Source: Global Times [Global Times Comprehensive Report] 65 years ago, the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik artificial satellite, and the human space age began.

Source: Global Times

[Global Times Comprehensive Report] 65 years ago, the Soviet Union launched the "Sputnik" artificial satellite, and the human space age began.

requires rocket

1955, a large room at the No. 4 Research Institute (NII-4) in Borsevo City, a suburb of Moscow, and a confidential military research institute responsible for ballistic missile calculations, which is the nickname of some scientists whose mission is to consider possible problems in space flight. Humans had never flown into space before, and it was the 10th year since the end of World War II. "Fantasyists" argue loudly from time to time: they cannot send a person to space, they will be burned when they return to Earth; they will "expand" or be torn into pieces when they are weightless; cosmic radiation will kill him, etc. Sometimes, amid the quarrels, people from other departments would come out of the office, point their fingers to their heads, and then quietly close the door, keeping these sci-fi enthusiasts out of the door. But just two years later, the "Imagineers" became the people who created the most ambitious project of mankind: they sent the first artificial earth satellite to space.

Before considering launching artificial objects into Earth's orbit, a tool to carry them needs to be designed - a rocket. Design scientist Boris Chertok said: "The history of creating the first artificial satellite is the history of creating the rockets. The rocket technology of the Soviet Union and the United States originated in Germany." After World War II , Soviet inventors obtained German technology as a trophy, especially the V-2 missile , with a range of 320 kilometers, completing the world's first suborbital space flight. Soviet scientists carefully studied the trophy and built a series of Soviet missiles based on it. The name of the Soviet space program, , Korolev , was strictly kept secret. Under his leadership, the R-7 missile with a range of 9,500 kilometers appeared in 1954. Academician Georgi Uspensky is one of the "fantasy" in that noisy room. He recalled: "In 1957, when the R-7 ballistic missile was launched from the Chiula Tam launch site (later renamed Baikonur Space Launch Site ) and hit the target of the Kamchatka Peninsula launch site, everyone knew that we had a vehicle that could send the satellite into orbit. To be honest, I didn't believe that all 32 engines of the rocket could be started and operated normally at the same time."

"D" object

So, people's attitude towards the "Fantasy" group changed. They were instructed to make the first artificial satellite, called the "D" object, which should be of 1000 kg to 1400 kg and carry 200 kg to 300 kg of research equipment. One of the satellite programs even includes a container with a "biological load", that is, an experimental dog. In other words, this is not a microsatellite, but a behemoth, and it is planned to be sent to orbit with R-7 from 1957 to 1958. But scientists soon discovered that this massive project could not be completed within the prescribed time limit. In addition, the Soviet Union also learned that the United States is also carrying out similar work and plans to launch "non-manned minimum orbital Earth satellites" at the same time. Korolev decided to abandon the "heavyweight" satellite and instead launch a light satellite with only two radio beacons.

This satellite looks like a sealed aluminum ball, with 4 antennas, a diameter of 58 cm, a weight of only 83.6 kg, and two radio transmitters inside. In addition, the transmitter frequency is convenient for amateur radio enthusiasts to monitor satellites. Many of them remember the unique "beep" sound when "Sputnik" flew past. The satellite design is carried out at an extremely fast speed. Uspensky said: "People sleep on the folding bed of the Korolev Design Bureau without leaving the workplace for many days! Of course, the first satellite structure and the 'inner core' are very simple. It has a sensor to study how radio waves pass through the atmosphere. People didn't know this at that time." It took only two months from the successful test of the R-7 in August 1957 to the satellite launch. On October 4, 1957, at 22:28 Moscow time, the launch vehicle flew into space with a satellite. The first human satellite has not existed for a long time, only 92 days. It flew around the earth for 1,440 circles and worked for two weeks after the radio transmitter was launched.Due to friction with the high-rise atmosphere, the satellite gradually stalled, entered the dense atmosphere and burned down.

" Red Moon "

The news that the Soviet Union launched a satellite was explosive news, and journalists around the world called it "the shock of the universe" and "is not only a major scientific achievement, but also one of the greatest events in world history." American media called the satellite the "Red Moon". Many people tried to see the Sputnik satellite in the light of the rising or falling sun, but they could only see the central part of the rocket (until it was burned down) rather than the small ball less than a meter in diameter. However, the major Soviet newspaper " Pravda " believes that this is a "detail" and calls on people all over the world to look up to the sky. American writer Ray Brableley recalled: "The night when the Sputnik first crossed the sky, I looked up and thought about the fate of the future. After all, the little spark that quickly moved from one side of the sky to the other was the future of all mankind. I knew that despite the great efforts of the Russians, we will soon follow them and take up the right place in the sky."

This launch is not only scientific but also political.

This article is published in the "Perspective of Russia" special issue of "HTM4 Global Times ", and the content is provided by "HTM4 Russian newspaper ".