Soliot 3

The third space laboratory, where routine life in space had already begun

introduction
On April 25, 1974, the space laboratory Soliot 3 was launched. The flight path was 253-243 km, the angle of inclination 51.58 degrees and the duration of the lap 89.78 minutes. The goals of the launch were to improve the design of the laboratory, its systems, equipment, scientific, technical, and medical research and to conduct experiments in space flights. After Soyuz 14 landed, Soliot continued to fulfill its tasks automatically. The flight path was 264-286 km, the angle of inclination 51.6 degrees. The temperature in the laboratory was 21 degrees and the atmospheric pressure 846 mm Hg. On August 16, the flight path was 260-278 km, the angle of inclination 51.6 degrees and the duration of the lap 89.7 minutes. On September 5, the flight path was 260-286 km and the lap lasted 89.8 minutes. On September 19, the flight path was 251-285 km, the angle of inclination was 51.6 degrees and the duration of the lap was 89.7 minutes.

On September 23, Soliot 3 finished its work program. That day he disconnected from her a motorized cell containing equipment and information and he returned to Israel. The cabin's braking engines were jettisoned before entering the lower atmosphere, a "parachute system" was deployed at an altitude of 9.2 km. That was not the end of the lab's work that day, Soliot 3 began a new automated experimental program. The route was 248-299 km. and the inclination angle 51.6 degrees. On October 7, the route was 299-249 km. The inclination angle is 51.6 degrees. On October 24, the route was 268-299 km. The angle of inclination is 51.6 degrees and the length of the coffee is 89.7 degrees.
Until October 27, Soliot 3 performed more than 100 maneuvers, including eight track corrections from the ground. The laboratory functioned under controlled flight conditions while continuing automatic stabilization. Soliot 3 also carried out studies in aerodynamic ballistic characteristics, the effect of gravity and moments of variation, the angle of inclination of the sun shelves, parameters of heat transitions, heat control, power supply and characteristics of the control system. On November 25, the route was 293-249 km. The angle of inclination is 51.6 degrees and the length of the coffee is 89.7 degrees.

On December 25, Soliot 3 completed its mission. A total of 400 scientific and technical experiments were carried out, 70 television broadcasts, 2,500 telemetry broadcasts and the navigation engines were activated 50,000 times. The Kettering group knew to tell that the lab continued to transmit after December 25th. On January 24, 1975, Soliot 3 was observed in the atmosphere.

The structure of the laboratory

It is an improved space laboratory and weighs 20 tons. One of the cells is used for resting, eating and exercising. A facility located in this cell is Polynom 2 - a multipurpose automatic training device. It is used to perform gymnastic exercises and it allows astronauts to quickly adapt to gravity after landing. This is a medical monitoring unit that monitors the blood flow process by recording a large number of parameters and thus accurately determines the effect of weightlessness on the heart's activity.

Another medical device is a moving strap that is activated while the astronaut wears a gym suit designed to provide a sense of gravity by applying appropriate stress to the muscles through flexible straps. According to the Russians, this equipment is better than the ergometer that was in the American Skylab since the latter is not able to exert adequate pressure on the muscles.

The laboratory has a floor and a ceiling. This structure came to give the astronauts a sense of up and down and make it easier for them to adapt to the weightlessness. On the other hand, there are not enough handles in the laboratory. A camera is placed on the outer wall of the laboratory that enables daily monitoring of it and the Soyuz spacecraft attached to it.

Instead of two solar shelves that were in the previous laboratories, this laboratory has three connected to the laboratory by a hinge and their total area is 42 square meters. The electric power is produced during the flight from sunlight and stored in batteries for work when the laboratory enters the shadow zone of the earth. The solar shelves receive the sun's radiation in any situation in which the laboratory is located. These racks produce more electricity than the previous labs. On the side of the passage compartment is a door to exit the laboratory for off-vehicle activity. The astronaut going out closes the laboratory itself after him and opens the side opening. Those who are inside the laboratory work while wearing normal clothes. In addition to the usual land and sea means of communication, the Moleniya communication satellite was activated.

Soyuz 14
On July 3, 1974, Soyuz 14 was launched with astronauts Pavel Popovitz and Yuri Artyukhin.
The goals of the flight were:
1. To perform joint tasks with the laboratory and to connect to it while checking the connection mechanism of the spacecraft - an extremely important mechanism in preparation for the cooperation with the Americans in the Apollo and Soyuz flights.
2. Check the propulsion system and energy system of the laboratory.
3. Test the spacecraft's improved systems.
4. In space exploration - measure radiation of magnetic fields.
5. Make observations towards the sun and its corona.
6. In the study of the earth and the climate - to look for minerals and study the atmosphere.
7. To conduct biological experiments and study the effect of space on the human body during a prolonged flight. At the beginning and end of each day, exercise exercises are regularly held to train the astronauts to quickly adapt to the conditions of the country after landing and to develop a daily work order.
The astronauts have to try on a new exercise suit designed to give a sense of gravity by exerting an appropriate effort on the muscles through flexible straps. The engineers of the space laboratory built a dummy laboratory in which conditions identical to those of Soliot 3 prevail, except for weightlessness, two astronauts man it and they simultaneously perform the same operations that Popovitz and Artyukhin perform. Before its launch, the astronauts received training in case of a sea landing. On the day of the launch, the head of the Russian space program, Professor Boris Petrov, announced that within two days it would be decided whether to man the laboratory. If it is carried out, the flight will not last long.

daily work order
The work order is similar to the national work order - 8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest, recreation and housekeeping and 8 hours of sleep.

תקשורת
According to the Russians, this was the first time that a manned Russian spacecraft maintained continuous and uninterrupted contact with the control center near Moscow, with the help of intermediate stations located on two surveillance ships in the Atlantic Ocean and near Cuba. There were observers who claimed that there were certain difficulties in the transmission of the communication.
First week, from July 3 to 9
July 3 - launch day. The flight path 277-255, the angle of inclination 51.6 degrees and the duration of the lap 89.7 minutes.
July 4 - It was decided to correct the flight path to enable connection with Soliot 3. Before the connection, the astronauts performed various experiments and a training flight alongside Soliot. Upon connecting to the laboratory, the astronauts checked it and all its systems and it was found to be working. The connection was made 26 hours after the launch. The connection was accurate and there was minimal use of fuel. Up to a distance of 100 from the space laboratory, docking maneuvers were automatic. From this distance the maneuvers were done manually by Popovitz. The common route was 265-276, the angle of inclination 51.6 degrees and the duration of the lap 89.7 minutes.
July 5 - At the end of the tests, the astronauts entered the laboratory. Artyukhin entered first followed by Popovitz. Their state of health was normal on July 4, and today the lack of weight had a negative effect on the blood flow to the brain. The astronauts had to work while wearing tracksuits. Today they were engaged in a house inspection mainly in the operation of the equipment and the sun racks.
July 6 - The astronauts got used to the weightlessness. Blood pressure and pulse are normal. Popovitz was forbidden to watch the World Cup games held at the time, fearing that the tension would harm his health. They continued with the home inspection today as well.
July 7 - Today, medical tests were conducted to check if there is proper blood flow to the brain when floating in the laboratory. The tests were done in the polonium 2 training device. Initially, the astronauts had difficulty performing the exercises due to the stiffening of the muscles, due to the lack of weight. Little by little they overcame this difficulty. All in all, it turned out that the blood circulation in Popovitz and Artyukhin was not significantly affected. Compared to the first days of your stay in space.
July 8 - today the astronauts began scientific and technical experiments. They noticed the polarization of the sunlight reflected in the Earth and atmosphere. Observations were made towards the Earth in search of minerals and medical experiments were carried out on a moving belt.
July 9 - it was decided to extend the flight by at least one week. The laboratory's improved systems were tested, analyzes were performed in the laboratory's atmosphere, and communication exercises were performed.

Second week, from July 10 to 17
July 10 - On this day it was reported that a defect in one of the laboratory fans reported by Popovitz was corrected after it was tested in the simulation laboratory. Extensive observations were made of the Earth and the influence of solar radiation on the optical properties of the atmosphere.
July 11 - today the astronauts were engaged in medical tests of their lungs. They were blown in various forms into containers which were brought back to Israel for testing. They felt unusually hungry and were allowed to use the laboratory's emergency stock. Difficulties were also discovered during the house inspection. It was reported that there will be another week in the space laboratory and soon half of your stay in space will be over.
July 13 - Observations were made towards the Earth, which focused on Central Asia, which is under the sovereignty of the Soviet Union. The goals were to search for minerals, test the movement of glaciers and test the polarized light in the atmosphere. After finishing the observations, they moved to the Soyuz spaceship to test a new navigation device, for navigation according to the sun and the planets. The accuracy of the navigation systems in the spacecraft was tested, the Soliot's manual control was tested and a second TV broadcast was conducted.
July 14 - The astronauts were unable to free themselves from their difficulties. One of the fans broke down and a strong current of air burst out of it which pinned Artichoke to the wall of the laboratory. Only when he found a grip was he able to overcome the jet of air. Popovitz was at the time in another part of the laboratory. This malfunction prompted him to demand that future space stations be equipped with handles wherever possible. Today, minerals were sought in Central Asia.
July 15 - a proposal was made to shorten the flight due to strong explosions on the surface of the sun and a strong emission of radiation. The explosions began one day after the launch of Soyuz 14 and continued for four days. On July 10, there were more explosions. Some physicists thought that this situation was unusual and dangerous for the space laboratory pilots and proposed to shorten the flight. The engineers and doctors said no. Despite the unusual strength of the radiation, which no astronomer had been aware of until now, not even a slight disturbance was caused to the work of the team, the astronauts feel good and the work continues as a series. All that was required of Popovitz and Artyukhin was to be more careful. Today, medical experiments were carried out and a comprehensive study of the earth was carried out.

In the second week of the flight, the astronauts conducted a series of medical and biological experiments to investigate the effect of space on the human ability to perform exercises that require physical effort. They tried on the exercise suit, observations were made towards the Earth with the aim of locating sources and processes of air pollution, hundreds of photographs were taken of the horizon line with reference to the rising moon to determine the degree of accuracy with which the horizon line can be used for navigational purposes.

The experiments to prove the capability of the spacecraft included constant monitoring with the help of special optical devices installed on the outer wall of Soliot 3, including antennas, sensors and solar racks to detect the nature of the fluctuations in the orbit and their effect on the strength.

Third week, from July 17 to 19

July 18 - The astronauts said in a television broadcast that they had completed almost all the tasks assigned to them on July 17. Today they engaged in observations of the Earth, tested the navigation system of
the spaceship and do a house check to get the space lab back to a clean state so it can accommodate the next crew. They were busy preparing for the landing on July 19. They transferred to the spaceship all the equipment they needed to return to Israel such as photographic films, recording films, work logs. They checked the landing gear.
July 19 - they finished transferring the equipment to the spacecraft and a few hours later they landed. The landing was in Dzhazkan, which is in Kazakhstan 1.9 km from the landing site. Popovitz and Artyukhin spent 18 days in space out of 14 days, 7 hours and 33 minutes in the laboratory. From the tests that were done on them after landing, it became clear that their health is normal. It turned out that the space lab responds more easily to instructions than the previous labs. Most of the main maneuvers performed during the flight were done with minimal use of fuel.

Soyuz 15

On August 26, 1974, Soyuz 15 was launched with astronauts Gennady Sarafanov and Lev Danin on board. The goals of the flight were:
1. To test new equipment for the joint space flight with the Americans.
2. Continue the Soyuz 14 experiments.
3. Learn about the effect of weightlessness on crew members of different ages. Sarafanov was 32 years old and Danin was 48 years old.
August 27 - The flight path was changed to allow it to fly towards Soliot 3. It was reported that Soliot 3 had food left for 10 days. After 12 laps, the route was changed to 254-275 km, the angle of inclination 51.6 degrees and the length of the lap 89.6 degrees.

July 28 - Scientific and technical experiments were conducted to develop maneuvering methods and connect with the space laboratory under different flight conditions. They were also involved in developing methods for searching the space laboratory, landing in the dark and testing remote automatic control for the rendezvous and connection. The night landing was designed to test the state-of-the-art systems essential for returning to Israel with the ability to overcome the limited sunlight.

During its experiments, Soyuz 15 came within 30-15 meters of Soliot. The connection with Soliot failed due to a malfunction in Soyuz's automatic connection mechanism. The Russians later admitted that the Soyuz 15 flight failed and did not begin its mission. During this day it was reported that Sarafanov and Danin are preparing for landing and that their health is fine. The landing took place 48 hours after launch. The landing was 48 km south of Tselinograd in Kazakhstan in difficult weather conditions. It was reported that the two astronauts behaved during the flight at a high professional level with courage and self-control.