— Ch. 1 · Origins And Early Rocketry —
Soviet space program.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
In 1921, the Soviet military sanctioned a small research laboratory to explore solid fuel rockets. Nikolai Tikhomirov led this Gas Dynamics Laboratory with support from Vladimir Artemyev. Tikhomirov had studied solid and liquid-fueled rockets since 1894. He lodged a patent for self-propelled aerial mines in 1915. The first test firing of a solid fuel rocket occurred in March 1928. That rocket flew approximately 1,300 meters. Georgy Langemak led further developments in the early 1930s. In 1932, unguided RS-82 rockets launched successfully from a Tupolev I-4 aircraft. Six launchers armed the plane during these tests.
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky provided the theoretical foundation before World War One. His writings appeared in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He calculated the Rocket equation and introduced the multistaged rocket concept in 1929. Yuri Kondratyuk developed the lunar orbit rendezvous method later used for human Moon flights. Friedrich Zander suggested using gravity assists between planets in a 1925 paper. NASA translated his work as Technical Translation F-147 in 1964.
Sergei Korolev entered this field as an advanced student in 1926. Andrey Tupolev mentored him at university. Korolev worked on the TB-3 heavy bomber in 1930. Liquid-fueled engines interested him then. Contact with Zander sparked his space exploration interest. The Group for the Study of Reactive Motion formed practical experiments in the 1930s. Mikhail Tikhonravov led the Leningrad branch. They launched GIRD-09 on the 18th of August 1933. This was the first hybrid propellant rocket. the 25th of November 1933 saw the launch of GIRD-X. It became the Soviet Union's first liquid-fueled rocket.
The Space Race Firsts
Sputnik 1 launched on the 4th of October 1957. It beat the United States and stunned people worldwide. Two days prior, the Soviets announced their intention to launch an artificial satellite. the 31st of July 1955 marked that announcement. Yuri Gagarin flew aboard Vostok 1 in 1961. He became the first person in Earth orbit. Valentina Tereshkova followed as the first woman in space during 1963. Alexsei Leonov performed the first extra-vehicular activity in 1965.
Animals tested the limits early. Dezik and Tsygan reached 101 kilometers altitude in July 1951. Both dogs recovered alive after two months ahead of American achievement. Laika the dog entered Earth orbit in 1957 aboard Sputnik 2. Belka and Strelka safely returned from Earth orbit in 1960. Russian tortoises flew by the Moon and returned unharmed on Zond 5 in 1968.
Gherman Titov spent over 24 hours in space during 1961. He was also the first person to sleep in space. The Polyot satellites launched in late 1963 adjusted orbital inclination and Apsis. These demonstrated potential for anti-satellite warfare capabilities. The R-7 Semyorka served as both an intercontinental ballistic missile and orbital launch vehicle.