1. From joy to death. The first orbital flight of an American teacher. NASA's choice for the role of Honor Defender was Christa McAuliffe, a teacher social sciences at Concord High School in New Hampshire.
In this photo, McAuliffe rides past the New Hampshire State House in Concord with daughter Caroline and son Scott during the Lions Club parade on July 21, 1985.
2. Preparations for Houston.
Middle school teacher Christy McAuliffe folds up her workout suit as she prepares for a trip to the Johnson Space Center in Houston on September 8, 1985.
3. Preparation of the Challenger.
The Space Shuttle Challenger is being transported into a multi-story building at NASA's NASA Space Center. Kennedy in Florida, December 17, 1985.
4. Zero gravity. Christy feels great.
Christa McAuliffe is prepared for zero gravity on NASA's specially equipped zero-gravity aircraft KC-135, January 13, 1986. The device moves in a parabolic pattern, which provides short periods of weightlessness. For some people, these short periods of weightlessness can cause nausea, which is why the craft was nicknamed the "Vomit Comet."
5. To the launch platform.
The Space Shuttle Challenger is transported to the launch platform at NASA Space Center. Kennedy.
6. Evacuation practice.
Challenger crew members practice evacuation procedures from the launch platform at Kennedy Space Center. From left in the photo are Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe. Directly behind them are astronauts Judy Resnick and Allison Onizuka.
7. The team is ready to fly.
Challenger crew members stand in the White Hall on Launch Platform 39B after the launch rehearsal. From left to right: Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, Judy Resnick, Commander Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, pilot Michael Smith and Allison Onizuka.
8. Heading to the launch platform.
Challenger crew members leave their location at the Kennedy Space Center and head to the launch platform, January 27, 1986. Commander Dick Scobee is at the head of the column, followed by Judy Resnick, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis, Allison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe and pilot Michael Smith. Because of strong wind At the NASA site, the launch had to be postponed from January 27 to 28.
9. First malfunctions.
A camera on the launch platform captures a close-up of the Challenger space shuttle liftoff on January 28, 1986. From this camera position, a cloud of gray-brown smoke can be seen opposite the "U" in the word United States written on the orbiter. This was the first noticeable sign that damage had occurred at the launch vehicle interface. The researchers found that low nighttime temperatures caused the flexible rubber end rings of the seal to become stiff and inflexible. The failure of the rings caused hot exhaust gases to break through at the junction and enter the external fuel tank.
10. Start!
A wide-angle camera shows the ascent of the space shuttle Challenger on January 28, 1986. A few seconds after launch, the process of destruction began in the rocket engine compartment.
11. Ice on the launch pad.
Why did the seal rings fail? On the day of the launch of the space shuttle Challenger, a structure at NASA Space Center. Kennedy in Florida were covered in icicles. Most likely unusual cold weather and caused the rings to fail.
12. Watching the launch.
Children watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger from Launch Pad 39B on January 28, 1986. Their delight turned to horror when the shuttle exploded 73 seconds into its flight. The boy in the white hat and glasses (center) is Peter Billingsley, star of “A Christmas Story” and spokesman for the Young Astronaut Program.
13. Last seconds.
A minute after the shuttle ascended, the right solid fuel compartment of the rocket booster began to ignite.
15. Remains of the rocket.
After about 76 seconds, fragments of the orbital module could be seen falling against a background of fire, smoke and rocket fuel fumes. The right solid fuel compartment of the rocket booster is still flying upward.
16. Falling debris.
This photo released by the Presidential Commission to Investigate the Challenger Tragedy shows flying debris from the explosion on January 28, 1986, 78 seconds after liftoff. The top arrow shows left wing orbital module. The center arrow shows the orbital module's main engine, and the bottom arrow shows the nose fuselage. Researchers suggest that some of the Challenger crew may have survived the explosion and died when they hit the ground.
17. Awareness of the tragedy that occurred.
Flight director Jay Green examines the data at the Space Mission Control Center. Johnson in Texas.
18. Grief of the relatives of the victims.
Family members of teacher-astronaut Christa McAuliffe watch the tragic launch of the space shuttle Challenger. Christa's sister, Betsy (foreground) with parents Grace and Ed Corrigan (back).
19. The holiday is over.
Carina Dolcino, class president at Concord High School, is stunned by the news of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. The students watched the launch on TV. In honor of the successful start, a celebration was planned at the school.
20. The White house observes.
February 3, 1986. President Ronald Reagan, center, surrounded by council members, watches a television replay of the Challenger explosion at the White House. From left to right: Larry Speaks, Deputy Press Secretary at the White House, Assistant to the President Denis Thomas, Special Assistant Jim Coons, Ronald Reagan, White House Communications Chief Patrick Buchanan, and Chief of Staff Donald Regan.
21. Compassion in school.
Lisa Mitten of Concord, New Hampshire, wipes away tears as her daughter Jessica reads sad letters that were collected at Concord High School on February 1, 1986. Hundreds of telegrams and letters were sent here from all over the United States of America.
22. Restoration of wreckage.
Wreckage from the ill-fated Challenger shuttle is unloaded from a Coast Guard cutter in Dallas in February 1986.
23. One of the Challenger wrecks.
For several weeks after the accident, search parties went to sea to retrieve the Challenger wreckage from the Atlantic Ocean. The ships carried the debris to Trident Basin at Cape Canaveral, from where it was sent to the Kennedy Space Center for investigation.
26. Memory.
President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy stand next to astronaut Michael Smith's wife and other family members during a memorial service.
27. Investigations.
Neil Armstrong, who took the first steps on the moon, was a member of the Presidential Commission investigating the Challenger explosion. In the photo, he listens to the commission's report in Washington on February 11, 1986. In the background is another member of the commission, David Acheson.
28. Collecting the puzzle.
The search team assembled the left and right side sections of the Challenger shuttle during a month-long search operation. The fire significantly damaged the right side of the shuttle. But the left side, shown in this photo, escaped the fire and suffered only from a fall from a height.
29. Debris washed ashore.
Some of the Challenger wrecks have not yet surfaced for a very long time. for a long time after the explosion. A tractor hauls part of the shuttle that washed up on a beach in Florida on December 17, 1996... nearly 11 years after it crashed.
30. Memorial Day.
Every January, NASA commemorates the Challenger explosion, as well as other tragedies that have occurred in space. In this photo, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe lays a wreath at the Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on January 28, 2003. O'Keefe also paid tribute to the three Apollo 1 astronauts who died in the launch pad fire on January 27, 1967.
Challenger shuttle disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when the Challenger spacecraft, at the very beginning of the STS-51L mission, exploded 73 seconds into flight, resulting in the death of all seven crew members. The shuttle crashed at 11:39 EST (16:39 UTC, 19:39 MSK) over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of central Florida, USA.
Destruction aircraft was caused by damage to the o-ring of the right solid propellant booster during launch. Damage to the ring caused a hole to burn out in the side of the accelerator, from which a jet stream flowed towards the external fuel tank. This led to the destruction of the tail mount of the right solid rocket booster and the supporting structures of the external fuel tank. Elements of the complex began to shift relative to each other, which led to its destruction as a result of abnormal aerodynamic loads.
Contrary to popular belief, an instantaneous explosion of all the fuel did not occur: combustion of the fuel components occurred mainly after the complete destruction of the tank and the ship itself. The side boosters survived and flew around for some time until they were destroyed by a team from Earth. The crew cabin, more durable than the orbital module as a whole, also remained intact, but most likely depressurized. The wreckage of the shuttle fell into the Atlantic Ocean.
As a result of the search and rescue operation, many fragments of the ship, including the crew compartment, were raised from the ocean floor. Although exact time The death of the crew is unknown, it turned out that some of its members (at least Onizuka and Reznik) survived the destruction of the orbiter and were conscious - they turned on their personal air supply devices. (Pilot Michael Smith’s instrument was also turned on, but this could have been done by either of the two aforementioned astronauts.) Since these instruments do not supply air under pressure, the crew soon lost consciousness when the cabin depressurized.
The Shuttles then did not have an emergency escape system, which they were equipped with only after this disaster, and the crew had no chance of rescue (it should be noted that the system developed and used later emergency rescue would still not have been able to ensure the survival of the crew in the conditions of such a catastrophe - it only provided for the possibility of the crew sequentially leaving the shuttle, which was in stable horizontal flight). The astronauts could not survive the impact of the living compartment on the water surface at a speed of 333 km/h, when the overload reached 200 g.
The launch was watched by many spectators, because among the crew on the ship was Christa McAuliffe, the first participant in the Teacher in Space project. Facilities mass media covered the disaster on an unprecedented scale: one study found that 85% of Americans surveyed learned about the crash within an hour of it. The crash has become the subject of much debate in the areas of aviation safety and industrial integrity. Based on the events that took place, the television movie “Challenger” was made in 1990. (source: ru.wikipedia.org)
Those who watched the disaster on television in 1986 of the American shuttle Challenger with 7 astronauts on board probably remember these images very well, which made the whole world freeze in horror. In those years, no one could even imagine that such a disaster could be just a well-staged show. However, these days such assumptions no longer seem so incredible. .
So what really happened to the Challenger? This question is more than appropriate, since there is direct evidence indicating that the astronauts who allegedly died tragically on that fateful day are still alive.
This is hard to believe, since the tragedies occurred in live, in front of the whole world. It was in this launch that the Americans were 300% confident, and it was this launch that was decided upon (in fact high level) broadcast worldwide.
Books and lengthy articles in central magazines, newspapers. The Wikipedia article on Challenger is one of the most detailed, filled with absolutely incoherent, unsubstantiated evidence designed to easily and in a relaxed manner convince the unpretentious American public that what they saw on their screens is the truth.
But what really happened? Did the shuttle explode? Yes, it exploded. Did people die? No, they didn't die. 6 out of 7 are still alive and well, absolutely not hiding from cameras, continuing their normal lives.
Let's take a closer look.
MICHAEL J. SMITH
This cool guy didn’t even change his name or passport details. Works as a teacher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
RICHARD "DICK" SCOBEE
He also did not bother with documents, and lives under his own name. He works as the chief of a serious company. By the way, his son was responsible for intercepting allegedly terrorist planes that rammed shopping centers in NYC.
Two other living astronauts, not as brave as their aforementioned colleagues, pose as twin brothers. Quite unexpectedly, two astronauts turned out to have twin brothers. I personally, in my entire life, have never encountered such a thing that in one small group people, 2 people met with twin brothers. NASA documents are not difficult to forge. Was Obama's birth certificate forged to prove he was an American? But these two had no more problems.
RONALD MC NAIR
ELLISON ONIZUKA
The Challenger women are also alive and well. Both teach law at Yale and Syracuse universities, respectively.
JUDITH RESNIK
SHARON (“CHRISTA”) MC AULIFFE
A little less than 30 years have passed since the tragedy. No traces of the 7th astronaut have yet been found. At the time of the flight he was 42 years old, now he would be 71. It is quite possible that he died of natural causes. It is quite possible that he is the only one of the entire team who did not like the lies to the whole world; it is quite possible that he could no longer live with it. And he, like the Kennedy brothers, like Lincoln, was simply removed. In America this is very simple.
Remains main question, why was it necessary to organize this theater?
A clue may come from a statement by the “widow” of Richard Scobie, who compared the Challenger disaster with the Kennedy assassination and the September 11 terrorist attack. It is unlikely that June Scobie Rogers is not aware of the fate of her husband. Moreover, their son is also involved in another “national catastrophe”...
One can only guess what other hoaxes like the Challenger disaster or the explosion of New York skyscrapers await us in the future, when there will be much more technical possibilities for this...
Space is an airless space, the temperature in which is up to -270°C. A person cannot survive in such an aggressive environment, so astronauts always risk their lives, rushing into the unknown blackness of the Universe. In the process of space exploration, many disasters occurred that claimed dozens of lives. One of these tragic milestones in the history of astronautics was the death of the Challenger shuttle, which resulted in the death of all crew members.
Briefly about the ship
In the United States, NASA launched the billion-dollar Space Transportation System program. Within its framework, in 1971, the construction of reusable spacecraft began - space shuttles (in English Space Shuttle, which literally translates as “space shuttle”). It was planned that these shuttles would, like shuttles, shuttle between the Earth and orbit, rising to an altitude of up to 500 km. They were supposed to be useful for delivering payloads to orbital stations, performing the necessary installation and construction work, and conducting scientific research.
One of these ships was the Challenger shuttle, the second space shuttle built under this program. In July 1982, it was transferred to NASA for operation.
It got its name in honor of a sea vessel that explored the ocean in the 1870s. In NASA reference books it was listed as OV-99.
Flight history
The space shuttle Challenger first flew into space in April 1983 to launch a broadcast satellite. In June of the same year, it launched again to launch two communications satellites into orbit and conduct pharmaceutical experiments. One of the crew members was Sally Kristen Ride.
August 1983 - the third shuttle launch and the first at night in the history of American astronautics. As a result, the Insat-1B telecommunications satellite was launched into orbit and the Canadian manipulator Canadarm was tested. The flight duration was a little over 6 days.
In February 1984, the space shuttle Challenger took off again, but the mission to put two more satellites into orbit failed.
The fifth launch took place in April 1984. Then, for the first time in world history, a satellite was repaired in space. In October 1984, the sixth launch took place, which was marked by the presence of two female astronauts on board the spacecraft. During this significant flight, the first spacewalk by a woman, Katherine Sullivan, was made in the history of American astronautics.
The seventh flight in April 1985, the eighth in July and the ninth flight in October this year were also successful. They were united by a common goal - conducting research in a space laboratory.
In total, the Challenger has 9 successful flights, it spent 69 days in space, made a complete orbit around the blue planet 987 times, its “mileage” is 41.5 million kilometers.
Challenger shuttle disaster
The tragedy occurred off the coast of Florida on January 28, 1986 at 11:39 a.m. At this time, the Challenger shuttle exploded over the Atlantic Ocean. It collapsed in the 73rd second of flight at an altitude of 14 km from the ground. All 7 crew members were killed.
During the launch, the sealing ring of the right solid fuel accelerator was damaged. This caused a hole to burn in the side of the accelerator, from which a jet stream flew towards the external fuel tank. The jet destroyed the tail mount and the supporting structures of the tank itself. Elements of the ship shifted, breaking the symmetry of thrust and air resistance. The spacecraft deviated from the specified flight axis and, as a result, was destroyed under the influence of aerodynamic overloads.
The space shuttle Challenger was not equipped with an evacuation system, so the crew members had no chance of survival. But even if there was such a system, the astronauts would fall into the ocean at a speed of more than 300 km/h. The force of the impact on the water would have been such that no one would have survived anyway.
The Last Crew
During the 10th launch, the Challenger shuttle had seven people on board:
- Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee - 46 years old, crew chief. American military pilot with the rank of lieutenant colonel, NASA astronaut. He is survived by his wife, daughter and son. Posthumously awarded the medal "For Space Flight".
- Michael John Smith - 40 years old, co-pilot. Test pilot with the rank of captain, NASA astronaut. He is survived by his wife and three children. Posthumously awarded the medal "For Space Flight".
- Allison Shoji Onizuka - 39 years old, scientific specialist. American NASA astronaut of Japanese descent, test pilot with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was posthumously awarded the rank of colonel.
- Judith Arlen Resnik - 36 years old, scientific specialist. One of the best engineers and NASA astronauts. Professional pilot.
- Ronald Ervin McNair - 35 years old, scientific specialist. Physicist, NASA astronaut. He left his wife and two children on Earth. He was posthumously awarded the medal "For Space Flight".
- Gregory Bruce Jarvis - 41 years old, payload specialist. An engineer by training. US Air Force Captain. NASA astronaut since 1984. He left his wife and three children at home. He was posthumously awarded the medal "For Space Flight".
- Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe - 37 years old, payload specialist. Civil. Posthumously awarded the Space Medal - for astronauts.
There's a little more to be said about the final crew member, Christa McAuliffe. How could a civilian get on the Challenger space shuttle? It seems incredible.
Christa McAuliffe
She was born on 09/02/1948 in Boston, Massachusetts. Worked as a teacher in English, history and biology. She was married and had two children.
Her life flowed as usual and measuredly, until in 1984 the “Teacher in Space” competition was announced in the USA. His idea was to prove that every young and healthy person, after adequate preparation, could successfully fly into space and return to Earth. Among the 11 thousand applications submitted was the application of Krista, a cheerful, cheerful and energetic teacher from Boston.
She won the competition. When Vice President J. presented her with the winner's ticket at a ceremony in the White House, she burst into tears of happiness. It was a one way ticket.
After three months of training, experts declared Krista ready to fly. She was tasked with filming educational scenes and teaching several lessons from aboard the shuttle.
Pre-flight problems
Initially, in the process of preparing the tenth launch of the space shuttle there were many problems:
- Initially, the launch was planned to take place on January 22 from the Kennedy Space Center. But due to organizational troubles, the start was moved first to January 23 and then to January 24.
- Due to a storm warning and low temperatures, the flight was postponed another day.
- Again, due to a bad weather forecast, the start was postponed to January 27.
- During the next inspection of the equipment, several problems were identified, so it was decided to set a new flight date - January 28.
On the morning of January 28, it was frosty outside, the temperature dropped to -1°C. This caused concern among engineers, and in a private conversation they warned NASA management that extreme conditions may have a negative impact on the condition of the O-rings and it was recommended to reschedule the start date again. But these recommendations were rejected. Another difficulty arose: the launch site became icy. This was an insurmountable obstacle, but, “fortunately,” by 10 a.m. the ice began to melt. The start was scheduled for 11:40 am. It was broadcast on national television. All of America watched the events at the cosmodrome.
Launch and crash of the space shuttle Challenger
At 11:38 a.m. the engines started working. After 2 minutes the device started. Seven seconds later, gray smoke emerged from the base of the right booster, as recorded by ground footage of the flight. The reason for this was the impact of the shock load during engine startup. This has happened before, and the main O-ring, which ensured reliable insulation of the systems, was triggered. But it was cold that morning, so the frozen ring lost its elasticity and could not work as expected. This was the cause of the disaster.
At 58 seconds into the flight, the Challenger shuttle, a photo of which is in the article, began to collapse. After 6 seconds, liquid hydrogen began to flow out of the external tank; after another 2 seconds, the pressure in the external fuel tank dropped to a critical level.
At 73 seconds of flight, the liquid oxygen tank collapsed. Oxygen and hydrogen detonated, and the Challenger disappeared in a huge fireball.
Search for the remains of the ship and the bodies of the dead
After the explosion, debris from the shuttle fell into the Atlantic Ocean. The search for the wreckage of the spacecraft and the bodies of the dead astronauts began with the support of military personnel from the Coast Guard. On March 7, a shuttle cabin containing the bodies of crew members was discovered at the bottom of the ocean. Due to prolonged exposure sea water autopsy could not establish exact reason of death. However, it was possible to find out that after the explosion the astronauts remained alive, since their cabin was simply torn off from the tail section. Michael Smith, Allison Onizuka and Judith Resnick remained conscious and turned on their personal air supply. Most likely, the astronauts could not survive the gigantic force of the impact on the water.
Investigation into the causes of the tragedy
NASA's internal investigation into all the circumstances of the disaster was conducted under the strictest secrecy. To understand all the details of the case and find out the reasons why the Challenger shuttle crashed, US President Reagan created special Commission Rogers (named after chairman William Pierce Rogers). Its members included prominent scientists, space and aviation engineers, astronauts and military personnel.
A few months later, the Rogers Commission provided the President with a report in which all the circumstances that resulted in the Challenger shuttle disaster were made public. It was also stated that NASA management did not adequately respond to warnings from specialists regarding problems with the safety of the planned flight.
Consequences of the crash
The crash of the Challenger shuttle dealt a severe blow to the reputation of the United States; the Space Transportation System program was curtailed for 3 years. Due to the largest space shuttle disaster at that time, the United States suffered losses ($8 billion).
Significant changes were made to the design of the shuttles, significantly increasing their safety.
The structure of NASA was also reorganized. An independent agency to oversee flight safety has been created.
Display in culture
In May 2013, the film “Challenger” directed by J. Hawes was released. In the UK it was named best drama film of the year. Its plot is based on real events and concerns the activities of the Rogers Commission.
Challenger Hills on Pluto.
Flying
Challenger launched into space ten times. Spent 69 days in space, made 987 orbits around the Earth, and traveled 41,527,416 km.
| № | date | Designation | Flight program |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April, 4 | Challenger STS-6 | Launch of a broadcast satellite. First exit in open space during the shuttle flight. |
| 2 | June 18 | Challenger STS-7 | Sally Ride is the first American female astronaut. Launch of two communications satellites. |
| 3 | August 30 | Challenger STS-8 | Guyon Bluford - first night launch and night landing of the shuttle. Launch of the Insat-1B satellite. |
| 4 | February 3rd | Challenger STS-41B | Failed launch of two communications satellites. |
| 5 | April 6 | Challenger STS-41C | First satellite repair in orbit ( Solar Max). Launching the Long Exposure Module LDEF |
| 6 | October 5 | Challenger STS-41G | For the first time there are two women on the crew. The first spacewalk by an American female astronaut. Deorbiting a satellite (Earth Radiation Budget Satellite). |
| 7 | April 29 | Challenger STS-51B | Experiments with space laboratory(Spacelab-3). |
| 8 | July 29 | Challenger STS-51F | Experiments with a space laboratory (Spacelab-2). |
| 9 | October 30 | Challenger STS-61A | Experiments with a German laboratory (Spacelab D-1). |
| 10 | 28 January | Challenger STS-51L | The death of Challenger and seven astronauts. |
Shuttle disaster
The last launch of the shuttle was scheduled for the morning of January 28, 1986, then the launch was postponed to two o'clock in the afternoon due to the fact that minor breakdowns were found, which were repaired by engineers. The television broadcast live from Cape Canaveral. To fill the pause caused by the repair of the ship, the presenter talked about the history of the Space Shuttle program, predicting a great future for the new miracle of rocket technology. The Challenger launch was watched by millions of spectators around the world. At the 73rd second of flight, at an altitude of 14 km, the left solid fuel accelerator separated from one of the two mounts. After spinning around the second one, the accelerator pierced the main fuel tank. Due to the violation of the symmetry of thrust and air resistance, the ship deviated from its axis and was destroyed by aerodynamic forces. As it turned out later, some astronauts were still alive, since the bow part where they were located was simply torn away from the rest of the ship, and at least three of them began to receive individual oxygen supply to their helmets, provided in case of an accident, but a fall from 20 km altitude and colossal force (overload about 200 G), the impact on the water did their job, all the astronauts on board died. At first, numerous eyewitnesses did not understand what was happening.
Someone standing in the crowd in front of me turned around and said, “This is an explosion!” I remember how adults told children: “Don’t be afraid, it’s not true, everything is fine.” Many people applauded because they thought it was the accelerators that had become disconnected.
Ben Provencal, eyewitness
The entire crew died - seven people, including the first non-professional astronaut - former teacher Christa McAuliffe, who won a national competition for the right to fly into space, organized on the initiative of US President Ronald Reagan. She became a national heroine of America.
The cause of the tragedy is said to be a malfunction of the ring seal of the solid propellant accelerator, which caused a leak of hot gases that destroyed the mount, as well as the fact that the launch was carried out at a temperature of 2 degrees below zero Celsius, while the recommended air temperature for takeoffs is 11 degrees Celsius or more. . In connection with this disaster, the United States suffered heavy losses - about 8 billion dollars, including the cost of the shuttle itself, which is estimated at 3 billion. The death of the Challenger was the largest disaster in the history of manned flights at that time, a strong blow to the reputation of the United States and the program Space Shuttle.
Flight emblems
| Challenger flight emblems | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| STS 6 | STS 7 | STS 8 | STS 41-B | STS 41-C | |||
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| STS-41-G | STS-51-B | STS-51-F | STS-61-A | STS-51-L | |||
see also
- Richard Feynman is a physicist who participated in the investigation of the death of the Challenger.
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Excerpt characterizing Challenger (shuttle)
Just as it is difficult to explain why and where ants rush from a scattered hummock, some away from the hummock, dragging specks, eggs and dead bodies, others back into the hummock - why they collide, catch up with each other, fight - it is just as difficult It would be possible to explain the reasons that forced the Russian people, after the French left, to crowd into the place that was formerly called Moscow. But just like looking at the ants scattered around a ruined hummock, despite complete destruction hummocks, it is clear from the tenacity, energy, from the countless swarming insects that everything has been destroyed except for something indestructible, insubstantial, which makes up the entire strength of the hummock - the same with Moscow, in the month of October, despite the fact that there was neither the authorities nor churches, no shrines, no wealth, no houses, it was the same Moscow as it was in August. Everything was destroyed, except for something insubstantial, but powerful and indestructible.
The motives of people rushing from all sides to Moscow after its cleansing from the enemy were very diverse, personal, and at first for the most part- wild animals. There was only one impulse common to everyone - this desire to go there, to that place that was formerly called Moscow, to carry out their activities there.
A week later there were already fifteen thousand inhabitants in Moscow, after two there were twenty-five thousand, etc. Rising and rising, this number by the autumn of 1813 reached a figure exceeding the population of the 12th year.
The first Russian people who entered Moscow were the Cossacks of the Wintzingerode detachment, men from neighboring villages and residents who fled from Moscow and were hiding in its environs. The Russians who entered devastated Moscow, finding it plundered, also began to plunder. They continued what the French were doing. Convoys of men came to Moscow in order to take away to the villages everything that had been thrown along the ruined Moscow houses and streets. The Cossacks took what they could to their headquarters; the owners of the houses took everything that they found in other houses and brought it to themselves under the pretext that it was their property.
But after the first robbers came others, third ones, and the robbery every day, as the number of robbers increased, became more and more difficult and took on more definite forms.
The French found Moscow, although empty, with all the forms of an organically correctly living city, with its various departments of trade, crafts, luxury, government, and religion. These forms were lifeless, but they still existed. There were rows, benches, stores, warehouses, bazaars - most with goods; there were factories, craft establishments; there were palaces, rich houses filled with luxury goods; there were hospitals, prisons, public places, churches, cathedrals. The longer the French stayed, the more these forms of urban life were destroyed, and in the end everything merged into one indivisible, lifeless field of plunder.
The robbery of the French, the more it continued, the more it destroyed the wealth of Moscow and the forces of the robbers. The robbery of the Russians, with which the occupation of the capital by the Russians began, the longer it lasted, the more participants there were in it, the faster it restored the wealth of Moscow and the correct life of the city.
In addition to the robbers, the most diverse people, drawn - some by curiosity, some by duty of service, some by calculation - homeowners, clergy, high and low officials, merchants, artisans, men - from different sides, like blood to the heart - flowed to Moscow.
A week later, the men who arrived with empty carts to take away things were stopped by the authorities and forced to take the dead bodies out of the city. Other men, having heard about the failure of their comrades, came to the city with bread, oats, hay, lowering the price for each other to a price lower than the previous one. Artels of carpenters, hoping for expensive earnings, entered Moscow every day, and new ones were cut from all sides, and burnt houses were repaired. Merchants opened trade in booths. Taverns and inns were set up in burnt houses. The clergy resumed services in many churches that had not burned. Donors brought looted church items. The officials arranged their tables with cloth and cabinets with papers in small rooms. The higher authorities and the police ordered the distribution of the goods left behind by the French. The owners of those houses in which a lot of things brought from other houses were left complained about the injustice of bringing all the things to the Faceted Chamber; others insisted that the French had brought things from different houses to one place, and therefore it was unfair to give the owner of the house those things that were found with him. They scolded the police; bribed her; they wrote ten times the estimates for the burnt government items; demanded assistance. Count Rastopchin wrote his proclamations.
At the end of January, Pierre arrived in Moscow and settled in the surviving outbuilding. He went to see Count Rastopchin and some acquaintances who had returned to Moscow, and was planning to go to St. Petersburg on the third day. Everyone celebrated the victory; everything was seething with life in the ruined and reviving capital. Everyone was happy to see Pierre; everyone wanted to see him, and everyone asked him about what he had seen. Pierre felt especially friendly towards all the people he met; but now he involuntarily kept himself on guard with all people, so as not to tie himself to anything. He answered all questions that were put to him, whether important or most insignificant, with the same vagueness; Did they ask him: where will he live? will it be built? when is he going to St. Petersburg and will he undertake to carry the box? - he answered: yes, maybe, I think, etc.
He heard about the Rostovs, that they were in Kostroma, and the thought of Natasha rarely came to him. If she came, it was only as a pleasant memory of the long past. He felt free not only from everyday conditions, but also from this feeling, which, as it seemed to him, he had deliberately brought upon himself.
On the third day of his arrival in Moscow, he learned from the Drubetskys that Princess Marya was in Moscow. Death, suffering, last days Prince Andrei often occupied Pierre and now came to his mind with new vividness. Having learned at dinner that Princess Marya was in Moscow and was living in her unburned house on Vzdvizhenka, he went to see her that same evening.
On the way to Princess Marya, Pierre kept thinking about Prince Andrei, about his friendship with him, about various meetings with him, and especially about the last one in Borodino.
“Did he really die in the angry mood he was in then? Wasn’t the explanation of life revealed to him before his death?” - thought Pierre. He remembered Karataev, about his death, and involuntarily began to compare these two people, so different and at the same time so similar in love that he had for both, and because both lived and both died.
Shuttle Challenger
Year: 1986
Country: USA
The gist: a spaceship with a full crew on board exploded in the air after launch
Official reason: depressurization of solid fuel accelerator elements/low-quality technology
In the mid-1980s, the Space Shuttle program experienced unprecedented growth. Successful missions followed one after another, and the launches of the devices were carried out so often that the breaks between them sometimes did not amount to more than 20 days. The Challenger STS-51-L mission was somewhat unusual: spaceship In addition to the astronauts, there was school teacher Christa McAuliffe, who, according to the idea of the “Teacher in Space” project, was supposed to teach a couple of lessons directly from space. Therefore, a huge number of people watched the broadcast of the shuttle launch on television - up to 17% of the country's population.
On the morning of January 28, the shuttle took off into the sky from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the admiring applause of the public, but after 73 seconds it exploded, and debris falling off the ship rushed to the ground. The astronauts survived the explosion, but died upon landing when the cabin hit the water at a speed of 330 km/h.
After the explosion, the cameramen continued to film what was happening through numerous cameras, and the faces of people who were watching the launch from the observation deck of the cosmodrome at that moment were captured in the frame. Among them were relatives of all seven crew members. This is how one of the most dramatic reports in television history was filmed.
A ban on the use of shuttles was immediately announced for 32 months. After this incident, the technology of solid rocket boosters was seriously improved, and a parachute system for rescuing astronauts was added to the shuttles.
Shuttle Columbia
Number of deaths: 7 people
Year: 2003
Country: USA
The gist: the spacecraft burned up upon re-entry with a full crew on board.
Official reason: damage to the thermal insulation layer on the wing of the device / technical staff ignoring minor problems
On the morning of February 1, the crew of the Columbia shuttle STS-107 was returning to Earth after a successful space mission. At first, the entry into the atmosphere proceeded as normal, but soon the temperature sensor on the left wing plane of the device transmitted anomalous values to the Mission Control Center. Then four sensors of the ship's hydraulic system in the same wing went off scale, and after 5 minutes communication with the ship was lost. While the MCC workers were arguing about what happened to the sensors, one of the TV channels was already showing live the silhouette of a shuttle engulfed in flames, falling apart. The entire crew died.
This tragedy hit the prestige of American astronautics so hard that a temporary ban was immediately imposed on Shuttle flights, and then US President George W. Bush announced some time later that the Space Shuttle program was technologically outdated and would be closed, and NASA resources should be directed to creation of a new manned spacecraft. It was during the moratorium on Shuttle flights in 2003 that the Americans were first forced to turn to Russia with a request to deliver astronauts to the ISS using Russian Soyuz. Coincidentally, in the same year, 9 months later, for the first time in history, the Chinese went into space, successfully carrying out a manned launch of their Shenzhou-5 spacecraft. Against the background of the tragedy with Colombia, this was perceived very painfully by the American leadership.
Apollo 1
Year: 1967
Country: USA
The gist: the crew burned to death during a simulated training session in the ship's command module
Official Cause: Spark, short circuit current/possibly poor insulated wiring
In the midst of the lunar race between the superpowers, speed became the top priority. The Americans knew that the USSR was also building a lunar shuttle, and they were in a hurry to implement their Apollo program. Unfortunately, it was not only the quality of the technology that suffered from this.
In 1966, unmanned Apollo 1 launches were successfully carried out, and the first launches of the manned version of the device were planned for the end of February 1967. To begin crew training, the first version of the ship's command module was delivered to Cape Canaveral. The problems started from the very beginning - the module was seriously flawed, and the engineers made the necessary changes on the spot. Crew simulation training in the command module was scheduled for January 27; it was intended to check the performance of the devices before the conditional launch.
Virgil Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee entered the module at approximately one o'clock in the afternoon. Instead of air, pure oxygen was pumped into the cabin, and soon the training began. It was carried out with constant problems - either the connection would turn off, or Grissom would notice a strange smell in the cabin, and the training had to be stopped. During the next check, the sensors detected a voltage surge (probably due to a short circuit). 10 seconds later, at 18:31 local time, White shouted through the speakers, “We have a fire in the cockpit!” Some eyewitnesses say cameras captured White making his way to the hatch in a desperate attempt to open it. A few seconds later, cosmodrome workers heard Chaffee shouting “I’m burning!” from the speakers, the connection was interrupted, and the module could not withstand the internal pressure and burst. The people who arrived in time could no longer help him - the entire crew was dead.
Apollo 1 cabin after fire
After the tragedy, an attempt was made whole line measures: replacing all materials in the module with non-flammable ones, covering the wires with Teflon, replacing the hatch with a model that opens outwards, as well as changing the composition of the artificial atmosphere before launch - they switched from pure oxygen to its share of 60%, the remaining 40% was taken up by nitrogen.
Soyuz-1
Number of deaths: 1 person
Year: 1967
Country: USSR
The bottom line: the spacecraft was unable to slow down its fall after entering the atmosphere and crashed on impact with the ground
Official reason: the main drogue parachute did not open / technology flaw or manufacturing error
On April 23, the first ever test of a manned Soyuz series spacecraft was planned. USSR in last years was far behind the United States, while on the other side of the Atlantic new space records were being set every few months. Despite the fatal flaw in the design of the device, the leadership of the space industry decided to carry out the tests on the designated day.
Soyuz-1 with pilot Vladimir Komarov entered orbit. It was supposed to dock in space with another ship, Soyuz-2, which was supposed to be launched with its crew of three people later. However, one of the solar panels of Soyuz-1 did not open, and the crew of the second ship did not fly. Komarov was ordered to return to Earth, which he did almost manually due to insufficient development of the ship's orientation capabilities.
Thanks to the professionalism of the pilot, re-entry went smoothly, but during the last stage of landing the main drogue parachute did not open. The spare one opened, but became entangled, and the ship soon crashed into the surface of the planet at a speed of 50 m/s. Komarov died.
After the incident, further implementation of the Soyuz manned launch program was postponed for 18 months, the braking system was tested on 6 unmanned launches, and many design improvements were made.
Soyuz-11
Number of deaths: 3 people
Year: 1971
Country: USSR
The bottom line: the ship's crew died during reentry due to decompression
Official reason: premature opening of the ventilation valve, depressurization of the vehicle cabin/probably a defect in valve technology
The mission of the Soyuz-11 crew was to dock with the Salyut-1 orbital station and perform various work on board it. Despite some difficulties, the crew was able to work at the station for 11 days. Then a serious fire was detected, and the astronauts were ordered to return to Earth.
Entry into the atmosphere, braking, landing - outwardly everything went as normal, but the astronauts did not answer the questions from the Mission Control Center. When the hatch of the apparatus was opened, all crew members were dead. It soon became clear that they suffered from decompression sickness - the ship depressurized at high altitude, causing the pressure to drop sharply to an unacceptable level. There were no spacesuits in the spaceship - that was its design. Because of unbearable pain The astronauts were unable to fix the problem in time; according to some versions, it was impossible.
After this tragedy, Soyuz pilots began to be provided with spacesuits without fail, which is why they had to launch crews of two people instead of three (the spacesuits took up a lot of space, and the Soyuz cabins were very cramped). Over time, the design was improved, and Soyuz aircraft began to fly in threes again.
These are all disasters in history associated with the flights of astronauts, or with preparation for them (in the case of"Apollo 1"). However, there is another type of tragedies that, with some reservations, can also be classified as cosmic disasters. He carried away tens of times large quantity lives. It's about about emergency rocket launches.
Disaster at Baikonur
Death toll: 78-126
Year: 1960
Country: USSR
The essence: the ignition of the rocket fuel tanks before launch, a severe fire
Official reason: premature activation of one of the rocket engines/violation of safety measures
Just six months before Gagarin’s legendary flight, a tragedy so terrible occurred at the Baikonur Cosmodrome that all data was kept securely classified, despite the huge number of victims, and the world was able to learn about it only shortly before the collapse of the USSR, in 1989.
Due to the aggravation international relations because of " Berlin crisis", Khrushchev in 1959 ordered the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles to be accelerated. A test of the R-16 rocket at the Plesetsk cosmodrome was scheduled for October 24, 1960. The rocket, according to many, required significant improvements, and there were debates about whether the tests should be postponed. The majority was in favor of continuing the work, and the head of the Strategic Missile Forces, Marshal Nedelin, who led the launch, according to eyewitnesses, responded to objections with the phrase - “What am I going to tell Nikita?... The rocket will be finalized at the launch, the country is waiting for us.”
Nedelin and some other project participants positioned themselves just 17 meters from the rocket, giving an example that there is no need to be afraid of the launch. A 30-minute readiness was announced, but soon there was an emergency start of the second stage engine, the flame of which was able to break through the pyromembrane of the fuel tanks, which were already unready for launch. An avalanche-like fire began, waves of fire spread in all directions; eyewitnesses noted that they saw burning people running screaming from the rocket. Rescue operations were able to begin only two hours later, when the flames subsided.
On the left is the explosion of an R-16, on the right is rocket debris on the launch pad
©Wikimedia Commons
After the tragedy, the security regime at the cosmodrome, as well as the organization of rocket launches, were seriously improved.
Missile silo fire in Searcy, Arkansas
Death toll: 53
Year: 1965
The essence: a fire in a closed missile silo
Official Cause: Oxygen leak due to damaged hydraulic hose
On August 8, work was carried out on a modernization program in one of the missile launch silos near the village of Sersi Project YARD FENCE. When modernizing the 7-story shaft, it was decided to leave the intercontinental ballistic missile LGM-25C Titan-2 inside, but for safety reasons the warhead was removed.
One of the workers accidentally damaged a hydraulic hose with a cutter, and flammable liquid began to flow out of it. The fumes spread throughout the shaft, and those who felt it rushed to the upper floors, where the exit was located. Subsequently, a spontaneous fire occurred and a huge fire claimed the lives of 53 workers. Only two managed to leave the mine and escape.
The rocket never exploded and the mine was rebuilt only 13 months later.
Titan-2 missile in the launch silo
©Wikimedia Commons
Disaster at the Plesetsk cosmodrome
Death toll: 48
Year: 1980
Country: USSR
The gist: explosion of rocket fuel tanks before launch
Official reason: presence of catalytically active materials in fuel tank filters/negligence of the design bureau
On March 18, the Vostok rocket with the Icarus spy satellite on board was preparing to launch at the cosmodrome. There was refueling with various fuels - kerosene, liquid oxygen, nitrogen. At the last stage, refueling was carried out with hydrogen peroxide.
It was at this stage that a fire occurred, as a result of which 300 tons of fuel detonated. A huge fire started, killing 44 people on the spot. Four more died from burns, the number of surviving wounded was 39.
The commission blamed the negligence of the combat crew that carried out the launch. Only 16 years later, an independent investigation was carried out, which resulted in the use of hazardous materials in the construction of fuel filters for hydrogen peroxide being named as the cause.
Disaster at the Alcantara spaceport, Brazil
Death toll: 21
Year: 2003
Country: Brazil
The essence: a rocket explosion as a result of an unplanned launch of one of the engines
Official reason: “dangerous concentration of volatile gases, damage to sensors and electromagnetic interference” (state commission report)
The launch of the VLS-3 rocket was scheduled for August 25. The venue is the Alcantara spaceport in the north of the country, very convenient for spacecraft launches due to its proximity to the equator. If launched successfully, the rocket with two satellites on board would turn Brazil into the first space power Latin America. This was the country's third attempt to obtain this status, after two previous unsuccessful launches.
On August 22, final tests were carried out; about 100 people worked near the rocket. Suddenly, one of the four engines of the first stage of the rocket turned on, a fire started, and subsequently the fuel tanks exploded. The rocket and the 10-story launch pad structure were completely destroyed by the explosion.
After the incident, the Brazilian space program was temporarily paralyzed - many scientists and engineers working on the rocket were killed in the explosion, and a full-scale investigation was launched. The exact technical cause of the accident, however, has never been established.
Ruins of the launch pad at the Alcantara spaceport
©Wikimedia Commons
Disaster at Xichang Cosmodrome, China
Death toll: 6-100
Year: 1996
Country: China
The essence: a rocket falling after launch onto a populated village
Official reason: damage to gold-aluminum wiring in one of the engines
In the second half of the 1990s, China began actively deploying its own space program. It was in 1996 that an agreement was concluded between Russia and China on cooperation in the field of manned space exploration, which, according to experts, provided the PRC with the necessary technological base for a breakthrough in the development of its space industry.
Cooperation was also carried out with the United States - in 1996, a Chinese rocket of the “Long March” family was supposed to launch an American communications satellite into orbit Intelsat 708. The launch was scheduled for February 15, local time. The Xichang Cosmodrome in southwest China was chosen as the launch site.
The rocket launched at the scheduled time, but soon began to tilt and after 22 seconds it fell on a village not far from the cosmodrome and exploded.
Commissions to investigate the incident were created in both the United States and China. And if both expert groups agreed with each other on technical reason accidents, the assessment of the dead varies greatly. The Chinese leadership announced 6 deaths, American experts - about a hundred.
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