The most important tasks in NASA history (Part 2)

While Mercury's missions give people basic trajectories, Gemini's mission shows us the necessary techniques to get to the Moon.

Gemini IV

One of the most important activities on the Moon is walking in space, leaving ship capsules and going out in space. America has never done this, so it is very important to practice before putting people on the Moon.

Edward H. White II, a test pilot of the United States, was chosen to become the first American in space. He and crew James McDivitt entered the air on June 3, 1965, on a Titan II rocket. White's outer space trip lasted 36 minutes and didn't have much trouble.

The goal of the mission was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of space flight (a four-day mission) and to make a successful space walk. However, the capsule landed the predetermined position about 80 km (50 miles). Reason: Astronauts forget that Earth is following them when they perform calculations with differential equations (!).

STS-1

STS-1 (Space Traffic System-1) is the first orbit of NASA's Space Shuttle program.

After the success of the Apolo program, NASA continued to look for the next great goals. They determined that target was a space shuttle - a re-used spacecraft, capable of landing like a roller coaster and taking off like a rocket. This ship will bring experiments and satellites into orbit and can exist in space for weeks.

STS-1 (Space Traffic System-1) is the first orbit of NASA's Space Shuttle program. Some shuttle trains were built, with Columbia being the first flight to be tested.

Departing on April 12, 1981, the giant rocket ship controlled by John Young and Robert L. Crippen flew to orbit 166 nautical miles (equivalent to more than 300km). The ship returned on April 14, after turning around Earth 36 times: This was the first manned space flight of the US since the Apollo project - Soyuz in 1975. STS-1 also was the first test flight of a new spacecraft in the US shuttle system that carried the crew, although it was checked by atmospheric orbit and ground. The launch took place on the 20th anniversary of the first human space flight. This is a coincidence rather than a celebration; a technical problem has caused STS-1 to not be launched into the air two days earlier, as planned.

The ship glided down to a landing base on Edwards air base in California. At that time, the ship and its fuel tanks were painted white instead of using black, white and orange logo colors. (Orange is the original color of insulating foam without paint. The original color retention reduces the weight by about 270 kg (600 lb).

ISS International Space Station

International Space Station (ISS) is a major symbol of international cooperation, flying in low-Earth orbit. The Russians provided the first module in the late 1990s and this station was built for more than a decade. The first component was put into orbit in 1998, the last pressure module was installed in 2011 and the station is expected to operate until 2028. The station's development and assembly is still ongoing, with components scheduled to start in 2018 and 2019. ISS is the largest artificial object in Earth's low orbit and can be seen with the naked eye from Earth ISS including pressure modules , outside rigs, solar panels and other components. The components of the ISS were launched by Russian Proton and Soyuz missiles, and American spacecraft.

ISS maintains the trajectory with a height of 330 - 435km, using the module's engine.

ISS serves as an environmental and space gravity research laboratory in which crew members conduct experiments on biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, and meteorology. and other areas. This space station is suitable for testing the spacecraft systems and equipment needed for missions to the Moon and Mars. ISS maintains the trajectory with an altitude of 330 - 435 km, using the module's engine.

The ISS program is a joint project between five participating space agencies: NASA, Roscosmos, JAXA, ESA and CSA. Ownership and use of space stations are established by intergovernmental agreements and agreements. The station is divided into two parts, the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) and the US Orbital Segment (USOS), shared by many countries.

NASA space shuttle is an important element in building a station, which takes astronauts and construction parts from around the world into orbit to work on the station. The crew first started arriving in the early 2000s. NASA also played an important role in the research and development of construction components and techniques here on Earth. Currently, the ISS station is spinning around 350 km (220 miles) higher and moving at speeds above 8 km / sec (5 mps). According to the text of this article, there are two Americans and a Russian on board.

Voyager I and II ships

Voyager is tasked with discovering four giant planets in the solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.

Launched in the late summer of 1977 on a Titan-Centaur rocket, Voyager was given the task of discovering four giant planets in the solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus. From here, the explorers have explored these planets for a decade.

Voyager II is located in heliosheath. Heliosheath is the outer area of ​​the heliosphere, a bubble around planets created by the solar wind. With a distance of more than 20 billion kilometers (12 billion mi) from Earth, Voyager I is the furthest man-made object in history.

Both probes are equipped with a phonograph record that carries a message from Earth to any alien civilization that can block spacecraft, because they can exist for billions of years through the middle space. the stars. But these ships may soon stop this as they go further from Earth.

1. The most important tasks in NASA history (Part 1)