To the 50th Anniversary of the first artificial Earth satellite launch

 

 

This issue of international scientific "APAAS" Journal (ї2(24), Vol.12, 2007) is devoted to the 50^th Anniversary of the first artificial Earth satellite launch (USSR, 4 October 1957, "Sputnik-1") which marked the beginning of a new Space Era for people living on the Earth. Space Exploration Era began with profound development of fundamental and applied Astronautics in all directions. Its Founder is a Great Russian scientist Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovskiy whose 150^th Anniversary is celebrated this year, in 2007. This is an Era of enormous achievements in space, from this very first, Soviet, Earth satellite launched in 1957, to the first cosmonaut (Yury Gagarin, 12 April 1961), to orbital satellite constellations and International Space Stations, to the manned Moon-landing and flights to the other planets.

With the names of great mathematicians and mechanists, with soviet scientific and scientific-design Schools appreciated all over the World, scientific theories and methods are associated which represent the basis and foundations for the first space theoretical and applied researches and computations including the problems of dynamics of celestial bodies and artificial satellites and the engineering problems of space flights. Among them Academicians of St.Petersburg Academy of Sciences can be named: Great Leonard Euler whose 300^th Anniversary is celebrated this year, brilliant Alexander Mikhailovich Lyapunov who is the Founder-Creator of motion stability theory and whose 150^th Anniversary is also celebrated this year; Academician of USSR Academy of Sciences, Great space engineering Designer Sergey Pavlovich Korolev whose 100^th Anniversary is celebrated this year by the whole progressive World.

Papers represented by this issue depict reflections and reviews of the leading aerospace specialists, include some historical analysis of the path which led to successes of Space Era beginning and pay tribute to professional heroism of Soviet scientists, engineers and top authorities who made the fantasy come true.

B.E.Chertok (RAS, Russia), specialist in the field of space systems control and information theory, he represents some analysis of historical aspects and S.P.Korolev's personal role which made for the USSR priority in space exploration.

J. von Puttkamer (NASA, USA), specialist in the field of aerospace engineering, - with philosophic-historical reflections about the prominent personalities in the history of space exploration - S.P.Korolev and W. von Braun.

L.N.Lysenko (N.E.Bauman MSTU, Russia), specialist in the field of space ballistics and control, - with the scientific-technical analysis of "Applied space ballistics" science formation and role in space flight support.

G.M.Polischuk (S.A.Lavochkin Association, Russia), specialist in the field of space complexes design, - with scientific-technical anniversary review of scientific design school founded by S.A.Lavochkin.

G.M.Polischuk, V.V.Efanov, A.A.Moisheev, K.M.Pichkhadze (S.A.Lavochkin Association, Russia), specialists in spacecraft control and design, - with scientific-review anniversary paper on promising directions in fundamental research at S.A.Lavochkin Association in the area of space science and engineering.

V.A.Menshikov, S.V.Pushkarskiy (M.V.Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center Space Systems Institute, Russia), specialists in the field of system research and space engineering, - with analysis of papers and prospects of the most important joint space programs in the framework of Russian-Belarus Union State.

V.M.Melnikov, V.A.Komkov, B.N.Kharlov (MAI-STU, RSC "Energiya", Russia), specialists in space power engineering and electromechanics, - with promising developments of frameless space solar power system structures.

In scientific information section of the issue

I.B.Fedorov (N.E.Bauman MSTU, Russia), specialist in the field of radar information systems and fundamental engineering education, - with brief scientific information survey on MSTU's role in fundamental astronautics problem solving.

V.I.Mayorova (N.E.Bauman MSTU, Russia), specialist in the field of space engineering and education programs, - with MSTU model of aerospace education concept in the framework of interuniversity cooperation programs on student microsatellite projects.