3.5 Entering the Age of Space Flight
151
Race between the USSR and the US, the manned space flight programs were carried
out apace. The USSR implemented the Vostok Program and the Voskhod Program,
while the US did the Project Mercury and Gemini Program. And then, a series of
manned and cargo orbital vehicles, such as manned spacecrafts, cargo spaceships,
space stations and space shuttles, was developed and launched successively in the
USSR (later Russia), America, China and other countries.
3.5.3.1 The Soviet Vostok Program and Voskhod Program
In November 1956, the Soviet Union drew up a development plan for manned space
flight, including a manned landing on the moon. In fact, the lift-off thrust of the R-7
missile and Sputnik rocket, designed under Korolev’s leadership, has a more margin,
providing technical reserves and test experience for the design of high thrust launch
vehicle. In November 1957, the second artificial satellite, Sputnik-2 with a small dog
Laika onboard, launched by the USSR, to conduct technical tests on the tightness of
the cabin, life safety assurance and the impact of weightlessness on animals. With
the increasing number of satellites launched and scientific achievements made by
the United States, considering the perspective of political interests and diplomacy,
the Soviet government must continue to maintain its leading position in the field of
space technology.
In 1958, the Soviet Union officially started to conduct the manned space flight
plan, Vostok Program (Boctok). The Vostok rocket, also called 8K72K rocket, is a
three-stage launch vehicle, which is a slightly improved design version based on the
rocket carrying the Soviet first unmanned probe to the Moon in January 1959. The
Vostok rocket consists of five components, including the first stage with four strap-on
boosters, the second stage (core stage rocket), the third stage rocket, the spacecraft
adapter and the payload fairing, with a total length of 38.63 m, a lift-off weight of
287 metric tons, a lift-off thrust of 408,000 kgf and a thrust-weight ratio of 1.42. The
rocket’s structural changes were limited primarily to the stage originally developed
for sending its payload to the Moon. For the Vostok missions, the key discrepancy
was the replacement of the RD-105 engine on the third stage of the rocket with the
RD-109 engine. Moreover, a larger cylindrical adapter was fitted onto the third stage
to accommodate a manned spacecraft and its protective payload shroud. The new
fairing had a big circular opening to enable Vostok pilots to eject from the cabin in
case of an emergency on the launch pad or in the early phase of the launch. The third
stage rocket with a length of 7.53 m would enter into orbit with the spacecraft to fly
together.
The Vostok spacecraft consists of two main components: a descent module with
the pilot cabin and an instrument module equipped with a braking engine. The
descent module, with a spherical shape, is equipped with life safety equipment,
food, ejection seat, television camera, optical directional device, observation device
and transponder, etc., which can ensure the survival of astronauts for ten days. There
are the windows used to observe and eject on the bulkhead of the descent module,
and there are two antennas that applied remote control and communication outside
151
Race between the USSR and the US, the manned space flight programs were carried
out apace. The USSR implemented the Vostok Program and the Voskhod Program,
while the US did the Project Mercury and Gemini Program. And then, a series of
manned and cargo orbital vehicles, such as manned spacecrafts, cargo spaceships,
space stations and space shuttles, was developed and launched successively in the
USSR (later Russia), America, China and other countries.
3.5.3.1 The Soviet Vostok Program and Voskhod Program
In November 1956, the Soviet Union drew up a development plan for manned space
flight, including a manned landing on the moon. In fact, the lift-off thrust of the R-7
missile and Sputnik rocket, designed under Korolev’s leadership, has a more margin,
providing technical reserves and test experience for the design of high thrust launch
vehicle. In November 1957, the second artificial satellite, Sputnik-2 with a small dog
Laika onboard, launched by the USSR, to conduct technical tests on the tightness of
the cabin, life safety assurance and the impact of weightlessness on animals. With
the increasing number of satellites launched and scientific achievements made by
the United States, considering the perspective of political interests and diplomacy,
the Soviet government must continue to maintain its leading position in the field of
space technology.
In 1958, the Soviet Union officially started to conduct the manned space flight
plan, Vostok Program (Boctok). The Vostok rocket, also called 8K72K rocket, is a
three-stage launch vehicle, which is a slightly improved design version based on the
rocket carrying the Soviet first unmanned probe to the Moon in January 1959. The
Vostok rocket consists of five components, including the first stage with four strap-on
boosters, the second stage (core stage rocket), the third stage rocket, the spacecraft
adapter and the payload fairing, with a total length of 38.63 m, a lift-off weight of
287 metric tons, a lift-off thrust of 408,000 kgf and a thrust-weight ratio of 1.42. The
rocket’s structural changes were limited primarily to the stage originally developed
for sending its payload to the Moon. For the Vostok missions, the key discrepancy
was the replacement of the RD-105 engine on the third stage of the rocket with the
RD-109 engine. Moreover, a larger cylindrical adapter was fitted onto the third stage
to accommodate a manned spacecraft and its protective payload shroud. The new
fairing had a big circular opening to enable Vostok pilots to eject from the cabin in
case of an emergency on the launch pad or in the early phase of the launch. The third
stage rocket with a length of 7.53 m would enter into orbit with the spacecraft to fly
together.
The Vostok spacecraft consists of two main components: a descent module with
the pilot cabin and an instrument module equipped with a braking engine. The
descent module, with a spherical shape, is equipped with life safety equipment,
food, ejection seat, television camera, optical directional device, observation device
and transponder, etc., which can ensure the survival of astronauts for ten days. There
are the windows used to observe and eject on the bulkhead of the descent module,
and there are two antennas that applied remote control and communication outside