The Voskhod (, ''"Sunrise"'') was a
spacecraft
A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...
built by the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
's space program for
human spaceflight
Human spaceflight (also referred to as manned spaceflight or crewed spaceflight) is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, often with the spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew. Spacecraft can also be ...
as part of the
Voskhod programme
The Voskhod programme (russian: Восход, , ''Ascent'' or ''Dawn'') was the second Soviet human spaceflight project. Two one-day crewed missions were flown using the Voskhod spacecraft and rocket, one in 1964 and one in 1965, and two dogs fle ...
. It was a development of and a follow-on to the
Vostok spacecraft
Vostok (russian: Восток, translated as "East") was a class of single-pilot crewed spacecraft built by the Soviet Union. The first human spaceflight was accomplished with Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961, by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
The V ...
.
Voskhod 1
Voskhod 1 (russian: Восход-1, lit=Sunrise-1) was the seventh crewed Soviet space flight. Flown by cosmonauts Vladimir Komarov, Konstantin Feoktistov, and Boris Yegorov, it launched 12 October 1964, and returned on the 13th. Voskhod 1 was ...
was used for a three-man flight whereas
Voskhod 2
Voskhod 2 (russian: Восход-2, , ''Sunrise-2'') was a Soviet crewed space mission in March 1965. The Vostok-based Voskhod 3KD spacecraft with two crew members on board, Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov, was equipped with an inflatable air ...
had a crew of two. They consisted of a spherical descent module (diameter ), which housed the
cosmonaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
s, and instruments, and a conical equipment module (mass , long, wide), which contained propellant and the engine system. Voskhod was superseded by the
Soyuz spacecraft
Soyuz () is a series of spacecraft which has been in service since the 1960s, having made more than 140 flights. It was designed for the Soviet space program by the Korolev Design Bureau (now Energia). The Soyuz succeeded the Voskhod spacecraf ...
in 1967.
Design
The Voskhod spacecraft was, essentially, a Vostok spacecraft that had a backup solid fuel retrorocket added to the top of the descent module. The ejection seat was removed for more space and two or three crew couches were added to the interior at a 90° angle to that of the Vostok crew position. There was no provision for crew escape in the event of a launch or landing emergency.
Lack of space meant that the three crew members of Voskhod 1 did not wear
space suit
A space suit or spacesuit is a garment worn to keep a human alive in the harsh environment of outer space, vacuum and temperature extremes. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, ...
s. Both crew members wore spacesuits on the Voskhod 2 mission, as it involved an EVA and used an inflatable airlock. This allowed cosmonaut
Alexei Leonov
Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov. (30 May 1934 – 11 October 2019) was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut, Air Force major general, writer, and artist. On 18 March 1965, he became the first person to conduct a spacewalk, exiting the capsule during th ...
to exit and re-enter the craft. It was needed because the vehicle's electrical and environmental systems were air-cooled, and complete capsule depressurization would lead to overheating. The airlock weighed , was in diameter, high when collapsed for launch. When extended in orbit, it was long, had an internal diameter of and an external diameter of . The second crew member wore a spacesuit as a precaution against accidental descent module depressurization. The airlock was jettisoned after use.
The lack of ejection seats meant that the Voskhod crew would return to Earth inside their spacecraft, unlike the Vostok cosmonauts who ejected and parachuted down separately. Because of this, a new landing system was developed, which added a small solid-fuel rocket to the parachute lines. It fired as the descent module neared touchdown, providing a softer landing.
A backup solid-fueled retrorocket was added to the top of the descent module in the event that the main retrorocket failed. This had not been necessary on Vostok as the orbit was low enough that the spacecraft's orbit would decay in ten days if the retrorocket failed, there being enough onboard consumables to sustain the cosmonaut that long. In any case, the Blok E equipped R-7 booster lacked sufficient lift capacity for a backup retrorocket. Since Voskhod was well below the maximum lift capacity of the larger Blok I equipped R-7, it would be put into a quite high orbit and not decay in ten days.
Voskhod utilized the 11A57 booster, essentially the Molniya 8K78L with the Blok L stage removed to create a medium-lift LEO launcher, and later the launch vehicle for the Soyuz program.
The spacecraft notably lacked any launch escape system, meaning that the crew would not survive a booster failure that occurred in the first 2.5 minutes of launch (after payload shroud jettison, the descent module could simply be detached). Although work had begun on an LES in 1962, it was not ready yet and so the engineers and cosmonauts simply had to gamble that the booster functioned properly during ascent, as by 1964, the R-7's success rate was improving but still not perfect.
Vostok 3KV (1964)
Also known as Voskhod. Adaptation of the Vostok spacecraft for three cosmonauts. This version flew twice, on 6 October 1964 uncrewed (as
Kosmos 47
Kosmos 47 (russian: Космос 47 meaning ''Cosmos 47'') is the designation of an uncrewed test flight of a prototype Soviet Voskhod spacecraft, the first multiple-occupant spacecraft. Launched on 6 October 1964, the successful flight paved the ...
) and on 12 October 1964 crewed as
Voskhod 1
Voskhod 1 (russian: Восход-1, lit=Sunrise-1) was the seventh crewed Soviet space flight. Flown by cosmonauts Vladimir Komarov, Konstantin Feoktistov, and Boris Yegorov, it launched 12 October 1964, and returned on the 13th. Voskhod 1 was ...
.
Basic data
* Crew size: 3 (without spacesuits)
* Endurance: 14.0 days
* Overall length: 5.0 m
* Maximum diameter: 2.4 m
* Total mass: 5682 kg
* Propellant mass: 362 kg
* RCS total impulse: not available
* Primary engine thrust: 15.83 kN
* Main engine propellants: nitrous oxide/amine
* Total spacecraft delta V: 215 m/s
* Power: batteries, 24.0 kW total
Reentry module
* Crew size: 3
* Diameter: 2.3 m (sphere)
* Total mass: 2900 kg
* Attitude control: none
* Environment: oxygen + nitrogen at 1 atm
* Controls: as Vostok 3KA
* Navigation indicator:
''Globus'' IMP navigation instrument version 3
* Landing system: Sphere made ballistic reentry, with shield side seeking correct orientation by virtue of the center of gravity being aft of the center of the sphere.
* Parachutes: single with suspended retrorocket package for soft landing. Crew stayed within the capsule.
Equipment module
* Length: 2.3 m
* Maximum diameter: 2.4 m
* Total mass: 2300 kg
* Propellant mass: 275 kg
* Reaction control system
** Thrusters: not available
** Thrusters pressure: 59 PSI (4 bars)
** Propellant media: Cold gas (nitrogen) at 2200 PSI (150 bar)
** Propellants storage: 20 kg stored in 12 pressure bottles (5 + 5 + 2 for first, second and reserve)
** Specific impulse: not available
** Total impulse: not available
* Retro-rockets
** Thrust: 15.83 kN
** Propellant: nitrous oxide/amine
** Specific impulse: 266 seconds
** Delta V: 155 m/s
* Power: batteries, 24.0 kW total, 0.20 kW average
Landing retrorocket module (commonly known as landing rocket pack)
* Length: 0.6 m
* Maximum diameter: 0.3 m
* Total mass: 143 kg
* Propellant mass: 87 kg
* Thrust: 117.7 kN
* Propellant: solid
* Specific impulse: 224 seconds
* Delta V: 60 m/s
Voskhod 3KD (1965)
This version flew twice, on 22 February 1965 uncrewed (as
Kosmos 57
Kosmos 57 (russian: Космос 57 meaning ''Cosmos 57'') was an unmanned Soviet spacecraft launched on 22 February 1965. The craft was essentially an unmanned version of Voskhod 2. Its primary mission was to test the Volga airlock. The test wa ...
) and on 18 March 1965 crewed as the
Voskhod 2
Voskhod 2 (russian: Восход-2, , ''Sunrise-2'') was a Soviet crewed space mission in March 1965. The Vostok-based Voskhod 3KD spacecraft with two crew members on board, Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov, was equipped with an inflatable air ...
spacecraft.
Reentry Module
Reentry Module: Voskhod SA. Also known as: (sphere).
* Crew Size: 2
* Length: 2.3 m
* Diameter: 2.3 m
* Mass: 2900 kg
* Heat Shield Mass: 837 kg
* Recovery equipment: 151 kg
* Parachute deploys at 2.5 km altitude
* Crew lands in spacecraft. Touchdown rocket softens landing.
* Ballistic reentry acceleration: 8 ''g'' (78 m/s²)
Equipment Module
Equipment Module: Voskhod PA. Also known as: .
* Length: 2.25 m
* Diameter: 2.43 m
* Mass: 2300 kg
* Equipment in pressurized compartment
* RCS Propellants: Cold gas (nitrogen)
* RCS Propellants: 20 kg
* Main Engine (TDU): 397 kg
* Main Engine Thrust: 15.83 kN
* Main Engine Propellants: Nitrous oxide/amine
* Main Engine Propellant Mass: 275 kg
* Main Engine Isp: 266 s (2.61 kN·s/kg)
* Main Engine Burn Time: 60 seconds (typical retro burn = 42 seconds)
* Spacecraft delta V: 155 m/s
* Electrical System: Batteries
* Electric System: 0.20 average kW
* Electric System: 24.0 kW-h
Auxiliary Retrorocket Module
Auxiliary Retrorocket Module: Voskhod KDU. Also known as: Engine unit
* Length: 0.60 m
* Diameter: 0.25 m
* Mass: 143 kg
* Engine Thrust: 118 kN
* Engine Propellants: Solid
* Propellant Mass: 87 kg
* Engine Isp: 224 seconds (2.20 kN·s/kg)
* Spacecraft delta V: 60 m/s
General data
* Total Mass: 5682 kg
* Total Length: 5.0 m
* Endurance: Supplies for 14 days in orbit
* Launch Vehicle: Voskhod 11A57
* Typical orbit: 163 km x 591 km, 64.8° inclination
See also
*
Voskhod 2
Voskhod 2 (russian: Восход-2, , ''Sunrise-2'') was a Soviet crewed space mission in March 1965. The Vostok-based Voskhod 3KD spacecraft with two crew members on board, Pavel Belyayev and Alexei Leonov, was equipped with an inflatable air ...
*
Voskhod rocket
The Voskhod rocket (russian: Восход, ''"ascent"'', ''"dawn"'') was a derivative of the Soviet R-7 ICBM designed for the human spaceflight programme but later used for launching Zenit reconnaissance satellites. It consisted of the Molni ...
*
Voskhod programme
The Voskhod programme (russian: Восход, , ''Ascent'' or ''Dawn'') was the second Soviet human spaceflight project. Two one-day crewed missions were flown using the Voskhod spacecraft and rocket, one in 1964 and one in 1965, and two dogs fle ...
*
Spacecraft
A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...
*
Voskhod Spacecraft ''Globus'' IMP navigation instrument
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Voskhod spacecraft on Zarya
{{DEFAULTSORT:Voskhod Spacecraft
Crewed spacecraft
Voskhod program