What Soviet spacecraft was a cargo unmanned vehicle. Soviet aircraft "Mriya", which is capable of transporting a spacecraft

13.04.2020

Progress is a transport spacecraft, which is mainly launched into orbit by a Soyuz launch vehicle. It was previously used to supply the Soviet Salyut and Mir stations, and now it delivers cargo, rocket fuel, water and compressed gases to the ISS 3-4 times a year.

The first launch of the Progress spacecraft took place in 1978. Then the delivery was carried out to the Soviet space station Salyut-6. Since then, the cargo ship has been modified several times, and several generations have changed before the modern Progress-MC transport aircraft appeared.

flight program

A transport cargo unmanned vehicle is launched into orbit by a Soyuz-U launch vehicle, but it is gradually being decommissioned. Soyuz-2 will be responsible for the delivery of Progress to the ISS in the future.

The ship can dock with any port of the Russian segment of the International Space Station. After connecting and securely fastening, the crew opens the hatch for unloading. Since cosmonauts can get on the Progress in orbit, the ship is classified as manned, although it is launched without people.

Everything delivered is unloaded to the ISS. The crew carries objects, oxygen and nitrogen gas are released to increase the pressure in the space station atmosphere, and water and rocket fuel are fed through special transport systems into tanks installed in the Russian segment.

The Progress is then loaded with junk and junk, the hatch is closed and the ship is undocked. The aircraft has no thermal protection and makes a self-destructive re-entry, completing its flight.

Ship "Progress": characteristics

The spacecraft manufactured by RSC Energia consists of three compartments: an instrumentation compartment, refueling components (instead of the Soyuz descent vehicle) and a pressurized cargo module with a docking unit and a propellant supply system. The ship has a launch weight of up to 7200 kg, has a length of 7.23 m and a maximum diameter of 2.72 m. The diameter of the cargo compartment is 2.2 m.

Progress is capable of carrying up to 1800 kg of dry cargo, 420 liters of water, 50 kg of air or oxygen and 850 kg of rocket fuel. For the return trip, the ship can load from 1000 to 1600 kg of garbage and 400 kg of liquid waste. Fully deployed in orbit, the device has a width of 10.6 m.

Progress is certified to stay in space for up to 6 months. According to the flight schedule, shortly before the launch of the next cargo transport ship, the device is disconnected from the station, freeing the docking port. Previously, Progresses performed many additional tasks after delivery, including scientific experiments and technical demonstrations in space. Unlike the Soyuz, the transport ship is not capable of separating its modules because it is not designed to survive.

cargo compartment

Instead of a descent vehicle, the Progress spacecraft has a module for refueling components, which contains 4 fuel tanks filled with asymmetric dimethylhydrazine fuel (heptyl) and an oxidizer (nitrogen tetroxide).

In addition, there are 2 water tanks in the compartment, which can deliver up to 420 kg of water to the International Space Station and pick up up to 400 kg of liquid waste (sewage and urine). In addition, the refueling module is equipped with spherical gas cylinders that can hold up to 50 kg of compressed oxygen, nitrogen or air.

The propellant is drained through the docking interface connectors, from where it enters the ISS fuel system through an adapter. To avoid contamination, the fuel lines are flushed after use. They do not pass through the habitable compartments of the space station so that crew members do not come into contact with toxic chemicals.

The gas tanks are also located outside the crew module, so that any leaks will not release gas into the ISS atmosphere.

Instrumentation compartment

The design of this module is identical to the Soyuz, but has a slightly different configuration. It consists of a propulsion system, a power supply system and sensors, as well as on-board computers. The airtight container is equipped with systems for providing thermal conditions, power supply, communications, telemetry and navigation. The non-pressurized part of the instrument compartment includes the main engine and liquid fuel propulsion system.

The propulsion system is used for attitude control maneuvers, rendezvous maneuvers for docking and orbit correction, as well as for imparting a braking impulse for deorbiting. The Progress-M spacecraft is equipped with a KTDU-80 corrective braking propulsion system. It includes 4 spherical tanks that can hold up to 880 kg of UDMH (heptyl) and nitrogen tetroxide N 2 O 4 . The C5.80 main engine can operate with three levels of thrust. The nominal thrust is 2950 N. KTDU-80 weighs 310 kg and provides an impulse for 326-286 s. The engine operates at a chamber pressure of 8.8 bar. KTDU-80 has a length of 1.2 m and a diameter of 2.1 m.

In addition to its main power plant, Progress is equipped with 28 multi-directional motion control engines, each of which has a thrust of 130 N. The KTDU includes 4 fuel tanks and 4 tanks with compressed gaseous helium to pressurize them. After docking with the ISS, heptyl and oxidizer, which remained unused, replenish the space station's reserves (with the exception of the volume required for deceleration).

The total amount of rocket fuel can vary from 185 to 250 kg. For orbital correction, Progress uses four or eight of its attitude control thrusters, oriented in the desired direction. The main thrusters are generally not used for this, as this would put stress on the docking interface between the ISS and the transport vehicle.

The instrument module has a power supply system consisting of two solar arrays that deploy when the vehicle is in orbit. The battery span is 10.6 m. In addition, the power system includes built-in batteries.

The instrument bay is equipped with a main flight computer that is responsible for all aspects of the mission. After a recent update, Progress was equipped with a digital computer TsVM-101 and a digital telemetry system MBITS. The new computer is 60 kg lighter than the old Argon-16. The transition to a digital system allowed the ship to carry 75 kg of additional cargo.

All avionics are located in the pressurized instrument compartment of the Progress spacecraft, which is twice as long as that of the Soyuz, since it houses the equipment that was in the manned aircraft in the docking module.

flight task

Progress is launched on a Soyuz-U rocket (and Soyuz-2 since 2014), which delivers it to a given orbit in less than 9 minutes. After separation from the booster, the spacecraft deploys its solar arrays and communication antennas to complete the process of reaching the desired flight path. After that, Progress begins the standard 34-orbit rendezvous procedure with the International Space Station. Also available is an accelerated docking option with the ISS in just 4 orbits, but this requires certain dynamics and accurate launch into orbit by a launch vehicle.

During the rendezvous with the space station, Progress performs trajectory adjustments, increasing the flight altitude and reducing the distance. At the same time, the transport cargo ship performs maneuvers that prepare the basis for automatic docking. This procedure starts at a great distance from the ISS. Progress uses the KURS radio system, which communicates with its counterpart on the space station to provide navigation data to the vehicle's computers as it approaches. Thanks to this, during the campaign, the ship maneuvers and corrects the course.

At a distance of 400 m, the crew aboard the ISS can remotely control the transport vehicle using the TORU system, which, in the event of an automatic failure, allows manual docking.

As the Progress approaches the International Space Station, it begins to align with its docking port. After leveling off, the transport ship remains at a distance of 200 m, waiting for the completion of a short preparatory period during which the crew checks the leveling and aircraft systems. After everything is checked, Progress resumes its approach and carefully launches its thrusters for berthing at a speed of 0.1 m/s. After soft docking, the locks interlock to form a secure mount for the two aircraft, and then the standard one-hour leak test begins. After that, the crew can open the hatch of the spacecraft to begin unloading and loading operations.

While the Progress is docked, the crew frees it by carrying items to the station. Fuel is pumped on command from Earth, and water is pumped on command from the control panel of the cargo module. Pressurization gases from habitable compartments are released directly inside the transport vehicle and thus enter the ISS. After loading debris and liquid waste, the hatch closes and the Progress undocks.

The cargo ship can either carry out an additional mission for several weeks, or prepare for a faster completion of the flight. When the spacecraft's mission in orbit is complete, its engines are fired to decelerate and burn up in the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean so that the remaining parts can fall far away from populated land areas.

"Progress-M1"

This so-called fuel modification of the Progress ship was developed specifically for the International Space Station. RSC Energia "repackaged" the middle refueling compartment to ensure the delivery of more fuel to the ISS. Additional fuel tanks were placed in the middle compartment at the expense of water tanks, which were moved to the front of the vessel. 12 tanks with nitrogen and oxygen mixture for the station atmosphere moved to the outside of the ship around the "neck" between the cargo and fuel modules.

A new digital flight, rendezvous and docking control system KURS-MM was also introduced, which replaced the previous version.

The M1 first flew on February 1, 2000 to the Mir space station. And on August 6, 2000, the Progress cargo spacecraft was first launched to the ISS.

"Progress-M2"

Since the 1980s, NPO Energia has been developing a new, heavier modification of the transport ship with an extended cargo module. Aircraft was delivered into space using the Zenit rocket, capable of launching up to 10-13 tons of cargo into low Earth orbit. Initial plans called for a launch from the Plesetsk cosmodrome into a high-inclination orbit (62 degrees to the equator) intended for the Mir-2 station.

The collapse of the USSR essentially destroyed all plans to use Zenit as a rocket for the Russian manned space program, since it was produced in independent Ukraine.

Later, RSC Energia planned to use the M2 as a delivery vehicle to the ISS, but the political and financial difficulties stalled the project for many years.

In the late 1990s, when Russian-Ukrainian relations stabilized, RSC Energia tried to restore the project on the basis of Progress-M2. Published designs for the Enterprise module and possible future Russian-Ukrainian compartments for the ISS may have used hardware developed for this project.

"Progress M-M"

First presented in 2008, the modification of the transport cargo ship received a modern digital flight control system TsVN-101, which replaced the outdated Argon-16 computer. Also on board was a new miniature radio telemetry system MBITS. These improvements allowed for faster and more efficient flight control, reducing the total mass of the avionics by 75 kg and reducing the number of modules by fifteen units.

"Progress-MC"

The new generation cargo spacecraft was first launched on December 21, 2015. The modernization of the production of the Progress spacecraft, which also affected the manned Soyuz, mainly affected communication and navigation systems, replaced by modern electronics. The spacecraft was equipped with new navigation systems (KURS), radio communication (ECTS) and positioning (GPS/GLONASS), as well as a communication line to determine the relative movement. These changes did not significantly affect the appearance of the Progress, with the exception of the number of antennas deployed on the transport ship, and the installation of external mounts for CubeSat satellites.

The vehicle is capable of carrying cargo in a pressurized cargo hold and delivering fuel, water and compressed gases to the space station.

Progress-MC was designed to be launched on an updated Soyuz-2-1A rocket, which allowed the ship to deliver a larger payload to the ISS. The device is still compatible with Soyuz-U, which is gradually giving way new version, alternating flights between them so that problems can be fixed without significant disruption to the supply chain. The Progress spacecraft can dock with any port of the Russian segment of the ISS, but the Pirs module and the service compartment port Zvezda are usually used for this.

The course for modernization

In the transition from the MM version to the MS version, the ship did not change much externally, nor has it undergone significant changes since the introduction of the device in the 1970s, although there are a number of significant differences inside.

While maintaining the commonality of the manned and cargo version, the Russian space program has unique opportunity first introduce new systems on an unmanned transport vehicle and, after a thorough check, implement them on the Soyuz.

It should be noted that changes in rocket science are not made immediately. Modernization is carried out sequentially, and sometimes new and old systems are combined in order to be able to use time-tested technology left as a reserve in case of problems. The same thing happens with the upgrade of the Progress-MM spacecraft to the MS version. As Soyuz transitions from TMA-M to MS in about half a year, this provides an opportunity to identify and correct any shortcomings on the unmanned spacecraft, reducing the overall risk.

ECTS-TKA

The modernization includes the replacement of the Kvant-V radio communication system manufactured in Ukraine with a single telemetry system EKTS-TKA. Thanks to this, Russia began to independently control the production of antennas, feeders and communication electronics. In addition, the new telemetry and command system is capable of using the Luch geostationary communications satellites to relay telemetry to the ground and receive relayed commands in orbit sections that are outside the line of sight of the Russian Klen-R ground stations operating in Moscow and Zheleznogorsk.

Another communication update was the introduction of a link to the space station during rendezvous, providing relative navigation as additional source navigation data. Progress-MS is equipped with GPS and GLONASS receivers for accurate timing, state vector calculation and orbit determination, allowing more accurate calculation of the engine firing impulse, no longer relying on radar tracking, which is possible only when passing ground stations. 100% coverage will be provided by the commissioning of another ground station located at the Vostochny cosmodrome.

TV system

The Progress-MS transport cargo ship is equipped with an advanced camera system and uses digital transmission to provide best quality image transmitted to the ISS and to the Mission Control Center, which is necessary to control the rendezvous process and overlay video and data for remote control spacecraft (if necessary).

Improvements made to the flight control system, airborne software and communications systems have made it possible to switch from analog to digital video transmission, which has improved the quality of the image during berthing.

Traffic control and navigation system

In the newest generation Russian ships"Progress" and "Soyuz" significantly improved navigation. The KURS-A radio system was replaced by a new digital KURS-NA.

KURS allows spacecraft to perform rendezvous, final berthing and docking in automatic mode. In this case, the signals sent from the target station are received by several antennas and are used to determine the trajectory and pitch angles for long-range approach, starting from 200 km, as well as the angle of inclination, direction and view, distance and approach speed during berthing. All components of Ukrainian production were replaced, and an overall weight reduction was achieved while increasing its capabilities. KURS-NA needs only one antenna and provides more accurate measurements, allowing for fully automated docking of Progress or Soyuz spacecraft with the ISS.

Other improvements

Mechanisms appeared on the outer surface of the transport cargo spacecraft for launching CubeSat satellites into orbit. Outside of each bay, up to four small satellite launch containers can now be carried. In addition, additional protection of the cargo compartment from micrometeoroids and space debris was installed on the outer side of Progress-MC. To increase the reliability of the spacecraft, the docking mechanism was equipped with a backup drive.

Unmanned cargo spacecraft(automatic cargo ship, AGK) - an unmanned spacecraft designed to supply a manned orbital station (OS) with fuel, scientific equipment and materials, food, air, water and other, docking with it.

Design [ | ]

There are variants of such ships only for the delivery of cargo, as well as for both the delivery and return of cargo, having in the latter case one or more descent vehicles. In addition, with the help of AGK engines, the OS orbit is corrected. Non-returnable AGKs and non-returnable compartments of returned AGKs are used to free the OS from waste materials and debris.

As a rule, AGKs are either developed on the basis of a manned spacecraft, or, conversely, become the basis for modification development in one.

History [ | ]

The first AGKs were Soviet non-returnable ships of the Progress series and multifunctional ships of the TKS series, which had returnable vehicles. AGK Progress supplied OS Salyut and Mir, AGK TKS docked only with OS Salyut.

The United States did not use AGK in the national space program.

European (ESA) ATVs and Japanese HTVs have been developed and used to supply the International Space Station, and modernized Russian AGK Progress continues to be used. In addition, by order of NASA to supply the ISS, private companies have developed AGK

Good evening, dear readers of the Sprint-Answer website. Today is Saturday, which means that the weekly intellectual TV game "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" is on air on Channel One. with host Dmitry Dibrov. In the article you can find out all the questions and answers in the game "Who wants to be a millionaire?" for June 24, 2017 (06/24/2017).

So, the players are at the gaming table: Olga Pogodina and Alexey Pimanov. Participants of the TV game "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" on 06/24/2017 they chose a fireproof amount of 200,000 rubles.

1. How does the proverb end: "And the wolves are full ..."?

and grandfather Mazai is glad
and lost the prize
and the shepherds were fired
and the sheep are whole

2. Who came to the father in Mayakovsky's poem "What is good and what is bad"?

baby son
Little Raccoon
Smesharik Krosh
Tiny-havroshechka

3. What will the superstitious hunter answer to the question where he is going?

to hell on the cobwebs
on Kudykina mountain
to the distant kingdom
to the seventh heaven

4. What was the name of Tarapunka's colleague in the popular Soviet pop duet?

knife switch
The wire
Plug
connector

5. How to finish the line of the song: "The world is not simple, not at all simple, I'm not afraid ..."?

no laughter, no tears
no bullets and no roses
neither storms nor thunderstorms
no dreams and no dreams

6. Under what pseudonym did Igor Lotarev write poetry?

Siberian
Polar explorer
Northerner
snowman

7. What is the name of the oldest botanical garden in Russia, which is run by Moscow State University?

"Hospital Garden"
"Apothecary Garden"
"Hospital garden"
"Sanitary Garden"

8. What is the name of one of the characters in Gorky's play "At the Bottom"?

Prince
Baron
prince

9. In what year did Switzerland become a member of the UN?

2002

10. How do the heroes of the film "Window to Paris" return to St. Petersburg?

through the magic window
breakthrough tunnel
hijacking a plane
contacting the embassy

Unfortunately, the players answered this question incorrectly and won 0 rubles. Their places in the chairs of the players were taken by other participants in the game "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" June 24, 2017: Natalie and Mitya Fomin. The players chose the standard fireproof amount of 200,000 rubles.

1. What are souvenir magnets usually attached to?

to the iron
to the car
to the pan
to the refrigerator

2. What happened to a computer program that does not respond to keystrokes?

fell asleep
stuck
stuck
flew into

3. Where does chamber music sound most often?

in prison
in a photo studio
at the conservatory
in the storage room

4. Who uses Planck's constant in calculations?

carpenters
physics
tailors
high jumpers

5. Who begged: "Give it to houses for homeless piglets!"?

Piglet
Piggy
Funtik
Peppa Pig

6. Which playground only uses straight lines?

basketball
handball
volleyball
hockey

7. What Soviet spacecraft was cargo and unmanned?

"East"
"Sunrise"
"Union"
"Progress"

8. Which of the actors does not have the title of martial arts master?

Jackie Chan
Steven Seagal
Bruce Willis
Jean-Claude Van Damme

9. What city is in Belgorod Oblast?

Stary Oskol
Old Kupavna
Staraya Russa
Staritsa

10. To whom do we owe the appearance of the phraseologism "tyutelka to tyutelka"?

Almost everyone who lived in the USSR and who is at least a little interested in astronautics has heard of the legendary Buran, a winged spacecraft that was launched into orbit in combination with the Energia launch vehicle. The pride of Soviet space rocketry, the Buran orbiter made its only flight during perestroika and was severely damaged when the roof of the Baikonur hangar collapsed at the beginning of the new millennium. What is the fate of this ship, and why the Energia-Buran reusable space system program was frozen, we will try to figure it out.

History of creation

"Buran" is a winged spacecraft of reusable aircraft configuration. Its development began in 1974-1975 on the basis of the "Integrated Rocket and Space Program", which was the response of the Soviet cosmonautics to the news in 1972 that the United States had begun the implementation of the Space Shuttle program. So the development of such a ship was at that time a strategically important task for deterring a potential enemy and preserving Soviet Union positions of a space superpower.

The first Buran projects, which appeared in 1975, were almost identical to the American shuttles, not only in appearance, but also by the constructive arrangement of the main components and blocks, including main engines. After numerous improvements, the Buran became the way the whole world remembered it after the flight in 1988.

Unlike the American shuttles, it could deliver a greater weight of cargo (up to 30 tons) into orbit, as well as return up to 20 tons to the ground. But the main difference between the Buran and the shuttles, which determined its design, was a different placement and number of engines. On the domestic ship there were no main engines that were transferred to the launch vehicle, but there were engines to bring it into orbit. In addition, they turned out to be somewhat heavier.

The first, only and completely successful flight of Buran took place on November 15, 1988. The Energia-Buran ISS was launched into orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 6:00 am. It was a completely autonomous flight, not controlled from Earth. The flight lasted 206 minutes, during which the ship took off, went into earth orbit, circled the Earth twice, returned safely and landed at the airfield. It was an extremely joyful event for all developers, designers, everyone who somehow participated in the creation of this technical miracle.

It is sad that this particular ship, which made an “independent” triumphal flight, was buried in 2002 under the rubble of the collapsed roof of the hangar.

In the 90s, state funding for space development began to decline sharply, and in 1991 the Energia-Buran ISS was transferred from the defense program to the space program to solve national economic problems, after which, in the following 1992, the Russian Space Agency decided to stop work on the project of the reusable Energia-Buran system, and the created backlog was mothballed.

Ship device

The ship's fuselage is conditionally divided into 3 compartments: nose (for the crew), middle (for payload) and tail.

The nose of the hull structurally consists of a bow spinner, a pressurized cockpit and an engine compartment. The interior of the cabin is divided by floors that form decks. Decks together with frames provide the necessary strength to the cabin. In front of the cab, there are portholes on top.

The cabin is divided into three functional parts: the command compartment, where the main crew is located; household compartment - to accommodate an additional crew, spacesuits, berths, a life support system, personal hygiene products, five blocks with control system equipment, elements of a thermal control system, radio engineering and telemetry equipment; an aggregate compartment that ensures the operation of thermoregulation and life support systems.

To place cargo on the Buran, a capacious cargo compartment with a total volume of approximately 350 m3, a length of 18.3 m and a diameter of 4.7 m is provided. The compartment also allows you to serve the placed cargo and monitor the operation of the on-board systems until the very moment of unloading from the Buran.
The total length of the Buran ship is 36.4 m, the fuselage diameter is 5.6 m, the height on the chassis is 16.5 m, the wingspan is 24 m. The chassis has a base of 13 m, a track of 7 m.

The main crew was planned from 2-4 people, but the spacecraft can take on board an additional 6-8 researchers to carry out various work in orbit, that is, Buran can actually be called a ten-seat vehicle.

The duration of the flight is determined by a special program, the maximum time is set to 30 days. In orbit, good maneuverability of the Buran spacecraft is ensured by additional fuel reserves of up to 14 tons, the nominal fuel reserve is 7.5 tons. The integrated propulsion system of the Buran spacecraft is a complex system that includes 48 engines: 2 orbital maneuvering engines to bring the device into orbit with a thrust of 8.8 tons, 38 motion control jet engines with a thrust of 390 kg and 8 more engines for precision movements ( accurate orientation) with a pull of 20 kg. All these engines are fed from single tanks with hydrocarbon fuel "cycline" and liquid oxygen.

Orbital maneuvering engines are located in the tail compartment of the Buran, and control engines are located in the blocks of the nose and tail compartments. Early designs also called for two 8-ton thrust jet engines to enable deep lateral maneuver flight in landing mode. These engines did not make it into later ship designs.

The Buran engines make it possible to perform the following main operations: stabilization of the Energia-Buran complex before its separation from the second stage, separation and removal of the Burana spacecraft from the launch vehicle, bringing it to the initial orbit, formation and correction of the working orbit, orientation and stabilization, interorbital transitions, rendezvous and docking with other spacecraft, deorbit and deceleration, control of the spacecraft's position relative to its center of mass, etc.

At all stages of the flight, the Buran is controlled by the electronic brain of the ship, it also controls the operation of all on-board systems and provides navigation. In the final ascent phase, it controls the entry into the reference orbit. During orbital flight, it provides orbit correction, deorbiting and immersion into the atmosphere to an acceptable height with subsequent return to the working orbit, program turns and orientation, interorbital transitions, hovering, rendezvous and docking with a cooperating object, spinning around any of the three axes. During descent, it controls the ship's deorbit, its descent in the atmosphere, the necessary lateral maneuvers, arrival at the airfield and landing.

The basis of the automatic ship control system is a high-speed computing complex, represented by four interchangeable computers. The complex is capable of instantly solving all tasks within the framework of its functions and, first of all, linking the current ballistic parameters of the ship with the flight program. The Buran's automatic control system is so perfect that during future flights the ship's crew in this system is considered only as a link that duplicates the automation. This was the fundamental difference between the Soviet shuttle and the American shuttles - our Buran could perform the entire flight in automatic unmanned mode, go into space, safely return to earth and land at the airfield, which was clearly demonstrated by its only flight in 1988. The landing of the American shuttles was carried out entirely on manual control with idle engines.

Our car was much more maneuverable, more complex, smarter than its American predecessors and could automatically perform a wider range of functions.

In addition, Buran developed an emergency crew rescue system in case of emergency. At low altitudes, a catapult for the first two pilots was intended for this; in the event of an emergency at a sufficient height, the ship could disconnect from the launch vehicle and make an emergency landing.

For the first time in rocket science, a diagnostic system was used on a spacecraft, covering all spacecraft systems, connecting backup sets of equipment or switching to a backup mode in case of possible malfunctions.

The device is designed for 100 flights in both autonomous and manned modes.

The present

The winged spacecraft "Buran" did not find peaceful use, since the program itself was defense and could not be integrated into the peaceful economy, especially after the collapse of the USSR. Nevertheless, it was a big technological breakthrough, dozens of new technologies and new materials were worked out at Buran, and it is a pity that these achievements were not applied and developed further.

Where are the famous Buranas in the past, on which the best minds, thousands of workers worked, and on which so much effort was spent and so many hopes were placed?

In total, there were five copies of the Buran winged ship, including unfinished and started vehicles.

1.01 "Buran" - carried out the only unmanned space flight. It was stored at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the assembly and test building. At the time of destruction during the collapse of the roof in May 2002, it was the property of Kazakhstan.

1.02 - the ship was intended for the second flight in autopilot mode and docking with the Mir space station. It is also owned by Kazakhstan and installed in the museum of the Baikonur Cosmodrome as an exhibit.

2.01 - the readiness of the ship was 30 - 50%. He was at the Tushino Machine-Building Plant until 2004, then spent 7 years on the pier Khimki reservoir. And, finally, in 2011 it was transported for restoration to the Zhukovsky airfield.

2.02 - 10-20% readiness. Partially dismantled on the stocks of the Tushino plant.

2.03 - the backlog was completely destroyed.

Possible perspectives

The Energia-Buran project was closed, among other things, due to the unnecessary delivery of large cargoes into orbit, as well as their return. Built for defense rather than peaceful purposes, in the era of " star wars”, the domestic space shuttle Buran was far ahead of its time.
Who knows, maybe his time will come. When space exploration becomes more active, when it will be necessary to frequently deliver cargo and passengers to orbit and vice versa.

And when the designers finalize that part of the program that concerns the preservation and relatively safe return to earth of the stages of the launch vehicle, i.e., they make the system for launching into orbit more convenient, which will significantly reduce the cost and make reusable not only the use of a cruise ship, but also the system " Energy-Buran" in general.

Space exploration and penetration into its space is the eternal goal of scientific technical progress and quite a logical stage of progress. The era, which is commonly called the space era, was opened on October 4, 1957 at the time of the launch of the first artificial satellite Soviet Union. Just three years later, Yuri Gagarin was looking at the Earth through a window. Since that time, man has been going exponentially. People's interest in everything cosmic is growing. And the Progress space truck family is no exception.

Deliver the cargo

Stations in orbit "Salyut" were operated for a short time. And the reasons for this were the need to deliver fuel, life support elements, consumables and repair equipment to them in case of breakdowns. For the third generation of Salyuts, it was decided to include a cargo element in the design of the Soyuz manned spacecraft, later called the Progress cargo spacecraft. The permanent developer of the entire Progress family still remains the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation named after Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, located in the city of Korolev, in the Moscow Region.

History

The project has been developed under the code 7K-TG since 1973. On the base manned spacecraft of the Soyuz type, it was decided to provide for the design of an automatic transport spacecraft that would deliver up to 2.5 tons of cargo to the orbital station. The Progress cargo spacecraft went on a test launch in 1966, and the following year - on a manned one. The tests were successful and justified the hopes of the designers. The first series of Progress cargo ships remained in operation until 1990. A total of 43 ships took off, including an unsuccessful launch called Kosmos-1669. Further modifications of the ship were developed. The cargo spacecraft Progress M carried out 67 takeoffs during 1989-2009. From 2000 to 2004, Progress M-1 made 11 takeoffs. And the cargo ship Progress M-M” was launched until 2015 29 times. The latest modification of Progress MS is still relevant today.

How it all goes

The Progress cargo ship is an automatic unmanned vehicle that is launched into orbit, then turns on the engines and rendezvous with. After 48 hours, it must dock and unload. After that, what is no longer needed at the station is placed in it: garbage, used equipment, waste. From that moment on, it is already an object that litters the near-Earth space. It is undocked, with the help of engines it moves away from the station, slows down, enters the Earth's atmosphere, where the Progress cargo ship burns out. It happens in given point over the Pacific Ocean.

How does it work

All modifications of the Progress cargo ship are generally of the same type. Differences in the filling and specific supporting systems are clear only to specialists and are not the subject of the article. In the structure of any modification, several significantly different compartments are distinguished:

cargo;
refueling;
instrument.

The cargo compartment is sealed and has a docking unit. Its purpose is to deliver the goods. The refueling compartment is not sealed. It contains toxic fuel and it is the lack of tightness that protects the station in case of its leakage. Aggregate or instrument compartment allows you to control the ship.

The very first

The Progress-1 cargo spacecraft soared into space in 1978. Checking the operation of control systems, rendezvous and docking equipment showed the possibility of rendezvous with the station. He made a connection with orbital station"Salyut-6" January 22. Cosmonauts Georgy Grechko and Yuri Romanenko supervised the work of the spacecraft and supervised the process.

Latest

The latest modification of the Progress MS has a number of significant differences that have improved the functionality and increased the reliability of the cargo ship. In addition, it is equipped with more powerful protection against meteorites and space debris, has redundant electric motors in the docking device. It is equipped with a modern Luch command and telemetry system that maintains communication at any point in the orbit. Launches are carried out using Soyuz launch vehicles from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The crash of the ship "Progress MS-4"

On the eve of the new year, on December 1, 2016, the Soyuz-U launch vehicle launched from Baikonur, which carried the Progress MS-4 cargo ship into orbit. He brought New Year's gifts to the cosmonauts, the Lada-2 greenhouse, spacesuits for working in the open space"Orlan-MKS" and other cargo with a total weight of 2.5 tons for the astronauts of the International Space Station. But at 232 seconds into the flight, the ship disappeared. Later it turned out that the rocket exploded and the ship did not reach orbit. The wreckage of the ship fell in the region of the mountainous and deserted territory of the Republic of Tyva. Various reasons have been proposed for the crash.

"Progress MS-5"

This catastrophe did not affect further space work. On February 24, 2017, the Progress MS-5 cargo ship entered orbit, which reported part of the equipment that had been lost in the previous disaster. And on July 21, it was disconnected from and safely flooded in that part Pacific Ocean, which is called the "cemetery of spaceships."

Future plans

Rocket and Space Corporation Energia announced its plans to create a reusable manned transport spacecraft Federation, which will replace unmanned progress. The new "truck" will be more load-bearing, have more advanced on-board and navigation systems. But most importantly, he will be able to return to Earth.