Accidents in space. The six most terrible space disasters (photo, video)
Shuttle Challenger
Year: 1986
Country: USA
The bottom line: a spacecraft with a full crew on board exploded in the air after launch
Official reason: depressurization of solid fuel booster elements / low-quality technology
In the mid-1980s, the Space Shuttle program experienced an unprecedented take-off. Successful missions went one after another, and the launches of the devices were carried out so often that the breaks between them sometimes did not exceed 20 days. The mission of the Challenger STS-51-L shuttle was somewhat unusual: in addition to the astronauts, there was a school teacher Krista McAuliffe on the spacecraft, who, according to the idea of the Teacher in Space project, was supposed to conduct a couple of lessons directly from space. Therefore, a huge number of people watched the broadcast of the shuttle launch on television - up to 17% of the country's population.
On the morning of January 28, the shuttle took off into the sky from Florida's Cape Canaveral to the admiring applause of the public, but after 73 seconds it exploded, and the debris falling off the ship rushed to the ground. The astronauts survived the explosion, but died on landing from the impact of the cabin on the water at a speed of 330 km / h.
After the explosion, the operators continued to film what was happening through numerous cameras, and the faces of people who were watching the launch from the observation site of the cosmodrome got into the frame at that moment. Among them were relatives of all seven crew members. Thus was filmed one of the most dramatic reports in the history of television.
A ban on the use of shuttles for 32 months was immediately announced. After this incident, the technology of solid fuel boosters was seriously improved, and a parachute rescue system for astronauts was added to the shuttles.
Shuttle Columbia
Number of dead: 7 people
Year: 2003
Country: USA
Bottom line: the spacecraft burned up during re-entry with a full crew on board
Official reason: damage to the thermal insulation layer on the wing of the apparatus / ignoring minor problems by the technical staff
On the morning of February 1, the crew of the Columbia STS-107 shuttle was returning to Earth after a successful space mission. At first, entry into the atmosphere proceeded normally, but soon the temperature sensor on the left wing plane of the apparatus transmitted anomalous values to the Mission Control Center. Then four sensors of the ship's hydraulic system in the same wing went off scale, and after 5 minutes communication with the ship was lost. While the MCC employees were arguing about what had happened to the sensors, one of the TV channels was already showing live the silhouette of a shuttle falling apart in flames. The entire crew was killed.
This tragedy hit the prestige of American astronautics so hard that a temporary ban was immediately imposed on the Shuttle flights, and then US President George W. Bush after some time announced that the Space Shuttle program was technologically outdated and would be closed, and NASA resources should be directed to creation of a new manned spacecraft. It was during the moratorium on shuttle flights in 2003 that the Americans were first forced to turn to Russia with a request to deliver astronauts to the ISS with the help of Russian Soyuz. Coincidentally, in the same year, 9 months later, for the first time in history, the Chinese went into space, successfully carrying out a manned launch of their Shenzhou-5 apparatus. Against the backdrop of the tragedy with Colombia, this was very painfully perceived by the American leadership.
Apollo 1
Year: 1967
Country: USA
The bottom line: the crew was burned alive during a simulation training in the command module of the ship
Official reason: spark, short circuit current / probably poorly insulated wiring
In the midst of the lunar race between the superpowers, speed became the top priority. The Americans knew that the USSR was also building a lunar shuttle, and they were in a hurry to implement their Apollo program. Unfortunately, far from only the quality of technology suffered from this.
In 1966, the launches of the unmanned Apollo 1 were successfully carried out; at the end of February 1967, the first launches of the manned version of the apparatus were already planned. To begin crew training, the first version of the ship's command module was delivered to Cape Canaveral. The problems began from the very beginning - the module was seriously underdeveloped, and the engineers made the necessary changes already on the spot. On January 27, a simulated crew training in the command module was scheduled; it was supposed to check the operability of the devices before the conditional launch.
Virgil Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee entered the module at approximately one o'clock. Pure oxygen was pumped into the cockpit instead of air, and training soon began. She passed with constant malfunctions - either the connection was turned off, then Grissom noticed a strange smell in the cockpit, and the training had to be stopped. During the next check, the sensors recorded a power surge (probably due to a short circuit). 10 seconds later, at 18:31 local time, White shouted into the speakers "We have a fire in the cockpit!". Some eyewitnesses claim that cameras captured White making his way to the hatch in a desperate attempt to open it. A few seconds later, spaceport workers heard Chaffee's cry “I'm on fire!” from the speakers, the connection was interrupted, and the module could not withstand the internal pressure and burst. The people who arrived in time for him could no longer help - the entire crew was dead.
Cabin of Apollo 1 after the fire
After the tragedy was taken whole line measures: replacing all materials in the module with non-combustible ones, coating the wires with Teflon, replacing the hatch with a model that opens outwards, as well as changing the composition of the artificial atmosphere before launch - they switched from pure oxygen to its share of 60%, the remaining 40% was occupied by nitrogen.
Soyuz-1
Number of dead: 1 person
Year: 1967
Country: USSR
Bottom line: the spacecraft was unable to slow down the fall after entering the atmosphere and crashed on impact with the ground
Official reason: the main drag chute did not deploy / technology flaw or manufacturing error
April 23 was supposed to be the first ever test of a manned spacecraft of the Soyuz series. USSR in last years far behind the United States, while on the other side of the Atlantic every few months new space records were set. Despite the fatal flaw in the design of the apparatus, the leadership of the space industry decided to nevertheless conduct tests on the designated day.
Soyuz-1 with pilot Vladimir Komarov entered orbit. It was supposed to dock in space with another ship - Soyuz-2, which was supposed to be launched with its crew of three people later. However, one of the solar panels did not open at Soyuz-1, and the crew of the second ship did not fly. Komarov was ordered to return to Earth, which he did almost manually due to insufficient study of the ship's orientation capabilities.
Thanks to the professionalism of the pilot, the entry into the atmosphere went well, but at the last stage of the landing, the main drag parachute did not open. The spare opened up, but became entangled, and the ship soon crashed into the surface of the planet at a speed of 50 m/s. Komarov died.
After the incident, the further implementation of the Soyuz manned launch program was postponed for 18 months, the braking system was tested on 6 unmanned launches, and many design improvements were made.
Soyuz-11
Number of dead: 3 people
Year: 1971
Country: USSR
Bottom line: the crew of the ship died during reentry due to decompression
Official reason: premature opening of the vent valve, depressurization of the cabin of the apparatus / probably a flaw in valve technology
The mission of the Soyuz-11 crew consisted of docking with the Salyut-1 orbital station and various work on board. Despite some difficulties, the crew was able to work at the station for 11 days. Then a serious fire was recorded, and the astronauts were ordered to return to Earth.
Entry into the atmosphere, deceleration, landing - outwardly everything went in the normal mode, however, the cosmonauts did not answer the questions of the MCC. When the hatch of the apparatus was opened, all the crew members were dead. It soon became clear that they suffered from decompression sickness - there was a depressurization of the ship at high altitude, which caused the pressure to drop sharply to an unacceptable level. There were no space suits in the spacecraft - that was its design. Due to unbearable pain, the astronauts were unable to fix the problem in time, according to some versions, this was impossible.
After this tragedy, the pilots of the Soyuz began to be supplied with spacesuits without fail, because of which they had to launch crews of two people instead of three (the suits took up a lot of space, and the Soyuz cockpits were very cramped). Over time, the design was improved, and the Soyuz again began to fly in threes.
These are all the disasters in history associated with the flights of astronauts, or with preparations for them (in the case of"Apollo 1"). However, there is another type of tragedy, which, with some reservations, can also be attributed to space disasters. He claimed dozens of times more lives. We are talking about emergency rocket launches.
Disaster at Baikonur
Number of dead: 78-126
Year: 1960
Country: USSR
Essence: the ignition of the fuel tanks of the rocket before launch, the strongest fire
Official reason: premature activation of one of the rocket engines / violation of security measures
Just six months before Gagarin's legendary flight at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, a tragedy so terrible occurred that all the data was securely classified, despite the huge number of victims, and the world could only learn about it shortly before the collapse of the USSR, in 1989.
In connection with the aggravation of international relations due to the "Berlin crisis", Khrushchev in 1959 ordered to speed up the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles. On October 24, 1960, a test of the R-16 rocket was scheduled at the Plesetsk cosmodrome. The rocket, according to many, required significant improvements, there were disputes about whether to postpone testing. The majority spoke in favor of continuing the work, and the head of the Strategic Missile Forces, Marshal Nedelin, who led the launch, according to eyewitnesses, answered the objections with the phrase - "What will I tell Nikita? ... To finalize the rocket at the start, the country is waiting for us."
Nedelin, with some other project participants, was located just 17 meters from the rocket, giving an example that you should not be afraid of launching. A 30-minute readiness was declared, but soon there was a freelance start of the second stage engine, the flame of which could break through the pyromembrane of the fuel tanks, which were already unready for launch. An avalanche-like fire began, waves of fire diverged in all directions, eyewitnesses say that they saw burning people running screaming from the rocket. Rescue work was able to start only two hours later, when the flames subsided.
On the left - the R-16 explosion, on the right - rocket fragments on the launch pad
©Wikimedia Commons
After the tragedy, the security regime at the cosmodrome, as well as the organization of rocket launches, were seriously improved.
Sersi missile silo fire, Arkansas
Number of dead: 53
Year: 1965
Essence: a fire in a closed missile silo
Official reason: Oxygen leak due to damaged hydraulic hose
On August 8, in one of the launch missile silos near the settlement of Sersi, work was carried out under the modernization program Project YARD FENCE. During the modernization of the 7-storey mine, it was decided to leave the intercontinental ballistic missile LGM-25C Titan-2 inside, but for safety reasons, the warhead was removed from it.
One of the workers accidentally damaged a hydraulic hose with a cutter, flammable liquid began to flow out of it. The fumes spread through the shaft, those who felt it rushed to the upper floors, where the exit was. Subsequently, a wildfire occurred, and a large fire claimed the lives of 53 workers. Only two managed to leave the mine and escape.
The rocket never exploded, the shaft was restored only 13 months later.
Titan-2 rocket in the launch silo
©Wikimedia Commons
Disaster at the Plesetsk cosmodrome
Number of dead: 48
Year: 1980
Country: USSR
The bottom line: the explosion of rocket fuel tanks before launch
Official reason: the presence of catalytically active materials in the filters of fuel tanks / negligence of the design bureau
On March 18, the Vostok rocket with the Icarus spy satellite on board was preparing for launch at the cosmodrome. There was a gas station various fuels- kerosene, liquid oxygen, nitrogen. On the last step filling was carried out with hydrogen peroxide.
It was at this stage that a fire occurred, as a result of which 300 tons of fuel detonated. A massive fire started, killing 44 people on the spot. Four more died from burns, the number of surviving wounded is 39.
The commission blamed the negligence of the combat crew that carried out the launch. It wasn't until 16 years later that an independent investigation was conducted, which cited the use of hazardous materials in the construction of hydrogen peroxide fuel filters as the cause.
Disaster at the Alcantara spaceport, Brazil
Number of dead: 21
Year: 2003
Country: Brazil
Essence: rocket explosion as a result of an unplanned launch of one of the engines
Official reason: "dangerous concentration of volatile gases, damage to sensors and electromagnetic interference" (State Commission report)
The launch of the VLS-3 rocket was scheduled for August 25. The venue is the Alcantara cosmodrome in the north of the country, very convenient for launching spacecraft due to its proximity to the equator. With a successful launch, a rocket with two satellites on board was supposed to turn Brazil into the first space power. Latin America. This was the country's third attempt to obtain this status, after two previous unsuccessful launches.
On August 22, the final tests were already carried out, about 100 people worked near the rocket. Suddenly, one of the four engines of the first stage of the rocket turned on, a fire started, and subsequently the fuel tanks exploded. The rocket and the 10-story launch pad structure were completely destroyed by the explosion.
After the incident, the Brazilian space program was temporarily paralyzed - many scientists and engineers working on the rocket were killed in the explosion, and a full-scale investigation began. The exact technical cause of the accident, however, has not been established.
The ruins of the launch pad at the Alcantara spaceport
©Wikimedia Commons
Disaster at the Xichang spaceport, China
Number of dead: 6-100
Year: 1996
Country: China
The bottom line: the fall of a rocket after launch on a populated village
Official reason: damage to the gold-aluminum wiring in one of the engines
In the second half of the 1990s, China began to actively develop its own space program. It was in 1996 that an agreement was concluded between Russia and China on cooperation in the field of manned cosmonautics, which, according to experts, provided the PRC with the necessary technological base for a breakthrough in the development of its space industry.
Cooperation was also carried out with the United States - in 1996, the Chinese rocket of the Long March family was supposed to launch an American communications satellite into orbit Intelsat 708. The launch was scheduled for February 15 local time. The launch site was the Xichang Cosmodrome in southwestern China.
The rocket launched at the scheduled time, but soon began to roll and after 22 seconds it fell on a village near the cosmodrome and exploded.
Commissions to investigate the incident have been set up in both the US and China. And if both expert groups agreed with each other on the technical cause of the accident, then their results differ greatly in assessing the dead. The Chinese leadership announced 6 deaths, American experts - about a hundred.
Storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions - earthly cataclysms cost nothing to destroy human civilization. But even the most formidable elements will sink when a cosmic catastrophe enters the scene, capable of blowing up planets and extinguishing stars - the main threat to the Earth. Today we will show what the Universe is capable of in anger.
The dance of the galaxies will spin the Sun and throw it into the abyss
Let's start with the biggest disaster - the collision of galaxies. After some 3-4 billion years, it will crash into our Milky Way and swallow it up, turning into a huge egg-shaped sea of stars. During this period, the night sky of the Earth will break the record for the number of stars - there will be three to four times more stars. Do you know, ?
The collision itself does not threaten us - if the stars were the size of a table tennis ball, then the distance between them in the galaxy would be 3 kilometers. The biggest problem is the weakest, but at the same time the most powerful force in the Universe - gravity.
The mutual attraction of the stars in the merging Andromeda and the Milky Way will protect the Sun from destruction. If two stars approach each other, their gravity accelerates them and creates a common center of mass - they will circle around it, like balls around the edges of a tape measure. The same thing will happen with galaxies - before connecting together, their cores will “dance” next to each other.
What does it look like? Watch the video below:
Fear and loathing in the cosmic abyss
These dances will bring the most trouble. A star on the outskirts like the Sun will be able to accelerate to hundreds and even thousands of kilometers per second, which will break through the attraction of the galactic center - and our luminary will fly away into intergalactic space.
The Earth and other planets will remain together with the Sun - most likely, nothing will change in their orbits. True, the Milky Way, which pleases us on summer nights, will slowly move away, and the usual stars in the sky will be replaced by the light of lonely galaxies.
But you might not be lucky. In galaxies, in addition to stars, there are also whole clouds of interstellar dust and gas. The sun, once in such a cloud, begins to “eat” it and gain mass, therefore, the brightness and activity of the star will increase, irregular strong flares will appear - a real cosmic catastrophe for any planet.
Online galaxy collision simulator
To simulate a collision, left-click on a black area and drag the cursor slightly while holding the button towards the white galaxy. So you will create a second galaxy and set its speed. To reset the simulation, click reset at the bottom.
In addition, collisions with clouds of hydrogen and helium are unlikely to benefit the Earth itself. If you are not lucky enough to be in a massive cluster, you can find yourself inside the Sun itself. And about such things as life on the surface, water and familiar atmosphere can be safely forgotten.
Another Andromeda galaxy can simply “squeeze out” the Sun and include it in its composition. Now we live in a calm region of the Milky Way, where there are few supernovae, gas flows and other troubled neighbors. But no one knows where Andromeda will “populate” us - you can even fall into, full of energy of the most outlandish objects in the galaxy. The earth cannot survive there.
Should I be afraid and pack my bags to another galaxy?
There is one old Russian joke. Two old women walk past the planetarium and hear the guide say:
So, the Sun will go out in 5 billion years.
In a panic, one of the old women runs up to the guide:
- After how much, how long will it go out?
“In five billion years, grandma.
— Uf-f-f! Thank God! And it seemed to me that after five million.
The same applies to the collision of galaxies - it is unlikely that humanity will be able to survive until the moment when Andromeda begins to swallow the Milky Way. There will be little chance even if people try very hard. Already in a billion years, the Earth will become too hot for life to exist somewhere other than the poles, and after 2-3 there will be no water left on it, as on.
So you should only be afraid of the catastrophe below - it is much more dangerous and sudden.
Space disaster: supernova explosion
When the Sun runs out of its supply of stellar hydrogen fuel, its upper layers will be blown into the surrounding space, and only a small hot core, a white dwarf, will remain of it. But the Sun is a yellow dwarf, an unremarkable star. And big stars, 8 times more massive than our luminary, leave the cosmic scene beautifully. They explode, carrying small particles and radiation hundreds of light-years away.
As in the case of collisions of galaxies, gravity has a hand here. It compresses aged massive stars to such an extent that all their matter detonates. Interesting fact- if a star is twenty times larger than the Sun, it turns into. And before that, she also explodes.
However, it is not necessary to be large and massive in order to one day shine in a supernova. The sun is a single star, but there are many star systems where the luminaries revolve around each other. Brother stars often age with different speed, and it may turn out that the “older” luminary burns out to a white dwarf, and the younger one is still in its prime. This is where the trouble begins.
When the "younger" star ages, it will begin to turn into a red giant - its shell will expand, and the temperature will decrease. The old white dwarf will take advantage of this - since there are no longer nuclear processes in him, nothing prevents him, like a vampire, from “sucking out” the outer layers of his brother. Moreover, it sucks them out so much that it breaks the gravitational limit of its own mass. Therefore, a supernova explodes like a big star.
Supernovae are the blacksmiths of the Universe, because it is the force of their flashes and compression that generates elements heavier than iron, like gold and uranium (according to another theory, they arise in neutron stars, but their appearance is impossible without a supernova). It is also believed that the outbreak of a star in the neighborhood of the Sun helped to form, including our Earth. Let's thank her for that.
Don't Rush to Love Supernovas
Yes, starbursts can be very useful - after all, supernovae are a natural part of the life cycle of stars. But for the Earth, they will not end in anything good. The most vulnerable part of the planet for supernovae is. Nitrogen, from which it mainly consists in the air, under the influence of supernova particles will begin to combine with ozone
And without the ozone layer, all life on Earth would become vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. Remember that ultraviolet quartz lamps cannot be looked at? Now imagine that the whole sky has turned into one huge blue lamp that burns out all life. Marine plankton, which produce most of the oxygen in the atmosphere, will be especially bad.
Is the threat to Earth real?
What is the probability that a supernova will hit us? Look at the following photo:
These are the remains of a supernova that has already illuminated its own. It was so bright that in 1054 it could be seen as a very bright star even during the day - and this despite the fact that the supernova and the Earth are separated by six and a half thousand light years!
The diameter of the nebula is 11 . For comparison, our solar system from edge to edge takes 2 light years, and to the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, 4 light years. There are at least 14 stars within 11 light-years around the Sun - each of them can explode. And the “combat” radius of a supernova is 26 light years. Such an event happens no more than 1 time in 100 million years, which is very common on a cosmic scale.
Gamma-ray burst - if the Sun became a thermonuclear bomb
There is another cosmic catastrophe, much more dangerous than hundreds of supernovae at the same time - a burst of gamma radiation. This is the most dangerous type of radiation that penetrates through any protection - if you climb into a deep basement from metal concrete, the exposure will decrease by 1000 times, but will not disappear completely. And any suits are completely unable to save a person: gamma rays weaken only two times, passing through a centimeter-thick sheet of lead. But a lead suit is an unbearable burden, dozens of times heavier than knightly armor.
However, even during the explosion of a nuclear power plant, the energy of gamma rays is small - there is not such a mass of matter to feed them. But such masses exist in space. These are supernovae of very heavy stars (like the Wolf-Rayet stars we wrote about), as well as the merger of neutron stars or black holes - recently such an event was recorded by gravitational waves. The strength of a gamma-ray flash of such cataclysms can reach 10 54 ergs that are emitted over a period of milliseconds to an hour.
Unit of measure - star explosion
10 54 erg - is it a lot? If the entire mass of the Sun became a thermonuclear charge and exploded, the energy of the explosion would be 3 × 10 51 erg - as in a weak gamma-ray flash. But if such an event occurs at a distance of 10 light years, the threat to the Earth will not be illusory - the effect would be like that of a nuclear bomb explosion on every conventional hectare of the sky! This would destroy life on one hemisphere instantly, and on the other in a matter of hours. Distance will not greatly reduce the threat: even if gamma radiation breaks out at the other end of the galaxy, an atomic bomb will reach our planet for 10 km 2 .
A nuclear explosion is not the worst thing that can happen
About 10 thousand gamma-ray bursts are recorded annually - they are visible at distances of billions of years, from galaxies on another. Within a single galaxy, a burst occurs approximately once every one million years. A logical question arises -
Why are we still alive?
The mechanism of the formation of a gamma-ray burst saves the Earth. Scientists call the energy of a supernova explosion "dirty" because it involves billions of tons of particles that scatter in all directions. A “pure” gamma-ray burst is a release of only one energy. It occurs in the form of concentrated rays extending from the poles of an object, star or black hole.
Remember the stars in the analogy with table tennis balls that are 3 kilometers apart? Now let's imagine that a laser pointer is screwed to one of the balls, shining in an arbitrary direction. What is the chance that the laser will hit another ball? Very, very small.
But do not relax. Scientists believe that gamma-ray bursts have already reached the Earth once - in the past they could cause one of the mass extinctions. To know for sure whether the radiation will reach us or not, it will be possible only in practice. However, it will be too late to build bunkers then.
Finally
Today we walked only through the most global space disasters. But there are many other threats to Earth, such as:
- Asteroid or comet impact (we wrote about where you can learn about the consequences of recent falls)
- The transformation of the Sun into a red giant.
- Flash on the Sun (they can be).
- Migration of the giant planets in the solar system.
- Stop rotation.
How to protect yourself and prevent tragedy? Follow science and space news and explore the universe with a reliable guide. And if something is unclear, or you want to know more - write in the chat, comments and go to
On June 30, 1971, the first crew of the Salyut orbital space station in the history of astronautics, consisting of Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsaev, died while returning to Earth. This tragic incident was the largest in the history of Russian cosmonautics - the entire crew died.
The Soviet and American space programs operated in a highly competitive environment. Each of the parties sought to get ahead of the competitor at all costs and become the first. At first, the palm belonged to the USSR: the first launch of an artificial satellite of the Earth, the first launch of a man into space, the first man's spacewalk, the first flight of a woman astronaut remained with the Soviet Union.
The Americans focused on the moon race and won. Although the USSR had a theoretical opportunity to be the first to be in time, the program was too unreliable and the probability of a catastrophe was too high, so the Soviet leadership did not dare to risk the lives of their astronauts. The Soviet lunar detachment of cosmonauts was transferred to training under the Docking program for the first flight to the orbital station.
Having safely landed on the Moon, the Americans proved to themselves that they can also do something, after which they became overly carried away by the Earth's satellite. The USSR at that time was already developing a project for a manned orbital station and won another victory in this area by launching its orbital station two years earlier than the United States did.
The Salyut station was planned to be launched into orbit by the beginning of the 24th Congress of the CPSU, but it was a little late. The station was put into orbit only on April 19, 1971, ten days after the closing of the congress.
Almost immediately, the first crew was sent to the orbital station. On April 24, five days after the station entered orbit, the Soyuz-10 spacecraft launched from Baikonur. On board were the ship's commander Vladimir Shatalov, flight engineer Alexei Eliseev and test engineer Nikolai Rukavishnikov.
It was a very experienced crew. Shatalov and Eliseev have already made two flights on the Soyuz spacecraft, only Rukavishnikov was a newcomer to space. It was planned that Soyuz-10 would successfully dock with the orbital station, after which the astronauts would stay on it for three weeks.
But things didn't go as planned. The ship safely reached the station and began docking, but then failures began. The docking port pin interlocked with the station, but the automation failed and the corrective motors began to work, causing the Soyuz to sway and the docking port to break.
Docking was out of the question. Moreover, the entire program of the Salyut station was in jeopardy, since the astronauts did not know how to get rid of the docking pin. It could have been "shooted off", but this would have made it impossible for any other ship to dock with the Salyut and meant the collapse of the entire program. The design engineers who were on Earth got involved in the matter, who advised installing a jumper and using it to open the lock and remove the Soyuz pin. After several hours, this was finally done - and the astronauts went home.
Crew change
Preparations for the Soyuz-11 flight began. This crew was slightly less experienced than the previous one. None of the astronauts has been in space more than once. But the crew commander was Alexei Leonov - the first person to make a spacewalk. In addition to him, the crew included flight engineer Valery Kubasov and engineer Pyotr Kolodin.
For several months they trained in docking both in manual and automatic modes, because it was impossible for the second time in a row to lose face and return from flight without docking.
In early June, the departure date was determined. At a meeting of the Politburo, the date was approved, as was the composition of the crew, which everyone unequivocally certified as the most skillful. But the unthinkable happened. Two days before the launch from Baikonur, sensational news came: during a standard pre-flight medical examination, doctors took an X-ray of Kubasov and found a slight blackout in one of his lungs. Everything pointed to an acute tuberculosis process. True, it remained unclear how it could be viewed, because such a process does not develop in one day, and the astronauts underwent thorough and regular medical examinations. One way or another, it was impossible for Kubasov to fly into space.
But the State Commission and the Politburo have already approved the composition of the crew. What to do? Indeed, in the Soviet program, cosmonauts prepared for flights in triplets, and if one dropped out, it was necessary to change the entire trio, since it was believed that the triplets had already worked together, and replacing one crew member would lead to a violation of consistency.
But, on the other hand, no one before in the history of astronautics has changed the crew less than two days before departure. How to choose the right decision in such situation? There was a heated argument between the curators of the space program. Nikolai Kamanin, assistant commander-in-chief of the Air Force for space, insisted that Leonov's crew was experienced, and if Volkov, who also had experience in space flights, was replaced by the retired Kubasov, then there would be nothing terrible and the coordination of actions would not be disturbed.
However, the designer Mishin, one of the developers of Salyut and Soyuz, advocated a complete change of the troika. He believed that the backup team would be much better prepared and worked together than the main one, but subjected to a change in composition on the eve of the flight. In the end, Mishin's point of view won out. Leonov's crew was removed, replaced by a backup crew, consisting of commander Georgy Dobrovolsky, flight engineer Vladislav Volkov and research engineer Viktor Patsaev. None of them had been in space, with the exception of Volkov, who had already flown on one of the Soyuz.
Leonov's crew took the suspension from the flight very painfully. Boris Chertok later recalled the words of designer Mishin: “Oh, what a difficult conversation I had with Leonov and Kolodin!” he told us. Volkov's space Kolodin said that he had felt this way before last day that he will not be allowed into space under any pretext. Kolodin says: "I am their white crow. They are all pilots, and I am a rocket man."
None of the angry cosmonauts could even imagine that an erroneous x-ray (Kubasov did not have any tuberculosis and later he successfully flew into space) saved their lives. But then the situation escalated to the limit. Chertok personally observed this picture: “At the State Commission, I ended up next to Kolodin. He sat with his head low, nervously clenching his fists and unclenching his fingers, his jaws played on his face. Not only he was nervous. Both crews felt unwell. The first was shocked by the removal flight, the second - a sudden change in fate.After the flight, the second crew had to climb the marble stairs Kremlin Palace to the fanfare, Glinka's music, to receive the stars of heroes. But there was no joy on their faces.
The Soyuz-11 took off from Baikonur on June 6, 1971. The cosmonauts were worried not only because two of them had not been in space before, but also because of the lush wires: the day before departure, the mourners staged a real rally at which they made speeches.
Nevertheless, the launch of the ship took place in the normal mode and without any failures. The astronauts successfully and without problems docked with the orbital station. It was an exciting moment, because they were to become the first earthlings aboard the space station.
The cosmonauts settled safely on the orbital station, which, although small, seemed huge to them after the incredibly cramped Soyuz. The first week they got used to the new environment. Among other things, the astronauts on the Salyut had a television connection with the Earth.
On June 16, an emergency occurred at the station. The astronauts felt a strong smell of burning. Volkov contacted Earth and reported the fire. The issue of urgent evacuation from the station was being decided, but Dobrovolsky decided not to rush and turn off some devices, after which the smell of burning disappeared.
In total, the astronauts spent 23 days in orbit. They had a fairly rich program of research and experimentation. In addition, they had to mothball the station for the next crews.
Catastrophe
In general, the flight went well - no one expected any emergency. The crew got in touch and carried out orientation. As it turned out, this was the last communication session with the crew. As expected, at 1:35 a.m. the braking propulsion system was activated. At 01:47, the descent vehicle separated from the instrument and utility compartments. At 01:49 the crew was supposed to get in touch and report on the successful separation of the descent vehicle. The descent vehicle did not have a telemetry system, and no one on Earth knew what was happening to the astronauts. It was planned that immediately after the separation, Dobrovolsky would get in touch. The silence on the radio very surprised the experts, because the crew was very talkative and sometimes spoke to the Earth much more than the situation required.
The return to Earth took place as planned, without excesses, so at first there was no reason to believe that something had happened to the crew. The most likely version was a malfunction of the radio equipment.
At 01:54, air defense systems spotted the descent vehicle. At an altitude of 7 thousand meters, the main parachute of the descent vehicle opened, which was equipped with an antenna. The astronauts were required to contact either HF or VHF channels and report on the situation. But they were silent, not answering requests from the Earth. This was already alarming, none of the successfully returned Soyuz had communication problems at this stage.
At about 2:05 am, the helicopters meeting the descent vehicle discovered it and reported it to the Mission Control Center. Ten minutes later, the craft landed safely. Externally, the device did not have any damage, but the crew still did not get in touch and showed no signs of life. It was already clear that some kind of emergency had occurred, but there was still hope that the astronauts might have lost consciousness, but still alive.
Immediately after landing, a meeting helicopter landed next to the device, and two minutes later the rescuers were already opening the hatch of the device. Chertok recalled: “The descent vehicle was lying on its side. Outwardly, there was no damage. They knocked on the wall - no one responded. They quickly opened the hatch. All three were sitting in chairs in calm poses. There were blue spots on their faces. them from the SA. Dobrovolsky was still warm. The doctors continue artificial respiration."
Attempts by doctors to resuscitate the crew by artificial respiration and heart massage were unsuccessful. An autopsy revealed that the crew died from decompression sickness caused by a sudden drop in pressure in the descent module.
Investigation
The circumstances of the death clearly indicated the depressurization of the ship. The very next day, studies of the descent vehicle began, but all attempts to detect a leak failed. Kamanin recalled: “They closed the hatch and all other regular openings in the ship’s hull, created a pressure in the cabin that exceeded atmospheric pressure by 100 millimeters, and ... did not find the slightest sign of leakage. They increased the excess pressure to 150, and then to 200 millimeters. Having withstood ship under such pressure for an hour and a half, finally convinced of the complete sealing of the cabin.
But, if the apparatus was completely sealed, then how could depressurization occur? There was only one option left. The leak may have come from one of the vent valves. But this valve opened only after the parachute opened to equalize the pressure, how could it open when the descent vehicle separated?
The only theoretical option: the shock wave and the explosions of the squibs during the separation of the descent vehicle forced the squib to open the valve prematurely. But the Soyuz never had such problems (and indeed there was not a single case of depressurization either on manned or unmanned spacecraft). Moreover, after the disaster, experiments were repeatedly carried out simulating this situation, but there was never an abnormal opening of the valve due to a shock wave or undermining squibs. No experiment has reproduced this situation. But, since there were no other explanations, it was this version that was adopted as the official one. It was stipulated that this event belongs to the category of extremely unlikely, since it could not be reproduced under experimental conditions.
The commission was able to approximately reconstruct the events that took place inside the descent vehicle. After the regular compartment of the apparatus, the astronauts discovered a depressurization, as the pressure dropped rapidly. They had less than a minute to find and eliminate her. The crew commander Dobrovolsky checks the hatch, but it is airtight. Trying to detect a leak by sound, astronauts turn off radio transmitters and equipment. Most likely, they managed to detect a leak, but no longer had the strength to close the valve. The pressure drop was too strong, and within a minute the astronauts lost consciousness, and after about two minutes they were dead.
Everything would be different if the crew had a spacesuit. But the Soviet cosmonauts returned in the descent vehicle without them. Both Korolev and Mishin opposed this. The suits were very bulky, as were the life-support equipment they needed, and the ships were already too cramped. Therefore, I had to choose: either an additional crew member, or spacesuits, or a radical reorganization of the ship and the descent vehicle.
Dead astronauts were buried in the Kremlin wall. At that time, it was the largest catastrophe in space in terms of the number of victims. For the first time, an entire crew was killed. The tragedy of Soyuz-11 led to the fact that flights under this program were frozen for more than two years.
During this time, the program itself was radically revised. Since then, astronauts have been required to return back in protective space suits. In order to get more space in the descent vehicle, it was decided to abandon the third crew member. The layout of the controls was changed so that the astronaut, without getting up, could reach all the most important buttons and levers.
After the introduction of improvements, the Soyuz program has established itself as one of the most reliable and is still operating successfully.
Expensive components and the best scientific minds cannot yet guarantee the absolute success of any space operation: spacecraft continue to fail, fall and explode. Today, people boldly talk about the colonization of Mars, and just a few decades ago, any attempt to launch a ship into outer space could turn into a terrible tragedy.
"Soyuz-1": a victim of the space race
1967 The space industry lags behind the United States by two huge steps - for two years the States have been producing manned flights and for two years the USSR has not had a single flight. Therefore, the country's leadership was so eager to launch the Soyuz into orbit with a man on board at all costs.
All trial tests of unmanned "unions" ended in accidents. Soyuz-1 was launched into orbit on April 23, 1967. There is one cosmonaut on board - Vladimir Komarov.
What happened
Problems began immediately after entering orbit: one of the two solar panels did not open. The ship experienced a power shortage. The flight had to be canceled ahead of schedule. The Soyuz successfully deorbited, but the parachute system failed during the final landing phase. The pilot chute was unable to pull the main parachute out of the tray, and the lines of the successfully released reserve parachute were wrapped around the unfired pilot chute. The final reason for the failure of the main parachute has not been established. Among the most common versions is a violation of technology in the production of the descent vehicle at the factory. There is a version that due to the heating of the device, the paint on the parachute ejection tray, with which it was painted by mistake, became sticky, and the parachute did not come out, as it “stuck” to the tray. At a speed of 50 m/s, the descent vehicle hit the ground, which led to the death of the astronaut.
This accident was the first (known) case of human death in the history of manned space flights.
Apollo 1: fire on the ground
The fire occurred on January 27, 1967 during preparations for the first manned flight under the Apollo program. The entire crew was killed. There were several probable causes of the tragedy: an error in choosing the atmosphere (a choice was made in favor of pure oxygen) of the ship and a spark (or short circuit), which could serve as a kind of detonator.
The Apollo crew a few days before the tragedy. Left to right: Edward White, Virgil Grissom, Roger Chaffee.
Oxygen was preferred over an oxygen-nitrogen gas mixture, as it makes the ship's pressurized structure much lighter. However, little significance was attached to the difference in pressure during flight and during training on Earth. Some parts of the ship and elements of the astronauts' suits became very flammable in an oxygen atmosphere at high pressure.
This is what the command module looked like after the fire.
Once ignited, the fire spread at an incredible speed, damaging the suits. The complex design of the hatch and its locks did not leave the astronauts a chance to escape.
"Soyuz-11": depressurization and lack of spacesuits
Ship commander Georgy Dobrovolsky (center), test engineer Viktor Patsaev and flight engineer Vladislav Volkov (right). This was the first crew of the Salyut-1 orbital station. The tragedy occurred during the return of the astronauts to earth. Until the discovery of the ship after landing, on Earth they did not know that the crew had died. Since the landing took place in automatic mode, the descent vehicle landed at the designated place, without major deviations from the plan.
The search team found the crew with no signs of life, resuscitation did not help.
What happened
"Soyuz-11" after landing.
The main accepted version is depressurization. The crew died from decompression sickness. An analysis of the recorder records showed that at an altitude of about 150 km, the pressure in the descent vehicle began to drop sharply. The Commission concluded that the reason for this decline was the unauthorized opening of the ventilation valve.
This valve was supposed to open at a low altitude when the squib was blown up. Why the squib worked much earlier is not known for certain.
Presumably, this happened due to the shock wave passing through the body of the apparatus. And the shock wave, in turn, is caused by the operation of the squibs separating the Soyuz compartments. It was not possible to reproduce this during ground tests. However, in the future, the design of the ventilation valves was finalized. It should be noted that the design of the Soyuz-11 did not provide for spacesuits for the crew ...
Challenger Crash: Catastrophe Live
This tragedy has become one of the most high-profile in the history of space exploration, thanks to live television. The American shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986, 73 seconds after launch, which was watched by millions of spectators. All 7 crew members were killed.
What happened
It was found that the destruction of the aircraft was caused by damage to the sealing ring of the solid propellant booster. Damage to the ring during launch led to the formation of a hole from which a jet stream began to beat. In turn, this led to the destruction of the accelerator mount and the structure of the external fuel tank. Due to the destruction of the fuel tank, the fuel components detonated.
The shuttle did not explode, as is commonly believed, but it "collapsed" due to aerodynamic overloads. The cockpit did not collapse, but most likely depressurized. Debris fell into the Atlantic Ocean. It was possible to find and raise many fragments of the shuttle, including the cockpit. It was found that at least three crew members survived the destruction of the shuttle and were conscious while trying to turn on the air supply devices.
After this disaster, the Shuttles were equipped with an emergency crew evacuation system. But it is worth noting that in the Challenger accident, this system could not save the crew, since it is designed to be used strictly during level flight. This disaster "turned off" the shuttle program for 2.5 years. The Special Commission placed a high degree of blame on the lack of " corporate culture» throughout the structure of NASA, as well as the crisis of the managerial decision-making system. Managers have been aware of a defect in o-rings supplied by a particular supplier for 10 years…
Columbia Shuttle Disaster: Missed Landing
The tragedy occurred on the morning of February 1, 2003 during the return to Earth after a 16-day stay of the shuttle in orbit. After entering the dense layers of the atmosphere, the ship did not get in touch with the NASA mission control center, and instead of the shuttle, its fragments appeared in the sky falling to the ground.
What happened
Space Shuttle Columbia Crew: Kalpana Chawla, Richard Husband, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, Ilan Ramon, William McCool, David Brown.
The investigation went on for several months. The wreckage of the shuttle was collected in an area equal in size to two states. It was found that the cause of the disaster was damage to the protective layer of the wing of the shuttle. This damage was likely caused by a piece of oxygen tank insulation falling off during the launch of the ship. As in the case of the Challenger, the tragedy could have been prevented if the crew had carried out a visual inspection of the ship in orbit by a strong-willed decision of NASA leaders.
There is evidence that technical specialists sent a request for an image of damage received during launch three times. NASA management considered that the damage from the impact of the thermal insulation foam could not lead to serious consequences.
Apollo 13: a massive tragedy with a happy ending
This flight of American astronauts is one of the most famous Apollo manned missions to the Moon. The incredible fortitude and perseverance with which thousands of people on Earth tried to return people from the space trap were sung by writers and directors. (The most famous and detailed film about those events is Ron Howard's Apollo 13.)
What happened
Launch of Apollo 13.
After the standard mixing of oxygen and nitrogen in their respective tanks, the astronauts heard a bang and felt a jolt. A gas (oxygen mixture) leak from the service compartment became noticeable in the porthole. A cloud of gas changed the orientation of the ship. Apollo began to lose oxygen and energy. The account went to the clock. A plan was made to use the lunar module as a lifeboat. A headquarters was set up on Earth to rescue the crew. There were many problems that had to be solved at the same time.
The damaged engine compartment of Apollo 13 after separation.
The ship had to fly around the moon and enter the return trajectory.
In the course of the entire operation, in addition to technical problems with the ship, the astronauts began to experience a crisis in life support systems. It was impossible to turn on the heaters - the temperature in the module dropped to 5 degrees Celsius. The crew began to freeze, in addition, there was a threat of freezing food and water supplies.
The content of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the cabin of the lunar module reached 13%. Thanks to clear instructions from the command center, the crew was able to make “filters” from scrap materials, which made it possible to bring the carbon dioxide content to acceptable levels.
During the rescue operation, the crew was able to undock the engine compartment and separate the lunar module. All this had to be done almost "manually" in terms of life support indicators close to critical. After the successful completion of these operations, it was still necessary to perform pre-landing navigation. If the navigation systems were configured incorrectly, the module could enter the atmosphere at the wrong angle, which would cause critical overheating of the cabin.
For the landing period, a number of countries (including the USSR) declared radio silence at operating frequencies.
On April 17, 1970, the Apollo 13 compartment entered the Earth's atmosphere and splashed down safely in the Indian Ocean. All crew members survived.
The history of space exploration also has a tragic side. In total, about 350 people died during unsuccessful space flights and preparations for them. In addition to astronauts, this number also includes local residents and spaceport personnel who died as a result of falling debris and explosions. In this article, we will look at five disasters where the pilots of spacecraft directly became victims. The saddest thing is that most accidents could have been avoided, but fate decreed otherwise.
Apollo 1
Death toll: 3
Official reason: spark due to short circuit in poorly insulated wiring
The world's first fatal space disaster occurred on January 27, 1967, with American astronauts during training in the command module of the Apollo 1 mission vehicle.
In 1966, the moon race between the two superpowers was in full swing. Thanks to spy satellites, the United States knew about the construction of spacecraft in the USSR that could possibly take Soviet cosmonauts to the moon. The development of the Apollo spacecraft, therefore, was carried out in great haste. Because of this, of course, the quality of technology also suffered. The launch of two unmanned versions, AS-201 and AS-202, was successfully launched in 1966, and the first manned flight to the Moon was scheduled for February 1967. For crew training, the command module of the Apollo spacecraft was delivered to Cape Canaverall. The problems started from the very beginning. The module was seriously flawed, and dozens of engineering adjustments were made right on the spot.
On January 27, the planned simulation training in the module was supposed to take place to test the performance of all on-board instruments of the ship. Instead of air, oxygen and nitrogen were filled into the cabin in a ratio of 60% to 40%. The training started at 1pm. It took place with constant malfunctions - there were problems with communication, and the astronauts constantly smelled of burning, as it turned out as a result - due to a short circuit in the wiring. At 18:31, one of the cosmonauts shouted over the intercom: “Fire in the cabin! I'm on fire! Fifteen seconds later, unable to withstand the pressure, the module burst. The cosmodrome employees who came running could not help - astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee died on the spot from numerous burns.
Soyuz-1
Death toll: 1
Official reason: failure of the brake parachute system / flaws in the production of the spacecraft
On April 23, 1967, a grand event was scheduled - the first ever launch of a Soviet spacecraft of the Soyuz series. According to the plan, Soyuz 1 was the first to launch, piloted by Vladimir Komarov. Then it was planned to launch the Soyuz-2 spacecraft with Bykovsky, Eliseev and Khrunov on board. In open space, the ships were to dock, and Eliseev and Khrunov were to transfer to Soyuz-1. In words, everything sounded big, but from the very beginning something went wrong.
Immediately after the launch of Soyuz-1, one solar battery did not open, the ion orientation system was unstable, and the solar-stellar orientation sensor failed. The mission had to be terminated urgently. The Soyuz-2 flight was canceled and Vladimir Komarov was ordered to return to Earth. Here, too, serious problems arose. Due to the failure of the systems and the displacement of the center of mass, it was impossible to orient the ship for braking. Due to his professionalism, Komarov almost manually oriented the ship and successfully entered the atmosphere.
After the ship left orbit, a braking impulse was applied and an emergency detachment of the compartments was made. However, at the last stage of the landing of the descent vehicle, the main and reserve drogue parachutes did not open. At a speed of about 150 km / h, the descent vehicle crashed into the Earth's surface in the Adamovsky district of the Orenburg region and caught fire. The apparatus was completely destroyed in the collision. Vladimir Komarov died. The reason for the failure of the brake parachute system could not be established.
Soyuz-11
Death toll: 3
Official reason: premature opening of the ventilation valve and further depressurization of the cabin
1971 The USSR lost the lunar race, but in response created orbital stations, where in the future it was possible to stay for months and do research. The world's first expedition to the orbital station was successfully completed. The crew consisting of Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsaev stayed at the station for 23 days, however, after a serious fire at the OS, the cosmonauts were ordered to return to Earth.
At an altitude of 150 km. separation has occurred. At the same time, the ventilation valve opened involuntarily, which was supposed to open at an altitude of 2 km. The cabin began to fill with fog, which condensed due to pressure drop. After 30 seconds, the astronauts lost consciousness. After another 2 minutes, the pressure dropped to 50 mm. rt. Art. Since the astronauts did not have spacesuits, they died from suffocation.
Despite the fact that the crew did not respond to MCC questions, re-entry, braking and landing were successful. After this tragic incident, Soyuz pilots began to be supplied with space suits without fail.
Shuttle Challenger
Death toll: 7
Official reason: gas leak in the elements of the solid fuel booster
The mid-1980s were a real triumph for the American Space Shuttle program. Successful missions took place one after another at unusually short intervals, sometimes no more than 17 days. The Challenger mission STS-51-L was significant for two reasons. Firstly, she broke the previous record, as the interval between missions was only 16 days. Secondly, the Challenger crew included a school teacher whose task was to conduct a lesson from orbit. This program was supposed to generate interest in space flight, which has subsided a bit in recent years.
On January 28, 1986, the Kennedy Space Center was packed with thousands of spectators and journalists. About 20% of the country's population watched the live broadcast. The shuttle soared into the air to the cries of the admiring audience. Everything went well in the beginning, however, then puffs of black smoke were visible coming out of the right solid rocket booster, and then a torch of fire appeared from it.
A few seconds later, the flame became significantly larger due to the combustion of the leaked liquid hydrogen. Approximately 70 seconds later, the destruction of the external fuel tank began, followed by a sharp explosion and detachment of the orbiter's cabin. During the fall of the cabin, the astronauts remained alive and conscious, they even made attempts to restore the power supply. But nothing helped. As a result of the impact of the orbiter cabin on the water, at a speed of 330 km / h, all crew members died on the spot.
After the shuttle exploded, numerous cameras continued to film what was happening. The faces of shocked people got into the lenses, among which were the relatives of all seven dead astronauts. Thus was filmed one of the most tragic reports in the history of television. After the disaster, a ban was imposed on the operation of shuttles for a period of 32 months. The system of solid-fuel boosters was also finalized, and a parachute rescue system was installed on all shuttles.
Shuttle Columbia
Death toll: 7
Official reason: damage to the heat-insulating layer on the wing of the device
On February 1, the shuttle Columbia successfully returned to Earth after a successful space mission. Initially, reentry into the atmosphere proceeded normally, but later a thermal sensor on the left wing transmitted an anomalous value to the MCC. A piece of thermal insulation broke off from the outer skin, as a result of which the thermal protection system failed. After that, four sensors of the ship's hydraulic system went off scale, and literally 5 minutes later the connection with the shuttle was cut off. While the MCC personnel were trying to contact Columbia and find out what happened to the sensors, one of the employees saw live the shuttle already falling to pieces. The entire crew of 7 people died.
This tragedy dealt a serious blow to the prestige of American space exploration. Shuttle flights were once again banned for 29 months. In the future, they performed only critical tasks for the repair and maintenance of the ISS. In fact, this was the end of the existence of the Space Shuttle program. The Americans were forced to turn to Russia with a request to transport astronauts to the ISS on Russian ships"Union".
