The history of space cooperation

In the history of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union / Russia relations were periods of exacerbation and discharge, which, of course, reflected in the level of cooperation in space exploration. Now, in the next period of strained relations, I think it would be useful to recall how the cooperation between our countries in space.

«Luna 2" and British mediators h4>

From left to right: "Luna 2" Telescope. Jodrell Bank Lovell, Eisenhower and Khrushchev i>
September 12, 1959. Soviet Union launches the "Luna-2" with the task of getting into the moon. The Soviet space program was very closed and usually not announced preparations for the launch of a mission. To the world did not raise doubts about the reality of this run, it would be nice to get confirmation of a foreign signal honesty, and open signal when released into the moon. Contact directly with the Americans was not possible - the Cold War closed the possibility of communication, even for such a peaceful and scientific tasks. It was therefore decided to use an intermediary - Professor Lovell, director of the British Jodrell Bank Observatory. The hope was that the British were informed of flight parameters stations Americans who keep track of flight "Luna-2" for its observatory. And so it was, for 14 September, when the station crashed into the Moon, director of NASA's Dryden told reporters on tracking "Luna 2" together with Professor Lavelle, confirming the success of the Soviet Union.
September 15, 1959 a historic visit Khrushchev in the USA under the warming of relations between the superpowers, and a copy of the pennant, which was delivered by "Luna-2" on the moon, was donated to Eisenhower.
Curiously, for lunar machine series E-1 Cold War did not end on this episode. USSR organized exhibition of his achievements, which went on exhibitions in the capitalist countries. And the CIA cranked целую espionage operation involving dozens of people to secretly access to the exhibition instance, make measurements and photographs, as well as steal a few forgotten in the station wires. It has been found that this serial device, and the layout is not prepared to show manufactured fifth. Also, the measurements could make assumptions about the characteristics of the engine and the third stage ( block "E» ).

High visits h4>

Tereshkova fastens icon Armstrong CPC i>
And the cosmonauts and astronauts visited the city "potential enemy". In 1962 Titov visited the United States:

Glenn Kennedy, Titov i>
( to watch film ).
In 1969, astronaut Frank Borman ("Gemini 7", "Apollo 8") visited the USSR («Новости Day »), in 1970 - Neil Armstrong:

Ear Camping near Novosibirsk. From left to right: Feoktistov, Armstrong, Coast, Academician Lavrentiev, source photo . I>
Tellingly, the people gladly welcomed that the astronauts that the astronauts.

spy story with the "Lunokhod 2» h4>

After planting, the "Lunokhod-2" occurred almost spy story. Quote «Space News», №23, 1995 :
Oleg Ivanovsky told about Genrikhovich photocard district works Lunokhod-2, it is an interesting story. Immediately after the landing of the Moon-21 in the Sea of Serenity arrived in Moscow, the US delegation to discuss the results and objectives of the study of the planets of the solar system. The meeting was held from January 29 to February 2, 1973 in IKI USSR. By the time the landing coordinates Lunokhod-2 have already been announced. At a meeting in one of the SRI American scientists carefully approached the Ivanovo and put it in his jacket pocket photo. It was a detailed picture of the landing of the Moon 21. The district was filmed by the Americans in the run-up landing the lunar module of Apollo 17. Use this image in the future and planned route Lunokhod-2. I>
"Planted" picture was better than what was in the Soviet scientists, and new knowledge even changed the program of the movement "Lunokhod-2»

«Soyuz-Apollo» h4>

1970. Continuing the Vietnam War. USSR supported North Vietnam weapons and military advisors, the US high-grade fighting on the side of South Vietnam in May invade Cambodia. However, on the initiative of Academician Keldysh and Director of NASA Thomas Paine begins pilot program of joint flight. In October 1970 year there is a meeting of the two delegations, a working group on the compatibility of the Soviet and American ships. Officially, the program was approved May 24, 1972.
Probably one of the main problems was the difference atmospheres ships. In the "Union" the atmosphere was with terrestrial parameters (~ 1 atm oxygen and nitrogen). In "Apollo" - pure oxygen under pressure 0, 35 atm. If the ships simply connected and opened the hatches, the atmospheric automatic life-support systems would be unable to work on both ships and astronauts to "Union" would feel the symptoms of decompression sickness due to the pressure drop. Therefore, first, the atmosphere both vessels were modified slightly (to depressurized the "union", and is raised to "Apollo"), and, secondly, the transition has been developed a gateway through which a locking hour could go out of the vehicle in ship.
The second interesting technical detail was androgynous docking unit, which could be used for both passive (the one who was waiting for connections) and active (the one that was maneuvering for docking) ships. Other versions of this unit and used in subsequent joint programs.
Meanwhile, the Vietnam War was on the decline - the United States out of participation. April 30, 1975 the North Vietnamese forces took Saigon, won full and unconditional victory. Vietnam became communist. And on May 15 started the "Soyuz" and "Apollo" for docking and joint flight.

The mission was a success from a technical and political point of view. "Soyuz-Apollo" - this is probably the best point to indicate the end of the "space race».

Shuttle-Mir h4>

In the 1980s, the USSR and the USA is all. Reagan spoke of the "evil empire" and «объявлял nuclear war » before the show on the radio. The United States supported the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. USSR fought with the Mujahideen and conducted large-scale military exercises to test their readiness for a global nuclear war. But there was a program" Shuttle-Salute ", which proposed to organize flights "Space Shuttle" to the long-term orbital station "Salyut". Unfortunately, the ideas on this proposal did not go.
After losing the Soviet Union in the Cold War the idea was developed as a project of "Shuttle-Mir". The United States did not have his orbital stations, and construction of the station "Freedom" in 80th has been canceled due to lack of money. And in Russia, was the station "Mir" and a serious problem with money for the space program in the chaos of the 90s. Therefore, already in 1993, it was announced that the program of joint flights to the station "Mir" to "Union" and "Shuttle". Thanks to this cooperation, to "World" appeared modules "Spectrum" and "Nature" on which stood the equipment and the Russian Federation and the United States, as well as the docking module for the shuttle connections (with docking unit - unit development "Soyuz-Apollo"). Module "Spectrum" was launched after five years in the construction of the station "Mir", and without the program "Shuttle-Mir" it is likely there would be.
The "Shuttle-Mir" has given very good results. For seven expeditions visit "Peace" visited 34 astronaut, flew for the first time the Americans in the crew of the "Union", and the Russians - the shuttle, there have been many scientific experiments, it was a lack of cooperation for the construction of the ISS.

ISS h4>

If you think about, and for a while to shake off the habitual perceptions, the ISS - it's a real miracle of light. The huge mass of 417 tons station with a permanent crew of six people, built with the participation of 15 countries and has recently celebrated its fifteenth anniversary. This outpost of humanity in space, born thanks to the cooperation on a global scale, and gives hope for the promotion of human beyond Earth's orbit. At the same time, in addition to direct more scientific purpose ISS and changes us. Astronaut Mike Malleyn in his book «Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut» wrote (my translation):

ISS was built in cooperation with the Russian. Godless commies have become our friends. Even Bill Shepherd , who wrote" Swallow it, dog-commies "in the photo secret payload mission STS-27, has become a friend Shepherd, who spent five months on the ISS with two Russian. blockquote>

Commentary on recent events h4>
Alas, it is impossible not to comment on recent news about the termination of cooperation with Russia NASA. I am sad that the US government has put NASA's such a stupid and awkward position:

First of all, puzzling concept of "co-operate here, it's not cooperating, then wrapped the fish." So if you want to swear, why not declare something more rational in the style of "We will carry out the program already started, but will not start with your new»? Serial gap cooperation cause damage to both sides, but, To a large extent for NASA. It's no secret that NASA can not launch astronauts to the ISS alone until at least 2017, and has already signed a a > contract to run until the summer of 2017. US segment of the ISS is not self-sufficient and can not go to the "free floating". Also no secret that the rockets «Atlas» Russian RD-180 engine now runs even military payload US (recently just took longer fiftieth start). Do you plan and then break off relations? What to do in this case United Launch Alliance, which makes these launches? What Orbital Sciences Corporation, one of today chanted "private companies" with a rocket Antares, which uses the NC-33? Twice cause confusion with the latest news about that is, With such news can only express the hope that our overseas partners calm down and act more rationally.
And finally, a very good position cosmonaut Alexander Lazutkina:

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