April 12 - World Cosmonautics Day. The space era on our planet began on October 4, 1957, when the first artificial satellite went into orbit around the Earth. But it was from April 12, 1961 that people began to fly into space. That is what astronautics is.
Human thought stretched into space long before the flight of the first cosmonaut. Ancient Greek satirist Lucian wrote a fantastic story, the hero of which is planning a trip to the moon. In the Middle Ages, this was forgotten, but in the Renaissance in Europe, ideas about flying re-emerged. It turns out that the first cosmic goal of man was the Moon, and it also became the most popular. Although many plots of that time are now just ridiculous!
After the industrial revolution, engineers and scientists began to turn their attention to space. There were many pioneers of cosmonautics, it is enough to recall the names of Tsiolkovsky, Zander, Oberth, Goddard ... It was theoretically justified to use missiles as the primary means for space flights, the use of liquid rocket engines as having much greater specific impulse than traditional powder engines, the need for multi-stage rockets. The issues of life support in space, the effects of overloads and weightlessness on humans were studied. Without a doubt, sending into space even a small satellite would have been impossible if this theoretical work had not been done in its time. Without a doubt, the theory of space flight is the achievement of all progressive humanity.
But it was the Soviet Union that became the country that used this achievement, and for peaceful purposes. In the 1950s, it was already clear that the Earth was divided into two camps: capitalist and socialist. Each camp was headed by a superpower, and it was these that were the most developed countries in the field of industry, science and technology. It is known that the Soviet project of a manned space flight (to an altitude of 200 km) was considered with the personal participation of Stalin a year after the end of World War II, in the summer of 1946.
Stalin personally signed government documents on the creation of a closed design bureau, which was headed by future academician Sergei Pavlovich Korolev - and then did not care that Korolev was repressed (arrested on charges of sabotage on June 27, 1938, transferred to the "prison KB" in March 1940 , released in July 1944 with the removal of a criminal record, rehabilitated in April 1957). According to the memoirs of L.L. Kerber, Korolev was a skeptic, a cynic and a pessimist, who looked absolutely gloomily at his future. At the same time, there is a statement by cosmonaut Alexei Leonov regarding Korolev: “He was never embittered ... He never complained, cursed no one, did not scold. He had no time for this. He understood that bitterness is not a creative impulse, but oppression. ” We are sure that such a spirit of life and struggle must be kept for all of us!
All rocket and space work was carried out in the strictest secrecy. American intelligence learned about missile launches when everything was ready. There were no spy satellites at that time, but there was already a super-high-level aviation and U2-type photo reconnaissance aircraft. But then it was no longer important: in the USA there was nothing to respond to the victory of the Soviet military industry, the R-7 rocket.
It was this rocket that became the “newcomer who stirred up the industry.” Now this title has passed to the American rocket “Falcon” (Falcon), but it is not even close with the victories of the “Seven”. The first satellite of the Earth, the first flights of people around the Earth, the first flights of stations to the Moon - that’s all. The rocket was fully tested on technology and animals.
And then it was the turn of people. The first of them was Gagarin. He flew into space as mortal, and returned immortal - because his name, his face and his feat recorded in the history of mankind forever. It was a great honor and a great feat - to become a tester of the first spacecraft. And let the evil tongues that call Gagarin "the biggest dog" wither, because he did not control the flight of the ship. Let them wither! Without a man in orbit there would not be this great victory that is celebrated by our country and our planet. Man by his example proved that in space you can live, work, eat and drink. This is a victory. This is the transition to a new era.
Who was Gagarin? Maybe not everyone knows. Gagarin was a worker. He was born on March 9, 1934, survived the war and occupation, graduated from school in 1949 (at the age of 15, it was an incomplete school) and went to study at a worker while practicing in production. And then Gagarin became a pilot. On October 25, 1954, Gagarin entered the free DOSAAF aeroclub in Saratov, which he graduated with honors a year later, in 1955. And now, in DOSAAF air clubs, it costs from 55,000 rubles to learn to fly.
The military enlistment office sent Gagarin to study as a military pilot in Orenburg. From there - serve in the Northern Fleet, already a lieutenant, in October 1957. It was then that Yuri Gagarin heard the TASS message about the launch of the first satellite. And after 2 years, he wrote a statement to the “Star Detachment”, a detachment of the first test-cosmonauts. What happened next - now everyone knows! And now not only a military pilot can write such a statement: the “conservative” Roskosmos has more than once declared an open set of cosmonauts. Young people, memorize and write down, especially schoolchildren: astronautics need techies!
According to the TASS website, today political convictions have no effect on the selection result, although a number of “strategic” restrictions are still present. Thus, the path to space is closed for holders of dual citizenship and residence permits in the territory of a foreign state. The lower age limit is not established, but the candidate must have time to get a higher education and work in the specialty for at least three years. During this time, a person manages to “prove himself” from a professional point of view. Only diplomas of specialists and masters are counted (nothing is said about bachelors in modern requirements). Engineering and flight specialties are still a priority. Is there a chance for the humanities? Yes, but not in the near future. As for the level of physical fitness, the “space” standards are partially comparable with the standards of the TRP for the age group from 18 to 29 years.
Want to go to the moon, reader? Forward! The situation in the country and the world has changed many times, and we think that among us there are people who are capable of accomplishing the exploits of the discoverers of the Moon and Mars.
But there is a problem ... Capitalist countries in space only need profit. Pump up natural resources, earn money by selling tickets, souvenirs, photos, communication channels ... all this is already there. On these "rails" are rolling private astronautics, such as the American corporation SpaceX. What can be said about this? While they are making progress, they are great, and their achievements must be adopted and developed. But under capitalism this will not always be the case. At some point, the progressive forces become obsolete, reactionary. Here it is in the structure of society. Under socialism, science and technology should be better than under capitalism, because commerce will not hang a “Damocles sword” over scientists, astronauts, over each of us. So think, reader!
I. Kotran
"Revolutsiya" №4 (97), April 2019
