What astronauts discovered in space. How do astronauts travel in outer space? Last photo of the crew

This is how work is carried out in outer space. Incredibly beautiful and just as dangerous. Working in outer space is one of the most difficult and dangerous operations during a space flight. Behind the seeming ease of movement - many hours of exhausting intense ground training and hard work in orbit.

During spacewalks, astronauts work in zero gravity. Of course, they must first be prepared for this. But how to do it on Earth with its gravity?

You can, of course, load them on the plane and ask the pilot to make a "Kepler parabola". This is when the plane gains a height of 6 thousand meters, then abruptly takes off at an angle of 45 to 9 thousand and just as sharply falls down. But this, firstly, is expensive, secondly, not every pilot is capable of such a maneuver, and thirdly, weightlessness lasts from 22 to 28 seconds. Because of this, the technique is used only at the initial stages as an introduction, writes Alena Lelikova.

You can also use a centrifuge - at the moment of a sharp change in the trajectory, you can also achieve zero gravity. But also not for long. And it costs almost more than a plane.

Oddly enough, it turned out that to solve the problem you do not need to climb high. Conditions as close as possible to weightlessness are ideally simulated by ordinary water. Therefore, in 1980 at the Cosmonaut Training Center. Yu.A. Gagarin, a hydro laboratory was built. Over the 30 years of its existence, astronauts have spent over 65,000 hours of training here, and those who have subsequently been in real space agreed: the identity of sensations is at least 95%.

Hydrolaboratory is a complex hydraulic structure with a whole range of technological equipment, special systems, equipment and mechanisms. The main part of the hydrolaboratory building is occupied by a huge reservoir: 23 meters in diameter, about 12 meters deep. Five thousand tons of water, unique in its composition, with a temperature of about 30 degrees.

A movable platform with a carrying capacity of 40 tons is installed inside the pool. On it are fixed overall layouts of the Russian segment of the International space station(ISS), the Soyuz TMA spacecraft and other equipment located at the station.

During dives, astronauts use the so-called ventilated spacesuit mock-ups, the only difference of which from the real ones is the connection to an external air source. Accordingly, the backpack of the life support system was replaced by an overall layout. Since work under water is associated with a certain danger, astronauts in space suits are accompanied by scuba divers in light diving equipment.

Diving under water creates conditions very similar to the state of weightlessness. There is even a special term - "hydroweightlessness". Under the conditions of this hydroweightlessness, future cosmonauts learn to work in outer space and study the external structure of the ISS modules. Various technologies are also being tested here.

02. An additional resemblance to airless space is provided by the special properties of water. Water with such a low density is not found anywhere else, in fact it is distilled. In addition, powerful floodlights are located outside the pool on the technical floors in a special way, the illumination of which also adds to the feeling of the complete absence of any substance around. One word - space.

03. Along the perimeter of the walls there are 45 portholes through which film photography and visual observations of the activities of astronauts during training can be carried out. The “exposure” in the hydrolab is not constant: exactly those modules that are used for training at the moment are immersed in the pool. A special mechanism raises the platform from the bottom to the surface, the used one is removed and another one is placed. Iron identity is 100%. To every nut, to every hook and every millimeter

04. The platform on which the briefing takes place is, as it were, the main part of the ISS. And various branches are already departing from it - modules

05. Left - multifunctional laboratory module, MLM. Designed for scientific experiments. He has not been in space yet, for the first time he will fly just in September together with Elena Serova, the first Russian woman cosmonaut in the last 15 years. On the right (in the upper picture it is in the lower left corner) - the MIM-1 module, also known as the "small research module"

06. Recently, cosmonaut Oleg Kotov wrote in his blog that a new MLM module is already waiting on the ISS

07. In front of the MIM - an airlock. Right now, the task of transferring it from MIM to MLM is being worked out. Its purpose is scientific experiments in outer space without a human exit. It works on the principle of a torpedo tube: from the side of the ship, equipment is installed on a special platform, the locking process takes place, the hatch opens and the platform goes out

08. By the way, that yellow crane on the opposite side is by no means for loading and unloading modules. They cling to the cosmonaut himself, this is how it looks (photo by the press service of the CPC)

09. The ISS itself, by the way, currently looks like this. According to the instructor of the Center, diving specialist of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, senior instructor-diver of the Russian Navy, honored tester of space technology and fighter pilot with 13 years of experience Valery Nesmeyanov, it is quite possible that in the future spacecraft will be collected directly in orbit, "so as not to take out such a monstrous mass from the Earth each time"

10. In the center is a part of the "SM" module - the service module. This is the main module where astronauts live. There are their cabins, and there they spend most of their time. This is specifically the part on which they worked out the experiments that literally took place in outer space on June 19

11. The layouts are hollow inside. Only the outer surface is needed for training

12. Yellow handrails (they are clearly visible in the previous pictures) are the so-called transition routes. It is on them that the astronauts move around the outer part of the station, insuring themselves with two carbines. In training in light diving equipment, there is such an exercise - they take off their fins and crawl along these handrails. Obviously, you don't have to be an astronaut to do something like this.

13. Absolutely everyone has a chance to see exactly what the astronaut sees during the exit.

14. However, the main part of the training still takes place in spacesuits. It is called "Orlan-MK-GN" and it is very, even very, very difficult to work in it. For example, one compression of a glove is a force of 16 kg. How many such compressions need to be done while moving along the handrails? Plus, you still have to work, turn the nuts there and all that ...
“It is believed that it was dangerous in the time of Gagarin. No, guys, space is dangerous even now. In December, they said on the news that a new record for the duration of a spacewalk was set, 8 hours, cheers. And not a word that it was scheduled for 6 hours!

In principle, our cosmonauts have long been approaching the 8-hour line of work, but under normal conditions. The correct distribution of forces is very important here - the most difficult in the beginning, the rest for later. Plus, psychological readiness, because from the point of view of physiology, already 3 hours of work in a spacesuit is the limit.
“I work a lot in a spacesuit, and after 3 hours it’s not just hard, it’s already painful. He's made of iron! And after six, I only moved it with an effort of will: I just think that now I need to squeeze my hand and make the muscles do it. Physical training will not help here - you will die after 3 hours, you just have to be carried away in this spacesuit. Only willpower, only the mindset that you have to overcome the pain " Valery says
And at that time, just after 6 hours of work, a banal failure occurred. It was at that moment when it was already necessary to return. And so the “new record” turned out - the guys just saved the station.

14. A picture from the ISS is broadcast in the lobby. At this particular moment - the American compartment

15. In 2010, the Hydrolaboratory turned 30 years old. Not without pleasure, I found the name of my course director in the list of achievements

16. By the way, in December the hydrolaboratory is closed for serious repairs, so if you have a desire to go into outer space, it is desirable to implement it as soon as possible

20. And the crew of our ship says goodbye to you, finally quoting our wonderful guide again:
“When we are sitting here behind this barbed wire, everyone, in their production problems, to be honest, thinks that our space industry is of no interest to anyone. But looking at your eyes, I think that apple trees will bloom on Mars too. Will you bring us an apple?.

Alexei Leonov was the first person to go into outer space on March 18, 1965, during the Voskhod-2 flight.

After leaving, due to the swollen spacesuit, Leonov could not squeeze into the airlock of the ship. He managed to do this with great difficulty.

Today, specially designed semi-rigid Russian and American spacesuits are used to exit the International Space Station. Orlan-MK, which is a miniature spacecraft, is considered the most advanced. The astronaut does not put it on, but enters through the hole in the back. It, like a hatch, is closed by a satchel with an autonomous life support system.

Preparations in orbit for a spacewalk begin a few days in advance. Suits, instruments, tools - everything must work flawlessly.

You can’t just take it, put on a spacesuit and go into space. For several hours before leaving, astronauts breathe pure oxygen to flush nitrogen out of their blood. Otherwise, with a rapid pressure drop, the blood will “boil” and the astronaut will die.

Having gone out into outer space, the astronaut turns into the same artificial satellite Earth, like a spaceship moving at a speed of 28 thousand km / h. He must be extremely careful and cautious.

The astronaut moves along the outer surface of the ship or station, constantly attaching himself to it with the help of halyards with carabiners. The slightest slip - and he will fly away from his home, without a single chance of returning. (American EMU spacesuits have such a chance - a small SAFER rocket launcher.)

In contrast to moving inside the station, in open space the astronaut's legs are "superfluous". But the entire load goes to the hands of the astronaut. This is what the interchangeable spacesuit gloves turn into after a spacewalk.

Outside work is usually carried out by two astronauts/astronauts. The ground control center closely monitors their actions. As soon as there is the slightest suspicion of a malfunction of the suit, the exit immediately stops and the astronauts urgently return back.

Only in outer space the Earth appears in all its splendor. In rare moments of respite, astronauts admire their home planet and take pictures of it with pleasure.

In March 1965, the flight of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft took place. The crew consisting of cosmonauts P. I. Belyaev and A. A. Leonov faced a difficult, but very responsible task - to carry out the first human spacewalk in history.

The direct implementation of the experiment fell to the lot and on March 18 he successfully coped with it. The cosmonaut went into open space, moved away from the ship by 5 meters and spent a total of 12 minutes and 9 seconds outside it.

The flight of the Voskhod was not without emergency situations and curious cases. It is difficult to describe how much mental and physical strength the people who were preparing this grandiose experiment - man's exit into outer space had to spend. Interesting Facts and little-known details of the flight and its preparation became the basis of this article.

Idea

The idea that it is possible for a man to go into outer space came to Korolev as early as 1963. The designer suggested that soon such an experience would not only be desirable, but absolutely necessary. He turned out to be right. In the following decades, astronautics developed rapidly. For example, maintaining the normal operation of the ISS in general would have been impossible without external installation and repair work, which once again proves how necessary the first manned spacewalk was. The year 1964 was the beginning of official preparations for this experiment.

But then, in 1964, in order to implement such a daring project, it was necessary to seriously consider the design of the ship. As a result, the well-proven Voskhod-1 was taken as the basis. One of its windows was replaced with an exit lock, and the crew was reduced from three to two. The lock chamber itself was inflatable and located outside the ship. After the completion of the experiment, before landing, she had to separate herself from the hull. This is how the Voskhod-2 spacecraft appeared.

There was another, more serious problem. Such a dangerous experiment had to be tested on animals first. However, this was abandoned, considering that the development of a special space suit for the animal was too troublesome and costly. In addition, he would not give an answer to the most important question: how will a person behave in outer space? It was decided to conduct experiments immediately on humans.

Today, astronauts are able to leave the ship for several hours and perform very complex manipulations in outer space. But in the 1960s, it seemed completely fantastic, or even suicidal.

Crew

Initially, the group of cosmonauts preparing for the flight consisted of Leonov, Gorbatko and Khrunov. Belyaev was on the verge of expulsion from the cosmonaut corps for health reasons, and only at the insistence of Gagarin was he included in the flight preparation group.

As a result, two crews were formed: the main one - Belyaev, Leonov - and the backup - Gorbatko, Khrunov. Special requirements were imposed on the crews of this expedition. The team had to work as a whole, and the astronauts had to be compatible with each other in terms of psychology.

The test results showed that Belyaev has great endurance and composure, is able not to lose his head in any situation, and Leonov, on the contrary, is impulsive, impulsive, but at the same time unusually brave and courageous. These two people, so different in character, could perfectly work in pairs, which was a necessary condition in order to carry out the first manned spacewalk.

Workout

For the first three months, the cosmonauts were engaged in studying the design and devices of the new spacecraft, followed by lengthy training in weightlessness. This required a maneuverable aircraft and a very experienced pilot who could perform with confidence. For an hour-long flight, the aircraft was able to simulate weightlessness for a total of about 2 minutes. It was during this time that the astronauts had to have time to work out the entire planned program.

Initially, they flew on MIG twins, but the astronauts tied with belts were unable to move. It was decided to take a more spacious Tu-104LL. Inside the aircraft, a mock-up of a part of the spacecraft with an airlock was installed, on this impromptu simulator, the main training took place.

Uncomfortable space suits

Today in the Museum of Cosmonautics you can see the same spacesuit in which Leonov carried out a man's spacewalk. A photo of a smiling cosmonaut in a helmet with the inscription "USSR" spread all over the newspapers of the world, but no one could imagine how much effort this smile cost.

Especially for Voskhod-2, special spacesuits were developed, which bore the formidable name Berkut. They had an additional hermetic shell, and a satchel was placed behind the cosmonaut's back. For better light reflection, even the color of the spacesuits was changed: white was used instead of the traditional orange. The total weight of the Berkut was about 100 kg.

All trainings took place already in spacesuits, the supply system of which left much to be desired. The air supply was extremely weak, which means that at the slightest movement the astronaut immediately became covered with perspiration from tension.

In addition, the suits were very uncomfortable. They were so dense that in order to clench the hand into a fist, it was necessary to apply an effort of almost 25 kilograms. To be able to make any movement in such clothes, he had to constantly train. The work was worn out, but the astronauts stubbornly went to the cherished goal - to make it possible for a man to go into outer space. Leonov, by the way, was considered the strongest and most enduring in the group, which largely predetermined his main role in the experiment.

demonstration performance

In the midst of training, Charles de Gaulle, a great friend of the USSR, flew to Moscow, and Khrushchev decided to brag to him about the successes of Soviet cosmonautics. He decided to show the Frenchman how astronauts work out a man's spacewalk. It immediately became clear that it was the crew that would participate in this “performance” that would be sent on a real flight. By order of Gagarin, at this crucial moment, Khrunov is replaced by Belyaev. According to Khrunov, he did not understand the motives for this replacement and for a long time retained a grudge against Gagarin for this inexplicable act.

Later, Gagarin explained his position to Khrunov, he believed that it was necessary to give Belyaev one last chance to fly into space. Young Khrunov could do this more than once later, besides, Belyaev was better suited to Leonov from a psychological point of view.

Trouble before the start

The day before the start there was a big trouble. Due to the negligence of a security guard, an inflatable airlock, hung out of the ship to check the tightness, unexpectedly fell and broke. There was no spare, and therefore it was decided to use the one on which the astronauts trained for a long time. This incident could have turned out to be fatal, but, fortunately, everything worked out, the reused airlock survived, and the first manned spacewalk successfully took place.

Spacewalk

Concerning human behavior in outer space, there were detractors who argued that an astronaut who stepped outside the spacecraft would immediately be welded to it, would be deprived of the ability to move, or it was completely difficult to imagine what else a person’s exit into outer space could turn out to be. 1965 could easily have been a year of great failure. However, only practice could confirm or refute these pessimistic theories.

In addition, no rescue systems had yet been developed at that time. The only thing that was done for the astronauts was the permission, in which case, just open the hatch and put your hand out of it.

When the spacecraft entered its assigned orbit, Leonov began to prepare for the exit. Everything went according to plan, when the X-hour came, the astronaut gently pushed off and floated out of the airlock into outer space.

The most terrible predictions of skeptics did not come true, and the astronaut felt quite well. He completed the entire prescribed program, and it was time to return to the ship. There were some problems with this. The suit, swollen in weightlessness, did not allow Leonov to enter the airlock. Then, without consulting anyone, he independently lowered the pressure in the suit and rushed into the airlock head first, and not vice versa, as planned. The first manned spacewalk was completed, and Alexei Leonov forever inscribed his name in the history of astronautics.

Incident on the way down

"Voskhod-2" had many shortcomings, and after the successful completion of the flight program, an emergency occurred. When the exit airlock was fired, the solar-star orientation sensors were stuck. When the ship made its 16th orbit around the Earth, an order was received from the control center to descend. But the ship continued to fly, as if nothing had happened. When he went on the 17th revolution, it became clear that the automatic attitude control system did not work, and the crew had to switch to manual control. The flight, the main task of which was the exit of man into outer space, could end in disaster.

At the cost of incredible efforts, Belyaev and Leonov regained control of the ship, but they were still almost a minute late in shutting down the engines. As a result, the planned landing site was left far behind and the descender landed in the dense forests of Perm.

Rescue operation

The astronauts remained in the winter forest for two long days. True, one helicopter still tried to throw off their warm clothes, but missed, and the bundle was lost in the snowdrifts.

The helicopter could not land in deep snow among the trees, and the astronauts did not have the necessary equipment to cut down trees, or to fill the snow with water and make a makeshift ice landing site. In the end, the rescue team reached the frozen astronauts on foot and was able to get them out of the thicket.

Despite all the difficulties of preparation and unpleasant incidents during the flight, Belyaev and Leonov coped with their main task - they carried out a manned spacewalk. The date of this event became one of the most significant milestones in the history of Soviet cosmonautics.

The 20th century gave us the world's first man in space, the first woman astronaut and the first man to go into outer space. In the same period of time, man took the first steps on the moon.

First man on the moon

The first spacecraft to bring humans to the surface of the moon was the American research manned spacecraft Apollo 11. The flight began on July 16 and ended on July 24, 1969.

Almost a day on the surface of the moon spent the pilot and crew commander: Edwin Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. Their time there was twenty-one hours, thirty-six minutes and twenty-one seconds. All this time, the command module was controlled by Michael Collins, who, while in orbit, was waiting for a signal.

Astronauts made one exit to the surface of the Moon. Its duration is almost two and a half hours. The first step to the surface of this planet was taken by the commander of the crew, Armstrong. Fifteen minutes later, Aldrin joined him. During the exit to the surface, the astronauts planted the US flag on the moon, took several kilograms of soil for further research, and also installed research instruments. They took the first photographs of the landscape. Thanks to the installed equipment, it became possible definition with the maximum accuracy of the distance between the Moon and the Earth. This significant event happened on July 20, 1969.

Thus, America won the lunar race by being the first to land on the surface of the earth's satellite, and the national goal set by John F. Kennedy was considered fulfilled.

It should be noted that some researchers call the landing of American astronauts on a natural satellite of the Earth the biggest hoax of the twentieth century. They also provide a number of evidence that there was no such landing at all.

First man in outer space

Man first went into outer space in 1965. It's about the Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. On that significant flight, he set off on March 18 together with his partner Pavel Belyaev on the Voskhod-2 spacecraft.

Upon reaching orbit, Leonov donned a spacesuit designed for spacewalks. The supply of oxygen in it was enough for forty-five minutes. Belyaev at that time began to install a flexible lock chamber, through which Leonov was supposed to carry out a spacewalk. Having taken all the necessary precautions, Leonov left the ship. In total, the astronaut spent 12 minutes 9 seconds outside of it. At this time, Leonov's partner transmitted a message to Earth that a man had gone into outer space. An image of an astronaut hovering against the background of the Earth was broadcast on television.

During the return, I had to worry, because in the vacuum conditions the suit swelled up greatly, because of which Leonov did not fit into the airlock. Being a prisoner of outer space, he independently found a way out of this situation, realizing that in this case advice from Earth will not help him. To reduce the size of the suit, the astronaut vented excess oxygen. He did this gradually, at the same time trying to squeeze into the cell. Every minute counted. Leonov prefers not to tell anyone about his experiences at that moment.

Difficulties with the suit were not the last troubles of that significant flight. It turned out that the orientation system did not work, and for landing the astronauts were forced to switch to manual control. The result of such a landing was that Belyaev and Leonov landed in the wrong place where it was supposed. The capsule ended up in the taiga, 180 kilometers from Perm. Two days later, the astronauts were discovered. This successful flight was marked by Leonov and Belyaev being awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

First female astronaut

The first woman to travel in space was Valentina Tereshkova. She made her flight alone, which in itself is an unprecedented case. Tereshkova for this flight was chosen from a large number paratroopers.

The ship "Vostok-6" was in Earth's orbit on June 16, 1963. Soviet Union became not only the first country to send its astronaut into space, but also the first country to send a woman into space. This move was politically motivated.

Surprisingly, the relatives of the world's first female astronaut learned about her flight into space from radio messages only after she made a successful landing. Knowing that the flight could well have ended in tragedy, the girl chose to keep the upcoming event a secret.

Tereshkova's flight lasted 22 hours 41 minutes. During this time, the first female astronaut made forty-eight orbits around our planet. Her call sign is "Seagull".

First person in space

Yuri Gagarin is known to be the first person to go into space. His historic flight, which thundered all over the world, was made on April 12, 1961. This date is called "Cosmonautics Day". During the time spent in orbit, Gagarin completed the entire planned program. According to his recollections, he carefully recorded all his observations, examined the Earth and even ate.

Well, before the biggest star in the universe, whose radius is one and a half thousand times greater than the radius of the sun, not a single astronaut will go in the near future. According to the website, there are no plans to send people outside solar system.
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1. Two forward motion nozzles

2. One back movement nozzle

3. Pistol grip

4. Cylinders with compressed gas

5. Life support system

6. Camera

This is what the picture of working in a vacuum looked like for the first people in space. As part of the American Gemini program, the first device for free maneuvers in space was precisely the “jet pistol”. HMNU (Hand-Helded Maneuvring Unit, or “manual maneuvering device”) worked on the basis of compressed oxygen, and whenever Gemini 4 astronaut Edward White went into space, he took it with him. Of course, with such a pistol you would not reach the moon, but it still gave much stronger hope than a safety line of communication with the ship. However, at least one astronaut's hand was occupied, and this was not very good.

21 COP was a kind of miniature spaceship, with its help in space it was possible to "build", according to the instructions.

1. Backpack with a supply of compressed gas and a control system

2. Sideshift nozzles

3. Retractable armrests with control handles

Fifty years ago, it seemed to everyone that space had been mastered in five minutes and we were about to start building colonies on the moon. But to build marvelous new world in orbit, of course, devices for individual movement were required. Rocket pistols quickly faded into the background, as they had to "aim" into the void, and the shots did not always hit the "bull's eye". An airless builder must clearly and reliably navigate in space, get exactly to the point he wants, have greater autonomy and a choice of actions for comfortable work.

"Reactive Horseshoe"

UPMK and its parts

1. The first Soviet device for moving and maneuvering a cosmonaut (UPMK), made in the form of a horseshoe with solid propellant engines, was never tested in space.

2. Battery of solid propellant engines UPMK

Already at the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, it became known that a person is easier to control with linear speed and movement than rotational movements. Therefore, the system of autonomous movement in space must be partially automated and limit the angular velocities and accelerations. We found out that the astronaut should not rotate faster than at a speed of 40-50 degrees per second. In addition, it would be nice if the system itself determines the coordinates, or at least the orientation relative to the target and the place of return. Communication with the ship or the Earth must be continuous, and all this splendor - within a few autonomous hours. But imagine: in the 60s, to allow the astronaut so many bonuses, an assembly of hundreds, if not thousands of kilograms, would be needed. The designers had to find a compromise between manual and automatic control. Yes, semi-automatic.

But the Soviet device for moving and maneuvering a cosmonaut (UPMK), which was used by the Voskhod ships, and later the Almaz military stations, promised a lot. "Horseshoe" seemed to hug the spacesuit with the astronaut. The movement was provided by two blocks: accelerating and braking, each of 42 powder engines, each of which accelerated the astronaut by 20 cm / s. It was possible to fly around the hundred-meter ISS at such a speed in 10 minutes. Slow movement was unprofitable, fast movement was dangerous and also unprofitable. The system was controlled by a joystick on the armrest, and the automation, hurray, limited the speed of the turn.

The UPMK weighed 90 kg, and the batteries made it possible to work in outer space for up to four hours offline. If an astronaut were blown into space, he could accelerate and fly in one direction at a speed of 32 m/s. In astronautics, this parameter is called the characteristic speed of the device.

Unfortunately, test UPMK in outer space Soviet cosmonauts failed.

The figure shows a prototype of an autonomous astronaut movement installation, which was tested on the American orbital station "Sky Lab" (1973-1974). The contraption could be worn over the suit, but the astronauts tested the installation only inside the huge station.

1. "Knapsack" with a control system

2. Manual movement and orientation controls

3. Spherical cylinder with compressed nitrogen

Previous variants of installations for movement used mainly solid propellant. But for the sake of increasing the characteristic speed and improving maneuverability, they also tried to use liquid.

AMU (Astronaut Maneuvering Unit)- the first American jetpack - used 90% hydrogen peroxide as fuel. The contraption weighed 75 kg, of which 20 were occupied by life support systems, and 11 were fuel. The characteristic speed of the AMU exceeded the similar parameter of the Soviet model by almost two times - 76 m/s. In orbit, the AMU was attached to the ship's instrument-aggregate compartment from the outside. What was the job of an astronaut in outer space like?

Being in a spacesuit, the cosmonaut left the pressurized cabin, using the handrails he got to the device and put it on like a satchel. After that, you can break away from the apparatus and begin maneuvers. In total, the astronaut and AMU weighed 185 kilograms. Propulsion in space was provided by 16 small rocket engines. How did the AMU tests go?

The systems fell on June 1966 during the flight of the Gemini-9A spacecraft. But everything went extremely horribly. Eugene Cernan, with great diligence, reached the installation, climbed into it, but suddenly found that he could not see anything. While the astronaut traveled through open space to AMU, his helmet was flooded with sweat. And don't wipe it off with your hand. In addition, Cernan could not manipulate the AMU joystick - his hand did not reach, and when he reached, he broke the handle. In general, I had to return to the ship.

Only by the 1980s did the equipment become smaller and lighter, and the mass reserve for additional devices increased. The long-awaited large-scale construction, space communism did not come. The cosmonauts' mobility devices were now supposed to serve only for the examination of satellites, as well as for checking the external condition of the station. For these tasks, full automation of the process was no longer required. But still, the astronauts were waiting for a change.

Cosmonaut vehicle (SPK) 21KS

"Take a picture, like I'm flying in space"

In February 1990, cosmonauts A. Viktorenko and A. Serebrov got the opportunity to test the SPK 21 KS device in space, flying around the Mir station in turn. Journalists called it a "space bike", but in reality it turned out to be terribly uncomfortable. As Serebrov said, “since the cosmonaut’s hands are rigidly attached to the handles, he really couldn’t do anything with the load, which means it’s impossible to use the SPK for transportation.”

21KS (SPK), developed in the Soviet Union, could operate in two modes: economical and forced. The first mode limited the linear and angular speeds near the station or target satellite. The turn around, since the angular speed was extremely limited, lasted at least 20 seconds. The forced mode served to quickly move at a safe distance from the station and for emergency response in the event of a collision. Compressed air, which served as fuel for jet nozzles, was stored like divers in two 20-liter cylinders at a pressure of 350 atmospheres and was released through 32 nozzles. The control panels were located on two consoles - under the astronaut's hands.

The first flight tests of the 21KS took place in February 1990. Serebrov and Viktorenko went into outer space from the Kvant-2 module and moved away from the station by 35-45 meters. Yes, they used a safety winch, but in the normal mode, the SPK had to work without it, moving away from the Mir station by 60 meters and from the Buran station by 100. Why such a difference? In the event of a malfunction, the Buran SPK could easily catch up with the astronaut.

MMU: Manned Maneuvering Unit

Bruce McCandels at MMU

Ours made 21KS, peeping from the Americans a manned maneuvering unit MMU. Being similar in design to the 21KS, it had a lower characteristic speed and weighed 30 kg less. Two aluminum cylinders, reinforced with Kevlar, contained 6 kg of nitrogen, which served as fuel for the jet propulsion of the system. Unlike the Soviet system, the MMU was used to solve practical problems.

In 1984-1985, American astronauts with the help of the MMU removed several telecommunications satellites from orbit that did not reach the calculated orbits. Joseph Allen and Dale Gardner caught Westar VI and Palapa B2. The Challenger brought them to Earth. But despite the success of the MMU, the Challenger disaster, which, according to eyewitnesses, “traumatized the nation” and almost led to the closure of the space program altogether, put an end to MMU as well. In addition, the cost of manned flights turned out to be so high that it would be cheaper to launch a new device than send a repairman to a broken one.

Now, to renew interest in developing manned spacecraft controls, we need to start exploring the Moon and Mars.

What is used in space today?

So far, few tasks have been assigned to mobility devices. If an astronaut accidentally moved away from the station during a spacewalk, for example. USK (Russian Cosmonaut Rescue Device) is attached to the back of the Orlan-M suit and is powered by its batteries. With it you can exit through a hatch with a diameter of 0.8 meters. The Americans use a similar USK - SAFER (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue, or a simplified device for rescuing an astronaut during extravehicular activity), and have used it at least a hundred times during spacewalks.