To the 50-th Anniversary
of "Fakel" EDB Russian
scientific-engineering Schools New Russian space technologies: electric
propulsion systems in Space V.M.Murashko, K.N.Kozubsky "Fakel" EDB 236001, Kaliningrad, Russia fakel@gazinter.net Fifty years ago academician B.S Stechkin organized the Kaliningrad Division of the Propulsion Laboratory of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, the purpose of which became the development of effective engines for submersibles. A big success in the naval subjects was the scientific substantiation of a fundamentally new engine operating on hydroreacting fuel. Based on this a rocket torpedo was created that up to now has unsurpassed speed characteristics. At the beginning of 1960s the profile of our enterprise changed and aimed at creation of electric propulsion thrusters for space application. The first task was development of 500-kW magnetoplasma thrusters for manned mission to Mars. In the middle of 1970s experimental model of such thrusters operating on lithium were created. These models had operated for hundreds of hours at the EDB Fakel's test benches. Later there were a lot of exotic projects, a part of which has been succeeded in coming to their logic ends. Few people know that the heat generators called as "Kamin" (Fireplace} for the "Lunokhod" Moon research vehicles were manufactured in Kaliningrad. These heat generators ensured Lunokhods' operation after sunset. Previously a number of fundamentally new types of thrusters were created including thrusters operating on liquid metal propellants (lithium, cadmium) that were brought to the high level of perfection. The real triumph came when xenon stationary plasma thrusters were developed, the first flight of which into space took place 35 years ago aboard "Meteor" spacecraft. 10 years later electrothermocatalytic monopropellant thrusters began to operate in the spacecraft's orientation systems. EDB "Fakel' is the only enterprise in our country which commercially produces propulsion systems based on such thrusters. In the chronicles of space launches there are 150 different-purpose spacecraft equipped with the hardware produced at Fakel. These are "Meteor", "Kosmos", "Yamal", "Express", "Monitor-E", "GLONASS" and others. Today one third of Russian spacecraft are equipped with effective electric propulsion thrusters manufactured by EDB "Fakel" and their share is continuously growing. Three of five largest western manufacturers of spacecraft purchase stationary plasma thrusters in Kaliningrad. Operation of six western telecommunications satellites equipped with xenon stationary plasma thrusters for orbit correction in the north-south direction has successfully begun. This paper contains photos of electric propulsion thrusters developed by EDB "Fakel" as well as photos of Russian and western spacecraft equipped with these thrusters. So, Kaliningrad has been recognized to be one of the world center of electric propulsion thrusters. Representatives of 61 organizations including visitors from the U.S., France, Germany, Italy, China, and Japan came to Kaliningrad to participate in the jubilee celebrations. A. Morozov and H. Kaufman, the outstanding scientists in the field of electric propulsion took part in the jubilee celebrations. Their high prestige in the world confirms priority of Russia in the development of plasma thrusters with closed drift of electrons (Hall effect thrusters) - the Russian high space technology - and, in particular, EDB Fakel's achievements for practical use of these thrusters in space. Possessing the unique technologies, EDB Fakel uses its experience in other spheres as well. A unique technology of fish drying and other advanced methods have been developed and are now being put into operation. An effective and economical low-temperature grain dryer that ensures safe keeping and germinating capacity of seeds is still waiting for its customer. In 2005 EDB Fakel made an overall repair of MIR submersibles. The announcement about their successful dives in the Atlantic Ocean to the wreck of the Bismark battleship that had sunk at a four-kilometer depth is the appropriate result of the well-done work. In the conclusions of this paper the words of
K.E. Tsiolkovsky are adduced who was the first who formulated the idea of
electric propulsion in 1903: "First inevitably go thought, fantasy, fairy
tale. After them scientific calculation goes. And already finally fulfillment
crowns the thought". These words are confirmed by the overall results
of the 50-th anniversary of EDB "Fakel": EDB Fakel's electric
propulsion thrusters are successfully being used in the systems that control
movements of many Russian and western spacecraft. Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Murashko, born in 1948, Doctor of technical
sciences, General Designer of Konstantin Nikolayevich Kosubsky, born in 1936 Ç, Doctor of technical sciences,
Chief Designer of
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