about a particular rocket, he knows its actual parameters. If you replace the warhead partly with fuel and partly with a satellite, the rocket will pull it into orbit!

Already on May 26, 1954, Korolev wrote to the Council of Ministers of the USSR: “The ongoing development of a new product with a final speed of about 7000 meters per second allows us to talk about the possibility of creating an artificial Earth satellite in the coming years. By some reduction in the weight of the payload, it will be possible to achieve the final speed required for the satellite of 8000 m / s ... "On July 16, M.K. Tikhonravov gives the Queen a memorandum written jointly with I.V. Lavrov: the satellite can weigh from 1000 to 1400 kilogram! Two weeks later, on July 29, 1955, President Dwight Eisenhower issued a special communique at the White House stating that the United States was preparing to launch an artificial Earth satellite.

The communiqué created a sensation. Although the Americans began to write about the artificial satellite of the Earth since 1946, "Eisenhower's Moon" - as the journalists dubbed the project - was once again to remind the world of the unattainable superiority of American technology. "Bird" - as the project was called by experts - was supposed to be the most generous gift great country International Geophysical Year (IGY), which began in July 1957, which was to strengthen in the minds of millions of people the idea of ​​the undisputed leadership of the United States in the entire world community. Then, after the launch of our satellite, Fortune magazine wrote: "We did not expect a Soviet satellite, and therefore it impressed Eisenhower's America as a new technical Pearl Harbor."

Why didn't they wait? Did not know? But after all, just a few days after the White House communique, Academician L. I. Sedov at the sixth congress of the International Astronautical Federation in Copenhagen told reporters that the Soviet Union during the IGY was going to launch a satellite, or rather, several satellites. “It is possible that our satellites will be created earlier than the American ones and will surpass them in weight,” warns the academician. A. N. Nesmeyanov, President of the USSR Academy of Sciences, confirms that theoretically the problem of putting a satellite into orbit has been solved. The Radio magazine publishes approximate frequencies at which the satellite transmitter will operate. S. P. Korolev, in his report at the jubilee meeting in honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of K. Tsiolkovsky, directly says that Soviet scientists intend to launch a satellite in the near future. Yes, and abroad wrote a lot about Soviet satellites. Progressive French science journalist Michel Rouze soberly assessed the situation: “It does not mean at all that the Eisenhower Moon will be the first to finish in a competition with its Soviet and, perhaps, English rivals,” he wrote back in September 1955.

So why didn't they wait? After all, they knew and heard. Another thing - they did not want to know, did not want to hear. A long-standing American disease, alas, which has not been cured to this day, has reappeared here: to recognize the very possibility of launching a satellite Soviet Union meant to take a step towards understanding the real forces that existed in the world, to recognize their own assessments of other states as outdated and in need of revision. It was beyond the power of the owners of the Eisenhower Moon to do this.

Meanwhile, time passed, and affairs with our companion upset and disturbed the Queen. At first everything went well. On August 30, 1955, in the office of the Chief Scientific Secretary of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Academician A. V. Topchiev, a high meeting was held: S. P. Korolev, M. K. Tikhonravov, M. V. Keldysh, V. P. Glushko and other specialists. Korolev reported on the progress of work on the rocket and proposed to organize a commission to develop a program for the launch of an artificial satellite, to involve the leading scientists of the Academy in the creation of equipment.

I support the proposal of Sergei Pavlovich, - said Keldysh. - It is important to appoint a chairman...

You and be chairman, - Korolev immediately responded.

They determined the approximate launch date - the summer of 1957, the beginning of the IGY. In two years, it was necessary to develop and manufacture equipment, power supplies, a thermal control system, a radio telemetry system with omnidirectional antennas, a control system for on-board equipment, and much more. Korolev immediately understood the main danger: dozens of performers were solving a single task. Failure in one link interrupted the entire chain. OKB Korolev was responsible for the main thing - the launch vehicle, there was no rocket yet, but so far this bothered Sergei Pavlovich less than the coordination of all other work. Probably, for the first time Korolev faced a task of such magnitude, the solution of which required not only his will, experience and energy, but also the enthusiasm of many other people, and it was unrealistic to expect equal and necessary enthusiasm from everyone. Keldysh held meetings with "atmospheric workers" - S. N. Vernov, L. V. Kurnosova, V. I. Krasovsky, attracted his "boys", specialists in trajectory measurements: D. E. Okhotsimsky, G. M. Eneev, V A. Egorova, M. L. Lidova, connected to the work of a connoisseur of solar batteries N. S. Lidorenko, consulted and consulted with the brightest minds of the Academy ... Already after the launch of the Keldysh satellite, he would say: “Each kilogram of the weight of a scientific instrument cost much more than gold, it cost a golden intellect ...” But now, - Korolev saw this clearly, - not only smart consultants, but also fast performers. The schedule for the preparation and testing of equipment was constantly disrupted. It was difficult to find the culprits: many of the scientists, people of the highest degree inventive and original thinkers, turned into mere children when it came to production. Talking with them, Korolev saw that they had little experience in the interaction between science and industry, the deadlines would continue to be broken, and he was very nervous. He sometimes shared his worries with Tikhonravov. Mikhail Klavdievich nodded silently. Korolev regarded his calmness as indifference to his concerns, in any case, it was a complete surprise for him when, at the end of 1956, Tikhonravov suddenly suggested:

And if you make the satellite easier and simpler? 300 kilograms or even lighter? Here we have thrown ... - he held out a notebook.

Korolev quickly assessed the situation: without dampening the Academy of Sciences, a small, simple satellite (in the documentation it was called “PS”) could be made on its own by connecting a minimum number of subcontractors, primarily Nikolai Stepanovich Lidorenko - these are current sources and Mikhail Sergeevich Ryazansky is radio equipment. Already on January 5, 1957, he sends a memorandum to the government, in which he talks about the preparation of two satellites: one weighing 40-50 kilograms (he will be the first) and the other - 1200 kilograms (he will be the third) and proposes to prepare rockets for launch in April - June 1957. Having received the go-ahead, on January 25 he signs the initial data on the PS.

Ten days later, on August 31, having returned to Moscow, Korolev conducts tests of the PS together with the launch vehicle, and in early September, together with his designers and testers, the satellite went to the cosmodrome.

I had to talk with many employees of the S.P. Korolev Design Bureau and allied specialists about our first satellite. Strange, but he is remembered poorly. The work on the rocket was so great and intense that it obscured this small ball with the "whiskers" of antennas in human memory. Deputy Tikhonravov Yevgeny Fedorovich Ryazanov recalled how the first sketches of the PS were shown to the Queen. He didn't like all the options. Ryazanov asked cautiously:

Why, Sergei Pavlovich?

Because it's not round! - enigmatically answered Korolev.

It's not just that a sphere is an ideal shape that has a maximum volume with a minimum surface. Perhaps unconsciously, intuitively, Sergei Pavlovich strove for the utmost conciseness and expressiveness of the form of this historical apparatus, and indeed it is really difficult now to imagine a different, more capacious emblem symbolizing the age of space.

Everyone remembers the incident with the report of the lead designer of the satellite, Mikhail Stepanovich Khomyakov, in the office of the Chief Designer. Khomyakov made a mistake and called the satellite not PS, but SP. Korolev stopped him and said with a smile:

You are confusing: SP is me, and the satellite is PS! - Sergei Pavlovich knew that behind his back everyone called him the initials of his name and patronymic, and was not offended.

Vyacheslav Ivanovich Lappo, the designer of the PS radio transmitter, recalls how one night Korolev came to his laboratory and asked him to listen to the satellite signals. Lappo explained that the pressure and temperature inside the satellite are controlled by varying the length of the radio pulse. “You see, if something happens, he will squeak differently before he dies,” Lappo said. The Queen liked it very much. He listened with pleasure to the beep-beep signals, and then cautiously, even with some timidity, asked:

Can't you make him squeal a word?

The production workers of the pilot plant also remembered the rocket more than the PS.

For us, it was really simple in terms of manufacturing, - recalled the chief engineer Viktor Mikhailovich Klyucharev. - Yes, and all our attention at that time was focused on fine-tuning the launch vehicle.

And for the satellite itself, it was difficult to provide a shiny surface that reflects the sun's rays: there was no special technology at that time for the aluminum alloy from which the body of the first satellite was made. And it was overcome. Everyone who came into contact with the “ball” began to literally wear it on their hands, in white gloves, and the equipment on which it was mounted was covered with velvet. Korolev, following all the work on the satellite, demanded a special attitude towards this product.

Yes, Korolev demanded that the satellite's ball be polished, fearing overheating by the sun's rays. He did not imagine how much will be reflected in his mirror on October 4, 1957.

The flight test order for the PS was signed at the cosmodrome on October 2. Leonid Aleksandrovich Voskresensky - from the Design Bureau and Alexander Ivanovich Nosov - from the rocket scientists were appointed leaders of the test team. In the early morning of October 3, the rocket was taken to the launch site. The work went according to schedule, without interruption.

Nobody is rushing us, - said Korolev. - If you have even the slightest doubt, we will stop the tests and finalize the satellite. There is still time...

Did Sergei Pavlovich understand that in these hours the future unwritten, not marked in any instructions, moral, ethical laws of astronautics are being laid? “No, they didn’t think then about the greatness of what was happening: everyone did their own thing, experiencing both sorrows and joys,” Oleg Genrikhovich Ivanovsky, deputy chief designer of the PS, would write many years later in his book “First Steps”.

The next day, after refueling, Korolev called Khomyakov, instructed him to go up to the service farm site and carefully check everything again. According to eyewitnesses, all the prelaunch days the Chief Designer was restrained, silent, rarely smiled. He constantly asked himself questions to which he could not find an answer. He did not know whether the flight path was chosen correctly, where, in fact, the atmosphere ends, where its boundaries are. Didn't know if the ionosphere would miss the radio transmitter signals. Didn't know if the micrometeorites would spare the polished ball. Didn't know if the seal would hold up space vacuum. Didn't know if the ventilation would handle heat dissipation. Now often, sometimes for no reason, they use what has become almost catch phrase"flight into the unknown". But it was really a flight into the absolutely unknown, there was nothing more unknown in the entire history of mankind.

It was a dead autumn night. The launch pad was illuminated by spotlights. It seemed that it was their burning rays that made the rocket smoke slightly - liquid oxygen soared. From the observation post, it was clear that the white smoke suddenly disappeared: the drainage valves closed, the pressurization of the tanks began. And then the darkness trembled, somewhere below a flame began to flicker, flashed for a moment from a concrete channel, clouds of smoke and dust closed the fire-breathing tail of the rocket for a second, but now it escaped and flew up, flooding the night steppe with light. The satellite was launched on October 4, 1957 at 22:28 Moscow time.

We rejoiced like children, laughed and kissed, - K. D. Bushuev recalled.

The radio station was equipped in a van, standing 800 meters from the start. The van was crowded with a mass of people, everyone wanted to hear a voice from space. Slava Lappo sat by the receivers and tape recorders, waiting for the signal. And suddenly he heard, at first distant, blurry, then louder and clearer: “beep-beep-beep ...” There was a friendly “Hurrah!”, drowning out the joyful voice of Ryazansky, who shouted on the phone to Korolev in the command bunker: “Yes! There's a signal!"

According to the first round of ballistics, it was established that the satellite loses little height *, but for insurance, the chairman State Commission Vasily Mikhailovich Ryabikov decided to wait for the second orbit and then call Moscow to report. Fortunately, it was a deep night in Moscow, everyone was sleeping ...

* PS existed for 92 days.

No one noticed that it was already completely light. The first morning of the space age of the planet Earth had come, but she did not yet know about it.

Then thousands of articles, entire libraries of books will be written about this night. The launch of the first satellite will be analyzed from all sides: scientific, technical, historical, social, political. It will make you take a fresh look at many problems of our century, starting with the revision high school ending with the political climate of the entire planet. The American newspaper The Washington Evening Star commented on the launch of the first satellite with merciless laconism: "The era of self-confidence is over." The French magazine Parimatch stated: "The dogma of the technical superiority of the United States has collapsed."

But to speak only of the political significance of this launch in relation to the events of 1957 would be to belittle this event. Is it not symbolic that the most formidable of the types of weapons that existed then was a ballistic intercontinental missile capable of carrying atomic charge, barely born, literally in a matter of weeks turns into a powerful tool for peaceful science? The New York Herald Tribune even seemed to be surprised at the time that “despite the obvious psychological victory that the Soviet Union won, this did not lead to an increase in the threat of war.” The launch on October 4, 1957 was the most graphic and convincing demonstration not only of the scientific and technical potential of the Soviet Union, but also a new proof of its peace-loving policy.

The satellite caused delight among specialists - this is understandable. But the satellite aroused delight among people who were completely inexperienced in scientific and technical problems. In a certain man-made object, thrown up and not falling back to Earth, people saw a miracle of human thought and labor. Our satellite made all earthlings proud of themselves - this is the main result of his triumphant flight over the planet.

Just think how time flies! How far we have already gone along the cosmic road! But no matter how far we go, no matter how small the mirror ball may seem to us from the distance of past years, it will always shine for everyone going to the stars, because we endowed it with a great quality that cannot be surpassed by anyone and never: it is the very first !

Moscow. 1987

Yaroslav Golovanov. "A drop of our world". (Library of the magazine "Znamya"). - M .: Pravda, 1988. - 464 p. Previously also published on
http://epizodsspace.testpilot.ru/bibl/golovanov/kapli/sam_per.html

The first artificial earth satellite is one of the greatest achievements science of the twentieth century. However, paradoxically, this great scientific and technical achievement contributed greatly cold war between two superpowers: the US and the Soviet Union. The launch of the first artificial Earth satellite was also necessary for the growing need to obtain reliable information about the upper atmosphere, the possibility of transmitting a radio signal from orbit, etc.

In the early 1950s, both the US and the USSR were actively developing rockets for the space program. In particular, in May 1954, the chief designer of the space program of the Soviet Union, Sergei Korolev, met with the Minister of Defense of the USSR and reported that the first artificial Earth satellite could be launched into orbit. A similar statement was made on July 29, 1955 by the President of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower, while he indicated the dates between 1957 and 1958.

In early August 1955, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU approved the creation of the first satellite of the Earth. This project was headed by Korolev, as well as Vasily Ryabikov, who oversaw test launches missiles R-7. To launch, the simplest first Earth satellite with two radio beacons on board was developed.

Satellite #1 was a 585mm sphere covered with a heat shield made of aluminium, magnesium and titanium. It was equipped with four long antennas that were capable of transmitting simple to the Earth's surface in two frequencies. The first artificial Earth satellite was also equipped with three silver-zinc batteries that could work for two weeks. The temperature control system was a radiator with a fan, a sealed circuit, a forced heat exchange system designed to maintain a stable internal temperature. This system used bimetal thermal relays as the sensing element. Whenever the temperature was above 36°C, the fan was turned on, and nitrogen circulated through the heat transfer system from the hemispheres. When the temperature dropped below 20°C, the fan turned off.

Sputnik 1 was launched on October 4, 1957. 295.4 seconds after launch, the first artificial Earth satellite was launched into orbit. It was only the third successful flight of the R-7 rocket, which was created for intercontinental flight with thermonuclear satellite developed the first calculated by Newton. It was 7780 m/s. Full turn he completed in 96.2 minutes. Despite the fact that it was developed in just two weeks, the mission lasted 22 days until the batteries ran out. Radio amateurs from all over the world followed the sound signals transmitted by the satellite. It could be observed - like a star of the first magnitude - even with the naked eye. The satellite went out of orbit and burned up in the atmosphere on January 4, 1958.

The American public and media were so surprised by the technological breakthrough of the USSR that a wave of paranoia swept through the United States. The political and public reaction to the publication of the TASS message was unexpected for the USSR. Thus, by replacing the thermonuclear hydrogen bomb with a small satellite, the Soviet Union won a significant political and social victory.

The satellite crisis led to the creation of the US Advanced Research Projects Agency and NASA, as well as a significant increase in government spending on education and scientific research.

The United States was able to launch its first artificial satellite, Explorer 1, on January 31, 1958. It was cylindrical with a diameter of 15 cm and a length of 203 cm with a mass of 14 kg. He transmitted data on the measurement of cosmic rays and on the level of radiation for 112 days. These data led to the discovery

Since 1957, about 7,000 satellites have been launched into the Earth's orbit, most of which are already out of order and present a real hindrance to further space exploration.

(R-7).

The launch date is considered the beginning of the space age of humanity, and is celebrated in Russia as a memorable day for the Space Forces.

The history of the creation of the First Sputnik is the history of the rocket. 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 tasks as soon as possible, which included, in addition to the development and construction of the rocket itself, the choice of a place for the launch site, the construction of launch facilities, the commissioning of all necessary services and the equipment of the entire 7000-kilometer flight path 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 a government decree of February 12, 1955, the construction of NIIP-5 began in the area of ​​the Tyura-Tam station. When the first rocket in the factory shop 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 terrific impression not only on the Soviet leadership, but also on leading scientists.

We [nuclear scientists] thought that we had a large scale, but there we saw something, an order of magnitude larger. I was struck by a huge, visible naked eye, technical culture, the coordinated work of hundreds of highly qualified people and their almost everyday, but very businesslike attitude to those fantastic things with which they dealt ...

- (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 assigned 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 within the required time frame.

On January 14, 1957, the R-7 flight test program was approved by the Council of Ministers of the USSR. At the same time, Korolev sent a memorandum to the Council of Ministers, where he wrote that in April - June 1957, two rockets in the satellite version could be prepared, "and launched immediately after the first successful launches of an intercontinental missile." In February, construction work at the test site was still ongoing, two missiles were already ready for shipment. Korolev, convinced of the unrealistic timing of the production of the orbital laboratory, sends an unexpected proposal to the government:

There are reports that in connection with the International Geophysical Year, the United States intends to launch satellites in 1958. We risk losing priority. Instead of a complex laboratory - object "D", I propose to launch a simple satellite into space.

On February 15, this proposal was approved.

In early March, the first rocket R-7 No. M1-5 was delivered to the technical position of the test site, and on May 5 it was taken to the launch pad No. 1. Preparations for the launch lasted a week, on the eighth day refueling began. The launch took place on May 15 at 19:00 local time. The launch went well, but at the 98th second of the flight, one of the side engines failed, after another 5 seconds all the engines automatically turned off and the rocket fell 300 km from the start. The cause of the accident was a fire as a result of depressurization of the high-pressure fuel line. The second rocket, R-7 No. 6L, was prepared taking into account the experience gained, but it was not possible to launch it at all. On June 10-11, repeated launch attempts were made, but in the last seconds, protective automatics worked. It turned out that the cause was an incorrect installation of the nitrogen purge valve and freezing of the main oxygen valve. On July 12, the launch of the R-7 No. M1-7 rocket again failed, this rocket flew only 7 kilometers. The reason this time was a short circuit to the body in one of the control system instruments, as a result of which a false command was sent to the steering engines, the rocket deviated significantly from the course and was automatically stopped.

Finally, on August 21, 1957, a successful launch was carried out, the No. 8L rocket normally passed the entire active phase of the flight and reached the specified area - the test site in Kamchatka. The head part of it completely burned out when entering the dense layers of the atmosphere, despite this, on August 27, TASS announced the creation of an intercontinental ballistic missile in the USSR. On September 7, the second fully successful rocket flight was carried out, but head part again could not withstand the temperature load, and Korolev came to grips with the preparations for the space launch.

So, according to the results of flight tests of five missiles, it was obvious that it could fly, but the warhead required radical improvement. This will require, according to optimists, at least six months. The destruction of the warheads opened the way for the launch of the First Simplest Sputnik. (...)

S. P. Korolev received the consent of N. S. Khrushchev to use two rockets for the experimental launch of the simplest satellite.

B. E. Chertok

The design of the simplest satellite began in November 1956, and in early September 1957, PS-1 passed the final tests on a vibration stand and in a heat chamber. The satellite was designed as a very simple device with two radio beacons for trajectory measurements. The range of the transmitters of the simplest satellite was chosen so that radio amateurs could track the satellite.

On September 22, the R-7 No. 8K71PS rocket (M1-PS Soyuz product) arrived in Tyura-Tam. Compared to the standard ones, it was significantly lightened: the massive warhead was replaced by a transition to the satellite, the equipment of the radio control system and one of the telemetry systems were removed, and the automatic shutdown of the engines was simplified; as a result, the mass of the rocket was reduced by 7 tons.

On October 2, Korolev signed an order for flight tests of the PS-1 and sent a notification of readiness to Moscow. No response instructions came, and Korolev independently decided to place the rocket with the satellite at the starting position.

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.

The first artificial earth satellite was launched on October 4, 1957.

Who launched the first artificial earth satellite? - USSR. This question has great importance, since this event gave rise to the so-called space race between 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, a German scientist submitted to the US Department of Defense a report “Preliminary design of an experimental spaceship orbiting the Earth”, where he noted that within five years a rocket could be developed that could put such a ship into orbit. However, funding for the project was not approved.

On May 13, 1946, Josiv 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 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 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;
• Study 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 the satellite with an accurate determination of its coordinates. Observation of this elliptical orbit and the nature of its behavior made it possible to determine the density of the atmosphere in the region of orbital 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.