The History of the Soviet and Russian Space Exploration - Essay Example

Russian Space Exploration Copyright Russia, which was the core of the former Soviet Union, has had a long and illustrious history in effortsdirected towards the exploration of space. This country has had more firsts in space than any of its rivals, including the United States. The first probes to Venus and Mars, as well as the first soft landings on these planets are achievements of the Russian space program. In addition, the first interception of the moon Phobos around Mars was a Russian achievement. However, although humanity has come a long way since the first artificial satellite orbited around the earth, the vastness of space still overwhelms all those who chose to ponder on it. Economic difficulties have caused problems for Russian space exploration efforts but commercialization has met with success and the space program still captures the imagination of the vast majority of the people of Russia. This essay presents a discussion about Russian space exploration efforts and questions if humanity can join in its efforts for the conquest of space to make the best of that which is available. Declaration I certify that, except where cited in the text, this work is the result of research carried out by the author of this study. _____________________________________________ Name and Signature of Author November 2008 This write - up is for an essay on Russian Space Exploration. Biographical Sketch Acknowledgments Contents Introduction 1 A Brief Look at the Past and the Future of Russian Space Exploration 3 Conclusion 12 Bibliography/ References 15 List of Figures Figure 1: The Kliper Advanced Crew Transport System 8 List of Tables Table 1: World Space Budgets, 2006 11 (This page intentionally left blank) Introduction Man has had an interest in space since time immemorial but the dream of space travel could only be satisfied when advances in rocket technology could make this dream possible (RussianSpaceWeb. com, “Pre-20th Century Developments”). Russia had established a rocket production plant as early as 1861 and Nikolai Ivanovich Kibalchich (1854 - 1881), a revolutionary who was to hang for his involvement in the assassination of Emperor Alexander II, had proposed the idea of slowly burning explosives as being useful for aeronautical applications. Thus, interest in space exploration had been present in Russia before the twentieth century but the practical realization of dreams could only be fulfilled because of advances in physics, chemistry and aeronautics, which were supported by economic development. Russia’s space exploration program was to receive a boost from efforts made in Germany to design long-range rockets during the Second World War (Harvey, “Russian Planetary Space Exploration” pp. 17 – 35). On May 4, 1945, Russian troops had occupied the German rocket research center at Peenemünde and this led to efforts directed towards improving on German rocket technology and incorporating the results in Russian technology (Chertok, pp. 1 – 15). Later, in 1950, a team led by Sergei Korolev was to study a multistage version of the R-3 rocket that was capable of launching a satellite into space and this was a departure from German efforts. However, Russian efforts to develop technology for long-range space exploration were not easy and it was difficult to tame the Molniya and Proton upper stages (Harvey, “Russian Planetary Space Exploration” pp. 17 – 35). A long journey was to be undertaken before the development of the Mir space station was possible and efforts continue to keep the dream alive and to expand the frontiers. This essay presents a discussion about efforts made by Russia to explore space and to develop its space program. Judicious application of new technology to space exploration and production was required to achieve success and with the achievements, there were setbacks. Space exploration projects are only able to deliver useful results if efforts provide improved technology for space. A Brief Look at the Past and the Future of Russian Space Exploration It was the R-7 rocket, which was distained to carry the first artificial satellite into orbit (RussianSpaceWeb. com, “The 20th Century”). The Sputnik-1, launched on October 4, 1957 was a Soviet-made star in the sky was to capture the world’s imagination. Successful launch of the Sputnik was a step in the effort made by the Soviets to overcome United States supremacy. Sputnik-2 followed the successful deployment of Sputnik-1 in November 1957 carrying a dog by the name of Laika into space. The success of the Sputnik missions at a time when US efforts were suffering from failures paved the way for manned missions into space and the quest for the exploration of the moon. Later, two dogs, Belka and Strelka became the first animals to return to earth from space after a journey aboard the Vostok spacecraft and Uri Gagarin was to become the first man to spend 108 minutes in space on board the same type of Spacecraft. The Soviet Union was to achieve all the firsts in cosmonautics, except for the first man on the moon, a feat accomplished by the United States of America (Harvey, “The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program”, pp. ix – x). The firsts consisted of the first satellite in orbit, the first animal in orbit, the first laboratory in orbit, the first probe to the moon, the first photographs of the far side of the moon, the first soft-landing on the moon, the first man in space, the first women in space and the first spacewalk. Thus, space exploration was a serious undertaking in the former Soviet Union and the motivation behind such efforts may well have been political, but a desire existed to develop new technology that could provide Soviet Union with a competitive edge. Efforts made by Soviet scientists had captured the imagination of its political elite and the masses. A desire had existed to ensure that Russia left its mark on the human civilization (Harvey, “The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program”, pp. 7). During The Cold War era, a spirit of competition with the United States and its allies also contributed to the efforts directed towards the exploration of space (Zimmerman, pp. 85). Both Russia and the United States of America had realized that space exploration offered unique challenges that could contribute to spin-offs in nearly everything. Thus, success in space exploration was important for both nations. At the end of the Soviet era, in 1989, the spending on the space program amounted to about 6.9 billion Rubles and this was about 1.5 % of the GNP (Harvey, “Russian Planetary Exploration”, pp. 269 - 286). After many successes, a contraction in the Soviet space efforts resulted towards the end of 1991 as the former Soviet Union gave way to the Russian Federation and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Retrenchments and visible decay in space installations were obvious as the economic situation became increasingly difficult. The second flight of the Soviet space shuttle, the Buran, was never distained to take place. The annual number of new launches fell from a peak of 102 in 1989 to 59 in 1991 and a delayed Mars mission showed the problems. Hard currency was a problem and the Energiya Buran program, which was the result of about twenty years of research, ended in a cancellation. About 30 % of the space workforce was lost in a single year and spending on space research declined to about 0.23 % of the national budget, a figure that was lower than the spending on space research in the United States of America. Difficulties continued to 1999 as wages suffered a serious decline and unpaid contractors failed to deliver. However, it was these difficulties that caused the Russians to realize that it was time that efforts were made to commercialize space (Harvey, “The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program”, pp. 10 – 16). By the year 2001, Russian space firms had been able to accomplish a level of commercialization that was unparalleled in the global space industry (Harvey, “The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program”, pp. 16). Vasili Tsibliev has been credited with saving the Russian space program which is now far less dependent on state investments and the most self-sufficient in the world. Paid space travel, satellite launches and other commercial ventures now sustain the Russian space program. Mars had to be put together with great difficulty and because of the commercial successes it is now possible to dream about the future (Harvey, “Russian Planetary Exploration”, pp. 310 - 322). Russia is now better integrated into the global economy and commercial cooperation between various space agencies from around the world is supportive of the continuing space exploration efforts. However, commercialization of space has resulted in competition and this has meant that Russian contracts for the construction of satellites have also been awarded to firms in the United States, including Hughes Corporation. Although the Russian launch programs for the years 2009 – 2011 are filled with commercial launches of communications and global positioning satellites for several nations from around the world, the Phobos Grunt project to study Mars is still scheduled for 2009 (RussianSpaceWeb. com, “2009”). Support for the International Space Station is also an important part of the planned future space activities. The Phobos Grunt project is expected to study the planet Mars and to return soil samples from the Martian moon Phobos to earth. Efforts to explore the noon will continue in 2010 – 2011 as Russia launches a Luna-Glob mission into a lunar orbit. The previously mentioned mission will launch Japanese made lunar surface “penetrators” that are expected to provide more information about the conditions below the lunar surface. The Indian made Chandrayaan-II Lunar Lander is will carry a 400 kg Russian lunar rover to the moon in 2010. The previously delayed deployment of an X-ray observatory in a 600-mile orbit will conclude in the year 2011. In addition, in 2011 a tracking radio beacon on the asteroid Apophis that is likely to travel far into space will provide useful information about the movement of this asteroid. The Russian space program remains heavily inclined towards commercial launches, but the planets are still receiving attention and a new and more powerful rocket the Angara-5 will be test fired in the second half of 2011. A commercial space transport system that will support space tourism is under development. On the longer-term horizon that extends to the year 2014 and beyond, Russia is planning to launch two more UV telescope satellites and to turn its attention towards Venus (RussianSpaceWeb. com, “2011”, “2012”, “2013” and “2014”). However, efforts will try to continue to decide if there are signs of life on the planet Mars. A permanent lunar base the year 2032 will provide a permanent human settlement on the moon and missions to Mars with humans will deploy after this year. An Advanced Crew Transportation System, ACTS consisting of the Kliper spacecraft will replace the Soyuz in the year 2015. The figure below provides pictures of the new crew transport system. However, the Russian space program is still constrained for cash and the Kliper will have international support and cooperation. The International Space Station will decommission in 2022 and this means that other settlements in space will deploy before this decommissioning. It is possible that the lunar settlement will take the place of a floating space station. Figure 1: The Kliper Advanced Crew Transport System (RussianSpaceWeb. com, “Kliper”) The United States space agency NASA has an impressive and varied space program planned for exploration of space, with missions to study Neptune and the Sun (RussianSpaceWeb. com, “Missions Beyond 2014”). However, the thrust of the Russian space program is likely to remain focused on commercial ventures that will help others in satisfying their needs, with a lower investment on the more scientific and exploratory missions. Russia is still trying to adjust to the post Soviet era economics and this means that it cannot match the American ability to pump funds into purely scientific ventures. Russia has to balance its space investments to try to develop the technology that will preserve its capacity to compete in commercial bids and this means that there is less for the more glamorous missions. It is only by remaining relatively economical in providing for commercial services that Russia has been able to attract its space customers and the United States is still able to provide more funds for the more exotic missions out of public funds. Thus, a lot still depends on the way in which the economy shapes up and how priorities for spending are determined in Russia. After all, delays and setbacks have occurred in the past and the future is still uncertain. Nevertheless, it is only by some skillful maneuvering and judicious decision-making that Russia has been able to save its space exploration program after the demise of the former Soviet Union. Russian capabilities in terms of launch vehicles have improved but much more was possible if the economic situation had been better. Thus, it is important that a thorough management strategy for space technology future is available for success. Nevertheless, the data from existing space missions and space satellite systems will continue to shape the future of the Russian space program (RussianSpaceWeb. com, “Missions Beyond 2014”). Unlike American efforts and those of some newcomers to space exploration, like Australia, China and India, Russian efforts have preferred to remain focused on the planets in the solar system while ignoring the Sun (RussianSpaceWeb. com, “Missions Beyond 2014”). There are no plans for any satellites or missions for exploring the Sun in the future. However, focusing on the Sun is likely to bring about additions to abstract and theoretical fields of knowledge and it is possible that sharing information between international agencies can serve to fill the knowledge gap. Perhaps better and more coordinated global efforts for the exploration of space are needed so that the more theoretical and abstract aspects of knowledge that is gained can be shared. Russia’s space budget is still far lower than that of the United States of America or the combined budget of Europe as illustrated in the table, presented below (Harvey, “The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program”, pp. 283). However, Russia depends on its domestic contractors and the lower wages of its space employees to make a substantial saving on investments to achieve desired objectives. Table 1: World Space Budgets, 2006 (Harvey, “The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program”, pp. 283) Infrastructure investment in Russian space program has already taken place, and this means that it is now possible to sustain the space program on a lower budget (Harvey, “The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program”, pp. 282 – 285). In addition, the budget figure for Russia does not include the income derived from commercial ventures and some Russian space entities, such as Energiya, receive up to 74 % of their income from abroad. The Russian space program now has a far lower level of funding than it enjoyed during the Soviet era and funds provided by the state slashed by up to 80 % with employment being reduced from 400,000 to 100,000. Much the space budget took the form of loans, notes and undertakings rather than real money in the previous years. However, the situation may now have improved as Russia has aligned itself better to the international markets. The government in Russia has in fact encouraged privatization of its space program and the government has reduced its holding in several important undertakings, including Energiya. The space program in Russia captures the imagination of the people of Russia despite the many hardships endured. Successes of the space program bring feelings of pride to the Russians and enough support exists within the nation to expect that the space program will receive support in the future. However, it is important that all nations in the world should try to come up with a joint space program that will benefit everyone because the challenges are great. Thus, shared resources are likely to benefit everyone and increase the pace of exploration. Conclusion The history of the Soviet and Russian space exploration is rich and full of successes. However, human imagination continues to present new and even tougher challenges for the future. Clearly, successes in space are possible because of the capacity of nations to organize themselves and to succeed economically. The space program adds to human knowledge and technical knowhow. However, the vastness of space presents many goals and selected activities or missions must bring benefits. All the planet earth consumed as fuel for space exploration is unlikely to enable humankind to reach the edge of the universe. Thus, it is important to set up a joint program for space exploration in which all nations share. Such a joint effort is most likely to provide the best shot for humanity in space and the benefits needed for the future generations. (This page intentionally left blank) Bibliography/ References 1. Baker, Philip. The Story of Manned Space Stations: An Introduction. Springer - Praxis Publishing Limited, 2007. 2. Bille, Matt. The Satellites of Sergei Korolev. Booz Allen Hamilton, Colorado Springs, CO, 2003. 3. Chertok, Boris E. Rockets and People. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2005. October 30, 2008. http://history.nasa.gov/series95.html 4. Computer Science Department, University of Maryland. Space Program of Soviet Union and Russia. University of Maryland, 2008. October 31, 2008, http://www.cs.umd.edu/~dekhtyar/space/ 5. Harvey, Brian. Russian Planetary Exploration. Springer - Praxis Publishing Limited, 2007. 6. Harvey, Brian. Soviet and Russian Lunar Exploration. Springer, 2007. 7. Harvey, Brian. The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program: 50 Years after Sputnik, New Frontiers. Springer - Praxis Publishing Limited, 2007. 8. Ivanovich, Grujica S. Salyut - The First Space Station: Triumph and Tragedy. Springer - Praxis Publishing Limited, 2008. 9. Oberg, James. Russia’s Space Program at Fifty – An Assessment. National Defense University, 2007. October 31, 2008. http://www.jamesoberg.com/rsp50assessment.pdf 10. RussianSpaceWeb. com. Chronology. RussianSpaceWeb. com, 2008. October 31, 2008. http://www.russianspaceweb.com/chronology.html 11. Shelton, William. Soviet Space Exploration; The First Decade. Arthur Barker Ltd, 1969. 12. Siddiqi, A. A. Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974. NASA SP2000-4408, Washington, DC, 1999. 13. Siddiqi, Asif. Soviet Web Space. Fordham University, 2008. October 28, 2008. http://faculty.fordham.edu/siddiqi/sws/index.html 14. Today in Space History. Archive for the Russia Category. Today in Space History, 2008. October 31, 2008. http://todayinspacehistory.wordpress.com/category/russia/ 15. Zimmerman, Robert. Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers and the Quest for Interplanetary Travel. Joseph Henry Press, 2003. Read More