Korabl-Sputnik 2
Mission type |
|
---|---|
Harvard designation | 1960 Lambda 1 |
COSPAR ID | 1960-011A |
SATCAT no. | 55 |
Mission duration | 1 day |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Vostok-1K No. 2 |
Spacecraft type | OKB-1 |
Launch mass | 4,600 kilograms (10,100 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 19 August 1960, 08:44:06 | UTC
Rocket | Vostok-L 8K72 s/n L1-12 |
Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
End of mission | |
Landing date | 20 August 1960, 06:00:00 | UTC
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Perigee altitude | 287 kilometres (178 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 324 kilometres (201 mi) |
Inclination | 64.95° |
Period | 90.72 minutes |
Epoch | 19 August 1960 16:09:33 (UTC) [1] |
Sputnik program → |
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Korabl-Sputnik 2
Background
Korabl-Sputnik 2 was the second attempt to launch a Vostok capsule with dogs on board. The first try on 28 July, carrying a pair named Bars (Snow Leopard aka Chaika (Seagull)) and Lisichka (Foxie), had been unsuccessful after the Blok G strap-on suffered a fire and breakdown in one of the combustion chambers, followed by its breaking off of the booster 19 seconds after launch. Around 30 seconds, the launch vehicle disintegrated, the core and strap-ons flying in random directions and crashing into the steppe. Flight controllers sent a command to jettison the payload shroud and separate the descent module, but due to the low altitude, the parachutes only deployed partially, and the dogs were killed on impact with the ground. The Blok G engine failure was traced to high frequency pressure oscillations in the RD-107 engine. This had been a problem on earlier R-7 launches but was corrected in the latest revision of the RD-107. The booster used on this launch was however carrying the older model of the engines. The accident also encouraged the development of an ejector seat for the cosmonaut to escape from the capsule in the event of a launch failure, since the parachutes in the descent module would not be able to open properly until around 40 seconds into launch. This occurred one day before the US program suffered a serious setback with the loss of a Mercury capsule.
Launch
The launch of Korabl-Sputnik 2 occurred on 19 August 1960, using a
The spacecraft carried two dogs (
The bodies of Strelka and Belka were both preserved via taxidermy after their deaths and placed on display in the Moscow Museum of Space and Aeronautics.
See also
References
- ^ "Korabl'-Sputnik-2 - Orbit". Heavens Above. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Vostok". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2010.