A whole detachment of expeditionary vessels provided missile testing and participated in manned flight control spaceships and orbital stations, controlled the launches of long-distance spacecraft to the planets solar system. From the first steps of the Russian cosmonautics until the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Marine Space Fleet did not fail a single mission.
To control the flight of spacecraft (SC), a command and measurement complex was created, which includes a Mission Control Center (MCC) and a large network of ground-based measurement points (GMS). But to ensure good communication between spacecraft and the Earth at any time of the day, the country’s territory was not enough.
After the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite, ballistics calculations showed that out of 16 orbits that the spacecraft makes per day, 6 pass over the oceans. They were called “blind spots”, they were “invisible” from the territory of the USSR, which means that the flight took place blindly, without the ability to control. We did not have islands and bases in another hemisphere in order to equip NPCs there. The solution to the problem was scientific vessels, capable of providing communication between the Earth and space almost anywhere in the ocean. Subsequently, thanks to the use of the space fleet, all 6 hard-to-reach orbits became visible.
The birth of the space fleet - 1960. According to the plans of S.P. Korolev, in October of this year, the first launches of long-distance spacecraft to Venus and Mars were to take place. On his initiative, three dry cargo ships “Dolinsk”, “Krasnodar” and “Voroshilov” (later renamed “Ilyichevsk”) are urgently equipped with telemetry equipment.
On August 1, “Krasnodar” and “Voroshilov” from Odessa, and then “Dolinsk” from Leningrad go out into the Atlantic to ensure control of the second launches (when the object accelerates from the first cosmic speed to the second in order to fly to distant planets). In 1961, all three ships operated on the first manned flight around the Earth.
Each of the ships was equipped with two sets of Tral radio telemetry stations, capable of receiving and recording dozens of parameters from the boards of space objects, recalls Vasily Vasilyevich Bystrushkin (a veteran of the Great Patriotic War) Patriotic War. In 1961 - head of the expedition of a floating telemetry point in the Atlantic, equipped on the ship "Krasnodar". A direct participant in ensuring Gagarin’s flight, the main representative of the customer for the construction of specialized vessels of the Marine Space Fleet; laureate of the USSR State Prize).
Until that time, these stations were manufactured only in the automotive version, and for marine conditions they were not completed in time. Therefore, automobile bodies with equipment placed in them, but, of course, without a chassis, were lowered into the holds of motor ships and secured there in a naval manner. The vessels received the coordinates of operating points in the Atlantic Gulf of Guinea and were supposed to monitor the operation of on-board systems at the landing site. "Krasnodar", on which I was the head of the expedition, was appointed as the head of the complex, since it had the most experienced specialists on board. Further south along the highway, one and a half thousand kilometers away, the motor ship “Ilyichevsk” received an operating point. The Ilyichevsk operating point allowed it to be the first to record telemetry reception if suddenly the landing program on board was activated ahead of schedule.
Motor ship "Dolinsk" took his place workplace north of the island of Fernando Po (near Cameroon). Its radio visibility zone made it possible to record the operation of on-board telemetry in the event of a delay in the activation time of the braking propulsion system (TDU). This arrangement of the vessels made it possible to receive telemetry with a time reserve from the beginning of the on-board orientation system activation until the end of the operation of the TDU when the spacecraft entered the dense layers of the atmosphere.
Until April 12, daily operator training took place, and only the antenna devices of the Tral stations, due to the requirements of the secrecy regime, continued to remain disassembled and covered with a tarpaulin. The weather in the work area on that day (April 12) was no different from other days of the year on the equator, a bright sunny day, calm. The ship is slowly heading southwest, the antennas are aligned according to target designations. An hour after launch, a stable signal was received from Vostok. The spacecraft's landing orientation system worked normally. The operators of the Tral station accurately recorded the duration of operation of the braking propulsion system. Telegrams of operational reports were urgently transmitted to Moscow; within two or three minutes from the start of receiving telemetry they were at the control center.
The landing of the Vostok took place according to a given program, and from our reports it was clear that the ship should land at the calculated point. But in the stuffy hold of the ship, work continued to boil for a long time: in the darkroom they continued to develop multi-meter lengths of film. The codebreakers looked at the still damp tape, which had not completely dried, on the tables, analyzing the operating parameters of the ship’s onboard systems for transmitting the second stream of telemetric measurements to the control center. There was an atmosphere of joy and pride on the ship for the new success in space exploration. By this time, the first mate had already hung up a huge banner: “Long live the world’s first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin!” - and solemnly held an impromptu rally.
In conditions of secrecy and the race for primacy in space, the ICF vessels went on voyages under the flag of Sovtransflot with the legend of “supplying Soviet fishing vessels with containers.” This aroused suspicion among the authorities of foreign ports, where expeditions visited to replenish water, food and fuel. Acute situations arose; our “space” ships were often captured at sea, in ports. It was never officially stated that they were scientific, that they were taking measurements, and this could lead to serious problems. Therefore, in 1967, in a TASS report, our ships were declared to belong to the Academy of Sciences and began to sail under the pennants of the academic fleet. Now their calls to foreign ports were processed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It was in 1967 that the first specialized vessels of the Marine Space Fleet appeared: the floating command and measuring complex, the research vessel (RV) “Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov” and four telemetry points - the RV “Borovichi”, “Nevel”, “Kegostrov”, “ Morzhovets." All were built and equipped in Leningrad in connection with the expansion of lunar exploration programs, including the flyby of the Moon by Soviet cosmonauts. We have already participated in the lunar race, we wanted to be the first here too.
Giants
Under the second lunar exploration program (landing of Soviet cosmonauts on the Moon), in 1970, a ship that looked like a passenger liner entered service with the space fleet. It was the R/V Akademik Sergei Korolev, a 180-meter vessel with a displacement of 22 thousand tons and a power plant with a capacity of 12,000 hp.
The ship had an unlimited navigation area. Soon the second great ship of science appeared, recognized as the flagship of the USSR space fleet, the world's largest research vessel, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. It was built at the Baltic Plant in Leningrad in 1971. It was a real floating flight control center. Both vessels are unique. The equipment specially designed for them had no analogues. It was created by our designers on the basis of domestic technology: complex radio systems capable of issuing the necessary commands on board spacecraft, receiving telemetric information about the state of on-board systems, conducting radio conversations with astronauts, and much more. There was an expedition and crew on board each ship. Expedition - those who controlled the flight, provided communication sessions (engineers and technicians), and the crew - service personnel: navigators, captain and assistant navigators, deck crew, engine room.
The ships went on voyages for 6-7 months, sometimes more. For example, the third voyage of the Queen took 9.5 months. The space service ships had amazing architecture. Snow-white, with openwork antennas, some of colossal size, they became a vivid symbol of the growing cosmic power of the USSR.
The antenna mirrors of “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” alone, 25 meters long, or the 18-meter balls of radio-transparent antenna covers on “Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov” were truly amazing on a cosmic scale.
The ICF vessels had excellent seaworthiness; they operated in all areas of the World Ocean, at any time of the year and in any weather. “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin,” say, could travel 20 thousand miles without entering a port - this is almost a trip around the world. From 1977 to 1979, the fleet was replenished with four more telemetry vessels:
"Cosmonaut Vladislav Volkov"
“Cosmonaut Vladislav Volkov” is a research vessel designed to perform space communications tasks; Until 1995, it was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense, after which it was under the control of the NPO of Measuring Equipment of the Russian Space Agency. Named in honor of cosmonaut Vladislav Nikolaevich Volkov, who died during the flight of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft. Built in 1977 in Leningrad, as part of a series of four ships, which also included “Cosmonaut Pavel Belyaev”, “Cosmonaut Georgy Dobrovolsky” and “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsaev”.The project is based on a standard timber carrier, which, however, was completely redesigned (only the hulls and main power plants remained unchanged). The first flight took place on October 18, 1977. Maximum length 121.9 m, maximum width 16.7 m, side height to upper deck 10.8 m Displacement with full reserves 8950 tons, draft 6.6 m. Main power plant - diesel with a capacity of 5200 liters. With. Speed 14.7 knots. Ship supplies: fuel - 1440 tons, lubricating oils - 30 tons, drinking and washing water - 600 tons.
Cruising range 16,000 miles. Provision reserves are enough for 90 days of autonomous operation, water reserves - for 30 days. The crew consists of 66 people, the expedition - 77 people. The navigation area is not limited by the seaworthiness of the vessel. From 1977 to 1991, the ship completed 14 expedition voyages in the Central and South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.
"Cosmonaut Pavel Belyaev"
Research vessel of the USSR Space Research Service. Commissioned in 1978. Double-deck motor ship 121.9 m long, 16.7 m wide, engine power 3824.5 kW, speed 14.7 knots, displacement 8950 tons. Crew 66 people, expedition - 77 people. There are 350 rooms on board, incl. 49 laboratories. Complex technical means includes telemonitoring and intercom systems with astronauts, station satellite communications to exchange information with the Mission Control Center. Cruising range up to 16,000 miles
"Cosmonaut Georgy Dobrovolsky"
It was part of a group of similar vessels of the USSR Academy of Sciences SKI OMER of Project 1929 (“Selena-2”), “Cosmonaut Vladislav Volkov”, “Cosmonaut Pavel Belyaev” and “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsaev”.
The scientific vessel-motor ship “Cosmonaut Georgy Dobrovolsky” is the last vessel of the Russian space fleet, built in 1977.
The ship was equipped with the latest means of radio telemetry, information and computing technology and machine data processing, more advanced means of location determination, communication, etc. Performing the tasks of small ships of the space fleet, the new ship represented a significant step forward in the development of ship measuring points.
"Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev."
“Cosmonaut Viktor Patsaev” is a research vessel named after the cosmonaut Viktor Patsaev. Currently located in the Museum of the World Ocean in Kaliningrad. The main tasks of the vessel were to receive and analyze telemetric data and provide radio communications between spacecraft and Mission Control Center.The vessel was built in 1968 at the Leningrad Zhdanov Shipyard as the timber carrier “Semyon Kosinov”. There, in 1978, it was rebuilt and converted into a research vessel. During its operation, 14 scientific voyages were made.
The ship was equipped with the latest means of radio telemetry, information and computing technology and machine data processing, more advanced means of location determination, communication, etc. Performing the tasks of small ships of the space fleet, the new ship represented a significant step forward in the development of ship measuring points.
By 1979, the ICF consisted of 11 specialized vessels that participated in the control of manned flights, docking and undocking of spacecraft over the ocean. Not a single landing of manned spacecraft or launches to distant planets could take place without them.
Ship Eater
Main point of work large ships The space fleet had a zone off the east coast of Canada, not far from the treacherous Sable Island. A small island, barely visible in the morning fog, which has the oddity of changing its size and coordinates, has been moving across the ocean for many years, as if animated. Slowly but ominously, the island is creeping towards the Atlantic, moving an average of 230 meters per year. In winter, the storm almost never subsides here, and in summer there is always thick fog. Made of quicksand, the island has captured and pulled ships into its dunes for centuries, earning it the nickname “ship devourer” and “graveyard of the North Atlantic.” It was here, near the island with a bad reputation, that our “Komarovtsy”, “Korolets” and “Gagarintsy” stood, replacing each other, on duty at the “invisible” turns.
Starfish
“Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” is amazing even in photographs. It was twice the size of the Titanic. The ship's displacement was 45 thousand tons (for comparison: the Titanic had a displacement of 28 thousand tons). The ship is 232 meters long and 64 meters high. The deck width was about 30 meters. Four parabolic antennas rose above it, two of which were 25.5 meters in diameter; together with the foundations, their total weight was about 1000 tons. Unique antennas rotated in three planes. Eleven-deck turboprop with a power plant of 19,000 hp. had a speed of 18 knots. Despite the high power of long-distance space communication transmitters, the antenna beams were very “thin” and it was necessary to accurately point at the object in rolling conditions.
Thanks to the multifunctional radio-technical complex "Photon", the ship could work simultaneously with two space objects. To communicate between the NIS and the cosmonauts with Moscow, Molniya relay satellites were used, thus, a complete exchange of all information took place in real time. The ship had 1,500 rooms with total area 20,000 sq. meters. It would take two days to get around them all. More than a hundred laboratories were equipped here. The total number of crew on board reached 330 people. “Unlike the firstborn of the space fleet, all of them were created on the Gagarin the necessary conditions comfort,” says IFF veteran Anatoly Kapitanov. - In the bow of the flagship there was a modern (for those years) cinema hall for 250 spectators, and under it there was a gym. There were three swimming pools, recreation areas with a billiard room.
The power of the ship's air conditioners was three times higher than the air conditioning system installed in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. All these benefits from Leningrad shipbuilders were completely justified. We went on 6-7 month voyages to work at different sea latitudes. We were accompanied by severe physical and psychological stress. Particularly annoying was the frequent change of operating hours; during the voyage it was shifted to night and back three times. It happened that in one day, due to interruptions in flight control, we went to work twice. Often the total operating time exceeded 10 hours. It’s good, of course, that, unlike a land-based lifestyle, you don’t have to “go” to work by transport, worry about any purchases, everything was according to schedule and free.”
Shipwreck
1996 In Odessa, in the port of Yuzhny, an extraordinary ship stood alone at the pier. On its side could be seen the strange name "AGAR", which did not say anything to those who first saw the steel giant, which arrived from somewhere from the great past. This was our flagship, the best scientific vessel in the country and, perhaps, in the world. How did it get here? In 1991, “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” was abandoned by his main expedition. After the collapse of the Union and the reduction of space programs, the cosmonautics experienced a very difficult time - it found itself out of work. One of the main symbols of the space flotilla, the R/V Gagarin was now a terrible sight: rusted, desecrated by vandals, littered and looted. The Marine Space Fleet was completely disbanded in 1995. In 1991, Gagarin was privatized by Ukraine, and soon titanium was unaffordable for the Black Sea Shipping Company.
It is still unknown what happened to the ship’s library and museum, where the portrait of Yu. Gagarin, donated to the crew by Anna Timofeevna Gagarina, disappeared. In 1996, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was sold for $170 per ton. It was a shame to sell scientific pride for scrap metal, so the name of the ship was covered with paint, leaving only the letters “AGAR”. “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin”, who completed 22 expeditionary flights, set off on his last journey to India. There, in the port of Alang, in a matter of days it was cut into large, shapeless pieces.
Perhaps this metal will return to us in the form of pots or souvenir badges, or in the form of other ships, but no one will know about it. Today, only one ship remains from the entire IFF - “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev”, it stands in the port of Kaliningrad, at the pier of the “Museum of the World Ocean”. Sometimes it is involved in work on the ISS - it conducts periodic communication sessions. But he doesn’t go out to sea, he’s “on a leash.”
Today, many countries around the world have ships built to monitor space. The USA and France have several, China is constantly expanding its space fleet: our eastern neighbors already have 5 specialized ships equipped with systems for receiving telemetry and controlling spacecraft.
P.S.
"Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin" and "Academician Sergei Korolev" sailed to Cuba and Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) in 1993 under the flag of Ukraine.
Then they were laid up, rotted and stolen, and in 1996, they changed their names to “AGAR” and “OROL” and went to Alang for scrapping.
Gennady Matsenko writes about “Gagarin”:
"From the stories of my comrades who went on this sad voyage, I know the following: The ship left the roadstead of the port of Ilyichevsk on June 5-7(?) 1996 and arrived at the Alang roadstead on June 29. The day before, the R/V "Akademik Sergey Korolev" arrived there and the tide was the first to wash ashore on June 29. And on June 30, the same fate befell the R/V "Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin". Later, sailors I knew drove the GT/V "Captain Smirnov" there and said that they saw the "Gagarin" without antennas or superstructure etc. There was one building"
In 1995, SKI OMER ceased to exist and the remaining four Selena-2s were transferred to Roscosmos. At the same time, the military managed to remove all special equipment from the ships “Cosmonaut Vladislav Volkov” and “Cosmonaut Pavel Belyaev”. In 2000, both vessels were dismantled at the Kaliningrad Shipyard
RV KGD in Alang.
They fought for the remaining “Dobrovolsky” and “Patsayev” for a long time. It was assumed, for example, that they would be used in the Sea Launch project. In 1999, they even managed to supply equipment to Dobrovolsky and began preparing for the voyage. But...
In 2005, Dobrovolsky was sold for scrap and in March 2006, under the name Cosmos, it washed up on the shores of Alang.
To date (2012), only one ship of the “marine space fleet” remains in existence - “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev”, standing in the port of Kaliningrad as an exhibit of the Museum of the World Ocean.
Telemetry reception equipment continues to function on the ship, and NPO IT employees working on it carry out up to three communication sessions with the ISS daily.
A group of officers led by Vice Admiral, Deputy Commander of the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Federation Sergei Eliseev visited the R/V “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev” in Kaliningrad.
As it became known, the deputy commander raised specific questions regarding the ownership of the vessel, property, berth, inventory records, got acquainted with documents on the inspection of the vessel, the Register, fire safety etc.
After this, each of the officers received tasks aimed at studying the objects of the ship in order to assess its condition: engine, progress, wheelhouse, galley, cabins, etc. Then Vice Admiral Sergei Eliseev personally toured all the premises, incl. museum
Two hours later, each officer reported in his own direction. Sergei Eliseev asked questions about possible accommodation on board the Youth Army during training camps, provision of food for the Youth Army members, the possibility of operating showers and plumbing, and a sauna.
The military commander said that a branch of the Museum of the World Ocean will continue to be located on board the ship.
As a result of the visit, it became known that in 2019 the ship will be docked and repaired, with funding planned for 2018. So far there has been no talk of specific amounts, but, according to Sergei Eliseev, a similar repair of the destroyer Bespokoiny, for example, cost more than 1 billion rubles.
Deputy Commander of the Baltic Fleet Sergei Eliseev was pleased with what he saw and noted that for 17 years at the museum’s pier the ship has remained in very good condition: not stolen, the equipment is in its place!
Let us recall that two years ago the only space communications vessel in Russia, “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev,” was due to the fact that the then “owner” of the vessel, Roscosmos, planned to stop using it as a laboratory for communication with the ISS, transferring these functions to a ground-based measurement center.
The R/V “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev” needed to be rescued urgently. The Space Fleet Veterans Club contacted the government of the Kaliningrad region and the State Security Service. After an examination, “Patsayev” was recognized as an object of cultural heritage subject to state protection.
For the “scientist” then this was salvation: it could not be sold, sawn into needles, or used for scrap.
However, in the fall of 2016, NPO IT filed a lawsuit against the Russian Ministry of Culture with a demand to invalidate the order to include “Patsaev” in the State Register of Cultural Heritage Objects of the Peoples of Russia.
In February 2017, the Moscow Arbitration Court ordered the Ministry of Culture of Russia, and the R/V “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev” was included in the State Register of Cultural Heritage Objects of the Peoples of Russia.
But this did not relieve the tension. In late November of this year, a meeting was held at the Russian Ministry of Culture, at which among those involved in the fate of “Patsayev” on “ permanent basis", a new character has appeared -
According to the management of the research and production association of testing equipment (NPO IT), “Patrons of the Fatherland” should become the new owners of the “scientist”. They were supported by the Ministry of Culture.
Confidence of the federal authorities public organization was the only guarantee that nothing bad would happen to the ship. But the social activists themselves had neither a concept for the development of the R/V “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev”, nor the money to maintain the vessel. And in the near future there are only plans to create a commercial museum and hotel on board.
This outraged and alarmed not only veterans of the space fleet, the leadership of the Museum of the World Ocean and the daughter of the hero cosmonaut Svetlana Patsayeva. (ONF) became interested in the basis for transferring the vessel to public activists - without bidding, “for pretty eyes.”
The fate of “Patsaev” was to be decided in mid-December at a meeting with Russian Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky.
At the same time, the portal site learned from reliable sources that the R/V “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev”.
A few days ago, the commander of the Western Military District A.V. Kartapolov and the head of the Naval Directorate of the Western Military District O.V. boarded the ship. Zhuravlev. At the same time, for the first time they started talking about the fact that “Patsayev” could become one of the objects of the projected “Patriot” park.
It should be noted that “Patriot”, a military-patriotic park of culture and recreation of the Russian Armed Forces, officially opened in the summer of 2015 and in a relatively short period of operation has become a popular holiday destination.
Last weekend, Deputy Minister of Culture of Russia Oleg Ryzhkov visited Kaliningrad. The official said that the research vessel "Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev" will remain in Kaliningrad as a museum. It will be taken over by the Russian Ministry of Defense for the possible creation of a branch of the Patriot park on its basis.
Maya BLINOVA
Research vessel « Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin» is the largest ship and the most advanced expeditionary vessel in terms of technical equipment, which has no analogues in the world. The ships that took part in the exploration of outer space constituted a special class of ocean-going vessels. They had everything unusual: architectural appearance, equipment and special sailing conditions.Perhaps the characteristic external feature of all space service vessels was the powerful designs of antenna systems and radio equipment. They involuntarily attracted attention. Three antennas with a diameter of 25 meters each and weighing about 240 tons and three with a diameter of 12 meters weighing 180 tons. In total, the ship has 75 antennas of various types and purposes. The ship had the ability to independently control the flights of space objects thanks to temporary programs. Providing relay mode to the flight control center with spacecraft. In addition to the listed equipment, there were navigation and navigational systems on board the scientific vessel, ensuring the exact location of the ship and unhindered passages in the seas and oceans.
To improve the seaworthiness of the ship, ensuring navigation in various areas of the World Ocean, a passive stabilizer was installed, thanks to which the rolling amplitude was reduced to three degrees. To make it easier to control the vessel during drifting or mooring (without interrupting the communication session), thrusters were installed - two in the bow and one in the stern, in the form of winged propulsors. They were located inside the hull in transverse through channels below the waterline. The hull of the sea vessel was divided into eight compartments separated by watertight bulkheads. To create favorable conditions for fruitful work and good rest for the crew on board the research vessel « Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin"there were various laboratories, a command post with everything necessary equipment, a cinema hall and several dining rooms. Feature big ship there was also autonomy. The duration of the voyage without visiting ports to replenish fuel, fresh water and provisions was 130 days.
research vessel "Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin"
R/V space service "Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin" on duty - illustration
one of the antennas of the research vessel "Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin"
During expeditionary voyages, the research vessel " Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin"provided control over space objects such as Luna-20 (collecting lunar soil and delivering it to Earth); "Venera-8" (the world's first landing on Venus and transmission of information); "Union"; "Salyut-7", etc. Officially the court " Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin», « Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov», « Academician Sergei Korolev"belonged to the USSR Academy of Sciences, and were serviced by the Black Sea Shipping Company. But with the formation of the CIS, these organizations remained in different countries. Due to bureaucratic confusion, frequent non-payments appeared on both sides. The Black Sea Shipping Company, despite difficult times, tried to preserve the ships " Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin" And " Academician Sergei Korolev» (« Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov"was transferred to the Baltic Shipping Company). But, in the end, the ships ended up in a roadstead near the port of Yuzhny, without proper supervision. Equipment disappeared from the laboratories, everything slowly rusted and became unusable. In 1996, the ships were already suitable for scrapping! The State Property Fund of Ukraine decided to sell them to the Austrian company Zuid Merkur at a price of 170 US dollars per ton.
Thus ended the glorious service of these famous and admired ships, which were ignored by the officials. When there is material benefit for themselves, they will not miss such a chance.
photographs of the most famous spacecraft services:
R/V "Cosmonaut Vladislav Volkov"
R/V "Akademik Sergei Korolev"
Technical data of the research vessel “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin”:
Length - 231 m;
Width - 31 m;
Draft - 8.5 m;
Displacement - 45,000 tons;
Ship's power point
- steam turbine power 19000 l. With.;
Speed - 18 knots;
Cruising range - 20,000 miles;
Crew - 140 people;
Scientific and technical staff - 215 people;
Material taken from the site: korabley.net
The ship "Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin" is a research vessel (RV) of the space research service of the USSR Academy of Sciences. At the time of construction, the largest research vessel in the world. Designed to measure the motion parameters of spacecraft, transmit commands and programs into space to control their flight, receive telemetric and scientific information from space, and conduct radio conversations with astronauts.
In the process of creating the ship and the radio systems installed on it, many scientific and technical problems were solved related to increasing the range and stability of communications with spacecraft, increasing the reliability of the equipment, and increasing the accuracy of the ship's navigation reference to a point on the Earth.
The creators also faced a number of other complex technical challenges related to providing the equipment with electricity. various types, cooling, air conditioning, reducing body vibration, improving rolling parameters, eliminating mutual interference during the simultaneous operation of various radio equipment.
Built in Leningrad in 1972, it was assigned to the port of Odessa. The basis of the project was the hull of the serial tanker 1552 with ice reinforcements. The vessel was designed to operate in any area of the World Ocean and in any weather conditions.
Ceremonial launching
The ship sailed for its first time in December 1972. For 20 years (until 1991), the ship made more than 20 voyages and participated in many experiments under the Soviet program of space research and exploration. The basis of the scientific and technical equipment located on the ship was a universal command and measurement system capable of working simultaneously and independently with two space objects. It transmitted commands, carried out trajectory measurements, telemetric control, two-way telephone and telegraph communication with astronauts, and received scientific data and television images from space. The operation of this system was ensured by parabolic antennas (with a diameter of 25 m and a weight of 240 tons and one - 12 m and 180 tons). Through them, radio signals were transmitted and received at centimeter, decimeter and meter waves. Each antenna was equipped with a system for stabilization and automatic tracking of space objects. Another, 12-meter bow antenna was used to communicate with the Mission Control Center via the Molniya relay satellite.
Laboratory of antenna control equipment of the measuring complex
The control of space radio engineering systems was fully automated; their operation was monitored from special shipboard consoles. The location was determined by a special automated complex that received signals from navigation satellites. There were also passive pitch dampers. The ship's drift orientation during communication sessions was carried out using thrusters (two bow and one stern).
The vessel was also equipped with continuous-wave equipment automatic measurement bending of the ship's hull in rough seas. The equipment provided relevant information to the antenna control system to improve their pointing accuracy.
Laboratory of measuring complex
Cruising range - 26 thousand miles, cruising autonomy - 130 days. In total, there are 1,200 different rooms on board with a total area of over 20,000 sq.m. The crew is 136 people, as well as 298 scientists, laboratory assistants, engineers and space service technicians.
The vessel was equipped with anchor devices with anchors weighing 8 tons each, steering and mooring-towing devices, a cargo device (three electric cranes with a lifting capacity of 3.2 tons and 8-ton cargo booms serving the cargo hold for the transportation of various expeditionary cargo).
Displacement - 45 thousand tons,
Length - 232 m,
Width - 31 m,
PTU power - 19000 hp.
The power of the ship's power plant is 8000 kW.
Speed - 18 knots,
Side height - 15.4 m
Draft - 8.5 m
Central laboratory of the navigation complex
Sources used: "Marine Encyclopedic Reference Book" edited by Academician N. N. Isanin. Leningrad "Shipbuilding" 1987
“Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” is a large research vessel that was the flagship of the USSR Space Research Service. The ship was built at the Baltic Shipyard in Leningrad in 1971. The maximum length of the eleven-deck motor ship was 231.6 meters, width - 32 meters, and the power of the main power plant was 14,000 kW. The ship's displacement was 45,000 tons, maximum speed speed - 18 knots, crew - 136 people, expedition composition - 212 people. In total, there were 1,250 different rooms on board the ship, including 86 laboratories. The ship was designed to solve communication and control problems simultaneously with several spacecraft, as well as the Mission Control Center. For these purposes, there were 75 antennas on board the ship, including 2 large antennas with parabolic reflectors with a diameter of 25 meters. The ship's operating area was the Atlantic Ocean; it could sail autonomously for 130 days.
The research vessel (RV) “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” (project 1909) was created on the basis of the Project 1552 tanker and was the largest and most technically advanced expedition ship in the world. At the same time, in the USSR, ships that took part in space exploration constituted a special class of ocean-going ships. These vessels had a rather unusual appearance, distinguishing them from other ships by their equipment, architectural appearance, special conditions swimming.
Perhaps the most characteristic external feature of all space service vessels was the fairly powerful designs of radio equipment and antenna systems. It was these objects that attracted the main attention. On the ship there were 2 antennas with a diameter of 25 meters, their weight reached 240 tons, as well as 2 antennas with a diameter of 12 meters, their weight was 180 tons. In total, the ship had about 75 different antennas. From the ship it was possible to independently control the flights of space objects.
To improve the seaworthiness of the ship, a passive stabilizer was installed on it, thanks to the use of which the amplitude during rolling in conditions of seven-point sea state was reduced from 10 to 3 degrees. To make it easier to control the ship during mooring or drifting (without interrupting the communication session), thrusters were installed on it - wing thrusters: 2 in the bow and 1 in the stern. These devices were located inside the hull in transverse through channels located below the waterline. The thrusters were driven by electric motors.
The length of the ship's hull was divided into 8 compartments, which were separated by waterproof bulkheads, and the height into 11 tiers, which were formed by decks and platforms. At the very bottom there was a double bottom, after which there were lower, middle and upper platforms. These 4 tiers included boiler and diesel fuel tanks, storerooms, ballast tanks, fresh water tanks, and a number of laboratories. In the second compartment (counting from the bow of the ship), 2 tiers were allocated to accommodate a sports hall; above it, on the upper platform, there was a cinema lecture hall. The seventh compartment housed the ship's power plant, and the eighth compartment housed the engine and boiler room. The upper platform of the ship and all subsequent tiers were located above the waterline. The ship's hull was equipped with special ice reinforcements.
On the upper deck of the ship there were cabins for the crew and members of scientific expeditions, laboratories, and dining rooms. Part of the upper deck along both sides was open. Even higher there were 2 tiers of the superstructure - the first tier deck and the open deck, which stretched over most of the length of the ship. The ship's tiers were included in the overall hull strength system and, together with three platforms, an upper deck, transverse and longitudinal bulkheads, increased its rigidity and reduced the possibility of hull deformation. On the first tier there were 2 lounges, laboratories and a wardroom for the crew and expedition. The deck of the first tier along the entire perimeter of the ship had open gallery.
On the open deck there were barbettes of 2 parabolic antennas with mirrors with diameters of 25 meters; they were located closer to the stern of the ship. Antenna structures were mounted to the barbettes, distributing their weight onto the transverse and longitudinal bulkheads of the ship's hull. Above the open deck, the ship's superstructure was divided into 2 parts, bow and stern. The lower bridge was located in the bow superstructure, and there was also a barbet for one of the two 12-meter parabolic antennas. On the middle bridge there was a radio room, above it, on the navigation bridge, there were the steering and chart rooms, and finally, on the platform of the upper bridge there was a second 12-meter parabolic antenna. The upper bridge was located at an altitude of 25 meters above sea level. All tiers of the R/V “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” were connected to each other using ladders, 2 freight and 8 passenger elevators.
The main part of the equipment of the R/V “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” was a variety of command and measurement equipment that could work simultaneously with 2 space objects. The equipment installed on the ship made it possible to transmit commands, telemetric control, take trajectory measurements, two-way telegraph and telephone communications with astronauts, and receive various types of scientific information. The achievement of a long radio communication range was facilitated by highly directional transmitting and receiving antennas, highly sensitive receivers with input parametric amplifiers and powerful transmitters that were cooled with liquid nitrogen.
For creating good conditions To ensure fruitful work and proper rest for the team members on board the Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin spacecraft, there was a large number of different laboratories, a film lecture hall, a command post with all the necessary equipment, and several canteens. A special feature of the research vessel was its great autonomy. Without visiting ports and replenishing supplies of water, food and fuel, he could be on a campaign for 130 days.
The space command and measurement system included 3 parabolic antennas - the second from the bow of the vessel with a diameter of 12 meters and the third and fourth with a diameter of 25 meters. These antennas were intended for receiving and transmitting radio signals on centimeter, decimeter and meter waves. The aft 25-meter antenna was single-mirror, the rest were two-mirror. The width of the radiation pattern of 25-meter antennas, depending on the wavelength, ranged from 10 arc minutes (for the centimeter range) to 10 degrees (for the meter range). Amplifiers were installed in the mirror booths high frequency and receiver input devices.
Another parabolic antenna had a significantly smaller diameter - 2.1 meters and was structurally combined with one of the 25-meter antennas; its main purpose was to search for signals. All antennas could accompany spacecraft according to a pre-calculated program or according to radio signals coming from them. The antenna control system functioned normally at sea waves up to 7 points and wind speeds up to 20 m/s. It was possible to control the flight of spaceships and satellites from the Yuri Gagarin independently, sending temporary programs and commands to them. Another mode of operation was also possible - relaying commands coming to the ship from the MCC. Trajectory control data (radial speed and range), as well as telemetry results, were machine processed on the ship and then sent to the control center.
In this case, as well as for telegraphic and telephone conversations between the Mission Control Center and the astronauts, relay satellites were used. Telemetric control and radio conversations with astronauts are possible using separate telemetric and communication stations, that is, in addition to the main command and measurement system of the ship. In this case, separate communication and telemetry antennas were used. In total, the R/V Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had 75 different antennas.
The engine and boiler room was located in the stern. 2 steam boilers were installed here, as well as a steam turbine. The main power plant of the vessel had a high degree of automation. There were also 2 power plants on the ship. The first power plant was located in a separate room in the hold and consisted of 4 diesel generators with a capacity of 1500 kW each; it was intended to power the scientific and technical equipment of the expedition. The second power plant was located in the engine and boiler room and consisted of 2 turbogenerators with a capacity of 750 kW each, operating while the vessel was moving, and 1 diesel generator with a capacity of 300 kW, operating in the parking mode. This power plant supplied current to all other electricity consumers on the ship. The emergency power plant consisted of 2 diesel generators with a total capacity of 200 kW. Thus, the total power of all electrical sources on the ship was 8,000 kW.
The air conditioning system available on the ship, regardless of the temperature outside, maintained a temperature of 21-25 degrees Celsius in all service, public and residential areas. For the needs of the ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration system, a powerful refrigeration unit was used. Another refrigeration unit supported temperature regime in storerooms in which provisions were stored. At the same time, using a special cryogenic installation, liquid nitrogen was obtained from the atmospheric air on the ship, which was used to cool parametric amplifiers.
During expeditionary voyages, the R/V "Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin" provided control of such spacecraft as "Venera-8" (the world's first landing on Venus and transmission of information from its surface), "Luna - 20" (sampling of lunar soil and subsequent delivery him to Earth), Salyut-7, Soyuz. Officially, the research vessel “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” belonged to the USSR Academy of Sciences and was serviced by the Black Sea Shipping Company. However, with the formation of the CIS, these organizations remained in different states. Due to bureaucratic confusion, frequent non-payments began on both sides. The Black Sea Shipping Company, despite difficult times, tried to preserve this ship, but failed.
"Yuri Gagarin" and another research vessel "Akademik Sergei Korolev" found themselves in the roadstead of the port of Yuzhny without proper supervision. Gradually, equipment began to disappear from the ship's laboratories; everything slowly rusted and fell into disrepair. In 1996, the ships were already suitable for scrapping. As a result, the State Property Fund of Ukraine decided to sell the ships to the Austrian company Zuid Merkur at the price of scrap metal; the Austrians received the ships at a price of $170 per ton. On such a sad note, the life of one of the most famous and advanced ships of the Soviet space fleet ended.
Information sources:
-http://nnm.ru/blogs/stimpac/morskoy_kosmicheskiy_flot_kosmonavt_yuriy_gagarin_-_nauchno-issledovatelskoe_sudno/#comment_11862383
-http://korabley.net/news/2009-01-26-148
-http://ship.bsu.by/ship/102390
-http://ru.wikipedia.org
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