All books are about: “prepare a comparative…. Conquerors of space Message space explorers of the 20th and 21st centuries

This digest is dedicated to the 52nd anniversary of Yu.A.’s flight. Gagarin. Whatever they say, this man is and will always be considered a space pioneer.

There is information (though not confirmed by documents) that the leadership of our country wanted so much to win the country the title of leader in the space industry that the first attempts to send a spacecraft with a person on board into orbit began already in 1957. When this information was declassified in the 90s, we learned the names of the first heroes who died; these were test pilots Ledovskikh (1957), Shaborin (1958) and Mitkov (1959).

The name of the pilot launched in 1960, the capsule with which for unknown reasons changed the direction of flight and went into the abyss of space, will remain forever unknown. In September 1960, cosmonaut Pyotr Dolgov died when a launch vehicle exploded. Grachev, Kachur, Lobov... These highly qualified test pilots disappeared without a trace in the depths of the cosmonaut training center along with all their documents.

There are records of Vladimir Ilyushin, who went into orbit in April 1961, and even made three orbits around the Earth, but suffered an accident during his return. However, official sources provide information that the famous pilot Vladimir Ilyushin died shortly before in a car accident...

I repeat, the author of the text could not find official information about all of the above.

One way or another, on April 12, 1961, Yu.A. Gagarin became the first person to leave the Earth.

Gagarin died under mysterious circumstances on March 30, 1968, during a routine training flight. After lengthy discussions and analysis of millions of facts, both the official and unofficial versions converged on one. The pilots (Gagarin and Seregin) were completely healthy, took off in a fully operational machine and did not encounter any interference (birds or foreign objects) in the sky, however, as a result of some error (human factor, as they say now), an emergency situation was created that the pilots could not deal with cope with.

2. The first living creatures to leave the Earth were ordinary fruit flies - Drosophila, sent into space in 1947 by the Americans on a V-2 rocket. The purpose of the launch was to test the extent of the effects of radiation on a living organism at high altitudes. The experiment was successful - the fruit flies returned safe and sound.

3. June 11, 1948 year, on a ballistic rocket built on the basis of the famous German V-2, the Americans sent the rhesus monkey Albert I into space. Without even rising 100 kilometers, the animal died from suffocation. Albert II took up the baton a year later. The flight itself went well, the planned altitude (134 kilometers) was achieved. But during landing, the parachute of the capsule did not open, and Albert II also died. Only in 1951 everything worked out and the monkey-astronaut managed to return to his native land. It was already Albert VI...

The Americans launched many more apes into space, but the most famous are: the monkey Gordo, who became the first monkey in space, he was launched on December 13, 1958, and the chimpanzee Ham, launched in January 1961. The monkey circled the Earth in 1 minute 39 seconds, for which it is rightly called “the first Gagarin.”

The era of monkey flight ended in 1962. Macaque Bonnie was returned early from space due to deteriorating health. Twelve hours later she died. The American public came to the defense of animals, and the US Congress was forced to put an end to experiments with monkeys.

4. Therefore, the first mammals to officially cross the Karman Line and return alive(the imaginary boundary of the Earth and space, passing at a distance of 100 km from the surface of the planet), there were two dogs. On July 22, 1951, from the Kapustin Yar training ground, the dogs Dezik and Tsygan rose to a height of 110 km and returned alive. When Dezik was relaunched as part of the second pair, the crew died due to parachute failure. These were the first space victims.

5. But the first animals to enter Earth’s orbit were dogs. In Russia (due to a shortage of monkeys), dogs were used as experimental cosmonauts. Initially, however, they were going to send a pig into space. The country's leadership did not like this idea: “Can you imagine the headlines of Western newspapers? "Russian pigs in space!" It's just a shame! The rootless dog Laika, picked up on the street, managed to become famous. Alas - posthumously.

When preparing the animal for flight, scientists knew that the pug would not come back. The spacecraft on which she flew did not have a descent module, and the dog was doomed to burn up along with the satellite in the upper atmosphere. On November 3, 1957, Laika took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. As it turned out many years later (the information was classified as “secret” for a long time), the “cosmonaut” died a few hours after takeoff from stress and overheating. Later, scientists admitted that they had sent the poor animal to certain death. They were in such a hurry to launch the satellite for the next anniversary of the October Revolution that they did not have time to fully think through the design of the rocket.

On April 11, 2008, in Moscow, on Petrovsko-Razumovskaya Alley on the territory of the Institute of Military Medicine, where the space experiment was being prepared, a monument to Laika was erected. The two-meter high monument represents a space rocket, turning into a palm, on which life-size Laika proudly stands. In addition, the older generation saw the profile of a dog on a pack of cigarettes of the same name, which were quite popular in the USSR.

Interestingly, French scientists “trained on cats.” Felicette the cat successfully flew to the stars in 1963.

6. The first orbital flight of living creatures with a successful return to Earth - the dogs Belka and Strelka on August 19-20, 1960 on the Soviet ship Sputnik-5. They safely made a couple of orbits and after 25 hours returned to earth safe and sound.

By the way, have you ever wondered why females were chosen for the flight into space? This is explained very prosaically - it was easier for them to make a toilet. Before the flight, they were trained to properly maintain hygiene in confined spaces. By the way, only mongrels were sent into space, as they were more resilient and stress-resistant. However, they did not forget that if the flight had a favorable outcome, the dogs would have to show off on the pages of newspapers and magazines, as well as in front of television cameras. Therefore, the applicants were chosen the most beautiful, slender, with “intelligent” faces.

7. Quails were the first to reproduce in space. On March 22, 1990, a quail hatched in a special space “maternity hospital.” This was the first creature born in orbit. After the first chicken, a second, a third appeared...

And on Earth at the same time, biologists were eagerly awaiting the appearance of quails from the control group of eggs. As if on cue, they also began to hatch on time. The scientists did not hide their joy: if everything continues to go normally, it means that living organisms are able to reproduce and multiply in unusual conditions. And this opens up great prospects for humanity: during long space “business trips” it is possible to breed small pets... However, being born in space does not at all mean taking root there. The quails were unable to adapt to weightlessness. Of the entire furry team, only three chicks returned to Earth.

8. The first female cosmonaut - Valentina Tereshkova, June 16, 1963. When choosing Tereshkova for the role of the first female cosmonaut from five trained applicants, as usual in our country, political factors were also taken into account: Tereshkova was from the workers, while the others were from the employees. In addition, Tereshkova’s father, Vladimir, died during the Soviet-Finnish war, which also fit perfectly into the beautiful story.

Tereshkova spent three days in orbit and landed safely near a small village in the Altai Territory. A few days later, Valentina Tereshkova was reprimanded for violating the regime in the area of ​​the landing site: she distributed food supplies from the astronauts’ diet to local residents, and she herself ate local food after three days of fasting. Tereshkova hid the fact of the flight from her parents, and they learned about it on the radio.

On November 3 of the same year, Valentina Tereshkova married cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolaev. She is the only woman in Russia to hold the rank of general (awarded to her in 1995).

9. The first spacewalk by an astronaut on March 18, 1965. For 10 minutes, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov was outside the spacecraft.

It is noteworthy that, having become the first cosmonaut to walk into outer space, Alexey Leonov almost became the first cosmonaut to die in outer space. Coming out of the airlock, Leonov forgot to fasten the safety cord, and if his partner Pavel Belyaev had not caught his leg, the cosmonaut would have remained in low-Earth orbit forever. In addition, when the crew returned, it turned out that the engineers of the Flight Control Center made a mistake in the calculations (according to other sources, due to a failure of the spacecraft's orientation system), and the descent module landed several thousand kilometers from the calculated point. The cosmonauts had to ski out of the taiga and wait for several days for help from a helicopter.

Some time after our cosmonaut Leonov went into outer space, the Americans managed to repeat the same experiment. On June 3, 1965, American astronauts James McDiwatt and Edward White, launched on the Gemini IV spacecraft, walked into outer space.

10. First landing on the Moon - July 21, 1969. American astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin, Michael Collins approached the surface of the moon on the Apollo 11 spacecraft. Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon.

The moon landing has divided the world community into two opposing camps: some consider it a grandiose hoax and support their position with very weighty arguments, others do not see anything strange in minor inconsistencies in documents, photos and videos confirming the landing, and consider their opponents to be envious and provocateurs .

There are entire groups of scientists who prove their versions based on images of traces, the length and direction of shadows, the dynamics of the movement of people and equipment, etc. NASA also added fuel to the fire by refusing to show the original film recording of the astronauts’ stay on the Moon, and then reporting that the unique footage was lost in the archives, and instead presenting the public with a reconstruction of the events filmed in Hollywood.

One way or another, we will never know the truth, and we can either believe that the landing took place or not believe it.

Thus, the first steps towards space exploration were taken. The following events began to develop at incredible, cosmic speed. Here are the most notable of them.

The world's first soft landing on the surface of Venus - the Soviet interplanetary station "Venera-7" - December 15, 1970.

The first man-made object reaches the surface of Mars - the Soviet interplanetary station Mars-2 - on November 27, 1971.

The first man-made object to cross the asteroid belt and thereby reach the Outer Solar System was the American spacecraft Pioneer 10, February 15, 1973.

The first spacecraft to fly near the planet Jupiter was Pioneer 10, December 4, 1973.

The first international, Soviet-American, manned space flight - Soyuz-19 and Apollo, July 15, 1975 (Soyuz-Apollo program). This event is considered to be the end of the 18-year “space race”.

The first person in space who is neither a citizen of the USSR nor a citizen of the USA is Vladimir Remek (Czechoslovakia), March 2, 1978, Soyuz-28 - Salyut-6.

The first spacecraft to fly near Saturn was the American spacecraft Pioneer 11, September 1, 1979.

The first flight lasting more than six months - Soyuz-36 - Salyut-6 - Soyuz-37, Leonid Popov, Valery Ryumin, April 9, 1980.

The world's first spacecraft to transmit color photographs and sound recordings from the surface of Venus was the Soviet spacecraft Venera-13, March 1, 1982. She worked on the surface of this planet for a record and still unsurpassed time: 127 minutes.

The first time a female cosmonaut joins the crew is Soyuz T-7, Svetlana Savitskaya, 1984.

The first man-made object to leave the Solar System (reaching the orbit of Neptune, which at that time was further than Pluto from the Sun) was the American spacecraft Pioneer 10, June 13, 1983.

The first person in history to work in outer space without any connection with the ship (in free flight) was astronaut Bruce McCandless II, Challenger STS-41B, February 7, 1984.

The first female cosmonaut performs a spacewalk - Soyuz T-12, Svetlana Savitskaya, July 25, 1984.

The first American woman to walk in outer space is Katherine Sullivan, October 11, 1984.

First American Senator in Space - Edwin Garn, Discovery STS-51D, April 12, 1985

The first interorbital flight from one space station to another was made from Mir to Salyut-7 on the Soyuz T-15 spacecraft, Leonid Kizim, Vladimir Solovyov, May 4, 1986.

The first flight lasting one year - “Soyuz TM-4” - “Mir (orbital station)” - “Soyuz TM-6”, Vladimir Titov, Musa Manarov, December 21, 1987 - December 21, 1988

The first and only space flight of the Soviet reusable transport ship Buran. The spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome using the Energia launch vehicle on November 15, 1988

The first spacecraft to fly near the Martian satellite Phobos and transmit photographs of its surface was the Soviet AMS Phobos-2, February 21, 1989.

The first paid flight into space. The first commercial non-state astronaut, the first professional journalist in space, the first Japanese in space - Toyohiro Akiyama. December 2, 1990

The first and last curious case when cosmonauts launched in the USSR in 1991 landed in a country with a different name - the Russian Federation - Sergei Krikalev and Alexander Volkov, Soyuz TM-13, March 25, 1992

The first and only artificial satellite of Jupiter was the American spacecraft Galileo on December 8, 1995.

First ever successful Mars rover mission. The Sojourner rover was delivered to Mars by the American Mars Pathfinder on July 4, 1997.

The first Chinese spacecraft "Shenzhou-1" - the beginning of the Chinese manned program (an unmanned launch for now), November 20, 1999.

The first soft landing of a spacecraft on the surface of an asteroid in history was made by the American spacecraft “NEAR Shoemaker” on the surface of Eros, February 12, 2001

The world's first space tourist - Dennis Tito (USA), Soyuz TM-32 - ISS - Soyuz TM-31, April 28, 2001, flight duration 7 days 22 hours. The flight cost him $20 million. Previous commercial cosmonauts are not considered tourists, since they flew with the money of sponsors, whose tasks they carried out in flight.

The first and only artificial satellite of Saturn was the American-European space probe Cassini-Huygens, July 1, 2004.

The first ever soft landing in the Outer Solar System, the European Huygens probe successfully entered the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan, landed on its surface and transmitted photographs from there on January 14, 2005.

The first delivery to Earth of a capsule with samples of cometary substance was made by the American spacecraft “Stardust” on January 15, 2006.

The first marathon in space. While in orbit, Sunita Williams took part in the marathon, which is held annually in Boston, on April 16. A special simulator was built for marathon running in zero gravity. Running time - 4 hours 23 minutes.

The first hereditary cosmonaut (son of an astronaut) in space - Sergei Volkov, April 8, 2008.

China's first three-seat spacecraft, Shenzhou-7, launched on September 25, 2008.

The first successful experiment to deploy a solar sail was carried out by the Japanese spacecraft IKAROS on June 4-10, 2010.

On December 8, 2010, the private Dragon spacecraft reached low-Earth orbit for the first time.

The first ever private space transport flight to the ISS was made by the American Dragon spacecraft on May 22, 2012.

The first man-made object to enter the boundary of interstellar space is the American spacecraft Voyager 1, June 14, 2012. At the moment, this spacecraft has reached its greatest distance from Earth.

Man has dreamed of conquering space since ancient times, looking at. The first steps in this direction were made only in the 20th century, when many space discoveries were made. A huge number of scientists from all over the world have contributed to the development of this area. Neither two bloody wars nor the plight of the countries after the end of hostilities hindered the research. People did everything to achieve their plans.

First steps

Designer Sergei Korolev achieved real success. According to his design, a rocket was created, with the help of which the first artificial satellite was launched from the surface. This rocket became the progenitor of all modern devices.

Although the first satellite was able to stay in orbit for only three months, it was the first real achievement that gave impetus to further discoveries. Thanks to Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, Russian cosmonautics is now so developed.

A month after this significant event, another, no less important, event occurred. And again thanks to our compatriots. The first living creature flew into the world - the dog Laika. She was given the mission to test whether the survival of a living creature within space was possible. The launch of the satellite and the first few orbits around the planet were successful, but the unexpected happened: the air inside the satellite heated up to a critical temperature. The dog’s body could not bear this, Laika died heroically, but the satellite itself continued to move in orbit for another five months.

Then there were several more not entirely successful launches of satellites with animals inside. New discoveries made it possible to achieve a positive result. And in 1960, after a day's stay in space, a satellite landed on Earth containing the dogs Belka and Strelka - the first space explorers in the 20th century.

Attention! Both dogs were white - this was not accidental, since the image from the cameras was transmitted in black and white, so white dogs were specially chosen so that they could be clearly visible against the background of the satellite’s skin.

Dogs Belka and Strelka

After the successful landing of Belka and Strelka, certain conclusions were drawn. The satellite on which the dogs safely visited near-Earth space became the prototype of the spacecraft for the first human flight, which took place 8 months later.

On April 12, 1961, a man flew into space for the first time. On this day, the Vostok 1 spacecraft was launched, with pilot Yuri Gagarin on board. The flight lasted only 90 minutes, which gave the whole world the opportunity to believe that this was possible. In an instant, Yuri Gagarin became the most famous person, information about him spread all over the world, the man finally conquered space. The flight was not at all comfortable, it was a miracle that Yuri Alekseevich was not injured, because during the flight he experienced eightfold overload, this is not comparable to the conditions of modern flights.

Thanks to the successful flight, the space industry began to develop rapidly. Such significant events took place as:

• flight into space of the first woman Valentina Tereshkova;
• first flight of a multi-seat spacecraft;
• Alexey Leonov's first spacewalk;
• the first step taken on the moon by Neil Armstrong.

After the above achievements, there came a period when exclusively short flights were made in order to better study outer space. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, astronauts did not have the opportunity to stay in orbit longer. The problem was solved with the help of a grandiose project - the creation of an international space station.

Yuri Gagarin

How the ISS was developed

The process of creating the space station consisted of three stages.

First

The prototype of the international space station was the Soviet ISS Almaz. Its development began back in the 60s of the 20th century. Scientists planned that it could be constantly in orbit for about two years, and 2-3 astronauts could live in it. Food supplies had to be delivered using special transport ships. But the launch of such a station was delayed for a long time, due to the fact that additional research was carried out in order to reduce its energy consumption.

ISS “Almaz”

Second

The next, more advanced model was the Soviet Salyut station. The working and living compartments consisted of two cylinders of different sizes. The smaller one contained a living compartment, a station control center and a place for storing and eating food. The larger one houses a scientific laboratory, filled with everything necessary for research, and a sanitary area. The first version of Salyut was launched in April 1971. The experiment was successful, so space exploration was carried out with the help of this station for a long time.

ISS Salyut

Third

The closest to the ISS in terms of internal structure was the modular manned complex “Mir”. The fundamental difference between this particular complex and all previous ones was its modular design. The complex itself consisted of several main modules, and it was possible to both disconnect old ones without loss and attach new ones if necessary. It is this principle that was borrowed when creating the ISS.

Attention! The launch of the already completed Almaz station was delayed for almost twenty years. As a result, it was launched, but in a completely different role than previously planned.

ISS Mir

The principle of the ISS design

The International Space Station consists of several modules. The first, called Zarya, was launched into orbit at the end of the twentieth century. It was similar to some blocks of the Mir station. It was intended not so much for research work, but to ensure a comfortable life in space. Next, the American “Unity” and the next Russian module “Zvezda”, designed to control the entire station, were launched. After the launch of the last module, the ISS was able to function independently. At the same time, the first sending of astronauts to the new station took place.

Attention! Each module of the ISS is completely independent, and can exist even if the others are damaged. Such a device helps to minimize losses in case of possible malfunctions.

In total, from the launch of the ISS to the present day, 53 expeditions have gone into orbit. More than a hundred people have already been in space. The discoveries of the 21st century have made it possible to significantly develop the space industry and, perhaps, even space tourism will become possible in the near future.

Cosmonautics in Russia developed very rapidly. Since the first flight, a lot has changed, from the time spent in zero gravity to the comfort of flights. Using the example of five flights to the ISS, a comparative table has been compiled that allows you to see how the conditions have changed.

Conclusions: the first six expeditions were delivered into orbit using American Space Shuttles and consisted of three people; the average duration of the crew’s stay in space was about four months.

Before the launch of the seventh expedition, the unexpected happened: one of the shuttles designed to transport astronauts broke down, after which it was decided to rotate crews only with the help of Soyuz spacecraft. The number of crew members was reduced to two.

Only the 13th crew was sent again on the shuttle and again consisted of three people, while two were delivered into orbit by Soyuz spacecraft and only one arrived on the shuttle. Starting from the 20th expedition, it was decided to increase the number of crew members to six. The 20th and 21st expeditions still used the Space Shuttle for transportation; starting from the 22nd expedition, replacement of crew members began to be carried out exclusively with the help of Soyuz spacecraft.

Cosmonautics has achieved enormous success in the 20-21st century and has moved far forward. All space explorers of the 20th century are worthy of respect. In the 21st century, 52 expeditions were carried out, more than a hundred people visited the Earth’s orbit.

Pilot-cosmonaut Georgy Grechko, who visited space three times, said the following: “Each long flight took a year or two of life. For example, the leg muscle decreased by seven centimeters during the flight.” This is the difficult work that astronauts do to advance science and the future of the planet.

Useful video: incredible technical creations of people in space

Useful video: historian Andrei Fursov on how the conquest of space determined the worldview.

Conclusion

The question of who won the race to conquer space was finally decided in favor of Russia. Now - the only official language in orbit is .

The twentieth century is a century of rapid development of science, a century of conquest of the Earth and going beyond its borders. And among the space explorers there were many women. In total, 57 of them were in orbit. Let's start with those who were the first to leave the planet.

1. Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (03/6/1937), USSR. In 1963, at the age of 26, she flew on Vostok-6. She became the first woman in space and the only one to fly there alone. And in 1995 she became the only female general in the Russian army, receiving the rank of major general in 1995. Hero of the Soviet Union.

2. Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya (08/08/1948), USSR. In August 1982 she flew twice on the Soyuz T-5 and Soyuz T-7 spacecraft and was at the Salyut-7 orbital station. In July 1984, during a flight on the Soyuz T-12 spacecraft, she went into outer space for the first time from the Salyut-7 station. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (the only one among women).

3. Sally Ride (05/26/1951-07/23/2012), USA. Flew in 1983, 1984. The total period of stay in orbit is 14 days. She died in 2012 from pancreatic cancer.

4. Judith Resnik (04/5/1949-01/28/1986), USA. Judith comes from a Jewish family, her grandfather is from Kyiv.

In 1984, she spent 6 days flying on the Discovery. She died while returning from her second flight in 1986 on the Challenger.

5. Catherine Dwyer Sullivan (October 3, 1951), USA. Three times as part of the Space Shuttle crew, it went into orbit (1984, 1990, 1992). The first of the Americans entered the open.

6. Anna Lee Fisher (08/24/1949), USA. Flew in 1984.

7. Margaret Rea Seddon (11/8/1947), USA. Flights: 1985, 1991, 1993

8. Shannon Lucid (01/14/1943), USA. Flights: 1985, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996 She spent 188 days at the Mir station (1996).

9. Bonnie Jeanne Dunbar (03/03/1949), USA. Flights 1985, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1998

10. Mary Louise Cleave (02/05/1947), USA. Flights 1985, 1989

11. Christa McAuliffe (09/2/1948 – 01/28/1986), USA. Died while returning from the first flight of the Challenger.

12. Ellen Louise Shulman Baker (04/27/1953), USA. Flights: 1989, 1992, 1995

13. Katherine Ryan Cordell Thornton (08/17/1952), USA. Flights: 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, total time in orbit 40 days, in outer space - 21 hours.

14. Marsha Sue Ivins (04/15/1951), USA. Flights 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2001, total time in orbit - more than 55 days.

15. Linda Maxine Godwin (07/2/1952). Flights: 1991, 1994, 1996, 2001, total time in orbit 38 days, in outer space - 10 hours.

16. Helen Patricia Sharman (05/30/1963), Great Britain. In 1991, Soyuz TM-12 flew to the Mir orbital station. In 2011 she was awarded the medal "For Merit in Space Exploration".

17. Tamara Elizabeth Jernigan (05/07/1959), USA. Flights: 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1999, total time in orbit - more than 63 days, in outer space - 8 hours.

18. Millie Elizabeth Hughes-Fulford (12/21/1945), USA. Flight: 1991, total flight time - 9 days.

19. Roberta Lynn Bondar (12/4/1945), Canada. The first Canadian woman made a flight in 1992 on the Discovery shuttle for more than 8 days.

20. Nancy Jen Davis (11/1/1953), USA. Flights: 1992, 1994, 1997 In 1992, Nancy flew on the shuttle STS-47 with her husband, establishing such a sweet championship

21. May Carol Jamison (10/17/1956), USA. The first black woman in space. She made her flight in 1992 together with Nancy Jane Davis. And thanks to May, the Star Trek series featured a real astronaut for the first time.

22. Susan Jane Helms (02/26/1958), USA. Flights: 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2001 Together with James Voss, she spent a record time continuously in outer space in 2011 - 8 hours 56 minutes.

23. Ellen Ochoa (05/10/1958), USA. Flights: 1993, 1994, 1999, 2002, total time in orbit - more than 40 days.

24. Janice Elaine Voss (October 8, 1956 – February 6, 2012), USA. Flights: 1993, 1995, twice in 1997, 2000 In 2012 she died of breast cancer.

25. Nancy Jane Kerry (12/29/1958), USA. Flights: 1993, 1995, 1998, 2002

26. Chiaki Mukai (05/06/1952), Japan. The first flight in 1994 on the Columbia shuttle lasted more than 14 days, the second - 9 days on the Discovery shuttle in 1998

27. Elena Vladimirovna Kondakova (03/30/1957), Russia. During her first flight in 1994, Elena spent 5 months at the Mir station. The second time she flew in 1997 on the American shuttle Atlantis for 9 days. In 1995 E.V. Kondakova was awarded the title "Hero of the Russian Federation".

28. Eileen Marie Collins (11/19/1956), USA. Flights: 1995, 1997, 1999, 2005 She became the first woman to command a spaceship.

29. Wendy Berrien Lawrence (07/2/1959), USA. Flights: 1995, 1997, 1998, 2005, total time in orbit – 51 days.

30. Mary Ellen Weber (08/24/1962), USA. Flights: 1995, 2000, total flight time - 18 days.

31. Katherine Grace Coleman (12/14/1960), USA. Flights: 1995, 1999 (Colubia shuttle), 2010 (Soyuz TM-20), total time in orbit - 180 days, of which 159 days on the ISS.

32. Claudie Haignere (05/13/1957), France. Flights: 1996 (Soyuz TM-24 - Mir station), 2001 (Soyuz TM-33 - ISS). The total time in orbit is 25 days.

33. Susan Kilrain (10/24/1961), USA. Flights: 1997 twice.

34. Kalpana Chawla (07/1/1961 – 02/1/2003). Born in India, she studied at the Punjab Engineering College. In 1982 she moved to the USA to continue her education.

In 1990 she accepted American citizenship. Flights: 1997, 2003 Both flights lasted 15 days; during landing for the second time, the Columbia shuttle, along with 7 crew members, crashed.

35. Katherine Patricia Haire (August 26, 1959), USA. Flights: 1998 (shuttle Columbia), 2010 (shuttle Endeavor).

36. Janet Lynn Kavandi (07/17/1959), USA. Flights: 1998, 2000, 2001

37. Julie Payet (10/20/1963), Canada. Flights: 1999 (shuttle Discovery), 2009 (shuttle Endeavor), total flight time - more than 25 days.

The most exciting adventure of all mankind began in the middle of the 20th century, shortly after the end of the main tragedy of the century - the Second World War. A revolution took place that captured the minds and souls of people from different countries, and the first space explorers of the 20-21st century appeared. We broke out into outer space and mastered it relentlessly and uncontrollably. How did this happen in people’s lives and the development of technology, what awaits us now, in the 21st century?

The beginning of space exploration

Space exploration was initially carried out by two superpowers - the USSR and the USA, whose confrontation resulted not only in political clashes and an arms race, but also in rivalry in science and technology. Despite efforts and great financial resources, the United States at the dawn of the space age could not become pioneers and leaders in it. Space explorers of the 20-21st centuries, they will later catch up - they will create manned shuttles, super-powerful telescopes and send rovers to study the Red Planet. For now, we will start with a description of the first space launch.

The criterion for classifying a flight as a space flight is crossing the Karman line at an altitude of 100 kilometers.

PS-1, created and launched, was able to reach the required speed, overcome the gravity of the Earth and was launched into orbit by a launch vehicle in October 1957. The companion could not say a memorable, soul-touching phrase about steps for humanity like what Neil Armstrong said. PS-1 only broadcast “Beep-Beep!”, but this was enough to open a new era in the history of our civilization.

The first space explorers of the 20-21st centuries

When asked to remember the pioneers of space, the smiling face of Yuri Gagarin appears before the eyes of any person. But still, the first living organism sent into Earth orbit was not he, but fruit flies. Ordinary fruit flies were launched by the Americans in 1947 to conduct research into the effect of high altitude on the degree of radiation in the body.

The flies returned alive and well, and to replace them, just a year later, a macaque named Albert I flew away. Albert was less fortunate - he died of suffocation before reaching the Karman line, which means without actually having been in space.

Then there were several more Alberts, but still the first mammals to rise to a height of more than 100 km and return from there alive were two dogs - Dezik and Gypsy. They were launched in 1951 by the USSR. The dogs did not reach orbit. There were several more attempts to conduct an orbital flight, but the first, with a successful return home, did not happen until 1960. Belka and Strelka, and with them four dozen mice and two rats flew around the Earth and returned safe and sound. Soon after the end of the flight, Strelka became the mother of six puppies, whose fate was taken over by Nikita Khrushchev. He gave one of the space dog puppies to the daughter of the President of America, Caroline Kennedy. Thus, the first space explorers of the 20-21st centuries were our smaller brothers, to whom we need to pay tribute and memory.

First man in space

Nothing will ever change the fact that the first cosmonaut on the planet was Soviet citizen Yuri Gagarin. Having said the world-famous phrase “Let's go!”, he entered low-Earth orbit on the Vostok-1 spacecraft.

The flight did not last long - 108 minutes, but all this time people below in different countries listened to radios and did not take their eyes off their TV screens. They did not yet understand, but rather felt the significance of this flight for everyone living on the planet.

Relatively little time has passed, and space explorers of the 20th and 21st centuries are already breaking the record again. The flight duration is amazing. The Russian cosmonaut spent more than a year at the Mir station.

The most significant space events of the 20th century

Having broken away from the Earth, humanity had no intention of stopping. Science fiction writers wrote books in which people explore and colonize other planets, film creators conceived the first space battles and the space explorers of the 20th and 21st centuries marched forward. The comparative table will further show how the development of the era of astronautics proceeded.

The dream of setting foot on the surface of a celestial body other than the home planet was realized in the landing of American astronauts on the Moon. The man who conquered the only natural satellite of our planet was Neil Alden Armstrong. It disturbed the Sea of ​​Tranquility on July 20, 1969.

After studying the nearest celestial bodies, astrophysicists chose a new target - Mars. And now the Mars 2 station, belonging to the USSR, rushed towards it. With its help, an object created by the efforts of human hands and minds first landed on the surface of the Red Planet, and in 1983, on the American Pioneer 10, the first man-made object left the boundaries of our solar system.

The last known achievement in delivering objects created by mankind away from Earth was the exit of the American spacecraft Voyager 1 beyond the boundaries of the solar system, then, years later, reaching interstellar space.

Space explorers of the 20-21st centuries: a comparative table of achievements of the USSR and the USA

Summary table “Space Conquerors of the 20-21st Century”

Conclusions: the USSR's lag in quantitative indicators of space exploration began to increase since the 1970s of the 20th century. The gap became significant in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Modern astronautics

The 20th century saw a space boom, a revolution, but the surge cannot last long. reached a qualitatively different level and has continued consistently and without shock since then. And this is what the space explorers of the 20-21st centuries fought for. In physics, the knowledge gained is systematized, achievements in theory and practical research, carried far beyond the boundaries of the earth’s shell, are generalized.

One of the main directions is the development of more advanced manned and nuclear-powered spacecraft for interplanetary flights.

Once again, space explorers of the 20th and 21st centuries are rushing into outer space. In physics and astronomy, the possibilities of colonization are routinely explored when the Earth's resources are exhausted or it is overpopulated. The space military industry is developing, still at the stage of spy satellites. Regular flights and satellite launches have raised the question of clearing outer space above the Earth from

In the last century, during the Cold War and the technological race, the USSR ushered in the space age. The country managed to achieve tremendous success in space exploration, despite the fact that it continued to restore the national economy destroyed by the war. In the period from 1957 to 1966, more than 180 space objects were launched, the first cosmonaut was sent into space, the first manned spacewalk was carried out, the study of the Moon, Mars and Venus was begun, and a number of fundamental discoveries were made. To remember how space was conquered, we go to the Cosmonautics Museum at VDNKh in Moscow.

The space age was opened by the USSR on October 4, 1957, when the world's first artificial Earth satellite was launched. Layout 1:1.

He stayed in space for three months, making about 1,400 revolutions around the Earth.

Liquid rocket engine RD-114 (1952-1957) for the first stage of the Cosmos launch vehicle. Fuel: oxidizer - a mixture of nitrogen oxides and nitric acid; fuel is a product of kerosene processing.

Ejectable container for experimental animals. It operates on the principle of an ejection seat. In August 1960, Belka and Strelka returned to earth alive in this capsule.

Arrow.

Squirrel.

Simple mongrels from the street were sent into outer space, since they were the most resilient compared to domestic ones. Such flights were intended to test whether future astronauts could survive the flight. Before Belka and Strelka, three more dogs went into space: Laika in 1957, Lisichka and Chaika in July 1960. All three died.

On April 12, 1961, senior lieutenant Yuri Gagarin (call sign: Kedr) made the world's first flight into space on the Vostok spacecraft. After 108 minutes in space and one complete revolution around the planet, Major Yuri Gagarin landed safely on Earth.

The 27-year-old became a hero. Who are the heroes and idols of youth now? Justin Bieber?

The Vostok spacecraft (scale 1:3), on which Gagarin carried out the world's first flight into space. It consisted of a descent module and an instrument compartment with a propulsion system.

This table was used to train astronauts.

Gagarin awards.

Another achievement in astronautics - on June 16, 1963, the world's first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, flew into space. And here we are ahead of the whole world. She is now 76 years old.

It is worth mentioning the name of Sergei Korolev, who was the creator of Soviet rocket and space technology.

The next achievement was that in March 1965, together with Pavel Belyaev, Alexey Leonov flew into space on the Voskhod-2 spacecraft. During the flight, Leonov made the first spacewalk (12 minutes 9 seconds). He is now 79 years old.

Leonov dreamed of becoming an artist, but became an astronaut. Leonov A. A. "Over the Black Sea", 1974

The Berkut spacesuit was intended for going into space. Used by Belyaev and Leonov in 1965. The weight of the spacesuit without the backpack is 20 kg.

"Lunokhod-1" is the world's first automatic self-propelled vehicle. Delivered to the Moon in November 1970. In 318 days, he covered more than 10 kilometers, studying the lunar surface. Layout 1:1.

Globe of the Moon.

The Luna-1 automatic station is the first spacecraft in the world to reach a second escape velocity. The device was launched in 1959 and was supposed to reach the surface of the Moon. Not reached.

The Mir orbital station, which served 5,500 days in orbit (15 years: from 1986 to 2001).

This is what a bedroom looks like at an altitude of several hundred kilometers from Earth.

Products on board the Mir.

Looking towards the sun in space will cause a severe burn to your face. In order to avoid this, spacesuit lenses are made using gold.

Laboratory aircraft IL-76. In it, astronauts practice various operations in conditions of short-term weightlessness during 25-30 minute modes.

Do you know who our cosmonauts are now?

More photos from the museum:

Museum of Cosmonautics at VDNH. Located under the Space Conquerors Monument (photo taken from