The
first space projects of Academician V.N.Chelomey DB V.А.Polyachenko JSC MIC NPO Mashinostroyenia Solution of
global defense objectives - the great ambition of V.N.Chelomey design bureau Introduction Sixty-seven
years ago, in August
From 1944 to During the intense period from 1955 to 1969
Chief and then General Designer V.N.Chelomey and the team of design bureau
(EDB-52), carrying out a national program of equipping the USSR Navy with
guided missile weapon were put in charge of large cooperatives of world-class
R&D institutes and DB, pilot and mass production plants. The complex on the basis of cruise missile P-5
designed to destroy enemy ground targets has become the first major development
of EDB-52. It was meant for integration on diesel, and in the future on nuclear
submarines. In 1959 EDB got high government awards for
adoption of P-5 missiles by the Navy: it was awarded the Order of Lenin,
V.N.Chelomey received the Lenin Prize and the title of Hero of Socialist Labor,
and 505 participants in this important work also received government awards. During these years, the need to contain
aircraft carriers of enemy Navy demands to begin developing high-precision
anti-ship missile systems. Cruise missiles with remote control P-35 and P-6
developed by EDB-52 have laid in the basis of such complexes. In 1963-1964 they
were installed on surface ships and submarines. For
contribution in rearmament of surface ships and submarines in 1963 EDB-52 was
awarded the second Order of Red Banner of Labor, V.N.Chelomey was awarded the
second gold medal of Hero of Socialist Labor. Totally more than 6000 people
involved into creation of the complex who worked within the sub-contractor
network composed of missile designers, shipbuilders and Navy were awarded by
the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Thus the
first big objective was solved by V.N.Chelomey, the team and sub-contractor
network - the Soviet Navy was equipped with missiles that made it possible to
even its strength with the leading foreign fleets. It was an asymmetrical,
cost-effective way for the country to ensure containment of the enemy at sea. At a July
1969 meeting of the Defense Council of the USSR EDB-52's armament activities of
the Navy with anti-ship missiles were found to be successful, effective and
fulfilled in the shortest possible time. Since 1959
about 800 launchers designed by NPO Mashinostroyenia have been deployed on
ships, submarines and coastal defense missile units of the Navy. In 1961,
the Soviet Union faced a new external threat - the United States began
deploying 1000 silos of Minuteman ICBMs. In the Soviet Union the challenge was
met. Through evaluation of proposals of the Chief and General Designers
M.K.Yangel and V.N. Chelomey, as well as representatives of the Ministry of
Defense of the USSR, Chelomey's proposal on "thousand missiles" reply
has won - creation of ICBM UR-100. Significant prospects like
technical-and-economic advantages due to optimally defined parameters have
distinguished this missile: launch weight of about 40 tons, length - The further
developments have proved the rightness of the taken decision. During the period
from 1967 to 1972 the USSR has achieved a nuclear missile parity with the USA.
A thousand of Minutemen was opposed by a thousand of V.N.Chelomey's UR-100
missiles. Thus, by a big effort and thanks to the support of the Party and
Government as well as talent and efforts of many thousands of scientists,
engineers and manufacturers of the sub-contractor network ventures led by
EDB-52 the second great objective was solved - to provide strategic parity
between the USSR and the USA. The next
major challenge of V.N.Chelomey's design bureau, that was given a new name -
"Central Design Bureau of Machine Building (TsKBM) of the Ministry of
General Machine Building of the USSR, and the sub-contractor network has become
an answer the next challenge from the US, which began to set multiple warheads
on a huge number of its ICBMs. TsKBM and sub-contractor network have faced the
third most important task - creation of an ICBM with multiple independently
targeted reentry vehicle (MIRV) UR-100K and UR-100N. Upgraded
UR-100N was the most successful missile system created in the Soviet Union. It
is on combat alert duty for more than 30 years! The complex has outlived all
its competitors in light ICBM class (up to 100 tons), including those put on
command duty much later. High reliability, excellent combat effectiveness of
the UR-100N in overcoming enemy's anti-missile defense - are remarkable
achievements of designer V.N.Chelomey, his associates and co-workers. For
achievements in creating strategic systems with intercontinental ballistic
missiles in 1976 by the Decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the company
was awarded the third Order - Order of the October Revolution. Needs of
satellite systems for military purposes in 1959 gave new work to EDB-52 team,
its affiliates and the powerful sub-contractor network of dozens of research
institutes, design bureaus and plants. Created under leadership of EDB-52
reconnaissance and target designation space system for anti-ship cruise
missiles, which consisted of 4-7 satellites placed on low Earth orbit, allowing
to fully track movement of enemy's surface ships and formations. There were no
other possibilities for targeting the growing and developing missile fleet of
the USSR. Both development of sea reconnaissance and target designation complex and work on anti-satellite defense systems,
on manned orbital space station "Almaz", made in the period from 1961
to 1980, were great in novelty and immensity, in pioneering nature of
scientific research and developed technologies and in further application of
the achieved backlog in the national and world cosmonautics. Over 140
launches of space stations and different purpose vehicles designed by the
company were launched during the existence of space subject. The first space
projects of academician V.N.Chelomey EDB In summer
of Serious
competition between Mikoyan EDB-155 and Lavochkin EDB-301 did not allow EDB-52
to continue work in this direction. However,
the experience in designing high-altitude supersonic vehicles, expansion of
subcontracting enterprises gave the opportunity to move to designing manned
spacecrafts and launch vehicles for them in early 1960. In July
1959 development of WBM-12000 was already in progress, 3-stage winged-ballistic
missile with a mass of first stage 85t, range of 12000km with sub-orbital
velocity. Arrival in orbit was also considered. As the payload came a homing
cruise warhead on final phase of trajectory. Project
of winged-ballistic missile (1959) Chelomey
was an adherent of winged descending. He has produced the following arguments: "Landing a man on an
airfield, much less loads at the entrance to atmosphere, a lot more disposable
maneuver overloads to hit the mark. Extended horizontal flight, opportunity to
choose landing point. Launch and control commands are issued from our
territory, as opposed to a spherical space vehicle. Safety after a bad launch:
turn and landing at any phase of flight. Capability to impact pinpoint targets
plus evasive manoeuvre. More to that, landing on other planets that have
atmosphere is problematic without wings". Chief of
TsAGI Alexander Makarevsky believed that task assignment in the Committee on
Aviation Technology is correct and we can handle it. At a meeting of industry
representatives and scientists in EDB-52 on February 18, 1960 winged descent
was considered promising. Based on
the research carried out by EDB-52 design and engineering departments, V.N.
Chelomey started to develop a concept of a controlled spacecraft for defense
and scientific purposes, and launch vehicles for them. In April
1960 completed draft technical proposal for the family of launch vehicles with
various payload that can be orbited: А-150, А-300, А-300-I, А-300-II, А-2000, А-1750. Launch
weight of missiles ranging from 150t to 1950t, payload from 4t to 85 t.
Propulsion systems of the main missile designers S.A. Kosberg, N.D. Kuznetsov,
A.M. Lyulka, S.K.Tumansky were considered for application at different stages. Spacecraft
- space glider, boost-glide aircraft, manned satellite, controlled warhead
(themes "K ", "P", "US", "UB") - were
the first projects of EDB- V.N.
Chelomey makes reports with prepared materials to the Ministry of Defense and
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR NS Khrushchev, attended by
L.I. Brezhnev, F.R. Kozlov, R.Y. Malinovsky, D.F. Ustinov, I.D. Serbin. His
proposals have won approval of country leadership. On May 21, 1960 these proposals were considered by the scientific and
technical council of the State Committee on Aviation Technology attended by
P.V. Dementiev (Chairman of the STC), A.A. Kobzarev, Academician A.N. Shchukin
- Chairman of the STC MIC USSR Council of Ministers, scientists from TsAGI,
CIAM, NII- As a result
of discussion the STC approves offers of EDB-52. On June 4,
1960 a meeting was held at the Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the
USSR D.F. Ustinov on space projects of EDB-52. V.N. Chelomey made a report. Speakers
G.A. Tyulin and S.P. Korolev noted that involvement of an Aviation DB (at the
time EDB-52 was in the structure of the State Committee on Aviation Technology)
in development of space vehicles is a positive factor for evolution of rocket
and space technologies in the USSR. Chelomey's
proposals were supported. Launch vehicles related issues remained open. Soon,
the proposed construction scheme of launch vehicle (cross-segmentation of the
rocket stages and cylindrical side blocks) was embodied in the further
development of EDB-52, including the launch vehicle UR-500K (Proton). On June 23,
1960 the CPSU Central Committee and USSR Council of Ministers has issued a
decree on the development of these space systems in EDB-52. Detailed
picture of space systems development passage in EDB-52 shows through what a
"sieve" the proposals have passed before EDB-52 has obtained a right
to realize them. The decree
issued by CPSU Central Committee and USSR Council of Ministers has intensified
efforts of EDB-52 on creation of space systems and launch vehicles for them. At that
time the main, revolutionary and distinctive feature of Chelomey's conceived
space program was creation of integral application systems with specialized
remote controlled unmanned spacecraft in the top and on Earth - ground-based
communications, control, information processing and transmission facilities. To
launch dedicated satellites in orbit a universal properly dimensioned launch
vehicle with compact launch system was designed. In parallel with practical,
the priority tasks solved from space, the program has also involved research of
ballistic and aerodynamic principles combination to create effective advanced
aerospace vehicles and combat air-ballistic heads. Thus, since the early sixties
work of EDB-52 on space subject became another focus of its activities. Work
on "Space-plane" for flights to the Moon and planets of the solar
system using electronuclear jet propulsions for boosting and control was
conducted with the participation of TsAGI, NII-1, the State Committee on
Aviation Technology. A large volume of engineering and computational and
theoretical work was conducted. However due to unavailability
of compact and safe nuclear energy sources at that time the development
finished at avant-project stage. Work
on the "Rocket-plane" took place towards development of a manned
aircraft with a controlled descent from orbit and landing on the airfield as
well as towards creation of an unmanned maneuverable spacecraft, including
reconnaissance and interception of spy satellites, satellite carriers of
nuclear warheads, about development of which publication in the public and
private sources has appeared in the US at the time. These
works were brought to sketch design stage and became the foundation for the
subsequent development of a light manned
space plane, on the one hand, and a space defense system with unmanned
satellite destroyer on the other.
It was
planned to prove computation and theoretical research and design study of the
Space-plane by a flight experiment. Test launch of experimental hypersonic vehicle MP-1 which was a full-scale model
of a reentry aerospace vehicle was the first trial. Aerodynamic
configuration has been implemented as per "container - the rear brake
umbrella" scheme. Deceleration in atmosphere was ensured by brake flaps,
located at its bottom section, forming an umbrella at opening. To stabilize in
the atmosphere carbon fins were installed in the conical part, and the space
phase stabilization was provided by air jet nozzles. Three parachutes opened while landing. The tests
were carried out at a launch site in Vladimirovka, the combat field was located
near lake Balkhash. On December 27, 1961 MP-1 was launched by launch vehicle
R-12. Scientists have collected very valuable data on ablation of thermal
coating during hypersonic space vehicle reentry. While creating a
cruise missile capable of hitting sea targets beyond horizon firing from
submarines, an exigency has appeared. It was needful to have target designation
about enemy's ships whereabouts to put out to range of weapon application. Chelomey has proposed to establish a space maritime reconnaissance system. Born in 1960 the system was based
on satellites formation which would provide constant survey of the World ocean
waters from the circular orbit day and night under any weather conditions. The project involved a system of 7 spacecraft (4 sets of active radar
reconnaissance and 3 sets of passive radio-technical reconnaissance). In 1975 the
system was put into operational service. Since 1961,
work on creating a satellite defense system has begun. To meet
with enemy satellite and defeat it, the space interceptor had to perform
complex maneuvers in orbit, with a good margin of reference velocity. The draft
of such a system was developed by EDB-52 by order of the Ministry of Defence. Upon an
agreement between Chelomey with S.P.Korolev, a serial rocket R-7, which got
index 11A59 was used for the first launches of spacecraft. In the
record-breaking time, less than 3 years after the start of work, on November 1,
1963 the first object, called "Poljot-1",
was successfully launched from the first launch site at Baikonur. As a result
of maneuvers over one and a half revolutions "Poljot-1" has changed
the orbital altitude and its inclination angle against equatorial plane. It was
the first maneuvering spacecraft in the world. President
of the USSR Academy of Sciences, M.V. Keldysh has highly appreciated this
event: "This new technical
achievement is of great importance for the development of astronautics and
space exploration. The ability of ships to maneuver makes it possible to create
heavy orbital stations in space with outgoing crew. The team of scientists,
designers, engineers, technicians and workers who created the spacecraft
"Poljot-1" and brought its launch into life, introduced a new
substantial contribution to space exploration and development of
cosmonautic" - says "Izvestia" dated November 11, 1963. Exactly 5
years later, on November 1, 1968 the first full-scale test of an
satellite-defense system was conducted. SC, announced as "Cosmos-252"
has approached closer to "Cosmos-248 ", placed in orbit as a target,
and hit it. In 1973 the
system was accepted to a trial, and later in 1978 - into regular operation
service of satellite-defense forces. A unified command post for receiving and
processing information was established in Moscow region. We have
presented the story of the first development of spacecraft EDB-52. Launch
vehicles UR-500 and UR-500K were created later, heavy scientific satellite Proton
was launched as well as manned orbital station Almaz, orbital robot station
Kosmos-1870 and Almaz- There also
were a number of unrealized projects. One of them was orbiting the Moon and
landing on it. But this is a different topic. Rocket
and Space Complex "Almaz" In October 1964, chief
designer V.Chelomey has set a task - to begin design work on a project of
orbital manned station (OMS) for military purposes, with a lifetime of 1-2
years, with replaceable crew of 2-3 people. UR-500K launch vehicle was supposed
to orbit the space station with a mass of 19 tons. Due to the fact that the
development of automatic means of ground targets space reconnaissance was in
its initial phase, information aquisition from the space station, equipped with
a set of photographic, phototelevision, optical, radar, electronic equipment,
managed and directed at specific objects by trained crew of astronauts, was the
most effective recognition of the most important strategic sites on a global
basis. Such tasks could be solved only by a heavy space station orbited with
launch vehicle UR-500K. This development was proposed by Chief designer V.N.
Chelomey. It should be noted that
S.P.Korolev has shared this opinion, and in his letter to Chelomey proposed
EDB-52 (later TsKBM) to focus on development of military space systems, leaving
the EDB-1 (later TsKBEM) development of scientific near-Earth and
interplanetary space vehicles and stations. Service
module of OMS Initially
as per project of Ministry of Defense provisions should have been made for a
CTV based on Souz space vehicle, task to design which was given to Kuibyshevsky
branch of TsKBEM (TsSKB). From
analysis of submissions it became clear that a ship of such capacity is not
able to supply the space station, even an unmanned (cargo) version. It would
have been needful to launch these ships every 20 days for delivery of capsules
with special information to the OMS and consumables required for provision of
combat performance and crew life support. In this
regard, by order of general designer V.N.Chelomey, at the branch 1 of TsKBM
work on crew transport vehicle СTV has begun, with use of reentry vehicle (RV) being developed by TsKBM. CTV with
launch weight 19t could bring crew-rotation of 3 people to the station, 8
capsules with special information, consumables, and provide OMS orbit
adjustment as well as increased power consumption with its propulsion system
and solar panels. Government
Resolution dated June 16, 1970 gave a task to develop "Almaz" as part
of OMS, CTV, RV. In early
1973 preparation of the first OMS Almaz for the flight has begun at a launch
site. After three
months of preparations the first OMS Almaz on launch vehicle UR-500K was
delivered to the launch site. On April 3, 1973 the station orbited and was
called Salut-2. Thermal and
humidity atmosphere conditions were maintained in the compartments of the station.
Radio control and telemetry provided constant station performance control.
However, on April 15, 1973, on the 13th day of flight (188 orbit pass)
information was obtained that pressure in the pressurized compartment has
dropped by half. Trajectory measurements showed little change of station orbit,
as if it had been imparted a velocity impulse. Station Salyut-2, gradually
lowering the orbit entered the atmosphere and fell into the ocean. It should
be noted that, according to some sources, during April 3, 1973 the US air
defense observed exploding fragments of "Salyut-2" launch vehicle's
third stage booster. TsKBM branch has taken measures to ensure the safety of
Proton's third-stage booster after this run. Work on
Almaz project continued. On June 25, 1974 OMS Almaz No. 2 settled into orbit.
It was given the name of the Salyut-3. 7-KT Soyuz
was used for crew delivery during the first stage of Almaz tests. On July 3,
1974 the first crew was sent to OMS Almaz. P.R.Popovich and Y.P.Artyukhin
("Berkuts") on spacecraft Soyuz-14 successfully docked with the space station
and passed into it. The OMS started operation in manned mode. Although having a common name
with Salyut stations of orbital long-term station (OLtS) TsKBEM, OMS Almaz had its own appearance and was far different in
outer and inner engineering arrangements and flight pattern above all. Fulfilling
space reconnaissance tasks of small and fractionally concealed targets, Almaz
station flied in a lower orbit with surveillance equipment complex orientation
towards the Earth during the greater part of daily orbits. In addition to this
only well-educated, trained and disciplined people could operate such an
arsenal of surveillance systems with which the OMS was equipped. Therefore, OMS
Almaz crews were composed of military aviators from the cosmonaut corps. These
features of Almaz stations were immediately noted by US experts. On July 19,
1974 the crew on Soyuz-14 landed near the city of Dzhezkazgan. Salyut-3 was the
country's first space station, crew of which has successfully completed the
flight mission and returned to Earth. A little
more than a month has passed since the first crew abandoned the station. And so
on Aug. 26, 1974 about 11 p.m. Moscow time (night at the launch site) Soyuz-15
took off with cosmonauts G.V.Sarafanov and L.S.Demin. However, the rendezvous
and docking system fails. Manual docking attempts did not succeed, although the
ship repeatedly approached to the station. The remaining fuel endurance was
sufficient only for a deorbit burn to return to Earth. On August 28, after two
days of flight the reentry vehicle of Soyuz-15 with G.V.Sarafanov and L.S.Demin
landed near the city of Tselinograd. Although it was a night landing the search
team has quickly found and evacuated the crew. Station
Salyut-3 continued to fly in standalone mode controlled from the Earth. On
September 23, 1974 the main 90-day program was finished. As late as in July,
before leaving the station, Popovich and Artyukhin loaded the landing capsule
and installed it in an ejection chamber. All this time the capsule was ready
for launching. It was decided to drop it at the end of the main program. By a
ground command the station has oriented, opened the TC lid and the capsule was
launched. The return went under the program, the search team has beared the
beacon during parachute descent. The capsule was delivered to Moscow. It was
the first in the USSR, and perhaps the world's space parcel, prepared by the
astronauts. On January 24, 1975 its propulsion system was issued a deorbit
burn, the station moved to a descent trajectory and entered the Earth
atmosphere in a given area of the Pacific Ocean. Launch of
Almaz No. 3 (Salyut-5) was held on June 22, 1976. By that time Soyuz spacecraft
was prepared to deliver the first crew - B.V.Volynov and V.M.Zholobov. Their call
sign "Baikals". After a 15-day autonomous flight of Salyut-5, on July
6, 1976 Soyuz-21 started, and docked with the station in a day. Prior to
that, cosmonauts P.I. Klimuk and V.I.Sevastyanov flied on station Salyut-4
during about 64 days. B.V.Volynov and V.M.Zholobov spent approximately the same
duration of flight. However, specific character of crew's work was that in
addition to navigating the station, conducting scientific and technological
experiments, television reports, a lot of time was devoted to observation of
terrestrial objects, and this required special attention. So the working hours
of the crew were much more intense than of the one from Salyut-4. On August 24,
1976, after 48 days of flight, Volynov and Zholobov returned to Earth. At the
end of expedition another "surprise" waited the astronauts - the
reentry vehicle of Soyuz-21 was tough, with two somersaults, they hung upside
down, but not waiting for help, got out of it by themselves. The next
crew of Salyut-5 - Vyacheslav Zudov and Valeri Rozhdestvensky. Both have not
yet flown, but both have studied OMS well. On October
14, 1976 cosmonauts Zudov and Rozhdestvensky ("Rodons") began the mission on
Soyuz-23. However,
scheduled for October 15 docking with the station failed. Docking program was
turned off. The crew returned to Earth. Information was received: the craft
splashed down in Lake Tengiz among slush ice. On October 26, 1976 the crew was
received in Zvezdniy Gorodok. The next
flight crew was preparing - V.V.Gorbatko and Y.N.Glazkov. February 7,
1977 - Launch of Soyuz-24. Gorbatko
docked to the station brilliantly. "Tereks" entered the Salyut-5. The
crew started to work as per the planned program. The cosmonauts stayed for 18
days in flight, all the objectives were successfully completed. On February 25,
1977 V.Gorbatko and Y.Glazkov returned to Earth. Space
Station Salyut-5 ended its long, 412 day flight on August 8, 1977. Having made
6,630 revolutions around the Earth, the station was oriented, and after deorbit
burns entered the atmosphere over a given area of the Pacific Ocean. Chairman of
the State Board for Tests of Almaz, First Deputy Commander of the Strategic
Missile Forces Col. Gen. M.G.Grigoriev summed up - the first stage of OMS Almaz
creation is complete: we have the station, we have the carrier, and this is for
sure. In 1978 the
M.V.Khrunichev's plant OMS Almaz No.4 was assembed, which was supposed to dock
with the crew transfer vehicle (CTV), space stations number 5 and 6 were in the
backlog. However, in the same year a decision came out to close down work on
the manned station Almaz. Despite the
fact that the government decided to shut down work on the manned station Almaz,
the test of CTV and the reentry vehicle (RV) continued. During the flight tests
feasibility of multiple use of RV was proved, which was provided by a unique
technology of its thermal coating restoration developed in TsKBM. CTV
No.16301 named Cosmos-1267 was launched on April 25, 1981. On June 19 it docked
with Salyut-6, launched by TsKBEM. Joint flight of CTV and Salyut-6 lasted for
more than a year. CTV No.16401 (Cosmos-1443) flied to space station Salyut-7.
It took off on March 2, 1983 and docked with the station on March 10,
delivering various goods to it. Astronauts of Salyut-7 station crew visited the
CTV and RV. On August 14 CTV undocked from Salyut-7 and on August 23 the RV
separated from it successfully landed on Earth, and on September 19, 1983 functional
and cargo module (FGM) was deorbited. Thus CTV has fulfilled its cargo
functions and proved the correctness of the technical solutions found during
development of rocket and space complex Almaz. Rich legacy
of manned space station Almaz continues to live in all stations, whoever builds
them. It is known that all stations Salyut and Mir take their origins from OMS
Almaz. International Space Station ISS has inherited the docking module Zarya
and the main service module Zvezda from the CTV and Almaz space station,
launched by M.V.Khrunichev GKNPTs and S.P.Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation
Energia. Today, after 50 years,
scientific and technical ideas of Chelomey's first space projects have not
receded into the background yet. Among them - creation of integrated systems
with unmanned spacecraft and a universal ground control complex for data
reception, processing and transmission, a scheme of launch vehicle construction
(cross-segmentation of the rocket stages and cylindrical side blocks), combination
of ballistic and aerodynamic principles to create promising efficient
aerospace. Designed for the first spacecrafts energy efficient micro-liquid
propellant rocket engines on a two-component fuel (as opposed to the peroxide
ones used at that time) are widely used for the stabilization and orientation
of large orbital stations, transport ships and satellites. Many of Vladimir
Nikolaevich Chelomey's solutions and ideas are used by "NPO Mashinostroyenia"
for developing new space systems. Illustrations of Chelomey's
EDB projects, pictures from JSC MIC "NPO Mashinostroyenia" archive. References 1.
FSUE
NPO Mashinostroyenia . "60 Years of Devoted Service for the Sake of Peace". PH
Oruzhie and Tehnologii, М.,
2004. 2.
JSC
MIC NPO Mashinostroyenia. "Creators and Doers", М., 2009. 3.
V.А.Polyachenko "On the Sea and in
Space". "MORSAR AV", SPb. 2008 |
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