Marine Space Fleet regional organization. The last ship of the space fleet: a secret project of the USSR. Space Marine Fleet

An unusual ship is moored at one of the piers of the Kaliningrad Museum of the World Ocean. Its antennas in the form of a hemisphere, a flower and even a Christmas tree make it look like a floating observatory. That’s right, with the help of these antennas the research vessel (RV) “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev” communicates with space. More precisely, with the International Space Station and our satellites in orbit. This ship is the only representative of the Marine Space Fleet left afloat, a unique, highly classified unit, without which the Soviet cosmonautics could not do. Navy veterans are sounding the alarm: Russia may soon lose this “last of the Mohicans.” Track Gagarin Anatoly Kapitanov, president of the Marine Space Fleet Veterans Club, talks about ships with antennas like a young mother talks about her child - enthusiastically and excitedly. It's no joke, he went to sea 20 times, and each voyage lasted from six to eight months. A total of 12 years away from earth. “The space fleet was born in the early 60s,” he says. - At first, ships went to sea under the guise of dry cargo ships delivering containers to fishermen. But problems began. After all, when we met real fishermen in the ports, they asked something, and our guys, not knowing the question, so to speak, did not know what to answer. Any little thing could have caused a puncture, but this could not be allowed. Therefore, later our fleet was assigned to the Academy of Sciences.” The space race was underway, Yuri Gagarin was already trying on a spacesuit. And then it turned out that ground-based means were not able to ensure its safe return. “Ground-based location stations were located only on our territory and could monitor Vostok-1 only in a limited area of ​​the orbit,” explains Anatoly Kapitanov. - The entire southern and most of the northern hemisphere were in a dead zone. And telemetric information from the station had to be received continuously. For example, the braking propulsion system was activated over the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic. Had it turned on a moment later, Gagarin would have landed not near Engels, but somewhere beyond the Urals. Ships were needed to receive Vostok signals anywhere on the planet.” Chief designer Sergei Korolev was not denied: if ships are needed, they will be there. There was no time to design and build them from scratch, and there was no time to create equipment for them. On April 12, 1961, three former cargo ships were waiting for Vostok-1 in the Gulf of Guinea, in the holds of which ground mobile radio telemetry stations "Tral" with the wheels removed were hidden. These stations could receive up to 50 operating parameters of the first spacecraft systems in one radio beam. Four more ships of the Pacific Fleet, which previously tested ballistic missiles, were on duty in the Pacific Ocean. “It was allowed to deploy antennas on the wings of the captain’s bridge only ten minutes before the Vostok flyby,” continues Kapitanov. - Previously, it is impossible for reasons of secrecy. So, how quickly the landing site of the first cosmonaut could be discovered depended on the precision of the work of the technicians and crew in those ten minutes.” The sailors did an excellent job. They accurately recorded the start and duration of operation of the braking propulsion system, operational reports were urgently transmitted to Moscow, and the control center knew that the landing of the Vostok was proceeding according to a given program, the ship should land at the calculated point. Turtles astronauts After Gagarin's flight, the space program of the USSR gained unprecedented momentum. Ahead, it seemed, were flights to the Moon and Mars, for which special ground, or more precisely, sea support was needed. So the Marine Space Fleet also developed synchronously. By 1963, three more were added to the first three ships. And in 1967 - five more. By 1979, the space fleet already included 17 ships equipped with equipment based on the latest science. The flagship, the R/V Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, launched in 1971, was a real miracle of technical thought: 232 m in length, with a displacement almost like "Titanic". The radio beams of its huge antennas with a diameter of 25.5 m reached the moon itself. Another giant, the Academician Sergei Korolev, with two antenna platforms and four decks, seemed no less miraculous. The remaining ships were smaller, but each of them was capable of receiving and transmitting all the data necessary for the MCC. Atlantic, Pacific, Indian oceans - the ships' duty at sea did not stop for a day. Any spacecraft orbiting the Earth makes 16 orbits per day, and only ten of them can be controlled from the territory of the Soviet Union. The rest could only be seen by the fleet. Communication between cosmonauts and the Control Center, system operating parameters, launching satellites and spacecraft into orbit, landings, dockings and undockings - all data was transmitted to the Mission Control Center via marine communications. Anatoly Kapitanov joined the space fleet in 1968. Before that, he served at a ground station near Leningrad and did not think about a naval career. But the Motherland ordered, and Kapitanov became a sailor. Now he is a treasure trove of information about the history of this naval unit. “There were difficult situations,” says the veteran. - For example, in September 1968, the Zond-5 spacecraft with two turtles on board was launched to fly around the Moon. The experiment was successful, and the turtles returned to Earth alive. The splashdown was supposed to take place in the Indian Ocean, the USSR sent 20 ships there. The Americans were also on duty there. The first signal from the radio beacon from the descent vehicle was detected by the ship of our space fleet "Borovichi". It discovered the descent module literally ten minutes before the approach of the American frigate. If they were late, both the turtles and photographs of the far side of the Moon could have been lost: in case outsiders tried to open it, the device was equipped with a self-detonation system. The Borovichi sailors knew about this and did not lift the device on board. They covered it with a tarpaulin right on the water and waited for the warship to approach. In the same 1968, the ship of the space fleet "Kegostrov" got into the binder. On January 23rd, North Korea detained the US spy ship Pueblo. And in May, apparently in response to this, the Americans initiated the arrest of our R/V Kegostrov in Brazil. The authorities of this country, on a formal occasion, delivered the NIS to the port of Santos and tried to inspect it. The Soviet Union protested, diplomatic battles went on for about two weeks. In the end, the victory was ours, only Brazilian journalists were allowed on board and they were shown several racks with far from secret equipment. Even the press was delighted with this: the captions under the photographs read: “These are the most secret devices, the purpose of which is known only to the KGB.” The sailors remembered those two weeks for a long time. “Day and night, the guys were on duty at the equipment with weights and dumbbells,” says Anatoly Kapitanov. - In the event of an inspection, they had to immediately destroy the highly secret blocks. Luckily, it didn't have to."
Museum or scrap metal? The naval space fleet did not survive the collapse of the USSR. Each of the new countries alone was unable to maintain this connection. The ships were scrapped one after another. This fate befell the flagship, the R/V Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Until the mid-90s, the ship quietly rusted at one of the distant berths of Odessa, and then Ukraine sold it. The flagship set off on its voyage under the name “Agar”: someone felt ashamed to destroy a ship with the world-famous name of the first cosmonaut; only a few letters were left. Of the 17 ships in the fleet, only “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev” has survived to this day. It has only partially turned into a museum: at the berth in Kaliningrad, “Patsayev” continues to perform direct functions: it receives and relays telemetry and radio signals from orbit. True, he will perform this work only until August, when the Baltic command and measurement point should be put into operation. Then the services of the last ship of the lost fleet will no longer be needed, and this circumstance is a huge headache for veterans. After all, being left out of business, “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev” may lose funding and, like its predecessors, go to scrap metal. “It is not clear who will become the owner of the ship,” says Anatoly Kapitanov. “We, veterans, carried out an examination at our own expense, as a result of which the Ministry of Culture included the ship in the list of cultural heritage sites. But when the current owner, NPO Measuring Equipment OJSC, part of Roscosmos, invited the Ministry of Culture to take it into state ownership, they did not respond. Now Roscosmos is trying through the courts to cancel the status of a cultural heritage site, and then the fate of the ship will be sealed. We are sure that this will be a big mistake. Why not make a full-fledged space flight control museum? People will be extremely interested in this; there is already a good flow of tourists to “Patsaev”, and there will be even more. It is possible to equip a planetarium, an educational and educational center for astronomy, astronautics and navigation. This unique vessel can host scientific conferences and symposia: the cabins can accommodate more than 100 participants. In general, there are a lot of ideas. Our request was supported by both cosmonaut Alexei Leonov and the daughter of Viktor Patsaev. But, unfortunately, there is no answer yet.”

Many will read about the USSR Marine Space Fleet for the first time. It has long been sold out and scrapped, like almost all the cosmic pride of our country, and the memory of the great scientific ships that supported the Soviet cosmonautics is gradually...

Many will read about the Marine Space Fleet of the USSR for the first time. It has long been sold out and scrapped, like almost all the cosmic pride of our country, and the memory of the great scientific ships that supported the Soviet cosmonautics was gradually erased from the history of the star race, and the unique ships turned into ghost ships.

A whole detachment of expeditionary ships provided missile testing, participated in the flight control of manned spacecraft and orbital stations, and controlled the launches of long-distance spacecraft to the planets of the Solar System. From the first steps of the Russian cosmonautics until the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Marine Space Fleet did not fail a single mission.

Packaging for sailors...

To control the flight of spacecraft (SC), a command and measurement complex was created, which includes a Mission Control Center (MCC) and a large network of ground-based measurement points (GMS). But to ensure good communication between spacecraft and the Earth at any time of the day, the country’s territory was not enough. After the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite, ballistics calculations showed that out of 16 orbits that a spacecraft makes per day, 6 pass over the oceans. They were called "deaf points", they were "invisible" from the territory of the USSR, which means that the flight took place blindly, without the possibility of control. We did not have islands and bases in the other hemisphere in order to equip NPCs there. The solution to the problem was scientific vessels capable of connecting the Earth with space almost anywhere in the ocean. Subsequently, thanks to the use of the space fleet, all 6 hard-to-reach turns became visible.

The birth of the space fleet - 1960. According to the plans of S.P. Korolev in October of this year, the first launches of distant spacecraft to Venus and Mars were to take place. On his initiative, three dry-cargo ships Dolinsk, Krasnodar and Voroshilov (later renamed Ilyichevsk) are urgently equipped with telemetric equipment. On August 1, "Krasnodar" and "Voroshilov" from Odessa, and then "Dolinsk" from Leningrad, go to the Atlantic to ensure control of the second launches (when the object accelerates from the first space velocity to the second one in order to fly to distant planets). In 1961, all three ships worked on the first manned flight around the Earth.

Each of the ships was equipped with two sets of Tral radio telemetry stations, capable of receiving and recording dozens of parameters from the boards of space objects, recalls Vasily Vasilyevich Bystrushkin (a veteran of the Great Patriotic War. In 1961, he was the head of the expedition of a floating telemetry point in the Atlantic, equipped on the ship "Krasnodar". A direct participant in the support of Gagarin's flight, the main representative of the customer for the construction of specialized vessels of the Marine Space Fleet; laureate of the USSR State Prize). - Until that time, these stations were manufactured only in the automotive version, and for marine conditions they did not have time to finalize them in time. Therefore, automobile bodies with equipment placed in them, but, of course, without a chassis, were lowered into the holds of motor ships and secured there in a naval manner. The vessels received the coordinates of operating points in the Atlantic Gulf of Guinea and were supposed to monitor the operation of on-board systems at the landing site. "Krasnodar", on which I was the head of the expedition, was appointed as the head of the complex, since it had the most experienced specialists on board. Further south along the highway, one and a half thousand kilometers away, the motor ship “Ilyichevsk” received an operating point. The Ilyichevsk operating point allowed it to be the first to record telemetry reception if suddenly the landing program on board was activated ahead of schedule. The motor ship "Dolinsk" took its place north of the island of Fernando Po (near Cameroon). Its radio visibility zone made it possible to record the operation of on-board telemetry in the event of a delay in the activation time of the braking propulsion system (TDU). This arrangement of the vessels made it possible to receive telemetry with a time reserve from the beginning of the on-board orientation system activation until the end of the operation of the TDU when the spacecraft entered the dense layers of the atmosphere. Until April 12, daily operator training took place, and only the antenna devices of the Tral stations, due to the requirements of the secrecy regime, continued to remain disassembled and covered with a tarpaulin. The weather in the work area on that day (April 12) was no different from other days of the year on the equator, a bright sunny day, calm. The ship is slowly heading southwest, the antennas are aligned according to target designations. An hour after launch, a stable signal was received from Vostok. The spacecraft's landing orientation system worked normally. The operators of the Tral station accurately recorded the duration of operation of the braking propulsion system. Telegrams of operational reports were urgently transmitted to Moscow; within two or three minutes from the start of receiving telemetry they were at the control center. The landing of the Vostok took place according to a given program, and from our reports it was clear that the ship should land at the calculated point. But work was in full swing in the stuffy hold of the ship for a long time: in the photo laboratory they continued developing multi-meter sections of film. The decoders looked at the still damp, not completely dry tape on the tables, analyzed the operation parameters of the ship's on-board systems for transmission to the MCC of the second stream of telemetric measurements. An atmosphere of joy and pride for the new success in space exploration reigned on the ship. By this time, the first assistant captain had hung out a huge banner: "Long live the world's first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin!" - and solemnly held an impromptu rally.

In conditions of secrecy and the race for primacy in space, the ICF vessels went on voyages under the flag of Sovtransflot with the legend of “supplying Soviet fishing vessels with containers.” This aroused suspicion among the authorities of foreign ports, where expeditions visited to replenish water, food and fuel. Acute situations arose; our “space” ships were often captured at sea, in ports. It was never officially stated that they were scientific, that they were taking measurements, and this could lead to serious problems. Therefore, in 1967, in a TASS report, our ships were declared to belong to the Academy of Sciences and began to sail under the pennants of the academic fleet. Now their calls to foreign ports were processed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It was in 1967 that the first specialized vessels of the Marine Space Fleet appeared: the floating command and measuring complex, the research vessel (RV) “Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov” and four telemetry points - the RV “Borovichi”, “Nevel”, “Kegostrov”, “ Morzhovets." All were built and equipped in Leningrad in connection with the expansion of lunar exploration programs, including the flyby of the Moon by Soviet cosmonauts. We have already participated in the lunar race, we wanted to be the first here too.

Giants

Under the second lunar exploration program (landing of Soviet cosmonauts on the Moon), in 1970, a ship that looked like a passenger liner entered service with the space fleet. It was the R/V Akademik Sergei Korolev, a 180-meter vessel with a displacement of 22 thousand tons and a power plant with a capacity of 12,000 hp. The ship had an unlimited navigation area. Soon the second great ship of science appeared, recognized as the flagship of the USSR space fleet, the world's largest research vessel, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. It was built at the Baltic Plant in Leningrad in 1971. It was a real floating flight control center. Both ships are unique. The equipment specially designed for them had no analogues. It was created by our designers on the basis of domestic technology: complex radio systems capable of issuing the necessary commands on board spacecraft, receiving telemetric information about the state of on-board systems, conducting radio conversations with astronauts, and much more. There was an expedition and crew on board each ship. Expedition - those who controlled the flight, provided communication sessions (engineers and technicians), and the crew - service personnel: navigators, captain and assistant navigators, deck crew, engine room. The ships went on voyages for 6-7 months, sometimes more. For example, the third voyage of the Queen took 9.5 months. The space service ships had amazing architecture. Snow-white, with openwork antennas, some of colossal size, they became a vivid symbol of the growing cosmic power of the USSR. The antenna mirrors of “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” alone, 25 meters long, or the 18-meter balls of radio-transparent antenna covers on “Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov” were truly amazing on a cosmic scale. The ICF vessels had excellent seaworthiness; they operated in all areas of the World Ocean, at any time of the year and in any weather. “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin,” say, could travel 20 thousand miles without entering a port - this is almost a trip around the world. From 1977 to 1979, the fleet was replenished with four more telemetry vessels: “Cosmonaut Vladislav Volkov”, “Cosmonaut Pavel Belyaev”, “Cosmonaut Georgy Dobrovolsky” and “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsaev”. By 1979, the IFF consisted of 11 specialized ships that participated in the management of manned flights, docking and undocking of spacecraft over the ocean. Not a single landing of manned spacecraft and launches to distant planets could do without them.

ship eater

The main point of operation of large vessels of the space fleet was the area off the east coast of Canada, not far from the treacherous Sable Island. A small island, barely visible in the morning fog, which has the oddity of changing its size and coordinates, has been moving across the ocean for many years, as if animated. Slowly but ominously, the island is creeping towards the Atlantic, moving an average of 230 meters per year. In winter, the storm almost never subsides here, and in summer there is always thick fog. Made of quicksand, the island has captured and pulled ships into its dunes for centuries, earning it the nickname “ship devourer” and “graveyard of the North Atlantic.” It was here, near the island with a bad reputation, that our “Komarovtsy”, “Korolets” and “Gagarintsy” stood, replacing each other, on duty at the “invisible” turns.

Starfish

“Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” is amazing even in photographs. It was twice the size of the Titanic. The ship's displacement was 45,000 tons (for comparison, the Titanic had a displacement of 28,000 tons). The ship is 232 meters long and 64 meters high. The deck width was about 30 meters. Above it towered four parabolic antennas, two of which were 25.5 meters in diameter, together with the foundations, their total weight was about 1000 tons. Unique antennas rotated in three planes. Eleven-deck turboprop with a power plant of 19,000 hp. had a speed of 18 knots. Despite the high power of the deep-space transmitters, the antenna beams were very "thin" and it was necessary to accurately keep pointing at the object in pitching conditions. Thanks to the multifunctional radio-technical complex "Photon", the ship could work simultaneously with two space objects. For the connection of the R/V and the cosmonauts with Moscow, the Molniya relay satellites were used, thus, the complete exchange of all information took place in real time. The ship had 1,500 rooms with a total area of ​​20,000 square meters. meters. It would take two days to get around them all. More than a hundred laboratories were equipped here. The total number of crew on board reached 330 people. “Unlike the first-born of the space fleet, all the necessary conditions for comfort were created on the Gagarin,” says Anatoly Kapitanov, veteran of the IFF. - In the bow of the flagship, a modern (for those years) cinema hall for 250 spectators was located, and under it - a gym. There were three swimming pools, recreation areas with a billiard room. The power of ship air conditioners was three times higher than the air conditioning system installed in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. All these benefits from Leningrad shipbuilders were completely justified. We went on 6-7 month voyages to work at different sea latitudes. We were accompanied by severe physical and psychological stress. The frequent change of working hours was especially annoying, during the flight it shifted three times into the night and back. It happened that in one day, due to interruptions in flight control, we went to work twice. Often the total operating time exceeded 10 hours. It’s good, of course, that, unlike a land-based lifestyle, you don’t have to “go” to work by transport, worry about any purchases, everything was according to schedule and free.”

Shipwreck

1996 In Odessa, in the port of Yuzhny, an extraordinary ship stood alone at the pier. On its side could be seen the strange name "AGAR", which did not say anything to those who first saw the steel giant, which arrived from somewhere from the great past. This was our flagship, the best scientific vessel in the country and, perhaps, in the world. How did it get here? In 1991, “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” was abandoned by his main expedition. After the collapse of the Union and the reduction of space programs, the cosmonautics experienced a very difficult time - it found itself out of work. One of the main symbols of the space flotilla, the R/V Gagarin was now a terrible sight: rusted, desecrated by vandals, littered and looted. The Marine Space Fleet was completely disbanded in 1995. In 1991, Gagarin was privatized by Ukraine, and soon titanium was unaffordable for the Black Sea Shipping Company. It is still unknown what happened to the ship’s library and museum, where the portrait of Yu. Gagarin, donated to the crew by Anna Timofeevna Gagarina, disappeared. In 1996, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was sold for $170 per ton. It was a shame to sell scientific pride for scrap metal, so the name of the ship was covered with paint, leaving only the letters “AGAR”. “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin”, who completed 22 expeditionary flights, set off on his last journey to India. There, in the port of Alang, in a matter of days it was cut into large, shapeless pieces. Perhaps this metal will return to us in the form of pots or souvenir badges, or in the form of other ships, but no one will know about it. Today, only one ship remains from the entire IFF - “Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev”, it stands in the port of Kaliningrad, at the pier of the “Museum of the World Ocean”. Sometimes it is involved in work on the ISS - it conducts periodic communication sessions. But he doesn’t go out to sea, he’s “on a leash.”

Today, many countries around the world have ships built to monitor space. The USA and France have several, China is constantly expanding its space fleet: our eastern neighbors already have 5 specialized ships equipped with systems for receiving telemetry and controlling spacecraft. Without a large network of research and development stations and foreign bases, the Chinese understand perfectly well that for the development of astronautics they vitally need ICF vessels.

Having become interested in the study of space, especially after the first successful tests, the Soviet government took a number of measures for its further study and the possible landing of a Soviet man on one of the nearest planets of the solar system.

In the planned scientific tests, a large place was given to both individual naval ships and the entire fleet as a whole, since it was not possible to carry out a full-fledged and safe space expedition without support from the sea. It was on water that cosmonauts of space stations and rockets were supposed to land; from water it was more reliable and easier to control space rockets and capture radio waves coming from them.

Ship Sakhalin

Academician S.P. spoke about the need to create a marine measuring point to monitor the actions of satellites and rocket parts separated during takeoff. Korolev. But the first such point was created only in 1959, it included such ships as “Chukotka”, “Sakhalin”, “Suchan” and “Siberia”, naturally, all the measures taken to equip them with special scientific and technical equipment, constituted a state secret, therefore the new association was officially associated with the activities of a hydrographic expedition in the Pacific Ocean.

Nobody planned to stop there, since between 1960 and 1968 full-scale work was underway to create the first automatic interplanetary stations of the Mars and Venus type, and the design of the first manned spacecraft Vostok was being finalized. Scientists have found that the Soviet Union can most effectively control the launch of an interplanetary space station only from the Atlantic Ocean, which means there is a need to create a special class of sea ships designed for this kind of work.

To bring the idea to life, several merchant ships were used, carrying equipment, crew, scientists and several huge antennas. The first voyage was carried out in 1960, and already in 1963 an official decree was issued on the creation Marine space fleet, which included new vessels equipped with modern technical equipment, the construction of which was completed in the shortest possible time. Control was entrusted to the space research service at the department for the implementation of marine expeditions at sea of ​​the Academy of Sciences Soviet Union.

In the 1970s, in anticipation of the lunar landing, the fleet was replenished with two flagships - "Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin" and “Akademik Sergei Korolev”, with the help of which it was possible to perform any tasks to ensure the safety of flights of rockets, stations and spacecraft. By the end of the 1970s, the Marine Space Fleet already included 11 ships that took part in various types of space research. Cosmonaut training took place on board the flotilla, and direct communication was maintained with the crews of spaceships.

Thus, on the Yuri Gagarin alone there were more than 1,200 departments and 86 laboratories, and 75 antennas were installed on board. The ship, whose construction was completed in 1971, had a length of more than 231.5 meters and a width of 32 meters. With a crew and expedition members of 350 people, “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” could not enter the port for 90 days, comfortable cabins and rest areas were equipped on board, the eleven-deck ship was equipped with huge pantries and freezers, rescue and research equipment.

Unfortunately, the collapse of the USSR primarily affected the space program, with the loss of most of the space bases and the division of ships, it was largely curtailed. The ships of the Marine Space Fleet were sold and scrapped, including such unique ones as the Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, transferred by Ukraine to an Indian metallurgical company at a scrap price of only $170 per ton.

Armament

A unique vessel of the Academy of Sciences of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR Academy of Sciences). Flagship maritime space fleet, designed to provide communications with space stations and satellites, study of the upper atmosphere and space. The ship was the largest and most technically advanced expedition ship in the world.

General information

“Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” is a research vessel that transmitted control commands to spacecraft; the ship performed tasks of calculating the trajectory of spacecraft and collecting telemetric information. The vessel maintained communications between ground-based flight control centers and the crews of spacecraft and stations. The largest and most powerful vessel in its class.

History of creation

According to Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 706-264 of September 3, 1968, the research vessel “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” (R/V “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin”) was built at the Baltic Shipyard (Leningrad). The vessel was created according to Project 1909, code "Phoenix" - Floating Command and Measuring Station (FKIP), designed to control and monitor spacecraft and spacecraft flights from various areas of the World Ocean.

The name of the first cosmonaut of the Earth was assigned to the ship by Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 112-41 of February 10, 1969. The basis for the creation of the NIS was the project of the tanker 1552 type "Sofia"

To reduce construction time and cost, the final project partially used a number of tanker ship systems. The hull and main power plant were unified with the original design.

Space Marine Fleet

Ships of the sea space fleet

Description of design

Comparison of the sizes of the NIS and the Titanic

The total displacement of the vessel was 45,000 tons, maximum length - 231.6 m, width - 31.0 m, side height - 15.4 m, draft - 8.5 m. A full speed of 18 knots was achieved by installing it on the ship steam turbine power plant with a capacity of 19,000 hp. The cruising range was 20,000 miles. Supplies of provisions and fuels and lubricants made it possible to carry out autonomous flights lasting up to 130 days, fresh water reserves were designed for 60 days (excluding the use of an on-board desalination plant). The vessel was supported by a crew of 140 people; in addition, about 215 people were part of the technical support staff for the expeditions.

"Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin" had high seaworthiness, and this allowed the crew to perform a wide variety of tasks in all areas of the World Ocean in any sea condition. A passive stabilizer installed on the vessel reduced the amplitude of roll by more than three times. When the sea level was 7, the passive damper provided a reduction in pitching from + 10 to + 3°, with a period of oscillation of about 16 s. Pitching at 7 points reaches an amplitude of + 5°, the oscillation period is 7 s.

The vessel was equipped with a steering device. The basis of the device were winged propulsors - two in the bow and one at the stern. The units were located inside the housing in transverse through channels driven by electric motors. This device facilitated control at low speeds and when mooring, and made it possible to compensate for the strength of currents during communication sessions while drifting.

Frame

Watertight bulkheads divided the ship's hull into eight compartments. The height of the decks and platforms formed eleven tiers. To combine them, nine elevators were installed on the ship, seven of which were passenger elevators. Storerooms, fuel tanks (diesel and boiler), fresh water tanks and ballast tanks were located on the lower, middle and upper platforms. Several rooms were allocated for laboratories. Two tiers of the second compartment of the ship were occupied by a sports hall, above which there was a cinema lecture hall. The seventh and eighth compartments were technical - they contained a power plant and a machine and boiler room, respectively. The tiers located above the upper platform were above the waterline. To ensure ice strength, the ship's hull was equipped with reinforcements.

The upper deck was partially open on the port and starboard sides. On this deck there were cabins for the crew and expedition members, laboratories and dining rooms.

There were two tiers above the upper deck - the first tier deck and the open deck. The tiers occupied most of the ship's area from bow to stern. To increase structural rigidity and reduce ship hull deformations, tiers were included in the overall strength of the ship. The premises were equipped with lounges, laboratories, cabins for the crew and members of the expedition. Fixed platforms for two parabolic antennas with a mirror diameter of 25 meters were installed on the open deck area. These platforms made it possible to redistribute the weight of the antennas on the longitudinal and transverse bulkheads of the vessel.

The ship's superstructure consisted of two parts - bow and stern. In the bow superstructure there was a lower bridge with cabins and laboratories. Also on this tier was located one of the two platforms of the 12-meter antenna. The radio room was located on the middle bridge. On the navigation bridge there are the steering and chart rooms. In addition, the platform of the upper bridge was used to mount the second 12-meter antenna. The distance from the waterline to the upper bridge was 25 meters.

Power plant and driving performance

The engine and boiler room is located at the stern of the vessel. The power plant consists of two steam boilers and a turbine that rotates the propeller. In addition, the ship is equipped with two power plants. The first is located in a separate room in the hold. This power plant consists of four diesel generators of 1500 kW each and provides power to the scientific and technical equipment of the expedition. The second power plant is located in the machine and boiler room and is intended to power the remaining consumers. While the vessel is moving, two 750 kW turbogenerators operate, and an additional 300 kW generator operates while the vessel is stationary. In addition, the ship is equipped with two emergency diesel generators with a capacity of 100 kW each. The total power of the power sources on the vessel is 8000 kW.

Auxiliary equipment

To ensure a temperature of 21-25 C, an air conditioning system is installed on the ship in all residential, service and public areas. In addition, the ventilation and cooling system of the equipment includes a refrigeration unit. Another refrigeration unit provides temperature control in the food pantries. To obtain liquid nitrogen from the air necessary for cooling scientific equipment and units (parametric amplifiers), a cryogenic installation was present on the ship. In addition, the Research Vessel is equipped with complexes for monitoring the operation of spacecraft, receiving telemetric information, and deciphering received information.

Special equipment

To solve expeditionary tasks, the ship's radio engineering command and measurement complex "Foton" was installed on the ship "Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin". Using this complex, it was possible to carry out simultaneous work with two spacecraft, transmit commands to spacecraft, perform trajectory measurements and monitor telemetric information. The complex provided two-way communication with astronauts via telephones and telegraphs.

The basis of the complex is four parabolic antennas - two with a mirror diameter of 12 meters (the first from the nose), the third and fourth had a diameter of 25 meters. With the help of these antennas it was possible to receive and transmit information on centimeter, decimeter and meter waves. The antenna at the stern had one mirror, the rest had two. 25-meter antennas weighed 240 tons, 12-meter antennas weighed 180 tons.

For radio communications and telemetry control, separate communication and telemetry information reception stations with associated separate antennas were used. In total, 75 different antennas were installed on the ship. When calculating ballistic trajectories and processing incoming information, two general-purpose computers and several specialized ones were used. With the help of the binding system, the exact geographical coordinates of the vessel during communication sessions, its course and pitching angles were established.

In addition, data from navigation satellites was used to determine coordinates. Gyroscopic instruments, with an accuracy of several minutes of arc, provided information about the ship's course, roll, pitch and yaw; induction and hydroacoustic logs - about the speed of the vessel relative to the water and the seabed. An optical direction finder made it possible to take into account the coordinates of reference coastal landmarks. To calculate corrections when determining coordinates, the rolling parameters during waves were also measured.

In addition to instruments and devices, a binding system, the ship had a set of conventional navigational equipment.

To ensure the position of the antenna, a three-axis stabilization system was used. Hull deformations (bending angles in the diamtral plane and the waterline plane) were measured using optical-electronic equipment. This data was also necessary to stabilize the antennas.

Via the Molniya relay satellites, communication between the ship and the control center was ensured. This communication line served for information transfer and radio exchange. A 12-meter bow antenna was used to communicate with the Molniya satellites

For navigation, conventional communications equipment at the disposal of the crew was also used.

To solve scientific problems, uniform time equipment was installed on the ship, the error of which did not exceed several microseconds per day. Periodically, the equipment was synchronized with the uniform time service.

The ship could also solve problems of searching for spacecraft and evacuating astronauts in the ocean. For these tasks, the ship was equipped with radio bearing systems, lighting devices and lifts.

The listed tasks of receiving and transmitting radio signals, measurements, control of spacecraft and ship scientific systems were solved by 86 different laboratories. All laboratory premises were equipped with a variety of the latest systems and instruments.

Crew

In total, 140 crew members worked on the ship, in addition, about 215 people made up the engineering and technical staff of the expeditions. Due to the wide range of tasks solved by the ship, the composition of the expedition participants was constantly changing. In total, the ship could accommodate 355 people in cabins.

For the crew and researchers on the ship there were lounges, a library, a cinema lecture hall with a capacity of 250 people, a gym, and two swimming pools on the open deck. Up to 60 people could be in the wardroom at the same time. The ship had two dining rooms with 100 seats each, a bakery, a galley and a buffet. Medical services included an infirmary, an outpatient room, an X-ray room, a physiotherapy room and a dentist's office.

Service history

In total, the ship made 21 voyages (detailed description under the spoiler)

0th flight

07/16/1971 – 08/20/1971 Test flight, total: 35 days. Expedition consisting of 23 people, crew – 192 people.
Captain (CM) Sidorov Boris Konstantinovich, senior assistant captain Kravtsov Lev Filippovich,
Chief Mechanic (GM) Yuliy Nikolaevich Sharov.
Head of the expedition (NE) Shkut Pavel Tikhonovich,
deputy head of the expedition - chief engineer (ZNE-GI) - Vladislav Ivanovich Sokallo.

Passage of the vessel from Leningrad to the port of registry Odessa. Checking systems and equipment in various climatic conditions with one call to the port of Gibraltar (UK) August 10-11, 1970.

Traveled 7883 miles.

1 flight 12/17/1971 - 05.08.1972 Crew - 162 people, expedition - 210 people.
KM Sidorov Boris Konstantinovich, Senior Assistant Captain Kravtsov Lev Filippovich,
GM Sharov Yuliy Nikolaevich,
NE Valiev Akhmedzhan Khadzhaevich,
ZNE-GI Dymov Oleg Mikhailovich,
Deputy Head of the Expedition for Communications (ZNES) Shkut Pavel Tikhonovich.

Work completed:
“Luna-19” (E8-LS No. 202), zap.28.09.71. Communication sessions with the 5th ISL 22.03-25.05.
“Cosmos-496” (11F615-A8, 7K-T No. 33A), 06.26.-02.07. Flight control, control of the operation of the Soyuz type transport unmanned spacecraft systems.
Communication with the MCC via Molniya-1 communication satellites.

Ports:
Odessa (exit) December 17;
Las Palmas (Spain, Gran Canaria) December 27-29;
Pointe Noire (Congo) January 24-28; Montevideo (Uruguay) February 11-22;
Havana (Cuba) March 16-23; Nipe Bay (Cuba) March 25 – April 1;
Veracruz (Mexico) April 07-09, without landfall, because there was foot-and-mouth disease in Cuba;
Havana (Cuba) April 11-19, April 13, the ship was visited by Raul Castro;
Nipe Bay (Cuba) April 22 – May 12; Veracruz (Mexico) May 16-20;
Havana (Cuba) May 25-31; Willemstad (Curacao) June 06-07;
Nipe Bay (Cuba) June 10 - July 3. Las Palmas (Spain) July 16-21.
Odessa, arrival at the raid on August 01.

The duration of the voyage is 231 days. 30,583 miles covered.

2 flight 03/03/1973 - 09.09.1973 (Feodosia) – 12.09.1973 (Odessa).
Crew – 162 people, expedition – 176 people.
KM Kravtsov Lev Filippovich, senior assistant captain Bezpalov Viktor
Vadimovich, GM Sharov Yuliy Nikolaevich.
NE Dulin Yuri Vasilievich, ZNE-GI Polshkov Viktor Stepanovich,
ZNES Shkut Pavel Tikhonovich.

Work completed:
“Salyut-2” (11F71, OPS-101, OPS No. 1, “Almaz-1”), 03-15.04.73. Participation in flight control, telemetric monitoring of the operation of station systems;
“Cosmos-573” (7K-T No. 36), 15-17.06. Unmanned transport spacecraft "Soyuz". June 14-16 - provision of satellite communication sessions on the topic “Caucasus”.

Ports:
Odessa (exit) March 03; Las Palmas (Spain) March 11-12;
Havana (Cuba) March 23 - April 1; Nipe Bay (Cuba) April 03-21;
Willemstad (Curacao) April 24-26; Havana (Cuba) 29.04 - 05.05;
Havana (Cuba) May 31 – June 2; Halifax (Canada) July 09-13;
Havana (Cuba) July 19-20; Nipe Bay (Cuba) July 22 – August 12;
Las Palmas (Spain) August 27 – 31;
Feodosia (raid) September 09; Odessa (arrival) September 12.

The duration of the voyage is 194 days. 36280 miles covered.

3 flight 02/26/1974 - December 26, 1974 (Odessa).
Crew - 162 people, expedition - 167 people.
KM Kravtsov Lev Filippovich, senior assistant to the faculty Viktor Vadimovich Bezpalov,
GM Zhuravsky Ludwig Antonovich.
NE Dulin Yuri Vasilievich,
ZNES Sudarushkin Vladimir Alekseevich.

Work completed:
“Rainbow” (11С86Л №1Л), 26.03. Successful launch of the SS "Rainbow" layout. “Cosmos-638” (7K-TM No. 71), 03-13.04. Flight tests in automatic modes of an unmanned modernized spacecraft;
“Cosmos-656” (7K-T No. 61), 27-29.05. Test flight of the Soyuz unmanned spacecraft of a new design for work with the Almaz station;
“Luna-22” (E8-LS2 No. 220), 29.05. The seventh ISL for scientific research, including photographing the Moon;
"Salyut-3" (11F71, OPS-0101-2, "Almaz-2", DOS No. 3). Zap.25.06. Participation in flight control, monitoring the operation of station systems in manned and automatic modes;
"Soyuz-14" (7KT No. 62), 03-19.07. The first expedition to visit the Salyut-3 DOS, consisting of: P.R. Popovich, Yu.P. Artyukhin;
“Cosmos-670” (7K-S No. 1L), 06-09.08. First test flight of the modified unmanned Soyuz spacecraft;
“Cosmos-672” (7K-TM No. 72), 12-18.08. Test flight of the new unmanned spacecraft "Soyuz-TM";
"Luna-23" (E8-5), 28.10.-06.11. The spacecraft landed on an area of ​​the lunar surface with unfavorable terrain. The device for taking lunar soil was damaged, which made it impossible to carry out the further program;
"Soyuz-15" (7K-T No. 63), 26-28.08. The second expedition to the station "Salyut-3" consisting of: P.F. Sarafanov, L.S. Demin. Joint. failed;
"Soyuz-16" (7K-TM No. 73), 02-08.12. Test flight of a new modified spacecraft under the ASTP program with cosmonauts consisting of: A.V. Filipchenko, N.N. Rukavishnikov.
Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) February 26;
Las Palmas (Spain) March 06 - 07;
Havana (Cuba) April 08-09; Nipe Bay (Cuba) April 17–May 11;
Veracruz (Mexico) May 15 – 18; Havana (Cuba) May 23 – June 2;
Halifax (Canada) July 22 – 26; Las Palmas (Spain) 07 – 12.10;
Havana (Cuba) November 02 – 06; Las Palmas (Spain) December 16 – 17;
Odessa (parish) December 26.

34,300 miles covered.

4 flight 04/02/1975 - 08/23/1975 (Odessa).
Crew – 162 people, expedition – 163 people.
KM Kravtsov Lev Filippovich, senior assistant captain Bezpalov Viktor Vadimovich,
GM Sharov Yuliy Nikolaevich.
NE Dulin Yury Vasilievich,
ZNE-GI Fedorov Vladimir Vasilievich,
ZNES Sudarushkin Vladimir Aleksandrovich.

Work completed:
"Salyut-4" (DOS No. 4, DOS 17K No. 124). Work during the voyage;
“Soyuz-18” (7K-T No. 40), 05.24.-07.26.75. The second expedition to the Salyut-4 OS, consisting of: P.I. Klimuk, V.I. Sevostyanov;
"Venus-9" 08.06. The first artificial satellite of Venus;
"Venera-10" 14.06. The station's descent vehicle determined the chemical composition of the surface and transmitted a color panorama of the surface from the landing site.
Participation in the first international space program "Soyuz-Apollo":
USSR-Soyuz-19 (7K-TM No. 75), 15–21.07.75. A.A. Leonov, V.N. Kubasov;
USA - "Apollo" 07/15-25/75 T. Stafford, D. Slayton, V. Brand.
Two dockings and a joint Soyuz-19-Apollo flight were completed.
Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) April 02;
Las Palmas (Spain) April 11 - 12;
Nipe Bay (Cuba) 04.26.-05.09.; Veracruz (Mexico) May 13-16;
Banquero Bay (Cuba) May 17 - July 21;
Las Palmas (Spain) August 5-8; Odessa (parish) - August 23.

18,100 miles covered.

5 flights 05/26/1976 - 03/26/1977 (Yalta) - 03/28/1977 (Odessa).
Crew - 165 people, expedition - 177 people.
KM Shevchenko Alexey Ilyich, senior assistant to Buraga Gennady Petrovich,
GM Alekseev Sergey Pavlovich.

ZNE-GI Fedorov Vladimir
Vasilievich, ZNES Sudarushkin Vladimir Aleksandrovich.

Work completed:
"Salyut4" (DOS No. 4, DOS 17K No. 124). Participation in the flight control of the DOS, periodic monitoring of the operation of its systems in automatic mode until the end of the station’s existence on 02/02/77;
Salyut-5 (OPS-103, Almaz-3, 11F71 No. 0103), from 22.06. Participation in flight control, monitoring the operation of systems in manned and automatic modes during the flight;
"Soyuz-21" (7K-T No. 41) 08.06.-08.24.76 The first crew on the Salyut 5 OS, consisting of: B.V. Volynov, V.M. Zholobov. Docking 07.07.;
"Luna-24" (E8-5), 09-22.08. Drilling lunar soil, delivering it to Earth in a return vehicle (170.1g.);
"Soyuz-22" (7K-TM No. 74) 15-23.09. Under the program of joint scientific research of the earth's surface with the GDR. V.F. Bykovsky, V.V. Aksenov;
"Soyuz-23" (7K-T No. 65) 10/14/16/76. V.I. Rozhdestvensky, V.D. Zudov. Second crew on the Salyut-5 OS. Docking with the OS did not take place due to the failure of the Igla system;
“Cosmos-869” (7K-S No. 3L) 11.29-12.17. Unmanned modified Soyuz spacecraft;
"Soyuz-24" (7K-T No. 66) 07-25.02. The third expedition to the Almaz-3 OPS consisting of: V.V. Gorbatko, Yu.P. Glazkov.
Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) May 26; Las Palmas (Spain) June 4-5;
Havana (Cuba) June 17-19; Nipe Bay 21.06.-25.07.;
Willemstad (O. Curacao, the Netherlands) July 28-31;
Halifax (Canada) September 7-9; Banquero Bay (Cuba) September 9-10;
Saint John (Canada) October 1; Halifax (Canada) November 5-6;
Havana (Cuba) November 12-17; Las Palmas November 29 - December 03;
Veracruz (Mexico) January 3-6; Havana (Cuba) January 10-18;
Las Palmas (Spain) March 7-10; Yalta (parish) March 26-27;
Odessa (return) 28 March.

38,022 miles covered.

6 flight 09/15/1977 - 05/04/1978 (Yalta) - 05/06/1978 (Odessa).
Crew – 139 people, expedition – 178 people.
CM Shevchenko Alexey Ilyich, backup-captain Bezpalov Viktor Vadimovich, senior assistant to Buraga Gennady Petrovich,
GM Alekseev Sergey Pavlovich.
NE Nikiforov Vladimir Gennadievich,
GI Fedorov Vladimir Vasilievich,
ZNES Gotovsky Albert Adolfovich.

Work completed:
Soviet cosmonauts who worked for a long time at the first Salyut stations noted that their well-being and performance were adversely affected by working at night and especially by time shifts. This problem was resolved starting with the flight of the Salyut-6 station, when the issue of long-term stay in the ocean (North Atlantic) of floating command and measurement points was resolved: “Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov”, “Academician Sergei Korolev”, “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” .
"Salyut-6" (DOS No. 5, DOS-5-1, 17K No. 125). Orbital station with two docking ports and remote control refueling. Work on controlling the station's flight in automatic and manned modes. Vessel communication sessions since 09/29/77. during the entire voyage;
"Soyuz-25" (7K-T No. 42) 09-11.10.77. V.V. Kovalenok, V.V. Ryumin. Due to a malfunction in the rendezvous and docking system, docking with DOS No. 5 was not possible;
"Soyuz-26" (7K-T No. 43) 12/10/77 - 03/16/78 1st main expedition to DOS
"Salyut-6" consisting of: Yu.V.Romanenko, G.M.Grechko;
"Soyuz-27" (7K-T No. 44) 01.10.-01.16.78 Visiting Expedition No. 1 DOS
"Salyut-6" consisting of: V.A. Dzhanibekov, O.G. Makarov, docking with OS -11.01.;
“Progress-1” (TKG, 7KT-G No. 102) 20.01. The first automatic cargo ship, delivering 01/22. necessary cargo and refueling remote control of the Salyut-6 station;
"Soyuz-28" (7K-T No. 45) 02.03.-10.03.78 Visiting Expedition No. 2 OS
"Salyut-6" and the first international crew in the history of cosmonautics consisting of: A.A. Gubarev (USSR); V. Remek – Czechoslovakia;
"Cosmos-1001" (7K-ST No. 4L) O4-15.04. LCI of the transport version of the unmanned spacecraft "Soyuz-T".
Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) September 15;
Las Palmas (Spain) September 24-29;
Halifax (Canada) October 24-26; Havana (Cuba) 28.10.-01.11.;
Nipe Bay (Cuba) November 02-04; Havana (Cuba) November 19-21;
Veracruz (Mexico) November 23-26; Halifax (Canada) January 01-03;
Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Spain) February 07-09;
Saint John (Canada) March 19-22;
Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Spain) April 24-27;
Yalta (parish) May 04; Odessa (return) May 06.

39,164 miles covered.

7th flight 09/18/1978 - November 6, 1978 (Odessa).
Crew – 145 people, expedition – 176 people.

GM Ponomarev Boris Fedorovich.
NE Zharkov Nikolay Semenovich,
ZNE-GI Fedorov Vladimir Vasilievich,
ZNES Verevkin Pavel Petrovich.

Work completed:

Soyuz-31 (7K-T No. 47). Until November 02 - the return of the 2nd main expedition of the DOS "Salyut-6" after 140 days of work in space, consisting of: V.V. Kovalyonok, A.S. Ivanchenkov;
"Progress-4" (7K-TG No. 105) on the Salyut-6 OS. October 04–26.
Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) September 18;
Santa Cruz (Tenerife, Spain) September 28-30;
Odessa (return) November 06.

11,042 miles covered.

8 flight 12/28/1978 - 09/08/1979 (Yalta) - 09/12/1979 (Odessa).
Crew - 144 people, expedition - 168 people.
KM Bezpalov Viktor Vadimovich, senior assistant to Buraga Gennady Petrovich,

NE Zharkov Nikolai Semenovich,
ZNE-GI Fedorov Vladimir Vasilievich,
ZNES Verevkin Pavel Petrovich.

Work completed:
"Salyut-6" (17K No. 125, DOS No. 5). Monitoring the operation of systems and flight control during the flight;
Cosmos-1074 (7K-ST No. 5L) 01.31-01.04. Autonomous flight with checking the resource of on-board systems and the design of the unmanned spacecraft Soyuz-T;
“Soyuz-32” (7K-T No. 48) 02.25.-08.19. 3rd main expedition to the DOS "Salyut-6" consisting of: V.A.Lyakhov, V.V.Ryumin. The expedition spent 175 days in orbit;
"Progress-5" (7K-TG No. 104) on the OS "Salyut-6. 12.03.-05.04.;
"Soyuz-33" (7K-T No. 49) 10.04. Expedition to the DOS "Salyut-6" consisting of: N.N. Rukavishnikov, G.I. Ivanov - NRB. The docking did not take place due to the failure of the main engine of the spacecraft. 12.04. made an emergency landing;
"Progress-6" (7K-TG No. 106) on the OS "Salyut-6". 13.05.-09.06.;
"Soyuz-34" (7K-T No. 50) 06.06. Unmanned spacecraft, which ensured the return to Earth of cosmonauts V.A. Lyakhov and V.V. Ryumin on August 19;
"Progress-7" (7K-TG No. 107) on the Salyut-6 OS. 28.06.-20.07.
Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) December 28;
Las Palmas (Spain) January 09-12;
Havana (Cuba) February 09-14; Nipe Bay (Cuba) February 16-18;
Halifax (Canada) March 08-10, April 24-27, May 22-25;
Havana (Cuba) July 05-10; Saint John (Canada) July 23-25;
Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Spain) August 27-30;
Yalta (parish) September 08-11; Odessa (return) September 12.

32836 miles covered.

9 flight 03/20/1980 – 09/15/1980 (Yalta) - 09/18/1980 (Odessa).
Crew – 144 people, expedition – 189 people.
KM Grigoriev Georgy Fedorovich, senior assistant to Buraga Gennady Petrovich,
GM Spivachenko Mikhail Dmitrievich.
NE Zharkov Nikolay Semenovich,

ZNES Verevkin Pavel Petrovich.

Work completed:
"Salyut-6" (17K No. 125) DOS No. 5. Monitoring the operation of station systems and controlling its flight during the flight;
"Progress-8" (7K-TG No. 108) on the OS "Ssalyut-6". 27.03. – 26.04;
"Soyuz-35" (7K-T No. 51) 04/09/06/03. 4th main expedition to OS "Salyut-6" consisting of: L.I.Popov, V.V.Ryumin;
"Progress-9" (7K-TG No. 109) on the OS "Salyut-6". 27.04. – 22.05.;
Soyuz-36 (7K-T No. 52). 26.05.-31.07. Visiting Expedition No. 5 on OS
"Salyut-6" consisting of: V.N. Kubasov, B. Farkash - Hungary. Landing on Soyuz-35 on June 03;
Soyuz T-2 (7K-ST No. 7L, 11F732) 05-09.06. The first manned test flight of the new transport spacecraft "Soyuz-T" with visiting expedition No. 6 of the Salyut-6 OS consisting of: Yu.V. Malyshev, V.V. Aksenov;
"Progress-10" (7K-TG No. 110) on the OS "Salyut-6". 29.06. – 19.07.;
Soyuz-37 (7K-T No. 53). 23.07. Visiting Expedition No. 7 OS "Salyut-6" in

Line-up: VV Gorbatko, Pham Tuan - SRV.

Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) March 20;
Las Palmas (O. Gran Canaria, Spain) March 31 - April 01;
Ceuta (Spain) May 29-31; Tangier (Morocco) June 27-29;
Las Palmas (Spain) July 18-20; Yalta (parish) September 15;
Odessa (return) 18 September.

28395 miles covered.

10 flight 01/15/1981 – 07/12/1981 (Yalta) – 07/15/1981 (Odessa).
Crew - 145 people, expedition - 178 people.
KM Grigoriev Georgy Fedorovich, senior assistant to Apanasenko Georgy
Ivanovich, GM Spivachenko Mikhail Dmitrievich.
NE Zharkov Nikolay Semenovich,
ZNE-GI Luzikov Nikolay Petrovich,
ZNES Verevkin Pavel Petrovich.

Work completed:
"Salyut-6" (17K No. 125). DOS No. 5. Monitoring the operation of station systems and controlling its flight during the flight.
"Progress-12" (7K-TG No. 113) on the Salyut-6 OS. 24.01. – 20.03;
"Soyuz T-4" (7K-ST No. 10L). 12.03. – 26.05. The fifth main expedition to the Salyut-6 DOS, consisting of: V.V. Kovalyonok, V.P. Savinykh;
Soyuz-39 (7K-T No. 55). 22-30.03. Visiting expedition No. 10 to the Salyut-6 DOS consisting of: V.A. Dzhanibekov, Zh. Gurragcha - Mongolia;
“Cosmos-1267” (“TKS”, 11F732 No. 16301) 04/25. A new modernized cargo spacecraft, an interorbital tug, weighing about 40 tons, which delivered equipment of large dimensions and weight to the Salyut-6 OS;
"Soyuz-40" (7K-T No. 56) 14-22.05. Visiting expedition No. 11 to DOS “Salyut-6” consisting of: L.I. Popov, D. Prunariu - Romania.
Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) January 15;
Willemstad (O. Curacao, the Netherlands) February 10-12;
Nipe Bay (Cuba) February 14-25;
Havana (Cuba) 02.27.-03.02.;
Veracruz (Mexico) April 22-24;
Havana (Cuba) April 27;
Yalta (parish) July 12-14; Odessa (return) July 15.

28,000 miles covered.

11th flight 06/01/1982 – 01/03/1983 (Yalta) – 01/07/1983 (Odessa).
Crew 155 people, expedition – 154 people.
KM Georgy Fedorovich Grigoriev, Georgy Semyonovich Tyomkin, senior assistant,
GM Spivachenko Mikhail Dmitrievich.
NE Zharkov Nikolay Semenovich,
ZNE-GI Pypenko Gennady Vasilievich,

Work completed:
"Salyut-6" (DOS No. 5, DOS-5-1, 17K No. 125-1). Monitoring the operation of systems and flight control until the end of the station’s existence on July 29;
Salyut-7 (DOS-5-2, 17K No. 125-2). Monitoring the operation of systems and flight control of the orbital station in manned and automatic modes during the flight.
Work with EO-1 consisting of: A.N. Berezova, V.V. Lebedev until August 27.
Work with EP-1 (“Soyuz T-6”) consisting of: V.A. Dzhanibekov, A.S. Ivanchenkov, Jean-Loup Chrétien – France from June 24 to July 02;
“Progress-14” (7K-TG No. 117) on the Salyut-7 OS, 10.07.-13.08.;
Soyuz T-7 (7K-ST No. 12L). EP-2 OS "Salyut-7" August 19-27, consisting of: L.I. Popov, A.A. Serebrov, S.E. Savitskaya. Landing on the Soyuz T-5;
"Progress-15" (7K-TG No. 112) on the Salyut-7 OS, 18.09. – 16.10.;
"Progress-16" (7K-TG No. 115) on the Salyut-7 OS, 31.10. – 15.12.
Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) June 01; Tangier (Morocco) June 09-11;
Amsterdam (Netherlands) July 12-15;
Rotterdam (Netherlands) September 30 - October 02;
Las Palmas (O. Gran Canaria, Spain) December 21-24;
Yalta (parish) January 03-06; Odessa (return) 07 January.

Traveled 27,000 miles.

12th flight 05/25/1983 - 21.11.1983 (Yalta) - 24.11.1983 (Odessa).
Crew - 148 people, expedition - 156 people.
KM Grigoriev Georgy Fedorovich, senior assistant at Oksamytny
Igor Petrovich, GM Spivachenko Mikhail Dmitrievich.
NE Maslov Alexey Vasilievich, ZNE-GI Luzikov Nikolay Petrovich,
ZNES Verevkin Pavel Petrovich.

Work completed:
"Salyut-7" (DOS-5-2, 17K No. 125-2). Control of systems operation and station flight control during the flight;
“Cosmos-1443” (TKS, 11F72 No. 164). Until September 19. Transport heavy ship for retrofitting the Salyut-7 orbital station;
"Soyuz T-9" (7K-ST No. 14L). 27.06. – 23.11. EO-2 at the Salyut-7 DOS consisting of: V.A. Lyakhov, A.P. Aleksandrov;
“Progress-17” (7K-TG No. 119) on the Salyut-7 OS, 17.08.–18.09.;
“Progress-18” (7K-TG No. 118) on the Salyut-7 OS, 10/20–11/16.
Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) May 25; Kalamata (Greece) May 29-31;
Halifax (Canada) July 04-06, August 24-26;
Rotterdam (Netherlands) September 28 – October 1;
Yalta (parish) November 21-23; Odessa (return) November 24.

18,050 miles covered.

13th flight 05/27/1984 - 10/30/1984 (Yalta) – 11/03/1984 (Odessa).
Crew – 148 people, expedition 160 people.
KM Grigoriev Georgy Fedorovich, senior assistant to captain Onishchenko
Anatoly Petrovich, GM Tutubalin Oleg Yakovlevich.
NE Maslov Alexey Vasilievich,
ZNE-GI Luzikov Nikolay Petrovich,
ZNES Shabaev Vyacheslav Egorovich.

Work completed:
"Salyut-7" (DOS-5-2, 17K No. 125-2). Monitoring the operation of systems and flight control in manned and automatic modes - during the flight.
Work with EO-3, launched on Soyuz T-10 before landing on Soyuz T-11 on October 02, consisting of: L.D. Kizim, V.A. Solovyov, O.Yu. Atkov.
“Progress-21” (7K-TG No. 116) on the Salyut-7 OS, May 08–26;
“Progress-22” (7K-TG No. 122) on the Salyut-7 OS, 05/28–07/15;
"Soyuz T-12" (7K-ST No. 18L), July 17 - 29. EP-4 No. 4 at the Salyut-7 DOS - Soyuz-11 consisting of: V.A. Dzhanibekov, I.P. Volk and S.E. Savitskaya;
"Progress-23" (7K-TG No. 124) at OS "Salyut-7", August 14 - 26.
Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) May 27;
Veracruz (Mexico) June 21-23;
Havana (Cuba) July 09-10;
Halifax (Canada) August 08-09;
Rotterdam (Netherlands) October 14-18;
Yalta (parish) October 30 - November 02; Odessa (return) November 03.

20120 miles covered.

14th flight 05/12/1985 - 12/20/1985 (Yalta) - 12/23/1985 (Odessa).
Crew - 140 people, expedition 171 people.
KM Grigoriev Georgy Fedorovich, senior assistant to the captain Georgy Tyomkin
Semyonovich, GM Spivachenko Mikhail Dmitrievich.


ZNES Shabaev Vyacheslav Egorovich.

Work completed:
“Soyuz T-13” (7K-ST No. 19L), 06.06. The main expedition No. 4 to the DOS "Salyut-7" consisting of: V.A. Dzhanibekov, V.P. Savinykh. For the first time, docking was performed with an uncontrollable, inoperable, unoriented and frozen station, which was repaired to continue manned flights and research;
Salyut-7 (DOS-5-2, 17K No. 125-2). Monitoring the operation of systems and flight control in manned and automatic modes - from June.
“Progress-24” (7K-TG No. 125) on the Salyut-7 OS, 21.06. – 16.07.;
"Cosmos-1669" (Heavy transport spacecraft retrofitting type AGK
“Progress” No. 126 for retrofitting the Salyut-7 OS, joint flight 07.19-08.30;
Soyuz T-14 (7K-ST No. 20L), 17.09. EO No. 5 at the Salyut-7 DOS consisting of: V.V. Vasyutin, G.M. Grechko, A.A. Volkov;
“Cosmos-1686” (TKS-4, 11F72), heavy transport supply spacecraft on the Salyut-7 OS, 09/28–11/20.
Communication with the MCC - through the communication satellites "Lightning-1".

Ports:
Odessa (exit) May 12; Las Palmas (Spain) May 25-28;
Saint John (Canada) July 22-24;
Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Spain) September 02-04;
Saint John (Canada) October 01-03;
Rotterdam (Netherlands) December 02-05;
Yalta (parish) December 20-22; Odessa (return) December 23.

Traveled 22254 miles.

15th flight 06/20/1986 - 07/05/1986
Crew 127 people, expedition – 157 people.
KM Buraga Gennady Petrovich, senior assistant captain Vasily Geyshenets
Pavlovich, GM Tutubalin Oleg Yakovlevich.
NE Pypenko Gennady Vasilievich,
GI Motorov Valery Alexandrovich,

Due to changes in the space research program, the ship soon returned to its home port.

16th flight 01/07/1987 - 09/03/1987 (Yalta) - 09/05/1987 (Odessa).
Crew - 128 people, expedition - 182 people.
KM Grigoriev Georgy Fedorovich, senior assistant captain Viktor Shkurin
Gavrilovich, GM Tutubalin Oleg Yakovlevich.
NE Pypenko Gennady Vasilievich,
GI Motorov Valery Alexandrovich,
ZNES Kravchenko Gennady Georgievich.

Work completed:
"Mir" (base unit of the station). Work on monitoring the functioning of systems and flight control of the unit, launched on February 20, 1986, during the current flight);
“Salyut-7” (17K No. 125-2) + “Cosmos-1686” (TKS-4), communication sessions throughout the flight, to study the operation of the OS design and its equipment under conditions of long-term operation in a high flight orbit;
“Progress-27” (7K-TG No. 135) at the Mir OK, 16.01., junction 18.01., pos. 25.02.;
"Soyuz TM-2" (7K-ST No. 52), 06.02. EO-2 at the Mir OK, consisting of: Yu.V. Romanenko, A.I. Laveikin;
"Progress-28" (7K-TG No. 137) at the Mir space station. 03.03., docking - 05.03., undocking - 26.03., until landing 28.03.;
"Quantum" (37KE No. 166-01), from 31.03. Astrophysical module of the Mir spacecraft, docking with the station was carried out on April 12;
“Progress-29” (7K-TG No. 127) at the Mir OK, 21.04.-11.05.;
“Progress-30” (7K-TG No. 128) at the Mir OK, 19.05.-19.07.;
"Soyuz TM-3" (7K-ST No. 53), 22.07. EP-1 at the Mir OK, consisting of: A.S. Viktorenko, A.P. Alexandrov, M. Faris - Syria;
Soyuz TM-2 (7K-ST No. 52). Undocking for landing 30.07. A.S. Viktorenko, A.I. Laveikin, Muhamed Faris - Syria;
"Progress-31" (7K-TG No. 138) at the Mir OK, from August 4 until the first flight.
Communication with the MCC is via M-1 communication satellites.

Ports:
Odessa (exit) January 07;
Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Spain) January 21-24;
Sydney (Canada) March 05-07, April 24-25;
Las Palmas (Spain) May 27-29;
Sydney (Canada) July 14-15;
Rotterdam (Netherlands) August 17-20;
Yalta (parish) September 03-04; Odessa (return) – September 05.

30,400 miles covered.

17th flight 01/22/1988 - 09/17/1988 (Yalta) - 09/20/1988 (Odessa).
Crew 118 people, expedition – 194 people.
KM Apanasenko Georgy Ivanovich, senior assistant to captain Krasinsky
Konstantin Vitalievich, GM Tutubalin Oleg Yakovlevich.


ZNES Kravchenko Gennady Georgievich.

Work completed:
"Salyut-7". Communication sessions to monitor the operation of station systems under conditions of long-term operation in high orbit - throughout the entire flight;
"Mir" - "Kvant" - monitoring the operation of systems, OK flight control in manned and automatic modes - from the beginning to the end of the flight;
"Soyuz TM-4" (7K-ST No. 54). Communication sessions from the beginning of the flight until undocking for landing on June 17 with the crew consisting of: A.Ya. Solovyov, V.P. Savinykh, A. Aleksandrov - Bulgaria;
"Progress-34" (7K-TG No. 142), launched on January 21 at the Mir spacecraft. Work from the beginning of the flight until undocking for landing on March 04;
“Progress-35” (7K-TG No. 143) at the Mir OK, 24.03., docking on 26.03., operation of the vessel until undocking on 05.05.;
“Progress-36” (7K-TG No. 144) at the Mir OK, 13.05., docking on 15.05., operation of the vessel until undocking on 05.06.;
“Soyuz TM-5” (7K-ST No. 55), 07.06. EP-2 at the Mir OK, consisting of: A.Ya. Soloviev, V.P. Savinykh, A. Aleksandrov - Bulgaria;
"Progress-37" (7K-TG No. 145) at the Mir space station. Works from 19.07. until 07.08.;
“Soyuz TM-6” (7K-ST No. 56), 29.08. EP-3 at the Mir OK, consisting of: V.A. Lyakhov, V.V. Polyakov, Abdul Ahad Mohmand - Afghanistan;
"Soyuz TM-5" (7K-ST No. 55). Undocking for landing 07.09. V.A. Lyakhov, Abdul Ahad Momand - Afghanistan.

Ports:
Odessa (exit) January 22;
Las Palmas (Gran Canaria, Spain) February 03-05;
Sydney (Canada) March 16-18;
Las Palmas (Spain) April 26-28;
Sydney (Canada) June 20-22;
Rotterdam (Netherlands) August 09-12;
Yalta (parish) September 17-19; Odessa (return) September 20.

Traveled 30450 miles.

18th flight 02/05/1989 - 09/12/1989 (Yalta) - 09/15/1989 (Odessa).
Crew – 119 people, expedition – 197 people.

GM Tutubalin Oleg Yakovlevich.
NE Malygin Vadim Semyonovich,
ZNE-GI Sergeev Viktor Grigorievich,
ZNES Kravchenko Gennady Georgievich.

Work completed:
"Salyut-7". Communication sessions with the OS to study the behavior of the structure and equipment under conditions of long-term operation in high orbit; "Mir" - "Quantum". Monitoring the operation of the orbital complex systems and controlling its flight in manned and automatic modes during an expeditionary flight;
"Progress-40" at OK "Mir" (7KTG No. 148), 10.02. During launch, tests were carried out on the K-36M ejection seat to rescue the Buran crew during the active phase of the flight. Docking 12.02., The “Crab” experiment was completed - the deployment of large-sized ring structures with a diameter of 20 m according to commands from the Earth. Work of the R/V "KYUG" - before undocking from the Mir Orbital Station, March 03;
“Progress-41” at the Mir OK (7KTG No. 149), 16.03. Docking 16.03., undocking 21.04. During launch, tests were carried out on the K-36M ejection seat to rescue the Buran crew during the active phase of the flight. Operation of the R/V "KYUG" - until undocking from the "Mir" station on April 21;
“Soyuz TM-7” (On the Mir space station with EO-4 consisting of: A.A. Volkov, S.K. Krikalev; EP – Jean-Loup Chrétien - France). Work on spacecraft from the beginning of the flight until undocking for landing on April 27 with the crew: A.A. Volkov, S.K. Krikalev, V.V. Polyakov - 241 days in space; Block “D” (08.06., upper stage);
“Progress M-1” No. 201 at the Mir OK, 23.08., junction 25.08., until end. flight.
The vessel communicates with the MCC through the M-1 and Horizon communication satellites.

Ports:
Odessa (exit) February 05; Istanbul (Türkiye) February 08-10;
The last meeting at sea (Mediterranean) with the R/V “KVK” was February 16;
Sydney (Canada) March 13-15;
Las Palmas (Spain) April 10-12;
Sydney (Canada) May 15-17; June 19-21;
Rotterdam (Netherlands) August 01-04;
Yalta (parish) September 12;
Odessa (return) September 15.

Traveled 27,500 miles.

19th flight 01/21/1990 - 08/14/1990 (Yalta) - 08/16/1990 (Odessa).
Crew – 118 people, expedition – 196 people.
KM Grigoriev Georgy Fedorovich, senior assistant Bondar Nikolay Ivanovich,
GM Distillation Nikolai Vasilievich.

ZNE-GI Oleynik Vasily Vasilievich,
ZNES Kravchenko Gennady Georgievich.

Work completed:
"Salyut-7". Continuation of communication sessions to check the functionality and study the behavior of the station structure and its equipment under conditions of long-term operation in high orbit - during the flight;
"Mir" - "Kvant" - "Kvant-2" - monitoring the operation of systems and flight control - during the flight;
"Progress M-2" (No. 202) at the Mir OK. Communication sessions from the beginning of the flight until undocking from OK for landing on 09.02.;
Soyuz TM-8 (7K-ST No. 58), launched 09/06/89. on the Mir space station with EO-5 consisting of: A.S. Viktorenko, A.A. Serebrov). Communication sessions before undocking for landing 02/19;
“Soyuz TM-9” (7K-ST No. 60 on the Mir space station. Launch on 11.02. from EO-6 consisting of: A.Ya. Solovyov, A.N. Balandin; docking with the Mir station on 13.02.);
"Progress M-3" (No. 203) at the Mir OK. Start 01.03., docking 03.03., undocking 27.04.;
"Progress-42" (7K-TG No. 150) at the Mir space station. Start 05.05., docking 08.05., undocking 27.05.;
“Crystal” (7K-ST No. 172-01), 31.05. Technical module, docking with the Mir spacecraft 10.06.;
"Block "A-510". Retrofitting unit of OK "Mir", 22.06.;
"Gamma" (19KA30). 11.07. Highly efficient automatic astrophysical observatory of the Mir spacecraft, docking with the spacecraft – 25.07.
"Block "A-509". Retrofitting unit of OK "Mir", 25.07;
“Soyuz TM-10” (7K-ST No. 61A), 01.08. EO-7 at the Mir OK, consisting of: G.M. Manakov, G.M. Strekalov. Docking with the station 08/03/90.
Communication with the MCC is via communication satellites “M-1” and “Horizon”.

Ports:
Odessa (exit) January 21;
Istanbul (Türkiye) January 23-24;
Meeting with the research vessel "ASK" 01/30/90 off the coast of Spain (traverse of Malaga);
Las Palmas (Spain) March 28-30;
Las Palmas (Spain) April 25-27;
Lisbon (Portugal) June 11-13;
Rotterdam (Netherlands) July 16-20;
Yalta (parish) – August 14; Odessa (return) - August 16.

25614 miles covered.

20 flight 11/17/1990 - 06/01/1991 (Yalta) - 06/04/1991 (Odessa).
Crew - 118 people, expedition - 195 people.
KM Grigoriev Georgy Fedorovich, senior assistant Bondar Nikolay Ivanovich,
GM Tutubalin Oleg Yakovlevich.
NE Cherevaty Vyacheslav Andreevich,
GI Oleynik Vasily Vasilievich,
ZNES Grishchenko Alexander Evgenievich.

Work completed:
"Mir" - "Kvant" - "Kvant-2" - "Crystal" - "Gamma" - "Progress M-5" (until 11/28) - "Soyuz TM-10" (until 12/10) - "Soyuz TM- 11" (until May 26.) - Monitoring the operation of systems and equipment, flight control of the orbital complex and spacecraft - throughout the entire flight;
“Salyut-7” - Continuation of individual communication sessions to study the behavior of the station’s structure and equipment under conditions of long-term operation in high orbit - during the flight. The station's flight was terminated over the Atlantic Gulf of Mexico by a command issued by the KRL R/V KYUG on February 7, 1991;
A-448. Retrofitting unit of OK "Mir";
A-445. Retrofitting unit of OK "Mir";
"Soyuz TM-11" (7K-ST No. 61). Flight to OK "Mir" 02.12. with EO-8 consisting of: V.M. Afanasyev, M.Kh. Manarov; EP - the first commercial international flight with the participation of Toyahiro Akiyama - Japan. Communication sessions before the spacecraft undocking from the OK for landing on 26.05. with a crew consisting of: V.M.Afanasyev, M.Kh.Manarov, Helen Sherman -Great Britain.
“Soyuz TM-10” (7K-ST No. 61A), 01.08. With the main expedition EO-7 to the Mir space station consisting of: G.M. Manakov and G.M. Strekalov until undocking for landing on 10.12. with the crew of EO-7 and EP - Toyahiro Akiyama, Japan;
“Progress M-6” on the Mir space station, 14.01., docking 16.01., undocking 15.03.;
“Progress M-7” 03/26, docking 03/28, undocking 05/07;
“Soyuz TM-12” (7K-ST No. 62), 18.05. EO No. 9 at the Mir OK: A.P. Artsebarsky, S.K. Krikalev; forwarding visited - Helen Sherman - Vel.
Communication with the MCC is via communication satellites “M-1” and “Horizon”.

Ports:
Odessa (output) November 17;
Istanbul (Türkiye) November 19-21;
Las Palmas (Spain) December 24-26;
Las Palmas (Spain) January 25-27;
Veracruz (Mexico) – February 12-14;
Sidney (Canada) March 25;
Rotterdam (Netherlands) April 10-13;
Yalta (parish) – June 01; Odessa (return) - June 04.

30,314 miles traveled.

Due to the collapse of the USSR and the formation of the CIS, the research vessel "Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin" was privatized by Ukraine. In 1995, the State Property Fund of Ukraine announced a tender for the sale of the scientific vessels “Akademik Sergei Korolev” and “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin”. During the tender procedure, an Austrian company was declared the winner, offering to process ships for scrap metal. The Zuid Merkur company offered a price of $170 per ton of metal (including cladding, furniture and equipment, services for ferrying ships to the disposal site and repatriation of the crew to Ukraine). In 1996, “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin” was renamed “AGAR” and left the port of Yuzhny (Odessa) to the Indian port of Alanch, where it was thrown ashore (flagellation) and disposed of.

Captains

• 1971-1973. Sidorov Boris Konstantinovich
• 1973-1975. Kravtsov Lev Filippovich
• 1975-1977. Shevchenko Alexey Ilyich
• 1977-1980. Bezpalov Viktor Vladimirovich
• 1980-1986. Grigoriev Georgy Fedorovich
• 1986-1986. Buraga Gennady Petrovich
• 1986-1988. Grigoriev Georgy Fedorovich
• 1988-1988. Apanasenko Georgy Ivanovich
• 1988-1991. Grigoriev, Georgy Fedorovich
• 1991-1996-?

see also

Literature and sources of information

History of the Baltic plant in two volumes, volume 2 - 1926-2006. Ed. O. Shulyakovsky St. Petersburg Hydrometeoizdat-Gangut 2003-2006 290 s