Another chapter in the series about the history of the beginning of the space age
introduction
On June 23, 1976, the fifth space laboratory in the Soliot series was launched. The goals of the launch were to conduct technical and scientific experiments and to further improve the design of future Russian space stations, to study objects and materials found on Earth, atmospheric phenomena and the weather in order to collect information "for the benefit of the national economy". In an interview with an East German newspaper, Vitali Sebastynov described the Soviet five-year plan for the years 1980-1976. All Russian manned space flights will be associated with Soliot flights. Proposals for science programs based on individual Soyuz flights were canceled to achieve maximum utilization of the new space stations, Soyuz 13 being an example.
Near the launch of Soliot 5, the tracking ships "Gagarin" and "Korliov" entered the western Atlantic Ocean. The orbital and telemetric parameters are the same as those of Soliot 3. The launcher is Proton D-1-H. Soliot 5 entered an orbit of 256-213 km, the angle of inclination 51.59 degrees and the duration of the lap 89.15 minutes. On July 4, the route was 275-220 km, the angle of inclination 51.6 degrees and the duration of the lap 89.6 minutes. On September 20, the route was 283-258 km, the angle of inclination 51.6 degrees and the duration of the lap 89.7 minutes. Soliot 5 continued in flight under automatic control. Later it became clear that Soliot 5 is not able to connect to two spacecraft at the same time, but only one. On March 5, 1977, the route was 265-251 km and the lap lasted 89.67 minutes. Soliot 5 ended its mission on August 8, 1977 and burned up in the atmosphere.
The structure of the laboratory
Soliot 5 weighs 19 tons. This is the first semi-permanent Russian laboratory. Its lifespan is more than a year and at any time it is given to Aisha for a period of 90 days. Soliot 5 has two entrances, one in the front and one in the back. Parts of the device for renewing the life system planned for long-range flights outside a national route were installed in it. It does not have bicycles, an ergometer, and gymnastics exercises are performed on a moving rail. For self-weighing of the astronauts, a stopgap was installed in the laboratory connected to the body that measures the fluctuations. The measured data is compared to a reference scale and based on that the weight is calculated. The laboratory has sophisticated research facilities that were not in previous laboratories.
Instrumentation and experiments
1. Biological experiments:
A. Space aquarium - male and female guppy fish in the aquarium. Their movements were filmed to test how they swim, to test their ability to navigate in relation to a light source and the movement of the male in relation to the female. Young fish born in space were later compared with those born on Earth to test how the vestibular vessels develop in space conditions.
B. Continuing the study of the effect of the lack of weight on fertilized fish eggs, plants such as the hawk's beard and one species of the Crepis plant. Plant seeds were later planted on Earth to test for genetic changes.
2. Metallurgical experiments:
A. Shphere - a device for studies in industrial processes of melting and resolidification of metals. In this device a mixture of bismuth, lead, tin and cadmium is passed through a furnace into a sealed and closed chamber. The goal of these studies is to produce perfect balls using metallic liquids.
B. Reation - this device includes two chemical energy sources for melting strong compounds of nickel and manganese and soldering metal pipes that were not subjected to stress forces. These operations are important for the execution of trains in space.
third. Potex - a device for building capillary space pumps that do not consume electricity.
d. Stroka - mobile teleprinter for receiving information from the control center.
5. Infrared device - a telescope for investigating the upper atmosphere.
6. A manual spectrograph for testing aerosols (smoke, dust and other impurities.) at different heights up to an accuracy of 500 - 800 meters and it was used for studies examining climatic changes. The spectrograph also examined the flow of water in the Volga.
Soyuz 21
On July 6, 1976, Soyuz 21 was launched with astronauts Boris Volinov, the flight commander, and Vitaly Zolubov, the flight engineer. This flight was defined as part of a plan to explore the space around the Earth and they had to perform the following tasks:
1. Carry out joint experiments with the space laboratory and test its systems.
2. To carry out technical experiments.
3. Investigate the effect of weightlessness on the human body.
4. Make observations towards the Earth.
Geography - coverage of areas below the 52 degree north latitude.
Completion of maps on a scale of 6 1:10 kilometers and maps on a scale of 5 10:1.
Investigating issues related to hydro-electric plans that are in the drawing stages.
Photographing areas near the eastern wing of the Baikal - Amor railway.
Forestry - observations of fires and immediate transmission of information on damage caused by fires in forests.
Geology - analysis of tectonic structures and the study of seismic activity.
Mineral exploration - analysis of selected areas where oil, gas and mineral deposits can be found.
5. The study of the atmosphere - observations of it and the study of its formations.
6. Meteorological research - forecasting the weather, observations for the purpose of formulating the stages of storms during their development and hurricanes, understanding the dangers of mud flow and the fall of snow blocks in mountainous areas.
7. Metallurgical experiments - soldering of metals and technical experiments under conditions of weightlessness.
8. Biological experiments - raising fish, insects and plants.
9. Investigation of physical processes and phenomena in space.
Soyuz 21 pilots also trained for the possibility of a sea emergency landing. Soviet sources hinted that if all went well, Soliot 5 would be manned by two more astronauts within four to five weeks.
In an interview with Pravda newspaper on August 3, Boris Petrov said that the flight of Soyuz 21 represents the great contribution to the development of cosmonautics. According to him, excluding the role of the Soyuz 21 pilots in preparing for flights to other planets, the astrophysical studies they performed will be of great importance in the planning of space stations. These areas include gamma ray investigation, X-ray telescope and infrared radiation which is also important for mineral exploration.
So far the space stations have proven their usefulness as biological laboratories and in terms of space technologies that utilize a great vacuum and weightlessness. They are of great importance in the design of space stations and in industry. In his opinion, space stations will be built in the future whose lifespan will range from a few years to a few decades when they are staffed by teams of 30-20 people who will change from time to time. There will also be multi-mission complex stations with teams of over 100 people and they will build components that will be launched by relatively small launchers. The construction of a space station of this type is a question for the next decades, but each new experiment in space brings their launch date closer.
First week, from July 6 to 12
July 6 - launch. The route is 193-253 km, the angle of inclination is 51.6 degrees and the duration of the lap is 88.7 minutes.
July 7 - After the night's rest, the Soyuz 21 pilots began their work. This work began with the correction of the flight path in preparation for connecting with Soliot 5 which was carried out a few hours later. The new route chosen on the day of the launch was 254-280 km, the angle of inclination 51.6 degrees and the duration of the lap 89.6 minutes. The difficult task of logging in took 10 minutes. Five hours later they moved to the space laboratory and thus completed what the TAS agency defined as "the most difficult phase of their work". Volinov and Zolovov entered Soliot 25 hours and 31 minutes after launch. The laboratory test found it fit and ready for scientific activity.
July 8 - The astronauts began their work which included medical examinations, preparations for a long stay in space and a television broadcast to Israel.
July 10 - a day of rest was planned, but the astronauts asked to waive it and continue their work, which included testing the scientific instruments. Since they had many tasks ahead of them, the space doctors agreed and suggested that they rest on the day they wanted.
July 12 - The astronauts collected medical data essential for the training of future space pilots. Volinov and Zolovov did tests of the blood flow, the action of the heart, breathing and the condition of the blood vessels in the conditions of the space flight, tested the effect of weightlessness on the body and performed metallurgical experiments in the Sphere device.
Second week, from July 13 to 19
July 14 - medical experiments. The astronauts examined each other, examined the effect of weightlessness on their bodies, examined the action of the heart, blood flow, breathing and took blood samples. Compared to the medical tests done before the flight, Volinov and Zolovov could determine their own health.
July 15 - The astronauts performed a technological experiment with crystals. The goal was to test the nature of the growth of crystals at zero gravity. Crystal "seeds" were planted in aqueous solutions of potassium and alum. The results of the experiment were later compared with similar experiments conducted on Earth under controlled conditions.
July 16 - meteorological research with the manual spectrograph.
July 18 - It was reported that the astronauts adapted without any problems to the weightlessness conditions. The astronauts said that they were preparing to perform a long series of scientific experiments.
Third week, from July 20 to 26
July 22 - Experiments were carried out at Stroka and biological experiments were conducted in the aquarium, with fertilized fish eggs, plant seeds and plants.
Fourth week, from July 27 to August 2
July 28 - To date, the astronauts have performed experiments in the production of crystals, soldering metals and testing the lack of weight and its effect on these processes. They continued their flight plan which included fish farming, plant breeding and metallurgy. The astronauts felt good and successfully completed their mission.
August 2 - the route 262 - 286 kg, the angle of inclination 51.6 degrees and the duration of the lap 89.8 minutes.
Subtotal
In the first month of the flight, the astronauts performed biological experiments on the effect of weightlessness on the bodies of young guppy fish, the production of homogeneous alloys, crystal growth, mineral mapping and atmospheric pollution mapping. The guppy fish test is designed to examine the changes that occur in their inner ear due to the lack of weight. The experiments continued to test the behavior of Donio fish that were started on Soyuz 16. It was reported that fish hatched from eggs launched into space found their equilibrium point and swam in straight lines, while adult fish launched into space could only swim in spiral movements.
In the metrological experiments, bismus, tin, lead and cadmium were melted and then solidified into a book body under the pressure of surface tension. The homogeneity of the melt was checked upon its return to Israel. According to the Russians, the effect of the artificial pollution of smoke and "smoky" oxides due to industrial processes exceeds those emitted by volcanoes and sandstorms. The results of the measurements of the Volga were added to the results of ground measurements made by the Ministry for Soil Improvement and Water Conservation. Plans were prepared to change part of the course of the rivers in northern Russia and some of the Siberian rivers to tilt towards the south. The viability of these projects was not clear. They hoped that the measurements of Soyuz 21 would help her in making decisions.
Thursday week, from August 3 to 9
August 4 - X-ray observations of the atmosphere and testing of the atmosphere's content. Research the ozone and the amount of water vapor. Volinov and Zolovov gave each other medical examinations that included the heart and body systems. The astronauts felt good.
Friday week, from August 8 to 16
August 10 and 11 - Volinov and Zolovov conducted medical examinations for themselves. Check the heart and blood vessels and feel good.
August 16 - they continued the study of "photographing selected areas in the Soviet Union in various areas of the national economy". The crystal growth experiment conducted today is different from the one conducted on July 15. The difference was that this time the astronauts added a dye to the aqueous potassium solution to check how this substance spreads as the crystal grows. The purpose of the experiment is to produce alloys of Dibenzyl and Tolane that are more homogeneous than those that can be produced on Earth. A new biological experiment was carried out on plant seeds to test the results of their growth under the conditions of a prolonged stay in space.
Seventh week, from August 17 to 23
August 17 - The astronauts suffered from what was defined as "sensory deprivation" or a kind of "hunger for sensations". The newspaper "Izvestia" explained that while staying in space, Vilinov Zolubov's senses were sharpened and as a result they sensed smells, heard voices and felt temperature changes more intensely and began to ask more and more frequently about news from Earth. On the recommendation of psychologists, the media stations played them news and music during their regular calls. The astronauts performed the planned scientific, medical and biological experiments. Today a series of experiments was carried out to improve the laboratory's navigation system. For several hours, Soliot was controlled manually, and they used optical aids for navigation.
August 22 - today the last experiments were completed. The infrared telescope was used.
August 23 - today Volinov and Zolovov were busy transferring biological material, logs and photographic films to Soyuz 21. The Soliot 5 systems test was completed and they prepared Soyuz 21 for an automatic return to Earth. They managed to carry out final experiments with infrared photography.
August 24 - landing day
The astronauts began preparations for the landing and 10 hours later they landed. Before landing Soliot 5 was switched to automatic operation. As long as it is not manned, the laboratory makes geological and agricultural observations. Soyuz 21 landed 200 km southwest of the city of Kochatab in Kazakhstan after midnight. The astronauts completed the program that was set for them in full and received new information about space. During their flight, they also made meteorological observations of Eastern and Western Europe, thereby supplementing information previously broadcast from meteorological satellites. This is how we planned to build a perfect picture of the Earth's climate.
Vague hints in the Soviet press indicated that the two astronauts had grown tired of circling the Earth day after day in uncomfortable conditions, even though they had worked hard to fulfill the tasks assigned to them. In an interview broadcast on Russian television, Volinnov and Zolovov described their flight as difficult and tiring. At the end of each working day they felt very tired. Later it was reported that another reason that caused the termination of the flight was a strong leak in the Soliot 5's air conditioning system.
Soyuz 22
On September 15, 1976, Soyuz 22 was launched with the astronauts Valery Bikovsky, the flight commander, and the flight engineer, Vladimir Aksenov, who is not a military man, but a civilian. Soyuz 22 was launched as part of a space cooperation program with the communist countries and its purpose was to improve geographical and geological research methods of the Earth by monitoring from space for the benefit of the national economy. A week before the launch, the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries signed a plan for cooperation in space. Soyuz 22 was not intended to connect with the Soliot 5 space laboratory.
The astronauts must photograph 30 areas in the Soviet Union and East Germany with an East German camera that was placed in the nose of the spacecraft instead of the connection mechanism. This is a "multiband" Zeiss camera according to the astronauts' definition and it has a very high power. The amount of pictures it takes in five minutes is equal to the same amount taken from airplanes over two years. The camera shoots in four wavelengths in the visible range and two in the invisible range. The camera has a XNUMXD shooting capability. All photographs were taken simultaneously with observations from airplanes. Other goals are conducting medical, biological and biochemical experiments and experiments in driving the spacecraft.
September 16 - the day of the launch, the route 200 - 281 km and the angle of inclination 64.75 degrees. Today they started the first filming.
September 17 - today the astronauts made observations towards the Earth, in particular in Amur and Siberia in the Soviet Union and experiments to test the effect of solar radiation on the human eye.
September 19 - Earth observations and biological experiments on fish and plants were conducted.
September 20 - Observations were made towards the Earth. Areas in the Soviet Union and East Germany were photographed. The photographs were intended for agricultural, forestry and geological purposes.
September 21 - the astronauts finished their missions.
September 22 - Bikovsky and Aksenov prepared for their return to Israel and tested the spacecraft and its systems.
September 23 - Soyuz 21 landed safely in Kazakhstan, 150 km west of Selinograd and in good condition. They stayed in space for eight days. The tasks were carried out successfully.
Soyuz 23
On October 14, 1976, Soyuz 23 was launched with the astronauts Vychaslav Zadov, the flight commander, Valery Rozhchavinsky, the flight engineer. This flight came as a continuation of Soliot 5's scientific and technical research and immediately after it was launched, the astronauts began to carry out the plan set for them.
October 15 - launch to the 187-226 km route and after a few hours the route was changed to 234-267 km.
October 16 - It was reported that the Soyuz 23 flight was canceled and that it would not connect to Soliot 5 as planned. As Soyuz 23 began the automatic maneuvers for docking, a malfunction was diagnosed in the docking system. It was agreed between the astronauts at the control center to stop the flight, Zadov and Rozhchavinsky began preparations for the landing and on October 16 they landed. The flight lasted only 48 hours instead of several weeks as planned. The landing was at night at Lake Tengiz, 195 km southwest of Selinograd. The means of rescue that included planes, helicopters and vessels ensured a quick evacuation of the astronauts. General Shatalov pointed out that the rescue teams showed "a great deal of courage and even heroism" when they rescued the two astronauts from Lake Tengiz in conditions of extreme cold and darkness in the place of a blizzard.
Soyuz 24
On February 7, 1977, Soyuz 24 was launched with astronauts Viktor Gubertko, the flight commander, and Yury Glazkov, the flight engineer. This is the sub-flight of Soyuz 23. The purpose of the flight is to continue the scientific, medical and technical experiments in Soliot 5. The results of the experiments were applied in economics, science, technology and the construction of new space instruments. Stalov described the flight of Soyuz 24 - a routine flight. This flight is a continuation of the Soyuz 21 flight.
The experiments include:
1. Observations towards the Earth - photographing the territory of the Soviet Union.
2. Medical experiments - to examine the effect of electrical stimulation of the organs of balance during flight. The results of the experiments are intended to help in the selection of astronauts in the future.
3. Metallurgical experiments - to check how composite materials are melted under heat under conditions of weightlessness. Guberto and Glazkov were also trained for the possibility of off-road activity. Glasgow in particular was training for this type of activity.
First week, from February 7 to 13
February 7 - launch.
February 8 - change in the flight path. The route is 218-281 km, the inclination angle is 51.6 degrees and the duration of the lap is 89.2 minutes. Soyuz 24 later docked with the space lab. Up to a distance of 80 meters, the connecting maneuvers were automatic and from then on the maneuvers were manual. At the end of the connection, it was reported that the astronauts feel good and continue their missions as planned. The first hours after the connection were dedicated to resting in Soyuz 24. The connection was made on the 18th lap, the orbit 222 - 287 km and the angle of inclination 51.5 degrees.
February 9 - After Gobertko and Glazkov woke up, they entered the space laboratory and began their experiments.
February 11 - The experiments they performed today focused on the effect of the lack of weight on the threshold body and the sensitivity of organs in the human body to electrical stimuli.
February 12 - Today's flight path is 253-274 km, the angle of inclination is 51.6 degrees and the duration of the lap is 89.5 minutes.
Second week, from 14 to 20
February 15 - The astronauts examined the laboratory systems and replaced several parts of the laboratory computer, observations of the Earth and the clouds, electrocardiographic medical tests and blood samples that were returned to Earth. Testing special properties for growing crystals in space. Biological experiments with fish eggs and fungi eggs and examined spouting suds that were in the laboratory from the moment of launch and were returned to Israel for genetic studies.
February 16 - new experiments to test the diffusion of two organic compounds under conditions of weightlessness. In metallurgical experiments conducted today, it became clear that soldering high reliability materials can be done in space and casting metal balls do not get a "smooth surface as expected". The transmittance of the layers of the upper atmosphere was examined with the help of an infrared spectrometer telescope and with an emphasis on water vapor, ozone and nitrous oxide. The TAS agency announced that the astronauts had completed half of their flight time.
February 19 - the entire day was dedicated to medical experiments.
Third week, from February 21 to 27
February 21 - today an exercise was held to change the air in the laboratory. At the same time that the air vents were opened to take it out of the laboratory, air was introduced from the storage tanks of the laboratory. The new air was to the satisfaction of the astronauts and their doctors. However, it was decided to check the air system again due to its necessity for long flights. With the air change, a light breeze blew in the laboratory cells.
February 23 - Gobertko and Glazkov completed all the tasks assigned to them. They felt good and began preparations to return home. They transferred the results of the tests and experiments to the Soyuz spacecraft. A lot of time was devoted to packing the scientific equipment and the results of the experiments for Soliot. At the end of Ella's transfer Soliot 5 was transferred to an automatic transmission.
February 25 - At the end of the transfer of these, Soliot 5 was transferred to automatic transmission. Soyuz 24 landed safely 23 km northeast of Araklik in northern Kazakhstan and they felt good. The weather at the landing site was difficult. Strong winds and blizzards blew there. Clouds hovered low and temperatures were below zero. The Soliot 5 research program has been successfully completed.
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