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The ten largest in the history of space disasters. Photo

Десять самых крупных в истории космических катастроф. ФотоThe conquest of space has always been associated with big risks.

History of the conquest of space and has a tragic side. During space flights, in preparations or in case of unsuccessful rocket launches has killed at least 330 people. The 10 largest cosmic catastrophes, some of them changed the space program forever.

Десять самых крупных в истории космических катастроф. Фото

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Space Shuttle Challenger

The number killed: 7 people

Year: 1986

Country: USA

The bottom line: a spaceship with a full crew on Board exploded in the air after launch

The official reason: the depressurization of the elements of the solid propellant booster/low-quality technology

In the mid-80s the program “space Shuttle” experienced an unprecedented rise. A successful mission followed one another, and the launch vehicle was carried out so often that the breaks between them sometimes was not more than 20 days. The mission of the space Shuttle “Challenger STS-51-L” was somewhat unusual: on a space ship in addition to the astronauts was a school teacher Christa McAuliffe, who conceived of the project “Teacher in space” was to spend a couple of lessons from outer space. Therefore, the stream of Shuttle launch on television watched a huge number of people – up to 17% of the population.

On the morning of 28 January, the Shuttle soared into the Florida sky from Cape Canaveral under the admiring applause of the audience, but after 73 seconds, exploded, and falling off from the ship wreckage plummeted into the ground. The astronauts survived the explosion but died upon landing from the impact of the cabin on the water at the speed of 330 km/h.

After the explosion, the operators continued to take pictures of the event using multiple cameras, and in the shot of the faces of the people watching at this point, starting from the observation platform of the cosmodrome. Among them were the relatives of all seven crew members. Thus was removed one of the most dramatic stories in the history of television.

Was immediately declared a ban on the use of the Shuttle for 32 months. After this incident, the technology of solid-fuel boosters has been seriously modified, and shuttles added the parachute recovery system of the astronauts.

Shuttle Columbia

The number killed: 7 people

Year: 2003

Country: USA

The bottom line: the spacecraft burned up in reentry with a full crew on Board

The official reason: the damage of the insulating layer on the wing apparatus/ignoring the technical staff of the lung problems

On the morning of 1 February, the crew of space Shuttle “Columbia STS-107” returned to Earth after a successful space mission. Initially, the entry into the atmosphere went normally, but soon the temperature gauge on the left wing of the plane apparatus was transferred to the mission control Center abnormal values. Then four sensors of the hydraulic system of the vehicle in the same wing was off the scale for low, and after 5 minutes of contact with the ship was lost. While MCC workers were arguing about what happened with sensors, one of the TV channels showed live the flaming silhouette of the Shuttle, falling apart. The entire crew was killed.

This tragedy has hit so hard by the prestige of American space exploration that the Shuttle flights were immediately imposed a temporary ban, and then US President George Bush after some time, announced that the program “space Shuttle” technology is outdated and will be shut down, and NASA resources should be allocated for the creation of new manned spacecraft. It was during the moratorium on Shuttle flights in 2003, the Americans were first forced to turn to Russia with a request to send astronauts to the ISS using the Russian Soyuz. Coincidentally, in the same year, after 9 months, for the first time in history in the space left by the Chinese, successfully carried out a manned launch of the device “Shenzhou-5”. On the background of the tragedy with the Columbia it was very hard to swallow for American leadership.

Apollo 1

Number of victims: 3 people

Year: 1967

Country: USA

The bottom line: the crew burned to death during simulation training in the command module of the ship

The official reason: spark, short-circuit current/likely, poorly insulated wiring

In the midst of the moon race between the superpowers, the overriding priority was speed. The Americans knew that the Soviet Union is also building a lunar Shuttle, and were in a hurry with realization of the program “Apollo”. Unfortunately, this affected not only the quality of the technology.

In 1966 was successfully carried out launches of unmanned “Apollo-1”, at the end of February 1967 was planned first launch of manned version of the device. To start training the crew to Cape Canaveral was delivered the first version of the command module of the ship. The problems began from the outset, the module was seriously flawed and needed changes, the engineers have done already. On January 27, was assigned to the simulation training of the crew in the command module; it was supposed to test the devices before conditional launching.

Virgil Grissom, ed white and Roger Chaffee entered the module at approximately the hour of the day. In the cockpit instead of air was pumped pure oxygen, they soon began training. It was held at constant faults, then the connection is disconnected, then Grissom noticed a strange odor in the cockpit, and training had to stop. During another test, the sensors recorded a power surge (probably during a short circuit). After 10 seconds, at 18:31 local time, the white shouted into dynamics, “we Have a fire in the cockpit!”. Some eyewitnesses claim that the camera captures, as white made his way to the hatch in a desperate attempt to open it. After a few seconds the staff of the cosmodrome heard from the speakers Creek Chaffee “I’m burning!”, the connection is terminated and the module could not stand the internal pressure and burst. Came to the rescue to his people have not been able to do anything – the whole crew was dead.

Десять самых крупных в истории космических катастроф. Фото

The cabin of Apollo 1 after fire ©NASA

After the tragedy, have taken a number of measures: replacement of all materials in the module on non-combustible, coating the wires with Teflon, replacing the hatch on the model, opening outward, and changing the composition of the artificial atmosphere before starting with pure oxygen passed on his share in the 60%, other 40% was occupied by nitrogen.

Soyuz-1

The number of deaths: 1 person

Year: 1967

Country: USSR

The bottom line: the spaceship was not able to slow down the fall after entering the atmosphere and crashed from hitting the ground

The official reason: did not deploy main brake chute/defect or error in the production

23 APR anticipated first ever test of manned spacecraft series “the Union”. USSR in recent years has lagged significantly behind the US, while across the Atlantic every few months set new space records. Despite the fatal design flaw of the device, the user of the space industry decided to conduct tests in the designated day.

“Soyuz-1” with pilot Viktor Komarov went into orbit. It was intended to dock in space with another ship “Soyuz – 2”, which was supposed to be launched with its crew of three later. However, “Union-1” did not deploy one of the solar panels, and the crew of the second ship did not fly. Komarov was ordered to return to Earth, which he did almost manually due to the insufficient consideration of the orientational capabilities of the ship.

Thanks to the professionalism of the pilot, the entry into the atmosphere went well, but at the last stage of landing, the main braking parachute failed to open. Alternate also revealed, but confused, and the ship soon crashed into the planet’s surface with a speed of 50 m/s. Komarov was killed.

After the incident, further execution of the program of manned launches of the Soyuz was postponed for 18 months, the braking system was tested on 6 unmanned launches made a lot of improvements construction.

Soyuz-11

Number of victims: 3 people

Year: 1971

Country: USSR

The bottom line: the crew died during reentry due to decompression

The official reason: premature opening of the vent valve, depressurization of a cabin of the vehicle likely to defect technology valves

The mission of the crew of “Soyuz-11” was docked with the orbital station “Salyut-1” and various works on Board. Despite some difficulties, the crew was able to work at the station 11 days. Then been a serious fire, and the cosmonauts were ordered to return to Earth.

Entry into an atmosphere, deceleration, and landing outwardly, everything went normally, but the questions of the MCC astronauts did not answer. When the sunroof apparatus is opened, all the crew members were dead. It soon became clear that they suffered from decompression sickness – a depressurization of the ship at high altitude, why the pressure is suddenly dropped to an unacceptable level. Suits in the spacecraft was not – that was his design. Because of the unbearable pain the astronauts were not able to fix the problem, according to some versions, it was impossible.

After this tragedy, the pilots “Union” became mandatory to supply the suits, which had to run the crews of two instead of three (the suits take up much space and cab “Unions” were very close). With time the design improved, and “Unions” again began to fly in threes.

It’s all disaster in the history associated with manned flights or preparation for them (in the case of “Apollo-1”). However, there is another type of tragedies that, with some reservations, can also be attributed to cosmic catastrophes. He took ten times greater number of lives. We are talking about accidental launches.

The disaster at Baikonur

The number of deaths: 78-126

Year: 1960

Country: USSR

The bottom line: fire the fuel tanks of a rocket before launch, the strongest fire

The official reason: premature activation of one of the rocket engines/breach of security measures

Just six months before the legendary flight of Gagarin at the cosmodrome Baikonur was a tragedy so terrible that all data was securely kept secret, despite the huge number of victims, and the world could know about it only shortly before the collapse of the USSR in 1989.

In connection with the aggravation of international relations because “the Berlin crisis”, Khrushchev in 1959 ordered to accelerate the development of Intercontinental ballistic missiles. On October 24, 1960, was assigned to testing at Plesetsk missile R-16. Rocket, the assurances of many required significant improvements, there were disputes about whether to postpone the test. The majority voted for the continuation of the work, and the head of the strategic rocket forces Marshal Nedelin, who led the launch, on assurances of eyewitnesses, responded to the objection with the words – “I will speak to Nikita?… A rocket to finalize at the start, the country is waiting for us.”

Nedelin with some other participants of the project is located just 17 metres from the rocket, giving an example of what the fear of starting is not necessary. Announced on 30-minute readiness, but soon there was a non-starting engine of the second stage, whose flames were able to break the already not ready to start perimembrane fuel tanks. Started an avalanche of fire, waves of fire went in all directions, witnesses say that saw the burning of people fled screaming from the rocket. Rescue work was able to begin only two hours later when the flames died down.

Десять самых крупных в истории космических катастроф. Фото

Left – the explosion of R-16, to the right is the wreckage of the rocket on the launch pad ©Wikimedia Commons

After the tragedy, the security mode at the spaceport, as well as the organization of missile launches were seriously modified.

A fire in a missile silo, Searcy, Arkansas

The number of deaths: 53

Year: 1965

The bottom line: a fire in a closed missile silo

The official reason: leak of oxygen because of damage to the hydraulic hose

August 8 in one of the launchers of rocket mines near the settlement of Searcy work was carried out under the program of modernization Project YARD FENCE. When upgrading the 7-story of mine decided to leave the Intercontinental ballistic missile LGM-25C Titan-2 internally, but for security reasons it was removed from the warhead.

One of the workers accidentally damaged a hydraulic hose cutter, he began to pour a flammable liquid. Couples spread throughout the mine, those who felt it, rushed to the upper floors, where was the exit. Subsequently there was a spontaneous ignition and fire killed 53 workers. Only two of them managed to leave the mine and escape.

The rocket did not detonate, the mine was recovered only 13 months later.

Десять самых крупных в истории космических катастроф. Фото

Rocket Titan-2 in silos ©Wikimedia Commons

The catastrophe at the Plesetsk cosmodrome

The number of deaths: 48

Year: 1980

Country: USSR

The bottom line: the explosion of fuel tanks of the rocket before launch

The official reason: the presence of catalytically active materials in the filters fuel tanks/negligence of the design Bureau

March 18 at the Baikonur preparing to launch a rocket “Vostok” spy satellite “Icarus” on Board. Was filling a variety of fuels – kerosene, liquid oxygen, nitrogen. At the last stage of filling is carried out with hydrogen peroxide.

At this stage the fire occurred, in which 300 tons of fuel detonated. Began a strong fire, which killed on the spot 44. Four died of burns, the number of surviving wounded 39.

The Commission blamed the negligence of the combat calculation, carried out the launch. Only 16 years later independent investigation, in which was mentioned the use of hazardous materials in the construction of fuel filters for hydrogen peroxide.

The disaster at the Alcantara cosmodrome, Brazil

Number of victims: 21

Year: 2003

Country: Brazil

The bottom line: the impact of unplanned start one of the engines

The official reason: “dangerous concentration of noxious gases, damage to the sensors and electromagnetic interference” (report of the state Commission)

On August 25, was assigned to the launch VLS-3. Venue – the Alcantara launch site in the North of the country, very convenient for space launches because of its proximity to the equator. With the successful launch of the rocket with two satellites on Board was supposed to make Brazil the first space power in Latin America. It was already the third attempt of the country to receive this status, after two previous failed launches.

August 22 was held for the final test, close the missiles were about 100 people. Suddenly joined by one of the four engines of the first stage of the rocket, started a fire and later an explosion occurred in the fuel tanks. Rocket and a 10-storey construction of the launch pad was completely destroyed by the explosion.

After the incident, the Brazilian space program was at the time paralyzed – many scientists and engineers working on the rocket, died in the explosion, moreover, began a full investigation. The exact technical cause of the accident, however, set never was.

Десять самых крупных в истории космических катастроф. Фото

Ruins the start of the drop-off at the Baikonur Alcantara ©Wikimedia Commons

The disaster at the Baikonur Xichang, China

The number of deaths: 6-100

Year: 1996

Country: China

The bottom line: the falling rocket after the launch of the populated village

The official reason: damage of the gold-aluminum wiring in one of the engines

In the second half of the 1990s, China began to actively deploy its own space program. In 1996 an agreement was signed between Russia and China on cooperation in the field of manned space exploration, which, according to experts, China has provided the necessary technological base for a breakthrough in the development of their space industry.

Cooperation was conducted with the United States in 1996 Chinese rocket family “Great campaign” was put into orbit the American communication satellite Intelsat 708. The launch was scheduled for February 15 local time. A starting place was chosen the Xichang launch site in southwest China.

The rocket was launched in the allotted time, but soon began to tip and after only 22 seconds fell to the village near the launch site and exploded.

The Commission on incident investigation has been created in the United States and in China. And if both expert groups agreed with each other in the technical cause of the accident, the victims rating their results vary widely. The Chinese leadership announced 6 deaths, American experts on hundred.

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