Spaceships of the future: projects, problems, prospects. Space exploration is the concern of the commonwealth of countries. Orion - Passenger capsule for a large company

Mankind has been exploring outer space with manned spacecraft for more than half a century. Alas, during this time, figuratively speaking, it did not sail far. If we compare the universe to the ocean, we are just walking along the edge of the surf, ankle-deep in water. Once, however, we decided to swim a little deeper ( lunar program"Apollo"), and since then we live in memories of this event as the highest achievement.

So far, spacecraft have mostly served as delivery vehicles to and from Earth. The maximum duration of an autonomous flight, achievable by the reusable Space Shuttle, is only 30 days, and even then theoretically. But, perhaps, the spaceships of the future will become much more perfect and versatile?

Already the Apollo lunar expeditions have clearly shown that the requirements for future spacecraft can be strikingly different from the tasks for "space taxis". The Apollo lunar cabin had very little in common with streamlined ships and was not designed to fly in a planetary atmosphere. Some idea of how the spaceships of the future will look like, photos of American astronauts give more than clearly.

The biggest factor holding back episodic human research solar system, not to mention the organization of scientific bases on the planets and their satellites - radiation. Problems arise even with lunar missions lasting a week at most. And the one and a half year flight to Mars, which seemed to be about to take place, is being pushed further and further. Automated research has shown that it is deadly for humans along the entire route of an interplanetary flight. So the spacecraft of the future will inevitably acquire serious anti-radiation protection in combination with special biomedical measures for the crew.

It is clear that the sooner he gets to his destination, the better. But for a fast flight you need powerful engines. And for them, in turn, a highly efficient fuel that would not take up much space. Therefore, chemical propulsion engines will give way to nuclear ones in the near future. If, however, scientists succeed in taming antimatter, i.e., converting mass into light radiation, the spaceships of the future will acquire. In this case, we will talk about achieving relativistic speeds and interstellar expeditions.

Another serious obstacle to the development of the Universe by man will be the long-term maintenance of his life. In just a day, the human body consumes a lot of oxygen, water and food, emits solid and liquid waste, exhales carbon dioxide. It is pointless to take a full supply of oxygen and food with you on board because of their huge weight. The problem is solved by an onboard closed one. However, so far all experiments on this topic have not been successful. And without a closed LSS, spaceships of the future flying through space for years are unthinkable; pictures of artists, of course, amaze the imagination, but do not reflect the real state of affairs.

So, all projects of spaceships and starships are still far from real implementation. And humanity will have to come to terms with the study of the Universe by astronauts under cover and receiving information from automatic probes. But this, of course, is temporary. Astronautics does not stand still, and indirect signs show that a big breakthrough is brewing in this area of human activity. So, perhaps, the spaceships of the future will be built and make their first flights in the 21st century.

June 15th, 2014

All of us have seen a wide variety of space stations and space cities many times in science fiction films. But they are all unrealistic. Brian Verstig of Spacehabs uses real scientific principles to develop space station concepts that one day can actually be built. One such settlement station is Kalpana One. More precisely, an improved, modern version of the concept developed in the 1970s. Kalpana One is a cylindrical structure with a radius of 250 meters and a length of 325 meters. Approximate population level: 3,000 citizens.

Let's take a closer look at this city...

Photo 2.

“The Kalpana One Space Settlement is the result of research into the very real limits of the structure and form of huge space settlements. Since the late 60s and up to the 80s of the last century, mankind has absorbed the idea of those shapes and sizes of possible space stations of the future, which have been shown all this time in science fiction films and in various pictures. However, many of these forms had some design flaws, as a result of which in reality such structures would suffer from insufficient stability during rotation in space conditions. Other forms did not effectively use the ratio of structural and protective mass to create habitable areas,” says Verstig.

Photo 3.

“While searching for the form that would make it possible to create a living and habitable area under the influence of overloads and have the necessary protective mass, it was found that the oblong shape of the station would become the most suitable choice. Due to the sheer size and design of such a station, very little effort or adjustment would be needed to keep it from oscillating.”

Photo 4.

“With the same radius of 250 meters and a depth of 325 meters, the station will make two complete revolutions around itself per minute and create the feeling that a person, being in it, will experience the same feeling as if he were in the conditions of earth's gravity. And this is very important aspect, since gravity will allow us to live longer in space, because our bones and muscles will develop in the same way as they would develop on Earth. Since such stations in the future may become permanent place habitation for people, it is very important to create conditions on them that are as close as possible to the conditions on our planet. Make it so that people can not only work on it, but also relax. And relax with frills.

Photo 5.

“Although the physics of hitting or throwing, say, a ball will be very different in such an environment from the earth, the station will definitely offer a wide variety of sports (and not only) activities and entertainment.”

Photo 6.

Brian Verstig is a concept designer focused on working future technologies and space research. He has worked with numerous private space companies as well as printed publications, to whom he demonstrated the concepts of what humanity will use in the future to conquer space. The Kalpana One project is one such concept.

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And here are some more old concepts:

Scientific base on the moon. 1959 concept

Image: Youth Technique Magazine, 1965/10

Toroidal colony concept

Image: Don Davis/NASA/Ames Research Center

Developed by the NASA aerospace agency in the 1970s of the last century. As planned, the colony would have been intended for the life of 10,000 people. The design itself was modular and would allow new compartments to be connected. It would be possible to move in them on a special transport, called ANTS.

Image and presentation: Don Davis/NASA/Ames Research Center

Spheres Bernal

Image: Don Davis/NASA/Ames Research Center

Another concept was developed at NASA Ames Research Center in the 1970s. Population: 10,000. The main idea behind the Bernal Sphere is the spherical living quarters. The populated zone is located in the center of the sphere, it is surrounded by zones for agricultural and agricultural production. Used as lighting for residential and agricultural areas sunlight, which is redirected to them by a system of solar mirror batteries. Residual heat is emitted into space by special panels. Factories and docks for spaceships are located in a special long tube in the center of the sphere.

Image: Rick Guides/NASA/Ames Research Center

Image: Rick Guides /NASA/Ames Research Center

Cylindrical colony concept developed in the 1970s

Image: Rick Guides/NASA/Ames Research Center

Designed for a population of over one million people. The idea of the concept belongs to the American physicist Gerard K. Oneil.

Image: Don Davis/NASA/Ames Research Center

Image and presentation: Rick Guides/NASA/Ames Research Center

1975 View from inside the colony, the idea of the concept belongs to Oneil. Agricultural sectors with various types vegetables and plants are located on terraces, which are installed at each level of the colony. Light for the harvest is provided by mirrors that reflect the sun's rays.

Image: NASA/Ames Research Center

Image: Youth Technique Magazine, 1977/4

Huge orbital farms like this one in the picture will produce enough food for space settlers

Image: Delta, 1980/1

Mining colony on an asteroid

Image: Delta, 1980/1

Toroidal space colony of the future. 1982

Space base concept. 1984

Image: Les Bosinas/NASA/Glenn Research Center

Moon base concept. 1989

Image: NASA/JSC

The concept of a multifunctional Martian base. 1991

Image: NASA/Glenn Research Center

1995 Moon

Earth's natural satellite appears to be a great place to test equipment and prepare people for missions to Mars.

The special gravitational conditions of the Moon will be an excellent place for sports competitions.

Image: Pat Rawlings/NASA

1997 Ice mining in the dark craters of the lunar south pole opens up opportunities for human expansion inside the solar system. In this unique place, people from space colony powered by the Sun will produce fuel to send spacecraft from the lunar surface. Water from potential ice sources, or regolith, will flow inside the dome cells and prevent exposure to harmful radiation.

Image: Pat Rawlings/NASA

Anatoly Perminov addressed the members of the Federation Council in connection with the new space exploration programs planned for the near future by the Russian government. The head of Roscosmos informed about the current state of the industry and the prospects for its development in the current decade.

In his speech, Perminov criticized not only the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, but also its head, Mr. Kudrin. The head of the Federal Space Agency on the work of the Ministry of Finance said the following: “Today we are conquering markets only through our technologies in the field of space exploration, the policy followed by the Ministry of Finance does not allow us to in full carry out projects to conquer new foreign markets. We need to look up to China. In this country, a specific task has been set: in five years to occupy all the markets in Asia and South America Moreover, to invest in these promising markets on the basis of the financial component, Beijing has set the task, even despite the obvious damage to the national economy. In conquering markets, the main factor of victory is the financial component. Today we cooperate with Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Cuba. Together with these countries, we will create spacecraft.”

According to Perminov, Russia will gradually move away from the use of heavy Proton launch vehicles that operate on poisonous fuel. But this will happen only if the new Angara launch vehicle passes successful flight tests. The Angara launch vehicle uses environmentally friendly fuel. Its first launch is scheduled for 2013.

According to the head of Roskosmos, the leading space powers have not yet found components that could provide the same thrust as the fuel on which Proton runs. “All over the world, demethylhydrazine, as well as its various variations, TG-02, is used as fuel in heavy rockets. There are no other compromise components. The whole world continues to exploit these heavy missiles. If we abandon the Proton rocket, we will get a complete halt to the launches of dual-purpose and military vehicles, and commercial launches will be reduced by 50 percent,” Anatoly Perminov said.

In his report to the Russian senators, Anatoly Perminov also touched upon the prospects for the development and testing of the new Russian spacecraft Rus. In particular, he pointed out the following: “At least fifteen accident-free test launches in unmanned mode will be required. After a thorough analysis, a decision will be made to send the crew.” Unmanned test flights could take at least two years to complete. The first launch of the Rus rocket from the Vostochny cosmodrome will be carried out in 2015, and the launch with the crew will take place in 2018. The head of the space agency of the Russian Federation also said that after the completion of construction, the Vostochny cosmodrome will be operated for some time in parallel with the existing Baikonur and Plesetsk.

Anatoly Perminov is confident that an expedition to Mars will become a reality in a quarter of a century. “Of course, it is necessary to prepare for the flight. This is a long and gradual process. But we have nothing to fly yet. It is absurd to make a flight to Mars on those spacecraft and engines that are operated by us today, ”said the head of Roscosmos. “We are talking about the fact that we need to build a new ship with a completely changed megawatt-class nuclear installation, and only in this case it is possible to fly to Mars. Taking into account the use of new engines, the flight will take about a month, but this is realistic only after 2035. All this empty and absurd talk - like I agree to a one-way flight, just let me go to Mars - is just nonsense. What will be the result for science from such a flight? Obviously, none,” said the head of Roscosmos.

Vitaly Davydov, Deputy Head of Roskosmos, also spoke at the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, who told the senators about the results of testing the naval strategic missile Bulava. In particular, he said: “It would seem that the difficult period of the Bulava is behind us, we have now eliminated the shortcomings that were, and, in general, with some confidence we share the optimism of the developers in the sense that the work will be completed.”

The problems identified during the tests were solved thanks to state support measures. For the most part, the approval of the program for the development of the military-industrial complex contributed. The necessary funds were reserved in the budget to finance the projects started, including the allocation of funds for the preparation of production, which is associated with the Bulava.

Vitaly Davydov noted that rocket and space technology is one of the priorities in the adopted State Armaments Program-2020, funding for it has been increased, and this gives confidence in the development of space exploration in the future.

Orion

After the tragedy with the Columbia shuttle, the authority of the Space Shuttle program was seriously undermined, and NASA faced the task of creating a new reusable manned shuttle. In the mid-2000s, this project was called the Crew Exploration Vehicle, but subsequently acquired a more sonorous and beautiful name- Orion.

"Orion" is a partially manned reusable spacecraft, which, in fact, repeats technical design ships of the Apollo series, but has a much more perfect "stuffing", especially electronic. Almost everything has been updated - even the toilet in the new shuttle will be in the image of those used on the ISS.

It is assumed that the Orion ships will begin with near-Earth activities - mainly, they will be engaged in the delivery of astronauts to the orbital station. Then the fun begins: NASA representatives say that the new shuttle will be able to return a man to the moon, help land astronauts on an asteroid, and even make the "next giant leap" (Next Giant Leap is already officially one of the slogans accompanying the Orion program) - to allow man finally set foot on the surface of Mars.

The first serious test (Exploration Flight Test-1) of a largely finished ship will begin in December 2014 - however, it will only be an orbital and unmanned flight for primary tests. The first flight of astronauts on Orion is scheduled for the early 2020s. The most attractive, and thus the most likely (because of its relatively low cost) manned mission for NASA's new shuttle so far is to visit an asteroid previously delivered to lunar orbit.

Orion shuttle concept / ©NASA

SpaceShipTwo

The British company Virgin Galactic, headed by billionaire Richard Branson, is one of the locomotives of space tourism and is soon going to take commercial space to a new level.

Approximately by the end of 2014, the first passenger launches of the suborbital shuttle will begin, which for 250 thousand dollars will be able to ride six lucky people at an altitude of 110 km above sea level. This is 10 km higher than the Karman Line, the International Aviation Federation's boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space.

Rockets are not used when launching SpaceShipTwo; instead of them, the shuttle raises the main aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo, to the required height, then the ship is dropped, and the main - already rocket - engine is turned on on it, specially designed for it (RocketMotorTwo), which brings the ship to the cherished line of 110 km. Then the ship descends and re-enters the atmosphere at a speed of 4200 km/h (and can do it at any angle), and then sits on the airfield on its own.

The number of people signed up for the first flights of SpaceShipTwo is approaching a thousand. Among them are actors Ashton Kutcher and Angelina Jolie, as well as, for example, Justin Bieber. Seats for flying with Leonardo DiCaprio were generally raffled off at a charity auction - it turned out that many were not averse to paying a million dollars for such a service.

By the way, the UK's recent decision to build its own commercial spaceport was dictated, among other things, by the need to create infrastructure for companies such as Virgin Galactic. The company currently uses Spaceport America, located in the US state of New Mexico.

SpaceShipTwo in solo flight / ©MarsScientific

Dawn

The mission of the interplanetary automatic station Dawn ("Dawn") is unique: the satellite must explore a pair of dwarf planets of the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter), and directly from their orbit. If all goes well, this device will become the first satellite in history to visit the orbits of two different celestial bodies (not including the Earth).

Developed by NASA and launched in 2007, and equipped with an experimental ion thruster, the vehicle has already successfully completed its mission to explore the rocky protoplanet Vesta in 2012. All data received by the satellite is in the public domain.

At the moment, Dawn is heading for even more interesting object- Ice Ceres. This protoplanet (previously classified as an asteroid) has a diameter of 950 kilometers and is very close to a spherical shape. Having a mass of a third of the entire asteroid belt, Ceres could officially become a planet (5th from the Sun), but in 2006, together with Pluto, it received the status of a dwarf planet. According to calculations, the ice mantle on its surface can reach 100 km in depth; it means that fresh water more on Ceres than on Earth.

Both objects - both Vesta and Ceres - are of great interest to scientists. Their study will allow us to delve deeper into the understanding of the processes occurring during the formation of planets, as well as the factors influencing it.

Dawn is expected to orbit Ceres in February 2015.

Dawn approaching Vesta concept / ©NASA/JPL-Caltech

New Horizons

A little later, in July 2015, another major event is planned related to the mission of another interplanetary automatic station. Around this time, Pluto's orbit will be reached by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, launched in 2006, whose mission is to carefully study Pluto and its satellites, as well as a couple of objects in the Kuiper Belt (depending on which will be most accessible in around the satellite in 2015)

At the moment, the device has a striking record - it has reached the highest speed in comparison with any device launched from Earth, and is heading towards Pluto at a speed of 16.26 km / s. To achieve this, New Horizons was helped by the gravitational acceleration that he received when flying near Jupiter.

By the way, many research functions of the apparatus were tested on Jupiter and its satellites. After leaving the Jovian system, the energy-saving apparatus plunged into a "sleep" from which it would only be awakened by the approach of Pluto.

The concept of New Horizons against the backdrop of Pluto and its moon / ©NASA

Don Quijote

The mission of the interplanetary automatic station "Don Quixote", developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), is truly chivalrous. Consisting of two vehicles - the research "Sancho" and the "impact" "Hidalgo", "Don Quixote" will have to demonstrate once and for all whether humanity can be saved from an imminent asteroid fall by forcing a potential murderer to change course.

It is assumed that both parts of the device will reach some pre-selected asteroid with a diameter of about 500 meters. "Sancho" will revolve around him, doing the necessary research.

When everything is ready, Sancho will move away from the asteroid to a safe distance, and Hidalgo will crash into it at a speed of 10 km / s. Then the Sancho will again study the object - more precisely, what consequences the collision left: whether the asteroid's course has changed, how strong the destruction is in its structure, etc.

Don Quixote is scheduled to launch around 2016.

Luna Globe

Projects of lunar vehicles are being revived in Russia, and people responsible for the Russian space industry are increasingly talking about creating a lunar colony with a tricolor.

The creation of a space base on the Moon is still a distant prospect, but the projects of interplanetary automatic stations for research artificial satellite Lands are quite feasible right now, and for several years now the main one in Russia has been the Luna-Globe program - in fact, the first necessary step towards a potential lunar settlement.

The interplanetary automatic probe "Luna-Glob" will mainly consist of a landing descent vehicle. It will land on the lunar surface in its south polar region, presumably in the Boguslavsky crater, and work out the mechanism for landing on the lunar surface. The probe will also study the lunar soil - drilling in order to take soil samples and further analyze it for the presence of ice (water is necessary both for the life of astronauts and potentially as hydrogen fuel for rockets).

The launch of the device was postponed many times due to various reasons, at the moment, 2015 is called the launch year. In the future, before the manned flight planned for the 2030s, it is planned to launch several more heavier probes, including Luna-Resource, which will also study the Moon and other necessary preparatory activities for the future landing of astronauts.

dream chaser

The Dream Chaser mini-shuttle from Sierra Nevada Corporation is being developed for NASA as a reliable and reusable manned vehicle for suborbital and orbital flights. The Dream Chaser is supposed to be used to deliver astronauts to the ISS.

The launch of the device is carried out by the Atlas-5 rocket. The shuttle itself, capable of carrying 7 people, is powered by hybrid rocket engines. Landing, like SpaceShipTwo, it carries out independently and horizontally - at the spaceport.

Along with SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's CST-100, the Dream Chaser is a commercial contender for US and NASA's new primary manned spacecraft (all three projects have received government funding). It is worth noting that these devices are being developed by the private sector of the American space industry with partial state support and are aimed at operations in near-Earth space. As for activities in deeper space, NASA already has its own manned spacecraft program, and this is the Orion mentioned above.

Most recently (July 22, 2014), Dream Chaser tests were carried out, which showed the readiness of all key systems for space flights. The first test manned flight of the shuttle is scheduled for 2016.

Inspiration Mars

Of course, many people know about the Mars One project, a planned space reality show, the authors of which are now holding a worldwide competition to select applicants for a manned flight to Mars by the early 2020s and the creation of a permanent human settlement there. However, there is another similar project - Inspiration Mars.

The Inpsiration Mars Foundation is non-profit organization, created by the first space tourist - American Dennis Tito. Tito intends to raise the necessary funds and send two people to spaceship to Mars. There are no plans to land or enter orbit; only a flyby of the Red Planet and return to Earth. With luck, the mission should take 501 days.

It is supposed to attract funds both from the private sector and from the US budget; in total, from 1 to 2 billion dollars is required, the exact cost has not yet been named. The American Orion is called as an apparatus that can be involved in the mission.

Tito believes that the flight should be completed as early as 2018 (Mars at this moment will again be as close as possible to the Earth, which will create favorable conditions for interplanetary flight; the next time this will be only in 2031).

There is also a “Plan B” in case the mission is not ready by 2018: extend the mission to 589 days, launch the device in 2021 and fly not only past Mars, but also past Venus.

James WebbTelescope

A space telescope that costs more than three Curiosity rovers. The James Webb Telescope is the successor to the world-famous Hubble telescope (which continues to age). Not only the United States, but also 16 other countries participated in the development of the project. NASA received substantial assistance from the space agencies of Europe and Canada.

The $8 billion telescope (the latest figure released by Congress) is expected to be launched on an Arian 5 rocket in October 2018 and placed at the Lagrange point between the Sun and Earth.

The main mirror of the telescope consists of 18 gilded movable mirrors connected into one, and has a diameter of 6.5 meters. The telescope will "see" in the optical, near and mid-infrared ranges. It will be used to study early stages development of the Universe and see the celestial bodies extremely distant from our galaxy, as well as to make clearer than ever pictures of objects in the solar system.

In terms of its capabilities, James Webb will surpass not only Hubble, but also another important space telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope.

JUICE

The interplanetary automatic station Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer is likely to change our understanding of the small bodies of the solar system. The JUICE satellite, developed by ESA, will go to Jupiter in 2022 and will engage in long-awaited studies of some of the most interesting objects in the solar system - the three closest and largest satellites of Jupiter from the so-called Galilean group: Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

It is assumed that each of these celestial bodies has an under-ice ocean, that is, theoretically, the conditions for the origin of life. JUICE will study closely physical characteristics these satellites, the search for organic molecules and the study of the composition of ice (remotely, through scientific equipment on board).

The data obtained by JUICE will help analyze Jovian moons as potential targets for future manned missions. In the event of a successful launch at the scheduled time, the device will reach the Jupiter system in 2030.

The Russian orbital station, which will replace the ISS, will be eternal, according to the annual report. talks about the largest near-Earth laboratory currently operating, prospects Russian station and space plans of other countries, primarily the United States and China.

It is planned to operate the ISS until at least 2024. After that, the work of the laboratory will be completed or extended for another four years. The ISS partners, primarily the US, Russia, and Japan, have not yet made a decision. Meanwhile, the future of the ISS is directly related to the development of new space technologies.

Deadline

After the separation of the Russian segment from the ISS, the Russian orbital laboratory will consist of three modules: a multi-purpose laboratory with improved operational characteristics"Science", the nodal "Prichal" and scientific and energy. Later, the national station is planned to be equipped with three more modules - transformable, gateway and power.

The main goal of the laboratory is to become a platform for testing deep space exploration technologies. As reported in the annual report of the RKK, it is assumed that "the continuous operation of the station due to the replacement of modules that have exhausted their resource." Although the first three modules should be part of the ISS, none of them have yet been launched to the station. The reasons are the same. Consider, for example, the situation with the Science module.

The Deputy Prime Minister agreed with him. “The question of the future of manned programs should be discussed, and not go with the flow, being responsible only for the process, but not for the result. The opinion of this expert should be heeded, and not habitually dismissed. We are waiting for an objective analysis of the situation and specific proposals from Roskosmos. Otherwise, we will lag behind not only the United States, but also other space powers. Only nostalgia for the old days will remain, ”-