USSR-1
USSR-1 | |
---|---|
USSR-1 over Moscow Kremlin on a 1933 postage stamp (Scott C37).
Here the balloon is shown in low altitude configuration; in stratosphere the envelope expanded into a nearly perfect sphere. The balloon did not pass over the Kremlin directly, but it was clearly in sight for the first few hours of the flight.[1] | |
Role | Stratospheric research Helium balloon |
National origin | Soviet Union |
Manufacturer | First Airship Division |
Number built | 1 |
Developed from | Osoaviakhim-1 |
USSR-1 (
After the crash of
Design
Auguste Piccard's high-altitude flights of 1930–1932 aroused the interest of Soviet Air Forces and Osoaviakhim, the Soviet paramilitary training organization, as well as individual pilots, designers and flight enthusiasts. Civilian projects by Osoaviakhim and the national Meteorology Committee were delayed by lack of finance, and in the first half 1933 the military stratospheric program had a solid lead in time.
Air Forces project was led by commander of the First Airship Division
Gas envelope of USSR-1 was of conventional design, differing from low-altitude balloons only in its size (24,500 cubic meters at stratospheric altitudes). It employed around five thousand meters[ambiguous] of thin fabric made in Noginsk that what impregnated with 25 layers of latex-based sealant[1] and sewn into the desired shape at a rubber factory in Khamovniki.[4]
The crew's lives depended on the integrity of the gondola skin:
Failed launch
USSR-1 was ready to fly in the beginning of September 1933. The upcoming
The huge bag rose groggily about 10 ft. It wobbled sideways across the airdrome, but not an inch higher would it go. The ground crew dragged the bag back; part of the heavy apparatus was unloaded. Still no luck. After two hours of struggle, Air Commander Garankidze[6] wearily ordered: "De- flate."[7]
Record flight
Next attempt to launch USSR-1 was scheduled on September 30, 1933;
Prokofiev reported status to Air Forces chief
Clear skies and benign winds in stratosphere allowed continuous visual contact between ground stations and USSR-1, however, the flight of Osoaviakhim-1, scheduled to take off later than USSR-1, was cancelled due to unexpected strong winds at ground level. Prokofiev's altitude readings, reported by radio, were immediately re-broadcast by
Fully half the 80,000 population of Kolomna, carefully primed by Dictator
Moscow River to greet the aeronauts. Pilot George Prokofiev mounted the gondola, harangued the crowd with a lecture in which he credited the flight's success entirely to the Proletarian Revolution and the Communist Party.[8]
After the flight the crewmembers, three designers and plant manager responsible for building USSR-1 were awarded the Order of Lenin, then the highest award for military or civil achievement. The flight was commemorated by an issue of postage stamps (Scott C37, C38, C39).
USSR-1 Bis
After the crash of Osoaviakhim-1, the military demanded an overhaul of safety procedures and features. While the USSR-1 gondola was deliberately designed for safety, in case of the catastrophic failure of the balloon the crew had to bail out on personal parachutes. The Osoaviakhim-1 envelope and suspension failed at altitudes where humans were not yet able to bail out, its crew members probably incapacitated by high g-forces as the gondola erratically rotated around its remaining suspension cables.[11] Thus the designers focused on assuring crew survival above 8,000 meters mark. USSR-1 was re-fitted with new suspension with a quick-release latch that enabled instant separation of the gondola from the envelope, and a large (1,000 square meters, 34 meters diameter) parachute capable of stabilizing the fall at safe speeds; the upgraded aircraft was renamed USSR-1 Bis.[4]
The USSR-1 Bis with military pilots Christian Zille (flight commander), Yury Prilutsky (co-pilot) and professor Alexander Verigo as an on-board researcher lifted off from Kuntsevo at 05:25, June 26, 1935. Prokofiev was in charge of ground control. By 8:00 it reached maximum scheduled altitude, 16,000 meters. A brief stay at this level was terminated by an unexpected descent, probably caused by losing hydrogen through a faulty valve; soon, under 15,000 meters, vertical speed passed the safety limits, threatening to destroy the USSR-1 Bis in an Osoaviakhim-1-like crash dive. Dumping ballast initially slowed the descent, but vertical airspeed picked up again. Zille ordered Verigo and Prilutsky to bail out; they jumped at 3,500 and 2,500 meters, respectively.[4]
Zille, aware that the externally carried gondola parachute was tied to the same structural ring that also carried scientific instruments, feared that the dynamic shock caused by parachute deployment would destroy the instruments. Instead of deploying the parachute, he dumped unnecessary items left in the gondola, stabilizing descent speed at three meters per second. Shortly before landing, as a precaution, he stepped outside the gondola, holding onto external ladder steps; the landing near Trufanovo, Tula Oblast turned out to be soft and safe. The crew were hailed as heroes and awarded the Order of Lenin.[4][12]
Legacy
Fragments from the USSR-1 were used to wrap an issue of USSR in Construction about the 17th Congress of the Communist Party.[13]
See also
Notes and references
- ^ a b c d e f g h Garry, Kassil
- ^ Soviet Union did not participate in FAI, thus Soviet records were not recognized by FAI.
- ^ Shayler, 2000, p. 20
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Druzhinin
- ^ Duranty, Walter (September 25, 1933). "Big Soviet balloon refuses to go up". The New York Times, September 24, 1933. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
- ^ Ground launch controller, F. G. Garakanidze.
- Time magazine, October 2, 1933. October 2, 1933. Archived from the originalon November 22, 2010. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ Time magazine, October 9, 1933. October 9, 1933. Archived from the originalon November 22, 2010. Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- ^ Duranty, Walter (October 1, 1933). "Soviet aeronauts ascend 11.8 miles for world record". The New York Times, October 1, 1933. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
- ^ Kaempffert, Waldemar (October 8, 1933). "The week in science: record heights". The New York Times, October 8, 1933. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
- ^ Istochnik, investigation commission report dated February 5, 1934.
- ^ "Soviet balloon ascends 10 miles". The New York Times, June 26, 1935. June 27, 1935. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
- ^ "USSR in Construction". University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
Sources
- Brontman, Lazar (1939). "Diaries, 1939–1940 (in Russian)". Retrieved 2009-04-11.
- Druzhinin, Yu. A. (2006). "Polyoty v stratosfery v SSSR v 1930-e g. (Полёты в стратосферу в СССР в 1930-е г.)". Voprosy istorii estestvoznania i tehniki (in Russian) (4). Archived from the original on 2010-12-06.
- Garry, A., Kassil, L. (1934). Potolok mira (Потолок мира). Moscow.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Istochnik journal staff (1997). "Dokumenty o katastrophe stratostata Osoaviakhim-1 (Документы о катастрофе стратостата Осоавиахим-1)". Istochnik (in Russian) (2).
- Maxwell, Alexander (January 1936). "Sky high, why not?". Popular Mechanics: 26–27, 136A.
- Shayler, David (2000). Disasters and accidents in manned spaceflight. Springer. pp. 20–22. ISBN 978-1-85233-225-9.