Baikonur is now: Running the "Union"

Writes Dmitry Chistoprudov:

The key point of our route was the Baikonur Cosmodrome. In order to catch the missile launch, we had to sacrifice a lot, but it was worth it. April 28 at 23:15 local time, was successfully launched a space rocket "Soyuz-U" with transport cargo vehicle "Progress M-05M", which is delivered to the ISS 2,600 kg of various cargoes. Today we tell about the Russian GIBDDshniki, about some of the Baikonur site, about the museum, rail car, Buran, and of course about the missile launch.

31 photos

1. We hit a little Russian. Baikonur is legislation of the Russian Federation, in stores accept rubles. People vote in elections like residents of Odintsovo district, Moscow region, traffic police fines are issued also by Odintsovo. We stopped off for dipped and written warning. Another 15 minutes we had to wait until the policeman shall be satisfied with the stories about this rally and give the documents.





2. All the machinery rooms with 94 region, which includes territory outside the Russian Federation, served the Department of sensitive sites MVD of Russia. In the city you can find a lot of cars with Kazakh numbers.



3. Tanks oxygen-nitrogen plant, which was created under the program "Energy-Buran" and now his power is redundant, so for the production of fuel components plant starts twice a year, during the cooler periods, as in cool weather consumes less energy for liquefaction air, from which the fuel components.



4. facilities for the missile tests on different loads on a shaker.



5. The infamous building operations and checkout building "Energia" (MIC-112). It was built in 1966-67 to build a Soviet rocket for the flight to the moon H-1. Then, in the mid-70s, it was converted into the program "Energy-Buran". Housing height - 80 meters, area - 254h112 meters. After closing the program reusable Flight 112 Corps was subjected to barbaric plunder: the locals dragged out of him, that it was possible off the ground. On the morning of May 12, 2002 the roof collapsed and blocked the only rising into space the Soviet Space Shuttle "Buran" and its carrier rocket "Energy" and eight people.



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7. This area №1, or "Gagarin's Start" - the oldest on the Baikonur launch facility and its design and construction were carried out in the shortest possible time. After the flight of Yuri Gagarin's space This item was named "Gagarin's Start". It is from here, and will today start "Soyuz-U".



8. Prior to the start to get closer fails - conducted refueling rocket fuel.



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11. However, on Mars! )))



12. On the territory of the cosmodrome can often find abandoned buildings of military units. By 2009, the Russian military left the Baikonur cosmodrome and now he passed Roskosmos. Only a few small military units assisting in the launches of satellites for defense purposes. Russia considers it a promising transfer of manned launches new Russian cosmodrome "East" in the Amur region.



13. We also visited the museum on the territory of the cosmodrome. Listen to stories about the history of space exploration was interesting, but there was nothing to photograph. This, for example, stand dedicated space food in conditions of weightlessness.



14. It looked like a Soviet cosmonaut.



15. Fragments of the suit, which weighed 25 kilograms.



16. At the biosatellite "Cosmos-110" was created to send animals into space in 1966 were launched mongrel dogs breeze and Sooty. The duration of the flight was 23 days, up to now, this is a record for flight duration for dogs.



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18 Layout of the cosmodrome.



19. Layout static test orbiter "Buran".



20. A total of eight Buranov manufactured for various tests. Two were prepared for space flight, one of which flew successfully. Another two were engines of the Tu-154, and they practiced flying flight in the atmosphere and landing.



21. In the cockpit.



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22. Each site Baikonur daily walks several rail car that transported staff from the Baikonur and back.

All cars Compartment and, despite old age, are kept clean and tidy. While we were in the museum, the weather deteriorated sharply - flew thick clouds and strong winds began.

Depending on the platform train passes from 30 to 90 kilometers at one end. Time on the road away from forty minutes to two hours.



24. Prior to the start of the stay is less than an hour. Strong winds hinder easy to photograph. We even feared not cancel any missile launch? But we were told that this wind - nothing, in the winter is much stronger.
The moment of disconnection from the rocket towers. Around evaporation is oxidant - hydrogen peroxide and oxygen.



25. Start. There was a dull roar and a cloud of smoke and flames enveloped the launch pad.



26. Rise. At first slowly, then faster and faster the rocket began to rise into the sky. The deafening sound of the engines shook the stands.



27. For me, it was Elijah's first shot of life take-off missiles and we have no idea how best to shoot night launch. As a result, during take-off of light was enough to shoot with it, but for reassurance we were shooting with a tripod. All zoom shots did Ilya 400mm lens.



28. If the peer (thin line right of the main track), we can see a declining trajectory of the rocket - a rocket flew around the earth. At 501 seconds, she went into its orbit. Three days later, on May 1, was carried out docking of the cargo ship "Progress M-05M" with the International Space Station.



29 After the launch, we made a few pictures from the platform.



30 masts process information.



31 Devices for transporting missiles.



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