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| Laika , the first "astronaut " dog |
By the 1950's the rocket development had matured enough to explore the outer space. The first such attempt was undertaken by the Soviet Union under the Sputnik program. The word Sputnik in Russian means travel companion. The program consisted of four Sputnik flights. However, the Sputnik launched between Sputnik 2 and 3 failed to reach orbit.
Sputnik 1, launched on October 4, 1957, was designed to send radio signals to Earth and determine the density of the upper atmosphere. However, it only transmitted signals to Earth for a short time after launch. Its orbit decayed and it fell to Earth on January 4, 1958.
Sputnik 2 was launched on November 3, 1957, and carried aboard it a dog, Laika. Biological data was returned for approximately a week (the first data of its kind). However, there was no safe re-entry possible at the time, and Laika was put to sleep after a week in orbit. The satellite itself remained in orbit 162 days.
Sputnik 3 was launched on May 15, 1958. It may originally have been intended as the first launch in the Sputnik program, however, it was apparently decided to be more cautious in the launch schedule. It was designed to be a geophysical laboratory, performing experiments on the Earth's magnetic field, radiation belt, and ionosphere. It orbited Earth and transmitted data until April 6, 1960, when its orbit decayed.
All Sputniks were launched using the SS-6, or Sapwood rocket. The SS-6 was originally designed as a ballistic missile, and had its upper stage modified slightly to hold the Sputnik payload. It had two stages, four strap-on booster rockets for the first stage, connected to the second stage rocket. Total mass at launch for Sputnik 3 was 267 tons, with a length of 29.17 meters. The primary stage used RD-107 engines, which provided 100,000 kg of thrust. Both stages were powered by LOX/Kerosene.
Sputnik 1 had a mass of 83.6 Kg , orbital period of 98.6 minutes and orbital altitude of 228-947 Km. Sputnik 2 was larger with a mass of 508.3 kg., orbital period of 103.75 minutes and orbital altitude of 225-1,671 Km. Sputnik 3 was the largest with a mass of 1,327 kg, orbital period of 105.8 minutes and orbital altitude of 230-1,880 km.
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| Laika , the first "astronaut " dog |
To learn more about Laika the very first "dog crew" and other "astronaut" dogs visit www.reston.com/sts69/laika.html
In 1958, a modified Jupiter C rocket , launched Explorer I, the first United States artificial satellite to orbit. The competition for space had clearly begun.
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| Launch of Explorer I |
Just as the Soviet Union beat the United States into space with Sputnik in 1957, so it was also first to send an astronaut into space in 1961. The world's first astronaut was a 27 year old Soviet aviator named Yuri Gagarin (1934-68) . On April 12, 1961, the 4 3/4 ton spacecraft Vostok 1 was launched at 9:07 in the morning Moscow time, from a location in Baikonur in the south central region of the Soviet Union. The spacecraft had an orbital period of 1 hour and 29 minutes and a maximum speed of 17,000 miles (27,358 kilometers) per hour. It followed an elliptical orbit which at apogee was 187 miles (301 kilometers) from Earth. Vostok I, landed at 10:55 AM and made the young Soviet cosmonaut a worldwide celebrity.
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| Yuri Gagarin, the first man to orbit the Earth |
Gagarin's flight in Vostok I was an astounding achievement that began mankind's entry into space. It was recognized that the Soviet Union had a definite advantage in space technology over the United States. This achievement prompted the United States to launch its program to get a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Gagarin was celebrated as a hero in the Soviet Union. He never went into space again and resumed his test flight career and was killed on March 27, 1968, on a routine mission near Moscow.