Humanity has been exploring outer space with manned spacecraft for more than half a century. Alas, during this time it, figuratively speaking, has not sailed far. If we compare the Universe to the ocean, we are just wandering at the edge of the surf, ankle-deep in water. One day, however, we decided to swim a little deeper (the Apollo lunar program), and since then we have lived with memories of this event as the highest achievement.
Until now, spaceships have primarily served as delivery vehicles to and from Earth. The maximum duration of autonomous flight achievable by the reusable Space Shuttle is only 30 days, and even then theoretically. But perhaps the spaceships of the future will become much more advanced and versatile?
Already the Apollo lunar expeditions have clearly shown that the requirements for future spacecraft can be strikingly different from the tasks for “space taxis”. The Apollo lunar cabin had very little in common with streamlined ships and was not designed for flight in a planetary atmosphere. Photos of American astronauts give some idea of what the spaceships of the future will look like more than clearly.
The most serious factor that hinders occasional human exploration of the Solar System, not to mention the organization of scientific bases on the planets and their satellites, is radiation. Problems arise even with lunar missions that last a week at most. And the year and a half flight to Mars, which seemed to be about to take place, is being pushed further and further away. Automated research has shown that it is deadly to humans along the entire route of interplanetary flight. So the spaceships of the future will inevitably acquire serious anti-radiation protection in combination with special medical and biological measures for the crew.
It is clear that the faster he gets to his destination, the better. But fast flight requires powerful engines. And for them, in turn, highly efficient fuel that does not take up much space. Therefore, chemical propulsion engines will give way to nuclear ones in the near future. If scientists succeed in taming antimatter, that is, converting mass into light radiation, the spaceships of the future will acquire. In this case, we will be talking about achieving relativistic speeds and interstellar expeditions.
Another serious obstacle to man’s exploration of the Universe will be the long-term provision of his life. In just one day, the human body consumes a lot of oxygen, water and food, releases solid and liquid waste, and exhales carbon dioxide. It is pointless to take a full supply of oxygen and food on board due to their enormous weight. The problem is solved by an on-board closed circuit. However, so far all experiments on this topic have not been successful. And without a closed life support system, spaceships of the future flying through space for years are unthinkable; The artists' pictures, of course, amaze the imagination, but do not reflect the real state of affairs.
So, all projects of spaceships and starships are still far from real implementation. And humanity will have to come to terms with studying the Universe by undercover astronauts and receiving information from automatic probes. But this, of course, is temporary. Astronautics does not stand still, and indirect signs show that a major breakthrough is brewing in this area of human activity. So, perhaps, the spaceships of the future will be built and make their first flights in the 21st century.
Many have heard about him, but have seen almost nothing. Hopes are pinned on him and the future of Russian manned cosmonautics is associated with him. This spacecraft will use the best engineering developments and technical solutions - it will be a real creation of engineering and design thought. The domestic space industry has never created anything like this. It's time to look at the Federation and choose a place for your future flight. Description of the ship and large exclusive photo.
The new spacecraft "Federation", which should replace the manned spacecraft of the Soyuz series, also previously known as the Advanced Manned Transport System (PPTS), is currently under active development, but you can already see a full-fledged bench copy.
Detailed information about the spaceship "Federation"
Designed to deliver people and cargo to orbital stations located in low-Earth orbit and to the Moon. For the Federation, a modular construction of the base ship has been adopted in the form of functionally complete elements - the return vehicle and the engine compartment. The ship will be wingless, with a reusable return part of a truncated conical shape and a disposable cylindrical engine compartment, and will widely use the systems designed at RSC Energia for the Clipper (a multi-purpose manned spacecraft). The maximum crew of the Federation will be 6 people (for flights to the Moon - up to 4 people).
General description and technical specifications
The mass of cargo delivered into orbit is 500 kg, the mass of cargo returned to Earth is 500 kg or more, with a smaller crew. The length of the ship is 6.1 m, the maximum diameter of the hull is 4.4 m, the mass during near-Earth orbital flights is 12 tons (for flights to lunar orbit - 16.5 tons), the mass of the return part is 4.23 tons (including soft systems). landing - 7.77 t), Volume of the sealed compartment - 18 m³. The duration of the ship's autonomous flight is up to 30 days.
New structural materials with improved strength characteristics and carbon fiber reinforced plastics will reduce the weight of the spacecraft structure by 20-30% and will extend its service life. Household compartments will simply be docked, depending on the task that the Federation will face.
During takeoff, the crew should be exposed to overloads of no more than 4 g, and during landing in normal mode, no more than 3 g. The ship must also be reusable (up to 10 flights into space) and have a reliability of at least 0.995. On the new ship, docking with the ISS can be carried out on the day of its launch, as on the Soyuz TMA-M, which could dock six hours after launch.
Control system and communication
The manned spacecraft will be controlled using modern control panels based on liquid crystal displays with flexible menus and data display formats. Communication, direction finding and navigation will be provided in real time via a satellite circuit. The Federation's communications equipment will operate through the Luch multifunctional space relay system, which uses relay satellites.
Engines and docking station
The ship will be equipped with solid fuel engines with a thrust of 22.5 tf and single-component hydrogen peroxide engines with a thrust of 75 kgf. The Federation will receive a docking system from the Soyuz. Taking into account the requirements for the ship, as well as the experience of developing all existing docking systems, a modified pin-cone docking system was chosen for the new ship. This system is used only on the Soyuz, Progress and Russian modules of the ISS, as well as on the European ATV cargo ship.
Thermal protection
The combined thermal control coating "Thermalox" will maintain a given thermal balance and also provide electrostatic protection of the spacecraft. The application of a thermal control coating on the outer surface of the spacecraft will be carried out using the gas-thermal spraying method.
Bathroom
Federation will be equipped with a sanitation system, while NASA astronauts on the Orion spacecraft will use diapers. During the flight, a special tank will be attached with four bolts to the surface of the ship; it will be covered with a thick noise-insulating curtain.
Launch vehicle
Initially, it was planned that the Federation would be launched on the Rus-M launch vehicle, but in 2011 the project was closed. There was a need to create a new super-heavy rocket. In 2014, the idea of creating such a rocket was approved by Vladimir Putin and it was included in the draft Federal Space Program for 2016-2025. At the initial stage, it is planned to use the Angara-A5 launch vehicle for launches.
Landing system
The descent vehicle will land using three parachutes and a soft landing rocket system. Parachutes will open at an altitude of ~1 km, solid rocket engines will reduce the rate of descent from a height of ~50 m. The landing will be carried out on shock-absorbing supports, thereby preventing the descent vehicle from falling on its side after touching the ground, which is typical for the Soyuz spacecraft.
Photos. Marina Lystseva
Spaceship... this phrase makes the heart of any science fiction lover tremble: fans of StarTreck immediately imagine Enterprise, fans of Star Gate - Daedalus and Prometheus, and fans of the work of I. Efremov will remember Dark Flame. And of course, all these ships develop sub-light speed, enter hyperspace and do other wonderful things that allow earthlings to reach distant galaxies... Alas, humanity is still far from all this. So let's go down from the heavens into... low-Earth orbit and see what we have now.
Today, spaceships are a type of spacecraft whose task is to deliver cargo and people into low-Earth orbit. For automatic cargo ships that deliver fuel, scientific equipment, water, air to space stations, that’s all, but manned ships that deliver people there also return them back to Earth. By the way, K.E. Tsiolkovsky, speaking about the creation of such devices, gave them a more poetic name - “sky ships”.
Based on the tasks assigned to it, the spacecraft consists of two parts. The first part is the descent module, which is a small cabin with an entrance hatch and windows (both are tightly closed). Although this part is called the descent module, returning astronauts to Earth is not its only purpose. This is where they are during takeoff. This is the smallest part of the ship, because only the astronauts themselves and small luggage should fit in it: records of research results, films with footage, laboratory equipment and personal belongings of crew members.
The other part of the ship that does not return to Earth includes the orbital compartment and the instrument compartment. Astronauts spend most of their time in the orbital compartment; they work and rest. It's larger than the lander, but it's still quite cramped.
The instrument compartment can be called the “brain” of the ship. There is a computer here that helps control the ship - after all, it is difficult for a person to do this at such speed. Special devices - gyroscopes - maintain the orientation of the ship. There is also a life support system that maintains the temperature in the ship, removes excess moisture and carbon dioxide from the air and releases oxygen.
The spaceship also has engines. At first glance, he doesn’t need them - the spaceship does not take off on its own, it is launched by a launch vehicle operating on the principle of jet propulsion, and then the ship moves due to the acceleration that it gave it and earth’s gravity. The engines correct its orbit through short pulses. A special type of engine is a braking propulsion system. Why is the installation braking? To return to Earth, the speed that the launch vehicle gave the ship must be extinguished, and this requires a lot, and this is what the propulsion braking system does. True, in this case, fuel is consumed by an order of magnitude less than during takeoff, since the ship is “slowed down” to a certain extent by dense layers of the atmosphere, but if there was no atmosphere, the same amount of fuel would be required as for takeoff. And yet, the ship, passing through the atmosphere, heats up so much that only the descent module remains - the rest burns up.
This, one might say, is the “classical” design of a spaceship. It should be noted that such a ship is not without its drawbacks: firstly, it is disposable (which is very wasteful), and secondly, the landing of the descent module is uncontrollable - then you need to look for it. Therefore, the USA and USSR created a new type of manned spacecraft - reusable ones. In the USA, such a ship was the Shuttle, in our country - Buran. Both are capable of maneuvering in the atmosphere and landing in a given place, so such ships do not need a descent module. The Soviet "Buran" made the first and only flight in unmanned mode - it was controlled by an on-board computer - and landed successfully, but for economic reasons the project was closed. As for the Shuttle, it served faithfully for many years.
No one can confidently confirm or deny the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations. Skeptics are convinced that if there were inhabited worlds in the Universe with powerful technologies, their representatives would have visited the Solar System long ago and made themselves known. All that remains is to wait for the brothers in mind who will fly to Earth in their super-fast spaceships.
Other researchers believe that there is no need to expect the arrival of alien guests in the near future. Moreover, earthlings, given the current state of science and technology, will also not be able to go far beyond the solar system. The fact is that the stars closest to Earth, in the area of which one would expect to encounter alien intelligence, are located at a distance of several tens of light years from the Sun.
The most modern spacecraft of earthlings is not able to overcome the distance even during the lifetime of several successive generations. The principles of jet propulsion, which form the basis of current rocket science, make it possible to move at an acceptable speed only within the “home” star system. And even then such journeys can last for years and even decades.
The interstellar unmanned vehicle Voyager, which has already left the solar system, will be able to reach the nearest star in only 17 thousand years.
And yet, experts in the field of space exploration are already purposefully working on projects of spacecraft capable of interstellar travel. No one knows exactly what the first human-controlled vehicle that will go to other stars will look like. Today we can only talk about the general principles of building interstellar ships, based on the achieved level of technology development.
Spaceship of the future
Apparently, the main element of the interstellar ship will be the power plant. Experts still consider rocket engines using thermonuclear reactions to be the most promising designs. Back in the 70s of the last century, such a ship called “Daedalus” was developed. It was assumed that he would take on board about 50 thousand tons of fuel. The dimensions of the ship should have exceeded the dimensions of tall skyscrapers.
The manned interstellar transport will have a part suitable for human habitation. During the long flight, the crew and possible passengers will have to lead a very ordinary life. There are projects that involve creating a state of artificial gravity on the ship.
It is quite possible that part of the useful area of the spacecraft will be occupied by greenhouses, where plants suitable for human consumption will grow.
The appearance of an interstellar ship should not at all resemble a modern space rocket or orbital station. This will be a functional complex consisting of many parts with the most bizarre shapes. Apparently, such a massive ship will not have to launch from the surface of the planet. It is more convenient to assemble it in low-Earth orbit, from where it will travel.
The appearance of the ship will not remain unchanged during the flight to the stars. The laws of technology development state that sooner or later the stage of creating dynamic and self-developing systems comes. This means that the interstellar ship will be able to change its appearance during the flight, discarding its worn-out systems and adapting to changing conditions. But the construction of such a technological “miracle”, apparently, will take place only in the distant future.
This article will touch upon the topic of future spaceships: photos, descriptions and technical characteristics. Before moving directly to the topic, we offer the reader a short excursion into history that will help assess the current state of the space industry.
During the Cold War, space was one of the arenas in which the confrontation between the United States and the USSR was fought. The main stimulus for the development of the space industry in those years was precisely the geopolitical confrontation between the superpowers. Huge resources have been devoted to space exploration programs. For example, the United States government spent approximately $25 billion on a project called Apollo, the main goal of which was to land humans on the surface of the Moon. This amount was simply gigantic for the 1970s. The lunar program, which was never destined to be realized, cost the budget of the Soviet Union 2.5 billion rubles. The development of the Buran spacecraft cost 16 million rubles. However, he was destined to make only one space flight.
Space Shuttle program
Its American counterpart was much luckier. The Space Shuttle made 135 launches. However, this “shuttle” did not last forever. Its last launch took place on July 8, 2011. The Americans launched 6 shuttles during the program. One of them was a prototype that had never carried out space flights. 2 others were completely catastrophic.
The Space Shuttle program can hardly be considered a success from an economic point of view. Disposable ships turned out to be much more economical. In addition, the safety of shuttle flights has raised doubts. As a result of two disasters that occurred during their operation, 14 astronauts became victims. However, the reason for such ambiguous travel results lies not in the technical imperfections of the ships, but in the complexity of the very concept of spacecraft intended for reusable use.
The importance of Soyuz spacecraft today
As a result, Soyuz, expendable spacecraft from Russia that were developed back in the 1960s, became the only vehicles carrying out manned flights to the ISS today. It should be noted that this does not mean they are superior to the Space Shuttle. They have a number of significant disadvantages. For example, their carrying capacity is limited. Also, the use of such devices leads to the accumulation of orbital debris that remains after their operation. Very soon, space flights on the Soyuz will become history. Today there are no real alternatives. The spaceships of the future are still under development, photos of which are presented in this article. The enormous potential inherent in the concept of reusable ships often remains technically unrealizable even in our time.
Statement by Barack Obama
Barack Obama announced in July 2011 that the main goal of US astronauts in the coming decades is to fly to Mars. The Constellation space program has become one of the programs that NASA is implementing as part of the flight to Mars and exploration of the Moon. For these purposes, of course, we need new spaceships of the future. How are things going with their development?
Orion spacecraft
The main hopes are placed on the creation of Orion, a new spacecraft, as well as the Ares-5 and Ares-1 launch vehicles and the Altair lunar module. In 2010, the United States government decided to terminate the Constellation program, but despite this, NASA still received the opportunity to further develop Orion. The first test unmanned flight is planned in the near future. It is assumed that the device will move 6 thousand km from the Earth during this flight. This is approximately 15 times greater than the distance at which the ISS is located from our planet. After the test flight, the ship will head for Earth. The new device can enter the atmosphere at a speed of 32 thousand km/h. In this indicator, Orion exceeds the legendary Apollo by 1.5 thousand km/h. The first manned launch is scheduled for 2021.
According to NASA plans, the role of launch vehicles for this ship will be Atlas-5 and Delta-4. It was decided to abandon the development of Ares. In addition, the Americans are designing SLS, a new launch vehicle, to explore deep space.
Orion concept
Orion is a partially reusable spacecraft. It is conceptually closer to the Soyuz than to the Shuttle. Most future spacecraft are partially reusable. This concept assumes that the ship’s liquid capsule can be reused after landing on Earth. This will make it possible to combine the operating efficiency of Apollo and Soyuz with the functional practicality of reusable spacecraft. This decision is a transitional stage. Apparently, in the distant future, all spaceships of the future will become reusable. This is the development trend in the space industry. Therefore, we can say that the Soviet Buran is a prototype of the spaceship of the future, just like the American Space Shuttle. They were way ahead of their time.
CST-100
The words "prudence" and "practicality" seem to describe Americans best. The government of this country decided not to put all space ambitions on Orion's shoulders. Today, at the request of NASA, several private companies are developing their own spaceships of the future, which are designed to replace the devices used today. Boeing, for example, is developing the CST-100, a partially reusable and manned spacecraft. It is designed for short trips to Earth orbit. Its main task will be the delivery of cargo and crew to the ISS.
Planned launches of CST-100
Up to seven people can make up the ship's crew. During the development of the CST-100, special attention was paid to astronaut comfort. Its living space was significantly increased compared to ships of the previous generation. It is likely that CST-100 will be launched using Falcon, Delta or Atlas launch vehicles. Atlas-5 is the most suitable option. The ship will be landed using airbags and a parachute. According to Boeing's plans, a whole series of test launches awaits the CST-100 in 2015. The first 2 flights will be unmanned. Their main task is to launch the device into orbit and test security systems. A manned docking with the ISS is planned for the third flight. In case of successful tests, the CST-100 will very soon replace the Progress and Soyuz, the Russian spacecraft that today have a monopoly on manned flights to the ISS.
Development of "Dragon"
Another private ship designed to deliver crew and cargo to the ISS will be a device developed by SpaceX. This is the "Dragon" - a monoblock ship, partially reusable. It is planned to build 3 modifications of this device: autonomous, cargo and manned. Like the CST-100, the crew can be up to seven people. The ship in its cargo modification can carry 4 people and 2.5 tons of cargo.
They also want to use the Dragon for a flight to Mars in the future. For this purpose, a special version of this ship called “Red Dragon” is being created. The unmanned flight of this device to the Red Planet will take place, according to the plans of the US space leadership, in 2018.
Design feature of the "Dragon" and first flights
Reusability is one of the features of "Dragon". After the flight, fuel tanks and part of the energy systems will descend along with the living capsule to Earth. They can then be used again for space flights. This design feature distinguishes the Dragon from most other promising developments. "Dragon" and CST-100 in the near future will complement each other and serve as a "safety net". If one of these types of ship cannot, for some reason, complete the tasks assigned to it, then another will take on part of its work.
The Dragon was first launched into orbit in 2010. The unmanned test flight was successfully completed. And in 2012, on May 25, this device docked with the ISS. At that time, the ship did not have an automatic docking system, and it was necessary to use the space station’s manipulator to implement it.
"Dream Chaser"
"Dream Chaser" is another name for spaceships of the future. It is impossible not to mention this project of the SpaceDev company. Also, 12 company partners, 3 US universities and 7 NASA centers took part in its development. This ship is significantly different from other space developments. It looks like a miniature Space Shuttle and can land in the same way as a regular airplane. Its main tasks are similar to those facing the CST-100 and the Dragon. The device is designed to deliver crew and cargo into low-Earth orbit, and it will be launched there using Atlas-5.
What do we have?
How can Russia respond? What are Russian spaceships of the future like? In 2000, RSC Energia began designing the Clipper space complex, which is a multi-purpose space complex. This spacecraft is reusable, somewhat reminiscent in appearance of a shuttle, reduced in size. It is designed to solve various problems, such as cargo delivery, space tourism, evacuation of the station crew, flights to other planets. Certain hopes were placed on this project.
It was assumed that the spaceships of Russia's future would soon be constructed. However, due to lack of funding, these hopes had to be abandoned. The project was closed in 2006. The technologies that have been developed over the years are planned to be used to design the PTS, also known as Project Rus.
Features of PTS
The best spaceships of the future, as experts from Russia believe, are PPTS. It is this space system that will be destined to become a new generation of spacecraft. It will be able to replace Progress and Soyuz, which are rapidly becoming obsolete. The development of this ship, like the Clipper in the past, is being developed today by RSC Energia. PTK NK will become the basic modification of this complex. Its main task, again, will be to deliver crew and cargo to the ISS. However, in the distant future there is the development of modifications that will be able to fly to the Moon, as well as carry out various long-term research missions.
The ship itself should become partially reusable. The liquid capsule will be reused after landing, but the propulsion compartment will not. A curious feature of this ship is the ability to land without a parachute. The jet system will be used for braking and landing on the earth's surface.
New cosmodrome
Unlike the Soyuz, which take off from the Baikonur cosmodrome located in Kazakhstan, the new spacecraft are planned to be launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome, which is being built in the Amur region. The crew will consist of 6 people. The device can also carry loads weighing up to 500 kg. The unmanned version of the ship can deliver cargo weighing up to 2 tons.
Challenges facing PTS developers
One of the main problems facing the PTS project is the lack of launch vehicles with the necessary characteristics. The main technical aspects of the spacecraft have now been worked out, but the lack of a launch vehicle puts its developers in a very difficult position. It is expected that it will be close in characteristics to the Angara, which was developed back in the 90s.
Another major issue, oddly enough, is the purpose of the PTS design. Russia today can hardly afford to implement ambitious programs for the exploration of Mars and the Moon, similar to those being implemented by the United States. Even if the space complex is successfully developed, most likely its only task will remain the delivery of crew and cargo to the ISS. The start of testing of the PTS was postponed until 2018. By this time, promising spacecraft from the United States will most likely have already taken over the functions performed today by the Russian Progress and Soyuz spacecraft.
Vague prospects for space flights
It is a fact that the world today remains devoid of the romance of space flight. This, of course, is not about space tourism and satellite launches. There is no need to worry about these areas of astronautics. Flights to the ISS are very important for the space industry, but the duration of stay in orbit of the ISS itself is limited. This station is planned to be liquidated in 2020. And manned spacecraft of the future are an integral part of a specific program. It is impossible to develop a new device if there is no idea about the tasks facing it. New future spaceships are being designed in the United States not only for delivering crews and cargo to the ISS, but also for flights to the Moon and Mars. However, these tasks are so far from everyday earthly concerns that we should hardly expect significant breakthroughs in the field of astronautics in the coming years. Space threats remain a fantasy, so there is no point in designing combat spaceships of the future. And, of course, the powers of Earth have many other concerns besides fighting each other for a place in orbit and other planets. The construction of such devices as military spaceships of the future is therefore also impractical.