Russia is proud of its achievements in satellite technology andinvestigation of outerspace. On October 4, 1957, the world's first artificialsatellite was launched in our country. With «Sputnik-1» a great dealof programmes of space exploration were implemented. Over the next few years anumber of unmanned spaceships of various kinds, ranging from meteorological andcommunications satellites to lunar probes were launched.
On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union launched «Vostok-1».For the first time in the history of mankind a manned spacecraft was launchedinto outerspace. It carried Yury Gagarin in a single orbit around the Earth.German Titov piloted «Vostok-2» spacecraft. It was launched on August6, 1961, on the first manned spaceflight of more than a single orbit. ValentinaTereshkova, the first woman to travel into space, was launched on June 16, 1963in «Vostok-6», which completed 48 orbits in 71 hours. In space at thesame time was Valery Bykovsky, who had been launched two days earlier in«Vostok-5»; both of them landed on June 19.
«Vostok» flights had demonstrated that man could functionwhile weightless in space. The «Vostok» spacecraft enabled thepreparation of new, more complicated flights. Taking over the traditions of thesingle-sitter «Vostok», multi-sitter «Voskhod» and «Soyuz»spacecraft began to circle around the orbits of the Earth.«Voskhod-2», a two-piloted spacecraft was constructed in such a waythat the cosmonaut could leave the ship during flight. On March 18, 1965,Aleksey Leonov left the spacecraft through an airlock to become the first manto float free in space.
Developed for the Earth-orbital space station programme«Soyuz» aircraft were equipped for extended missions of scientificexperimentation while in the Earth orbit of up to 30 days duration. There were40 manned and unmanned «Soyuz» spaceships which were launched between1967 and 1981. It should be stressed that 30 «Soyuz» flights involvedits docking with an orbiting «Salyut» space station. The first recordfor the longest manned mission in spaceflight history was set in 1981 by thecrew of «Soyuz-35». It remained on board «Salyut-6» for 185days. Other notable «Soyuz» flights include «Apollo-Soyuz»Test Project, the first joint space venture undertaken by the United States andthe Soviet Union. During this mission, conducted in July 1975, a three-man U.S.«Apollo» spacecraft met and docked with the two-man«Soyuz-19» craft. The crews performed joint experiments for two days.The joint «Apollo-Soyuz» mission achieved all its major objectives.
«Salyut-1», launched April 19, 1971, was the world's firstspace station. In 1986 the Soviet Union launched a more advanced type of spacestation «Mir». This station — a large, permanent, multimannedorbiting complex — was designed to accommodate various modules for crew livingquarters and research facilities. On March 13, 1986, cosmonauts Leonid Kizimand Vladimir Solovyev were sent aboard a «Soyuz» spacecraft to dockwith «Mir» and become its first occupants. They spent 53 daysadjusting equipment and bringing the complex into workable order. Othercosmonauts later visited the station. In 1987 Yury Romanenko set a newendurance record of 326 days in space. The previous record 237 days, was set in1984 by a Soviet crew in «Salyut-7» space station. In the 1970s and1980s our scientists concentrated their efforts on numerous experiments intoouterspace which involved the cosmonauts' repeated docking. Various«Salyut» orbiting laboratories were equipped for extended missions ofscientific experimentation. On board «Salyut» stations our cosmonautsconducted scientific research and made valuable observations of the solarsystem.
— How long did it take Yury Alekseyevich Gagarin to orbit the Earth?
— It took Yury Alekseyevich Gagarin 1 hour 29 minutes to orbit theEarth.
— How was the first cosmonaut awarded?
— Yury Gagarin's spaceflight brought him world-wide fame. The firstcosmonaut was awarded the Order of Lenin and given the titles of Hero of theSoviet Union and Pilot Cosmonaut of the Soviet Union. Monuments were raised tohim and streets were renamed in his honour across the Soviet Union.
— What do you know about the first cosmonaut?
— In 1951 Yury Gagarin, the son of a carpenter, finished as amoulder a trade school near Moscow. He continued his studies at the industrialcollege at Saratov. At the same time he took a course in flying. When Gagarinfinished this course he entered the Soviet Air Force cadet school at Orenburg.He finished it in 1957. Yury Gagarin never went into space again. Heparticipated in training other cosmonauts. Yury Gagarin visited severalcountries following his historic flight. From 1962 he served as a deputy to theSupreme Soviet.
— What do you know about the second Soviet cosmonaut?
— German Titov, the second Soviet cosmonaut, was accepted in 1953for aviation cadet training. In 1957 he graduated from the Stalingrad FlyingAcademy as a jet fighter pilot. In 1960 Titov entered cosmonaut training.During this course he received the Order of Lenin for an engineering proposal.The «Vostok-2» flight lasted 25 hours 18 minutes. Titov was given acode name «Eagle.» His radio signal, «I am Eagle!» wasspoken with excitement and impressed people all over the world. After hisflight Titov became a Hero of the Soviet Union. In 1962 he became a deputy ofthe Supreme Soviet. He held the position until 1970. In 1968 Titov graduatedfrom the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy. He became a major general in1975. In subsequent years Titov was an assistant to the chief editor of theJournal «Aviation and Cosmonautics».
— When did the USA launch the first satellite?
— The first U.S. satellite «Explorer-1» was launched onJanuary 31, 1958, about four months after «Sputnik-1».
— How many satellites were launched by our country and the UnitedStates?
— For forty years both nations successfully launched more than 5,000satellites and space probes of all varieties for conducting scientificresearch, communications, meteorological, photographic reconnaissance, andnavigation satellites, lunar and planetary probes, and manned space flights.
— When did the USA launch its first manned spacecraft?
— On May 5, 1961, the United States launched its first mannedspacecraft, a «Mercury» capsule in which astronaut Alan Shepard, Jr.,made a 15 minute suborbital flight.
— When were men landed on the surface of the Moon?
— On July 20, 1969, the United States landed men on the surface ofthe Moon.
— Who was the first to step on the Moon?
— On July 16, 1969, Armstrong, with Edwin Aldrin and MichaelCollins, blasted off in the «Apollo-11» vehicle toward the Moon. Fourdays later, the «Eagle» lunar landing module, guided manually byArmstrong, touched down on a plain near the southwestern edge of the Sea ofTranquillity. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong stepped from the «Eagle»onto the Moon's dusty surface with the words, «That's one small step for[a] man, one giant leap for mankind.» Armstrong and Aldrin left the modulefor more than two hours and deployed scientific instruments, collected surfacesamples, and took numerous photographs. On July 21, after 21 hours and 36minutes on the Moon, they lifted off to rendezvous with Collins and begin thevoyage back to the Earth. The astronauts splashed down in the Pacific on July24. They visited 21 nations.
— How many lunar landings were made by the USA?
— The USA made five more lunar landings on subsequent«Apollo» flights. During the lunar landings astronauts explored thesurface of the Moon, collected rock and soil samples, and performed a varietyof scientific experiments. The last lunar landing was made in December 1972.
— What has the USA devoted its attention to since the mid- 1970s?
— Since the mid-1970s, the United States has devoted its attentionto developing the space shuttle, a reusable space vehicle that lifts off like arocket and lands like an ordinary aeroplane. The shuttle craft have been usedto deploy and repair satellites in the Earth orbit.
— When did the United States launch the first reusable mannedvehicle?
— On April 12, 1981 the United States launched the first reusablemanned vehicle. It was the 20th anniversary of manned space flight.
— What can you say about planetary studies carried out by the U.S.and Soviet scientists?
— Although the United States and the Soviet Union made manned flighta major goal in their space programmes, during the 1960s and '70s, thescientists of both countries undertook ambitious planetary studies withunmanned deep-space probes. The most significant missions were the«Viking» landings on the Mars; the «Voyager» flybys of theJupiter, the Saturn, and the Uranus. The Soviet Union did not land men on theMoon. It launched a series of robot lunar probes («Luna» and«Zond») that returned important data and soil samples.«Luna-16», for example, made a soft-landing on the Moon in September1970, obtained a core sample of soil, and returned it to the Earth in a sealedcapsule.
— What do people want to gain by exploring outer space?
— The flight into outerspace allows man to penetrate into newspheres of unpredictable discoveries. Scientists are interested in spaceexploration because today physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy need new data,which can not be found on the Earth. Moreover, Space Age has given mankind achance to find thinking creatures in other Galaxies. It is believed that thereare more than 100 million civilisations throughout the world. It is known farand wide that since early times the human beings have been interested in thestudy of the Universe. Their hopes have been connected with the discovery ofintellectual creatures on the planets of other galaxies. The idea of otherworlds existing in the Universe cost Giordano Bruno his life. Now all thebeliefs may become true, and living beings may be found in the distant worldsof other solar systems.
Список литературы
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