IN last year the last space shuttle has landed on Earth, thousands of people have lost their jobs, budgets have been cut... However, there are other NASA projects that the agency will be involved in over the next few years. In 2011 alone, many discoveries were made, for example, scientists discovered a fourth moon of Pluto, and spaceship first entered orbit of the asteroid Vesta. In August, the Juno spacecraft went to Jupiter, the next rover, Curiosity, was prepared for a flight to Mars, and so on...

1. The Juno planetary exploration probe departs from Launch Pad 41 in Florida, whose main structure is structural reinforcement. The device set off on a five-year journey to Jupiter. The solar-powered craft will orbit Jupiter 33 times to learn more about the planet's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere, and explore its core.

2. This photo shows the evaporation of a solar comet, crushed in 15 minutes. These studies, taken in ultraviolet light, show the comet's material interaction with the sun's corona. The angle of the comet's orbit was on the first half of the Sun. This is not immediately visible, but if you look closely, you can see a line of light on the right, at the very edge of the Sun, moving to the left. Given the increased levels of heat and radiation, the comet simply evaporated.

3. The boundary of light and shadow on the surface of Mercury. On Mercury, three days are equal to two years, in other words, the planet rotates three times on its axis for every two orbits around the Sun. The first Mercury year for the MESSENGER mission ended on June 13, 2011.

4. Color image of the surface of Mercury. At the top right is Basho Crater, the bright crater near the center is Kalidasa, and to the left is Tolstoy Pool. This area contains a wide variety of surface materials, including craters, low reflectivity materials, and smooth plains.

5. Satellite image of Typhoon Muifa near Taiwan.

6. South of the Italian Peninsula at night. The toe and heel of the Italian “boot” are clearly visible in the light of large lights such as Naples, Bari and Brindisi, as well as numerous small towns. The bordering Adriatic, Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas are represented by dark spots in the east, west and south. The city lights of Palermo, Catania and Sicily are also visible. At the time this photo was taken, the ISS was over Romania, near the capital Budapest. Part of the Russian ship's solar panel is visible in the foreground.

7. Space shuttle Atlantis rushes through earth's atmosphere over the clouds and city lights on the way home. The glow of the atmosphere can be seen in the background.

8. Testing of the next generation of spacecraft continues. This is the third water landing test of the Orion multi-role crew vehicle, which is being carried out in a hydro pool on the territory of a NASA research center. In this case it is presented worst case scenario landing. There was a 50% chance that the device would capsize.

9. Almost two months after the eruption began, the Chilean volcano Puyehue continued to erupt. This photo was taken on July 31st. A pale plume of ash rises above the cracks and then spreads to the north and east. The plume casts a shadow on the lava flowing along western edge picture. To the south of the plume there are areas not affected by lava.

10. Technicians at the payload assembly facility in Titusville, Florida, monitor Juneau's center-of-gravity tests.

11. The Atlas V rocket with the Juno spacecraft on board the evening before the scheduled launch in Cape Canaveral on August 4.

12. The Juno planetary probe zips past the clouds and into space to begin its five-year journey to Jupiter. Juno will make a five-year journey to Jupiter to learn about the planet's origins and evolution using eight special instruments. He will study its internal structure, gravitational field, measure humidity and ammonia levels in the atmosphere, and study its northern lights.

13. Photo of the coast Atlantic Ocean in the United States, taken from the ISS.

14. The rover called "Curiosity" ("Curiosity") in the installation building in Pasadena, California.

15. The heat shield for the Mars rover is the largest in the history of planetary missions.

16. The rover (above left, folded) is being prepared for transport to the rotating armature for testing.

17. The imaging system of the MAHLI rover is a 2 megapixel RGB camera with focusable macro lenses on its instrument turret at the end of the robotic “arm” of the device with an 8 GB flash drive plus a 128 MB memory with data destruction and the ability to shoot high-resolution video. The main task of this thing is to obtain color images of rocks and materials on the surface of Mars.

18. NASA chose Gale Crater as the landing site for the Curiosity rover. This image of Gale is a mosaic of images taken by the Odyssey. Gale Crater is 154 kilometers in diameter and contains a 5 km high layered mountain. The oval in the image indicates the expected landing site of the rover. In the area within the landing radius there is an alluvial cone formed by water-borne sediment. There are minerals in the lower layers of the nearby mountain.

19. On March 3, 2011, NASA engineers began the first phase of integrated system testing of a new robot prototype. These tests will help improve the design and development of the next generation of small, smart and agile robots capable of Scientific research on the surface of the Moon or other bodies, including asteroids, orbiting our planet.

20. NASA engineer Ernie Wright watches as the first of the six primary mirrors of the space telescope is prepared for cryogenic tests. Now, due to budget problems, the future of the Hubble telescope remains unknown.

21. Dramatic sunrise shot at Tycho Crater on the Moon. The top of the central peak is at an altitude of 2 km from the surface of the Moon, and the floor of the crater is 4700 meters below the rim.

22. Pits on a frozen surface South Pole Mars.

23. Part of the back rim of the Endeavor crater on Mars. This crater, about 22 km in diameter, is 25 times wider than the one Opportunity previously approached during its 90 months on Mars. Endeavor Crater has been Opportunity's destination since it stopped exploring Victoria in August 2008. The foreground area is covered in spherules, nicknamed "blueberries", which were common along Opportunity's path from the early days of the landings. Their diameter is about 5 mm.

24. On Earth, this phenomenon is called ejecta, when the wind “carves” crescent-shaped depressions in soft rock. On Mars, these depressions are much larger.

25. Huge asteroid Vesta. NASA's Dawn orbited Vesta on July 15 and will spend a year in orbit. The photo was taken from a distance of about 10,500 km.

26. Asteroid Vesta.

27. New satellite Pluto. Astronomers using Hubble telescope discovered the fourth moon of the tiny icy planet Pluto. The minuscule new satellite, temporarily named P4, was discovered during the Hubble Space Telescope's search for the tiny planet's rings. The new satellite is the smallest discovered around Pluto. Its diameter ranges from 13 to 34 km. For comparison, Charon, Pluto's largest moon, has a diameter of 1,200 km, while the other moons, Nix and Hydra, range from 32 to 113 km. P4 was the target of a new NASA mission planned for 2015.

28. The Cassini spacecraft near Saturn with its five satellites and rings. To the left are the moons Janus, Pandora, Enceladus, Mimas and Rhea.

29. Cassini took this image of Saturn's moon Helena during its second approach to the planet. Highlighted areas – leading hemisphere Elena (33 km across). The photo was taken from a distance of about 7 thousand km from Elena. The image scale is 42 meters per pixel.

30. Saturn's rings interfere with a perfect shot of its largest moon, Titan. Dark areas on Titan and the planet's north pole are visible here. Titan's north is at the top. The photo was taken by Cassini on May 12 at a distance of about 2.3 million kilometers from Titan. The photo scale is 14 meters per pixel.

31. Wavy clouds on the surface of Saturn. The photo was taken by Cassini from a distance of about 668,874 km from Saturn.

32. A strong hurricane breaks through the atmosphere in the northern hemisphere of Saturn. This photo was taken about 12 weeks after the hurricane began, by which time the clouds had already formed a tail that wrapped around the planet. Some clouds move south and end up in an eastward flow (right). This is the largest hurricane ever recorded on the planet Saturn. See post.

Story

During the Cold War, space was one of the arenas for the struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States. The geopolitical confrontation between superpowers was the main incentive in those years for the development of the space industry. The implementation of space exploration programs was committed great amount resources. In particular, the US government spent about twenty-five billion dollars on the implementation of the Apollo project, the main goal of which was to land a man on the surface of the Moon. For the 70s of the last century, this amount was simply gigantic. Lunar program The USSR, which was never destined to come true, cost the budget of the Soviet Union 2.5 billion rubles. The development of the domestic reusable spacecraft Buran cost sixteen billion rubles. At the same time, fate destined Buran to make only one space flight.

Its American counterpart was much luckier. The Space Shuttle made one hundred and thirty-five launches. But the American shuttle did not last forever. A ship created by state program"Space Transport System", on July 8, 2011, carried out its last space launch, which ended in the early morning of July 21 of the same year. During the implementation of the program, the Americans produced six shuttles, one of which was a prototype that never carried out space flights. Two ships were completely catastrophic.

Apollo 11 liftoff

From the point of view of economic feasibility, the Space Shuttle program can hardly be called successful. Disposable spacecraft turned out to be much more economical than their seemingly more technologically advanced reusable counterparts. And the safety of flights on the shuttles was questionable. During their operation, as a result of two disasters, fourteen astronauts became victims. But the reason for such mixed results space travel the legendary ship lies not in its technical imperfection, but in the complexity of the very concept of reusable spacecraft.

As a result, the Russian Soyuz disposable spacecraft, developed back in the 60s of the last century, became the only type of spacecraft currently carrying out manned flights to the International space station(ISS). It should be immediately noted that this does not at all indicate their superiority over the Space Shuttle. The Soyuz spacecraft, as well as the Progress unmanned space trucks created on their basis, have a number of conceptual shortcomings. They are very limited in carrying capacity. And the use of such devices leads to the accumulation of orbital debris remaining after their operation. Space flights on Soyuz-type spacecraft will very soon become part of history. At the same time, today there are no real alternatives. The enormous potential inherent in the concept of reusable ships often remains technically unrealizable even in our time.

The first project of the Soviet reusable orbital aircraft OS-120 Buran, proposed by NPO Energia in 1975 and which was an analogue of the American Space Shuttle

New US spaceships

In July 2011, American President Barack Obama said: a flight to Mars is a new and, as far as one can assume, the main goal of American astronauts for the coming decades. One of the programs carried out by NASA as part of the exploration of the Moon and the flight to Mars was the large-scale space program “Constellation”.

It is based on the creation of a new manned spacecraft "Orion", launch vehicles "Ares-1" and "Ares-5", as well as the lunar module "Altair". Despite the fact that in 2010 the US government decided to curtail the Constellation program, NASA was able to continue developing Orion. The first unmanned test flight of the ship is planned for 2014. It is expected that during the flight the device will move six thousand kilometers from the Earth. This is about fifteen times further than the ISS. After the test flight, the ship will head towards Earth. The new device will be able to enter the atmosphere at a speed of 32 thousand km/h. According to this indicator, Orion is one and a half thousand kilometers superior to the legendary Apollo. Orion's first unmanned experimental flight is intended to demonstrate its potential capabilities. The test of the ship must be important step for its manned launch, which is scheduled for 2021.

According to NASA plans, the Orion launch vehicles will be Delta 4 and Atlas 5. It was decided to abandon the development of Ares. In addition, for the exploration of deep space, the Americans are designing a new super-heavy launch vehicle SLS.

Orion is a partially reusable spacecraft and is conceptually closer to the Soyuz spacecraft than to the space shuttle. Most promising spacecraft are partially reusable. This concept assumes that after landing on the Earth's surface, the ship's habitable capsule can be reused for launch into outer space. This makes it possible to combine the functional practicality of reusable spacecraft with the cost-effectiveness of operating Soyuz or Apollo-type spacecraft. This solution is transitional stage. It is likely that in the distant future all spacecraft will become reusable. So the American Space Shuttle and the Soviet Buran were, in a sense, ahead of their time.

Orion is a multi-purpose capsule partially reusable US manned spacecraft, developed since the mid-2000s as part of the Constellation program.

It seems that the words “practicality” and “foresight” best describe Americans. The US government decided not to put all its space ambitions on the shoulders of one Orion. Currently, several private companies, commissioned by NASA, are developing their own spacecraft designed to replace the devices used today. Boeing is developing the CST-100, a partially reusable crewed spacecraft, as part of its Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) program. The device is designed to make short trips to low-Earth orbit. Its main task will be the delivery of crew and cargo to the ISS.

The ship's crew can be up to seven people. At the same time, during the design of the CST-100, special attention was paid to the comfort of the astronauts. The living space of the device is much more extensive than ships of the previous generation. It will likely be launched using Atlas, Delta or Falcon launch vehicles. At the same time, Atlas-5 is the most suitable option. The ship will land using a parachute and airbags. According to Boeing's plans, the CST-100 will undergo a series of test launches in 2015. The first two flights will be unmanned. Their main task is to launch the vehicle into orbit and test safety systems. During the third flight, a manned docking with the ISS is planned. If the tests are successful, the CST-100 will very soon be able to replace the Russian Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, which have a monopoly on manned flights to the International Space Station.

CST-100 – manned transport spacecraft

Another private ship that will deliver cargo and crew to the ISS will be a device developed by SpaceX, part of the Sierra Nevada Corporation. The partially reusable monoblock Dragon vehicle was developed under NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program. It is planned to build three modifications of it: manned, cargo and autonomous. The crew of the manned spacecraft, as in the case of the CST-100, can be seven people. In the cargo modification, the ship will carry four people and two and a half tons of cargo.

And in the future they want to use the Dragon for flights to the Red Planet. Why will they develop a special version of the ship - “Red Dragon”. According to the plans of the American space leadership, an unmanned flight of the device to Mars will take place in 2018, and the first test manned flight of a US spacecraft is expected to take place in a few years.

One of the features of the “Dragon” is its reusability. After the flight, part energy systems and fuel tanks will be lowered to Earth along with the ship's habitable capsule and can be reused for space flights. This design ability sets it apart new ship from most of the promising developments. In the near future, “Dragon” and CST-100 will complement each other and act as a “safety net”. If one type of ship for some reason cannot perform its assigned tasks, another will take over part of its work.

Dragon SpaceX is a private transport spacecraft (SC) of SpaceX, developed by order of NASA as part of the Commercial Orbital Transportation (COTS) program, designed to deliver payload and, in the future, people to the ISS

The Dragon was launched into orbit for the first time in 2010. The unmanned test flight was completed successfully, and a few years later, namely on May 25, 2012, the device docked with the ISS. At that time, the ship did not have an automatic docking system, and to implement it it was necessary to use the space station’s manipulator.

This flight was considered to be the first ever docking of a private spacecraft to the International Space Station. Let’s make a reservation right away: the Dragon and a number of other spacecraft developed by private companies can hardly be called private in the full sense of the word. For example, NASA allocated $1.5 billion for the development of the Dragon. Other private projects also receive financial support from NASA. Therefore, we are talking not so much about the commercialization of space, but about new strategy development of the space industry based on cooperation between the state and private capital. Once secret space technology, previously available only to the state, are now the property of a number of private companies involved in the field of astronautics. This circumstance in itself is a powerful incentive for the growth of technological capabilities of private companies. In addition, this approach made it possible to arrange in the private sphere a large number of space industry specialists who were previously dismissed by the state due to the closure of the Space Shuttle program.

When it comes to the program for the development of spacecraft by private companies, almost greatest interest presents a project by SpaceDev, called “Dream Chaser”. Twelve company partners, three American universities and seven NASA centers also took part in its development.

The concept of the reusable manned spacecraft Dream Chaser, developed by the American company SpaceDev, a division of Sierra Nevada Corporation

This ship is very different from all other promising space developments. The reusable Dream Chaser looks like a miniature Space Shuttle and is capable of landing like an ordinary airplane. Still, the main tasks of the ship are similar to those of the Dragon and CST-100. The device will serve to deliver cargo and crew (up to the same seven people) to low Earth orbit, where it will be launched using the Atlas-5 launch vehicle. This year the ship should carry out its first unmanned flight, and by 2015 it is planned to prepare for launch its manned version. One more important detail. The Dream Chaser project is being created on the basis of an American development of the 1990s - the HL-20 orbital aircraft. The latter’s project became an analogue of the Soviet orbital system “Spiral”. All three devices have a similar appearance and expected functionality. This raises a completely logical question. Should the Soviet Union have scrapped the half-finished Spiral aerospace system?

What do we have?

In 2000, RSC Energia began designing the Clipper multi-purpose space complex. This reusable spacecraft, somewhat reminiscent of a smaller shuttle, was supposed to be used to solve a wide variety of problems: cargo delivery, evacuation of the space station crew, space tourism, flights to other planets. There were certain hopes for the project. As always, good intentions were covered with a copper basin of lack of funding. In 2006, the project was closed. At the same time, the technologies developed within the framework of the Clipper project are supposed to be used for the design of the Advanced Manned Transport System (PPTS), also known as the Rus project.

The winged version of the Clipper in orbital flight. Webmaster's drawing based on the Clipper 3D model

©Vadim Lukashevich

It is the PPTS (of course, this is still only the “working” name of the project), as Russian experts believe, that will be destined to become a new-generation domestic space system, capable of replacing the rapidly aging Soyuz and Progress. As in the case of the Clipper, the spacecraft is being developed by RSC Energia. The basic modification of the complex will be the “Next Generation Manned Transport Ship” (PTK NK). Its main task, again, will be the delivery of cargo and crew to the ISS. In the long term - the development of modifications capable of flying to the Moon and carrying out long-term research missions. The ship itself promises to be partially reusable. The living capsule can be reused after landing. Engine compartment – ​​no. A curious feature of the ship is the ability to land without using a parachute. A jet system will be used for braking and soft landing on the Earth's surface.

Unlike the Soyuz spacecraft, which take off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the new spacecraft will be launched from the new Vostochny cosmodrome, which is being built in the Amur region. The crew will be six people. The manned vehicle is also capable of carrying a load of five hundred kilograms. In the unmanned version, the ship will be able to deliver more impressive “goodies” into low-Earth orbit, weighing two tons.

One of the main problems of the PPTS project is the lack of launch vehicles with the necessary characteristics. Today, the main technical aspects of the spacecraft have been worked out, but the lack of a launch vehicle puts its developers in a very difficult position. It is assumed that the new launch vehicle will be technologically close to the Angara, developed back in the 1990s.

Model of PTS at the MAKS-2009 exhibition

©sdelanounas.ru

Oddly enough, another serious problem is the very purpose of designing the PTS (read: Russian reality). Russia will hardly be able to afford the implementation of programs for the exploration of the Moon and Mars, similar in scale to those implemented by the United States. Even if the development of the space complex is successful, most likely its only real task will be the delivery of cargo and crew to the ISS. But the start of flight tests of the PPTS was postponed until 2018. By this time, promising American devices will most likely already be able to take on the functions that they currently perform Russian ships"Union" and "Progress".

Vague prospects

The modern world is deprived of the romance of space flights - this is a fact. Of course, we are not talking about satellite launches and space tourism. There is no need to worry about these areas of astronautics. Flights to the International Space Station are of great importance to the space industry, but the ISS's stay in orbit is limited. The station is planned to be liquidated in 2020. A modern manned spacecraft is, first of all, an integral part of a specific program. There is no point in developing a new ship without having an idea of ​​the tasks of its operation. New US spacecraft are being designed not only to deliver cargo and crews to the ISS, but also for flights to Mars and the Moon. However, these tasks are so far from everyday earthly concerns that in the coming years we can hardly expect any significant breakthroughs in the field of astronautics.

The world's largest space agency creates the most unexpected science fiction projects.

But no matter how strange they may look, behind their bizarre appearance there are precise scientific calculations

Dextre

In the ISS orbit, the amount of space debris is increasing at an alarming rate, interfering with the normal operation of the station and astronauts’ exits into space. open space. Herself outer part The station requires ongoing repairs from time to time. To solve these problems, Dextre was created, also known as a “flexible special-purpose manipulator.” Dextre is a space handyman attached to the surface of the ISS since 2011. It weighs 1.7 tons and is 3.5 meters high.

It is technically possible to control the robot from the ISS, but current rules his work is directed from Earth. It is jointly monitored by specialists from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (Dextre was created in Canada).

As long as Dextre does its job successfully, astronauts don't need to go into outer space to fix a loose nut or replace a frayed wire. And they have more time for scientific studies.

Supersonic bi-directional flying wing

This plane, the idea of ​​which belongs to University of Miami professor Gacheng Za, looks funny. But it can operate at an unprecedented range of altitudes and speeds, which has caught NASA's attention.

A standard airplane needs a large wing area to take off. But once the car is already in the air, the wing area becomes an issue because it increases drag and therefore reduces speed. This aerodynamic efficiency dilemma appears to have no optimal solution, but NASA expects to be able to get around it with a flying wing design. Anyone who puts the project into practice will receive a reward of 100 thousand dollars.

Space vegetables

Feeding astronauts in orbit does not pose any problems - food concentrates are delivered by expeditions from Earth. But in the future the number of astronauts may increase. For this case, space farm projects are being developed.

The first seeds were delivered to the ISS in April 2014. These will be used to grow lettuce, which will later be frozen and sent back to Earth for laboratory testing. If lettuce is found safe, experiments will continue with other crops. In the future, this will make it possible to seriously diversify the diet of astronauts.

Super Ball Bot

The robot ball has a unique configuration that allows it to absorb very strong impacts on the surface. It is so strong that NASA plans to lower such robots to the surface of Titan (one of Saturn's moons) without parachutes.

The robot ball does not need a chassis; it moves by changing its own structure. Its cross-country ability is much better than that of any robot with wheels.

Gun for Europe

One of the promising places to search for extraterrestrial life is salty ocean on Jupiter's moon Europa. But you can only get to it by overcoming a 30-kilometer layer of ice. Such a drilling depth has not yet been achieved even on Earth.

However, NASA has already received the first 15 million for Europa exploration. The historic mission towards Jupiter will begin no later than 2022. NASA has already developed a technology that will make it possible to break through the ice of Europa - this is a heat gun powered by nuclear fuel.

The gun is being tested on the Matanuska Glacier in Alaska. Scientists are considering the possibility of using this installation in other places in the solar system.

Tiny satellites

NASA's newest satellites are different from what we are used to understanding by the word "satellite." Some of them fit comfortably in your hands.

One of the nanosatellites is CubeSat. This is a cube with an edge of 10 centimeters, weighing 1.3 kilograms. They have very wide customization options different tasks and are easily transported into orbit, so NASA invites universities and students to submit their own projects based on the CubeSat's work. Some of these projects will be implemented. The low weight of nanosatellites allows them to be launched as an additional payload to previously planned expeditions.

The first nanosatellites were delivered into space back in 2011. If their tests are successful, NASA may completely abandon classic satellites, switching to CubeSat and similar models.

Space mice

The smallest astronauts will go on board the ISS. With their help, NASA will study the long-term effects of microgravity on the body. Mice live about two years, making them ideal candidates for this research.

Six months is about a quarter of a mouse's life, equivalent to 20 years human life. NASA will study the different life stages of mice, comparing them with the lives of mice on Earth. This will help establish patterns common to all mammals (including humans). Mice have already participated in space experiments, but not in such long-term ones.

Traveling without fuel

Newly developed engines make it possible to move through space without creating thrust in the opposite direction. These experiments greatly interested NASA. To the layman, such developments seem like quackery, violating Newton's laws and the principle of conservation of momentum, but they actually seem to work.

The action of Cannae Drive is based on microwave radiation. Its equivalent, created in the UK, is called EmDrive and works in much the same way.

The energy produced by the engine is extremely small and is measured in micronewtons. It can be compared to the sneeze of a butterfly. But in a vacuum, this is enough to set the body in motion.

OSIRIS-REx

NASA's New Frontiers program has three planetary missions planned. The Juno mission is designed to give humanity new knowledge about Jupiter. New Horizons' goal is to take the first photographs of Pluto's surface. And the most ambitious is OSIRIS-REx - a project to deliver a soil sample from one of the asteroids to Earth.

This asteroid is expected to be 101955 Bennu. The spacecraft will approach the asteroid and take a soil sample using a special drill. This is a non-trivial task, given that Bennu rushes through the Universe at the speed of a bullet, and is comparable in size to four football fields.

According to astronomers, Bennu has the highest probability of colliding with Earth in the 22nd century, so knowing its composition is of practical value - our descendants may have to blow it up.

Regulation of air traffic of drones

NASA is developing a system that will regulate the movement of drones, of which there are an increasing number. Federal Administration civil aviation The United States approved the first commercial drones for operation in June 2014. These machines will work in corn fields. For now, their use is not allowed within the city limits, but how long will this state of affairs last?

Testing the system and assessing its applicability in cities is expected to take NASA at least four years.

The American space agency presented a design for a new heavy launch vehicle. Agence France-Presse reports this.

The payload capacity of the system, which is currently called the Space Launch System, will be 70 metric tons, but the design allows for the possibility of increasing this parameter to 130 metric tons. The launch vehicle will be able to deliver manned missions beyond low-Earth orbit. The first test flight of the launch vehicle is scheduled for the end of 2017.

The new launch vehicle will incorporate technical developments created as part of the shuttle program, as well as design solutions that emerged during the design of space technology under the Constellation program - it provided for the creation of a manned spacecraft and a series of launch vehicles that could take it beyond orbit Earth.

The first stage of the new rocket will be powered by the RS-25D/E hydrogen-oxygen engine, an earlier version of which was used in the shuttle program. The second stage will be powered by the J-2X engine, which also uses oxygen and hydrogen. It was created as part of the Constellation program.
You can watch the animation of the launch of the new launch vehicle on the video:

The SLS system will be the first system of its class created by the Saturn V, the launch vehicle that delivered the Apollo series spacecraft to .

Americans are building a unique plasma engine for flights to Pluto

NASA has announced the winner of a competition to develop a new type of engine for spacecraft.

As part of the first phase of the competition for the development of a propulsion system direct conversion In nuclear energy, a prize of 100 thousand dollars was awarded to Washington University professor John Slough, who developed a project for an electromagnetic plasmoid engine or, as it is called, an electrodeless Lorentz force engine (ELF).

Electromagnetic plasmoid thruster (EPD) is a revolutionary type of electric propulsion system and allows to dramatically reduce the mass of the spacecraft, as well as increase the efficiency of engines compared to traditional systems power 500-1000 W. EPD has a high power density (more than 700 W/kg) and efficiency. It will allow unmanned flights to the very outskirts: Neptune, Pluto and the Oort Cloud. In addition, the new engine can be powered by solar panels, which makes it possible to quickly cover the distance to closer objects, such as satellites or asteroids.

The principle of operation of the EPD is as follows: with the help of a rotating magnetic field inside the conical chamber of the engine, a powerful voltage of currents is created within the plasma flow, which leads to the formation of a plasmoid isolated from the walls of the chamber by a magnetic field. A change in the magnetic field gradient in powerful plasma currents leads to the fact that the plasmoid leaves the conical chamber with enormous speed- accordingly, jet thrust appears. According to NASA specialists, the new type of engine should be a pulsed device that consumes 1 kW and produces a discharge with an energy of 1 J at a frequency of 1 kHz.

NASA developed the theory and design of the new engine, and also demonstrated its operation physical principles his work in the laboratory. Specialists managed to create a small, only 10 cm in diameter, kilowatt-class engine, which demonstrated reliable operation in pulsed mode with an energy of 0.5 to 5 J. EPDs have many advantages, even compared to highly efficient ion engines. First of all, EPD can be used as fuel wide range working media: oxygen, argon, hydrazine or a mixture of gases. This makes it possible to refuel vehicles in space, and also, theoretically, to use “local” fuel, for example, gases from the atmosphere of Mars. EPD will not only increase the speed and energy capabilities of spacecraft, it can also become the second engine of aircraft. They could enter low-Earth orbit using ramjet engines, and in space they could move using light and compact EPDs.

During the second phase of the competition, the American space agency plans to test a real EPD prototype with the following characteristics: weight 1.5 kg, power from 200-1000 W with 50-80 mN of thrust and 1.5-4 thousand seconds of specific impulse (in modern ion engines about 3 thousand).

It should be noted that John Slough, as part of the Helion Energy project to commercialize the energy of thermonuclear fusion, developed an inductive plasma accelerator, which allows accelerating plasmoids to a speed of 600 km/s, which is much greater than the speed of their internal thermal motion.

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Since the second half of the 20th century, space has become one of the priority areas of human activity. In just sixty years, humanity has made a giant leap in the field of space exploration, moving from visual and theoretical observations to applied science. First, thanks to the development of science and technology, people on rockets were able to penetrate near-Earth space. Subsequently, new technologies allowed man to begin to closely study the solar system, reach the planets closest to us and look into the abyss of the Universe. Now we know that our planet Earth, this tiny world, is too small and defenseless, that outer space is actually a complex, constantly changing system. Many of the achievements in the field of space exploration are the result of many years of activity by NASA, the American aerospace agency.

The history of NASA and the first attempts to understand space

The second half of the 20th century is associated with the beginning of the space race, an unprecedented in its scale and scope scientific and technological competition between two superpowers - the USA and the USSR. In the Soviet Union, this area was entirely left to the military, but overseas a special structure was created for these purposes - a state institution. In space exploration, the Americans decided to take a different path, planning to create their own space agency, which would combine the efforts of the state machine, science and the national economy.

In the late 50s in the United States, at the government level, it was decided to create a specialized structure - the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, then NASA. This is exactly what the abbreviation of this organization stands for. The activities of the newly created organization were under the jurisdiction of the US government.

It cannot be said that the NASA space agency was created from scratch. Back in 1915, the National Committee on Aeronautics began its work in America. In subsequent years there appeared whole line non-governmental organizations and government agencies involved in space exploration. It was necessary with maximum benefit use the accumulated experience of specialists from the National Aeronautics Committee in the field of rocket science, who already in 1946 managed to create the world's first supersonic aircraft, the Bell X-1. Jet aviation and rocket technology became in those years priority direction in technology development.

On the basis of the National Aeronautics Committee, work was carried out on the creation of artificial Earth satellites, the development of a program of manned suborbital flights and the subsequent flight of a spacecraft with a person on board.

The reason for the revision of its national space program was the successes of the Soviet Union. The launch of a Soviet rocket with an artificial satellite on board on October 4, 1957 kicked off the space race. The response to this step of the Soviets was the signing at the end of July 1958 by US President Dwight Eisenhower of the Decree on the creation of a national aerospace agency. Space exploration and the new technologies associated with it moved from the category of a scientific and technical field into the sphere of political confrontation, becoming in subsequent years a catalyst for the confrontation between the two superpowers on the world stage.

The new organization was the first of its kind to be in charge of all space industry. Much later, similar structures began to appear in other countries, when NASA already had a wealth of operational experience behind it. The headquarters and main office of the National Office are located in the capital of the country, Washington. The place of direct activity was the state of Florida, where there were extensive launch sites at Cape Canaveral. Already in October 1958, just 10 days after the official date of the formation of the new department, the first spacecraft Pioneer-1 was launched. From this moment it began real work and the history of NASA, which will become an important page in the history of human exploration of near-Earth space and the subsequent study of the planets of the solar system.

Originally staff new organization consisted of 900 employees distributed across several departments and divisions. However, already in 1965 the space agency staff numbered 2,500 people. To the main facilities operated by NASA, in 1965, the Mission Control Center in Houston and a new spaceport, the Kennedy Space Center, were added. Currently, the number of NASA employees is 18 thousand people. The number of departmental facilities scattered throughout the United States and located outside the country is more than 1000. The budget of this largest government scientific and technical organization, as of 2018, is more than 20 billion US dollars.

Today, NASA is the main coordinator of all national programs for the peaceful exploration of outer space, and a participant in many international projects aimed at studying objects of the solar system. NASA Research Topics Cover a Huge Layer modern science and technology, allowing you to implement the most complex projects in practice.

Structure of the world's largest scientific and technical institution

Beginning as the successor to the National Aeronautics Committee, NASA has become a powerhouse over the years. government structure. Today it is whole network research centers and laboratories operating under the auspices of NASA and under the auspices of government organizations. A number of the largest scientific institutions all over the planet they work with the American space agency on the terms of branches. The organization itself has powerful scientific and technical potential. NASA research is carried out in four directions at once:

• space exploration;
• research of the human body while in unearthly conditions;
• exploration of our planet;
• development of promising projects based on new technologies and their subsequent implementation.

One of the main divisions of NASA is the California AMES Research Center, which develops advanced technologies in the field of astronomy, nuclear and quantum physics. Research and technical tests are constantly carried out at the center, the results of which form the basis for various projects. NASA scientists working at the DRYDEN Space Center are designing and creating aircraft and space technology. NASA aircraft created in this center today actively take part in the study of planet Earth, and space probes successfully plow the vast expanses of space.

NASA specialists from the GLENN research center, located in Ohio, are closely involved in the creation of rocket engines. It was through their efforts that the rocket engines were created, which ensured the successful maneuvering and landing of the lunar module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft. Almost all of the major projects implemented by NASA are the merit of the staff of the Goddar Space Center, which ensured the study of the enormous amount of information acquired during the study of near-Earth space and astrophysical data about our planet. This center is developing tracking and control systems for the operation of satellites in low-Earth orbit. Practical laboratory JPL, located in the small town of Pasadena, is a testing site for jet propulsion.

The brain center and heart of NASA is the Space Center. Johnson, located in Houston. From here, all space launches and flights are coordinated, spacecraft are controlled, including control and monitoring of the situation on board the ISS. In the central hall of this space center, the Apollo program of manned flights to the Moon was monitored, including the direct landing of American astronauts on the surface of our satellite. All launches of the Apollo program and most other launches, as well as the launch of most artificial satellites, were carried out and continue to be carried out from the Kennedy Space Center. This huge complex, consisting of factory assembly shops and numerous launch sites, is located on the southern tip of Florida. From here, on July 16, 1969, the giant Saturn rocket launched toward the Moon, carrying the Apollo 11 spacecraft with three astronauts on board.

In addition, there are three more large research centers, part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. They are actively working to create promising spacecraft, creating new tracking and flight control systems. In the laboratories of research institutes and universities in the United States, scientific works under the control of NASA, which are then used in the implementation of projects.

Major milestones and achievements in NASA activities

NASA is one of the most significant participants in space exploration. Over the 60 years of its existence, NASA specialists, scientists, technicians, designers and researchers in many fields of science have implemented more than 500 different programs and projects, each of which has become important milestone in the history of modern science.

Following the launch of the first artificial satellite Earth, the Pinner 1 space probe, followed by larger and more ambitious launches and events. The rapid pace of development of astronautics in those years was explained by the presence of competition between the USSR and the USA. Conceding the palm Soviet Union In launching a ship into space with a person on board, the Americans took revenge during the implementation of the Apollo project. NASA marked its victory in the space race with the Soviets with the landing of two astronauts on the surface of the Moon on July 20, 1969. This event not only became an epoch-making event in the history of mankind, demonstrating to the whole world the pinnacle of technical and scientific thought, but also was the apotheosis of a grandiose program, which in its scope and scale did not have and does not have similar projects in history.

The landing on the satellite was to be followed by more grandiose projects, which implied the creation of colonies on the Moon. Subsequently, the development project was discontinued. This happened for a number of reasons, most of which are economic. Today NASA has returned to the idea of ​​​​building an intermediate transit station in lunar orbit, ensuring long-distance flights into space. However, experts consider the creation of a lunar base inappropriate.

In addition to the exploration of the Moon, a number of NASA missions have become landmarks in the field of space exploration. Suffice it to recall the epic with the automatic space probes Mariner and Voyager. Thanks to these devices, man was able not only to get closer to the secrets of our near space, but also to look beyond the lenses of ground-based telescopes. The nimble and small Mariner probes made it possible to see Mars up close. The space probes Viking 1 and Viking 2 successfully landed on the surface of the Red Planet, giving humans the first opportunity to look at the Martian landscapes. The space probes Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 provided the world with new images of Jupiter. Together with them, only through the efforts of two other probes, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, scientists around the world received the most valuable information about distant Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

A significant step in the exploration of near-Earth space was the creation of NASA and the subsequent launch of the first orbital station, Skylab. During the last third expedition (1973-1974), the station set an absolute record for a person's stay in space - 84 days.

A new record for a man in space was set in 1998. Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka spent 878 days in orbit – 2 years and almost 5 months.

The beginning of the 80s was marked in the history of NASA by the beginning of a new stage in space exploration. For the first time in the history of space launches, in April 1981, the reusable space shuttle Columbia took off from the launch pad at Cape Kennedy. The Americans created six Shuttles, which repeatedly flew into Earth orbit. It was with the reusable Space Shuttle that the first worst disaster in the history of American astronautics was associated. After 73 seconds of flight on January 28, 1986, the American space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing seven astronauts. 17 years later, the Columbia repeated the fate of its twin ship. While landing, the spacecraft disintegrated in the upper atmosphere of our planet. All seven crew members of the spacecraft were killed.

It should be noted that among the numerous programs implemented by NASA over the past 30 years, research of the Red Planet has been a priority. The place of Mars in the study of the planets of the solar system has always been significant, but in recent years there has been an intensification of work in this direction.

Activities of NASA today

In addition to the preparation program for sending an expedition to Mars, the organization is actively working to create new and advanced aircraft. Launches of new spacecraft, created jointly with the European Space Agency and similar organizations in other countries, are currently a priority. Significant successes were marked by the landing of three rovers on Mars, two of which, Opportunity and Curiosity, continue to operate today.

During the first decade of the new century, under the auspices of NASA, the Cassini-Huygens, Galileo and automatic space probes set off to study Jupiter, Saturn and the distant regions of the solar system. interplanetary station"New Horizons". For more than 30 years, the Voyager 2 space probe has continued to fly and work, having flown away from us to a distance of 17 billion km.

In terms of studying outer space beyond our solar system, NASA experts have discovered a lot of new and previously unknown things using the Hubble Space Telescope. New distant worlds have been discovered that, according to scientists, strongly resemble our planet. In terms of the scale of research and the size of participation, NASA is considered the undisputed leader. It is difficult to appreciate the contribution to the development of science and technology that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has made.

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