This is a special issue of international scientific Journal "Actual problems of aviation and aerospace systems: processes, models, experiment" (No.1(26), vol.13, 2008) which continues the subjects of three previous special issues devoted to 50-th Anniversary of beginning new Space Era and to Space Forces Day who made an inestimable contribution to the first satellite launch on October 4, 1957. The issue contains a special Section prepared on materials of Conference "50 years of Space Era" that was organized in the framework of International Forum "Space: science and problems of the 21^st Century" (Moscow - Saint-Petersburg, October 1-5, 2007). The Section is prepared jointly with our Partners - Conference Organizers (Conference supervisor - Scientific Secretary of RAS Committee on developing scientific legacy of pioneers of outer Space investigation A.K.Medvedeva) and it has the articles:

V.V.Vasilenko, E.V.Alexeev, B.P.Molchanov, V.V.Alexandrov (Central Research Institute-4 of Defense Ministry (CRI-4), Russia), specialists in the field of space means development prospects, trajectory measurement systems, system analysis, - with analytical review of CRI-4 participation in development of the first artificial Earth satellite and carrier rocket.

I.K.Bazhinov (Central Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Russia), specialist in the area of ballistic-navigational flight supply, - with his paper on solving the problems of designing ballistic rockets and artificial satellites at RI-4.

V.A.Popovkin (Space Forces, Russia), specialist in program planning of space forces application and means,- about the role of military space units in the first satellite launch.

E.L.Mezhiritskiy, G.M.Priss, Yu.V.Trunov (N.A.Pilyugin Scientific Production Center of Automatics and Instrument Engineering, Russia), specialists in area of compound control systems developments, - with survey about unique control system design for R-7 rocket.

B.I.Katorgin, V.F.Rakhmanin (V.P.Glushko Scientific Production Association "Energomash"), specialists in rocket engines, - with interesting materials on engines design for the first space rocket.

I.V.Barmin (Federal State Unitary Enterprise (FSUE) "V.P.Barmin Design Bureau of General Mechanical Engineering", Russia), specialist in the field of launch space-rocket complexes and automatic installations for the Moon and planet exploration, - with historical review on the first launch complex for space rockets which provided the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite.

The other part of papers published in this issue is associated with scientific, scientific-educational, conceptual aspects of aviation and space systems development and space exploration, and covers important problems and statements:

G.V.Novozhilov (S.V.Ilyushin Aircraft Complex (AC), Russia), specialist in area of aircraft design, - with his article devoted to the Jubilee of S.V.Ilyushin AC covering implementation of the first Russian-American project (IL-96M/T airplane).

G.Guglieri, F.Quagliotti, M.A.Perino (Turin Polytechnic University, Thales Alenia Space, Italy), specialists in the area of flight dynamics and simulation, aerodynamics problems, - with paper covering Lunar landing mission.

A.S.Boreisho, etc. (D.F.Ustinov Baltic State Technical University "Voenmekh", Scientific-Production Association "Lazernye Sistemy", Russia), specialists in laser engineering, gas dynamics, aerooptics, - with paper on some problems of supersonic chemical lasers.

A.V.Sedelnikov (Samara State Aerospace University, Russia), specialist in the field of fractal mathematical modelling, - with report on microaccelerations evaluation on board of space vehicles.

V.A.Menshikov, S.R.Lysyj (A.A.Maximov as Research Institute, Branch of FSUE "M.V.Khrunichev State Research-Production Space Center", Russia), specialists in area of space mechanics, space engineering design and application (including educational purposes), - with paper on important problem of distant learning in the area of space activity.

A.N.Geraschenko, V.I.Goncharenko, A.Yu.Sidorov, N.N.Yurov (Moscow Aviation Institute - STU, Russia), specialists in the area of aircraft integrated systems design, problems in higher aerospace education system and military training, - with article devoted to problems in legislation development for activity of Aerospace Universities.

Paul J.Werbos (National Scientific Foundation, USA), specialist in area of electronics, photonics, electric power engineering, artificial intelligence, neural nets, - with analytical meditations of conceptual nature on problems of manned Space exploration.