| Some insights into space exploration: The development of infrastructure of space ports with lengthy runways, free air space and stable weather conditions have played the main role in ensuring the safety of suborbital flights. One of the suitable places is New Mexico. “Spaceport America” is being constructed here, from which the first commercial space flights should take off already in 2010. The construction of the space port began in 2006 and Virgin Galactic is spending an approximately 250 million USD on the construction. The estimated handling capacity of the first commercial space port is 4 flights per day. On December 18, 2008, “Spaceport America” got a license from the Federal Aviation Administration of the USA for sending and receiving private suborbital space ships with a horizontal or vertical take-off and landing.
However, “Spaceport America” may not remain unique for long. The issue of the setting-up of the launching pads in UAE, Singapore and Australia is being studied. A potential candidate is Sweden and Virgin Galactic is in talks with the government of Sweden for constructing the space port “Kiruna” in the northern part of the country.
It is necessary to note that the space port plays an important role in the tourist program. Therefore, in the space port, it is possible to undergo medical examinations, carry out exercises on various test benches and training equipments, meet and discuss with professional astronauts and at the end, obtain permission for flight, which is a culmination of this big excursion – training program.
Man in Space:
“By fling into space, one should not go out into space, like swimming, for instance, in an ocean, never a fear of falling overboard and not learning to swim. An astronaut coming out into space should be able to perform all the necessary repair and production works, even the carrying out of required welding. This is not fantasy – this is a necessity and when more people start flying into space the more would be the necessity”. These words, spoken by legendary Chief Designer Sergei Pavlovich Korolev in the early space era, were certainly prophetic. Since then, dozens of people worked in open space, who was very convinced with the correctness of these words.
The first step to study open space was made exactly 40 years back – on March 18, 1965, when pilot- astronaut Alexey Leonov became the first human being to have stepped out from the space ship. During this stage of space research, daredevils, who dared to leave comfortable earth’s surface, could believe in themselves and the technology. No rescue systems were available at that time – docking was not allowed and it was impossible to come out of one spaceship and enter the rescue spaceship through the vacuum. During those days, technology was made reliable by foreseeing all probable situations but emergency situations still occurred. For ensuring safety and increasing the efficiency of long-duration flights, it was required to design a rescue system and organize the possibility for the astronauts to come out of the spaceship. This was dreamt by Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, who was the first person to suggest the use of a special airlock chamber for the exit of astronauts into open space.
The USA and the USSR were making preparations for stepping a foot out of the spaceship into an open vacuum but the first to perform this unprecedented task during those days, was a Soviet scientist. After six launches of the one-seater spacecrafts "Vostok" (including "Vostok6" in June 1963 with the first woman cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova), the design bureau under the guidance of S.P. Korolev started works on designing a new three-seat spacecraft “Voskhod”. Simultaneously with the preparation of the flight crew of the three people (V. Komarov, K. Feoktistov and B. Egorov flew on October 12-13, 1964), it was decided to construct a two-seat spaceship on the basis of “Voskhod” for the exit of human being into open space. In this case, after removing the third seat, the open space was used for putting on spacesuits and organizing the entrance into the airlock chamber, which was embedded into the main hatch of the spaceship.
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Russia celebrated the 50th anniversary of the launching of its two national heroes into space this month. They were dogs named Belka and Strelka. On August 19, 1960 these dogs became the first living creatures to circle the Earth and come back alive and pushed Russia into the lead in the space race. Russia successfully launched the first human into space - Yuri Gagarin a year after this dog manned flight. Many animals were sent into space in the next fifty years by several countries…..even frogs. The true pioneers of the final frontier were really animals like the dogs…..despite the early human heroes such as Yuri Gagarin and John Glenn. Today we salute them!
