In This Lesson:
Manned
Spaceflight
(Lesson 2 of 2)
Today is Tuesday,
June 6th, 2017
Pre-Class:
Who was the first person in orbit?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Tracy_Caldwell_Dyson
_in_Cupola_ISS.jpg
Tracy Caldwell Dyson in the
International Space Station.
Today’s Agenda
• The Space Race
– The part with people.
• Milestones in human spaceflight.
• Space disasters.
• The Wonder of it All.
• Where is this in my book?
– Erm...nowhere?
By the end of this lesson…
• You should be able to narrate mankind’s
history in space.
• You should want to go exploring.
Let’s Return to the Space Race
• From last lesson we know that the Americans
“technically” won the Space Race.
– Just like we “won” in Vietnam, right?
• In reality, though, we basically accomplished
the biggest feat of the race and counted that
as victory.
– In that sense, sure.
• U-S-A! U-S-A!
• In this lesson, we’ll look at some of the other
landmarks of manned spaceflight.
The First Man in Space
• The first man to reach space was
cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
– His capsule – Vostok 1 – also put him into
orbit, so it’s like a double victory.
– He was 27 years old at the time.
• He orbited once, reentered, ejected at
26,250 feet, and parachuted to the
ground, all in 108 minutes.
– The Americans were all like: 
• Gagarin was killed in a plane crash seven
years later, and a launch pad at the
Baikonur Cosmodrome is named for him.
http://www.nndb.com/people/666/000026588/yuri-gagarin.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b6/Vostok1_big.gif
The First American Man in Space
• The first American to reach space was
Alan Shepard on May 5, 1961, though he
didn’t reach orbit.
– It was a Mercury spacecraft, but the capsule
was named Freedom 7 by Shepard.
– His entire flight lasted 15.5 minutes.
• Freedom 7 Complete Flight
• When We Left Earth – Freedom 7 [Disc 4]
• Shepard was 37 at the time but later
walked on the Moon.
– He was the guy that hit golf balls up there.
http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/226xvariable_height/public/alanshepard_1.jpg?itok=dnTcEthb
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/who-was-alan-shepard-k4.html#.VXGugKOGdYU
Pause for Politics
• As you can see, the U.S. has thus far gotten its
rear end handed to it by the Soviets in terms
of space stuff.
• All this embarrassment and fear prompts a
now-famous speech by President Kennedy to
Congress on May 25, 1961:
– [video]
The Second American Man in Space
• Virgil “Gus” Grissom followed a
similar flight path to Alan Shepard’s
in his capsule (Liberty Bell 7).
– He became the third person to reach
space but he nearly died on the
return trip.
• Upon splashdown, Grissom’s capsule
opened and water flooded in,
almost drowning him.
– Video!
• The capsule was recovered in 1999,
having spent around 38 years in
more than 15,000 feet of water.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Grissom_lifted_from_water_61-MR4-82.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Grissom_prepares_to_enter_Liberty_Bell_7_61-MR4-76.jpg
Liberty Bell 7’s Recovery
And video!
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Liberty_Bell_7_1999.jpg
The Fourth Man in Space
• For Vostok 2, the Soviets launched
Gherman Titov on August 6, 1961, and
he remained in space for 24 hours.
– That was the last Vostok mission to reach
space before the Americans got a man into
orbit.
• The Soviets then pulled another fast
one: they launched a woman into
space.
– Valentina Tereshkova went up on Vostok 6
(a dual flight with Vostok 5) and remained
in orbit for three days.
– The U.S. did not launch a woman till Sally
Ride in 1983.
http://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2013/06/valentina_tereshkova/1
2890201-1-eng-GB/Valentina_Tereshkova.jpg http://www.dekatop.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/sp_02.jpg
The First American in Orbit
• Friendship 7, carrying John
Glenn as the first American into
orbit, was launched February
20, 1962.
• Glenn’s flight lasted a total of 4
hours, 55 minutes, 23 seconds.
– When We Left Earth – Friendship
7
http://weldbham.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/LIFE-John-Glenn.jpg
The Shift
• The early successes on both sides of the space
race allowed NASA and…uh…wait a sec.
• What was the USSR version of NASA?
– Turns out there was no central organization like NASA.
– Instead they used a whole bunch of different offices.
• I imagine they looked something like this:
The Shift
• Anyway, as I was going to say, the early successes
of individuals like Gagarin and Shepard soon
became part of larger programs.
– Gagarin was part of the Vostok program, succeeded
quickly by Voskhod in 1964.
– Shepard was part of the Mercury program, succeeded
quickly by Gemini in 1964.
The Mercury Seven and the Vanguard Six
• In 1959, NASA selected the first seven
astronauts.
– They became known as the Mercury Seven.
• As part of the Vostok program, Sergei Korolev
selected the first six cosmonauts in 1960.
– They became known as the Vanguard Six.
• Thus, the Mercury Seven and the Vanguard Six
participated in each nation’s first manned space
program, known respectively as Mercury and
Vostok.
Mercury and Vostok
• The Mercury and Vostok Programs were designed
to see if people could survive in spacecraft.
– And to do some early posturing for Cold War
purposes.
• Gemini and Voskhod – the successor programs –
were when the innovations started pouring in.
Voskhod
• The Voskhod program was rushed along rather
quickly.
– Korolev knew the Americans were aiming to launch an
upgraded version of their Mercury capsules able to seat
more than one person.
– He aimed to beat them to it, forcing his engineers to rather
dangerously modify the existing Vostok single-person
capsule into a two-seater.
• He dangled the reward of letting one of the engineers ride in it
too, if they got it done, and they did.
• Among other accomplishments, Voskhod 2 featured
the first extravehicular activity (EVA), commonly
known as a “space walk.”
Voskhod 2’s EVA:
Alexey Leonov
• In yet another case of the Soviets
beating the Americans to a
milestone, Alexey Leonov spent 12
minutes outside the Voskhod 2
capsule on March 18, 1965.
– His copilot, Pavel Belyayev, remained
inside.
• Video!
http://46blyz.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/GPN-2002-Leonov_spacewalk.jpg
Gemini
• On the NASA side, Gemini was a series of 12
missions:
– 2 unmanned; 10 manned.
• It was designed to test out techniques that would be
used in the upcoming Apollo moonshot program.
– They did things like docking and undocking in space,
rendezvousing, and spending more and more time in
space.
– This was the beginning of the comeback for the U.S. space
program as they began to have successes with Gemini.
– Ed White also managed an EVA of his own.
Gemini 4 EVA: Ed White
• Ed White’s space walk
lasted 23 minutes with
some pretty cool
pictures (like that one)
taken by crew member
James McDivitt on June
3, 1965.
– So, uh, eat it, Russians!
– Your EVA was first, but
ours was 11 minutes
longer!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/EdWhiteFirstAmericanSpacewalker.1965.ws.jpg
The Apollo Program
• Now for the most well-known program of them
all:
– NASA’s Apollo program, begun in 1967.
• For years – even after Apollo 11, the Soviets
denied that they had any plans to land on the
Moon.
– They did, however, launch a mission to deep space
on November 21, 1967…in the opposite direction of
the Moon.
• Wait, what?
Zond
• Zond 4 through 8 appear to have been Soviet
Moon missions:
– Zond 4 was launched into deep space away from
the Moon as a test.
• NASA feels it was unintentional.
– Zond 5 was launched September 14, 1968,
carrying turtles, flies, seeds, plants, and bacteria.
• It was the first spacecraft to fly around the Moon and
return to Earth successfully.
Zond and Apollo
• Zond 6 was the last mission to launch before Apollo
11.
– It also carried some biological specimens and tested a
new reentry technique, but a failure prior to the attempt
killed everything on board.
– The craft still landed, albeit a crash landing due to a
premature parachute deployment.
• Apollo 8 was launched and made Frank Borman,
James Lovell, and William Anders the first humans
to orbit the Moon (10 times, in fact).
– Anders then took the famous picture Earthrise.
Apollo 8: Earthrise
Don’t forget to watch the NASA simulation video.
http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/images/297755main_GPN-2001-000009_full.jpg
July 20, 1969
• By now you know the story.
• The world watches Neil Armstrong and
Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin land on the
Moon’s Sea of Tranquility while
Michael Collins remains in the
command module.
– The Soviets, still denying they planned a
Moon mission, are crushed.
• “That’s one small step for a man, one
giant leap for Mankind.” [Moon
Landing video – skip to 8:00]
– Apollo 11 Timeline infographic
https://chuckieb123.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/neil-armstrong-first-step-on-the-moon-1969.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Aldrin_Apollo_11_original.jpg
http://www.kidport.com/reflib/science/moonlanding/Images/MoonLanding.jpg
And the winner of the Space Race is…
http://www.imaletyoufinish.com
Contingency Plans
• NASA unfortunately had to take into account what
might happen if the Moon landing were
unsuccessful, especially in the “get back off the
lunar surface” phase.
– The plan became public 30 years later, in 1999.
• In order:
–
–
–
–
Contact widows-to-be.
Address nation with prepared speech.
Cut off communication with Armstrong/Aldrin.
Carry out burial procedures via clergyman.
• Apollo 11 Mission Failure video
Further Apollo Accomplishments
• All missions collected moon rocks.
• Apollo 12’s crew visited the Surveyor
probe.
– Remember that?
• Apollo 14 set up research stations.
• Apollo 15-17 explored further with
the LRV (the lunar rover).
– Wonder how they got the rover there?
• Apollo Lunar Rover Deployment
• Apollo 15 Lunar Rover Deployment
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Apollo15LunarRover.jpg
http://s.hswstatic.com/gif/lunar-rover-3.jpg
By the way…
• Astronauts needed training.
– Some training is in the form of a preview of weightlessness
through parabolic flight: Ride the Vomit Comet video.
– Some training is G-forces of another kind: in a centrifuge.
• So where did all of those astronauts for Mercury,
Gemini, and Apollo train in a centrifuge?
• You guessed it: Warminster, Pennsylvania, at the
Johnsville Centrifuge.
– Videos!
 CB South
Centrifuge 
Alan Shepard’s Prom-posal
• Here’s Alan Shepard
stepping into the gondola
at the Johnsville
Centrifuge, right above
where CB students would
be having Senior Prom.
http://nadcmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Sheppard.jpg
Johnsville Centrifuge (“The Fuge”)
Johnsville Centrifuge (“The Fuge”)
Johnsville Centrifuge (“The Fuge”)
Johnsville Centrifuge (“The Fuge”)
Other Notable Manned Spaceflights
• Some other things we’ll discuss, since landing
on the Moon isn’t everything:
– Space Shuttle
– Space Stations
– Space Emergencies
– Space Disasters
The Space Shuttle
• Quick backstory:
– Prior to Kennedy telling the world the U.S. would win
the Space Race, the general plan was to build a
reusable “space plane.”
– Then Kennedy opened his mouth and things needed
to get moving quickly.
• So we went “disposable.”
– After the Moon landing, NASA went back to working
on something reusable they ultimately called a space
transportation system, or STS for short.
The Space Shuttle
Know these.
• In fairness, it’s not completely
reusable.
• The part that everyone recognizes is
called the orbiter.
• During launch, it was attached to an
external tank, which provides liquid
fuel to the orbiter’s engines.
– It burned up on its way back to the
Pacific or Indian Ocean.
• The solid rocket boosters provided
solid fuel before they were jettisoned
and recovered to be reused.
– They parachuted and then floated.
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/basics/
External Tank and Solid Rocket Boosters
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Freedom_Star_with_SRB.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Space_Shuttle_fueltank_freefall.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/STS-116_rocket_boosters_%28NASA_KSC-06PD-2794%29.jpg
The Space Shuttle
Write these down.
• In total, there were five shuttle orbiters built:
– Columbia
• Completed March 1979, destroyed February 2003.
– Challenger
• Completed July 1982, destroyed January 1986.
– Discovery
• Completed November 1983.
– Atlantis
• Completed April 1985.
– Endeavour
• Completed May 1991, replacement for Challenger.
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/reference/basics/
The Space Shuttle
• The shuttle never went to the Moon but
instead was used to repair or launch satellites
and space telescopes.
• Between April 12, 1981 – its first flight – and
July 21, 2011, the shuttles flew 135 missions
and 355 different people (852 total fliers).
– Missions were named “STS-___.”
• Mission highlights include…
The Space Shuttle: Highlights
• Discovery launched the Hubble
Space Telescope in April, 1990.
• Challenger’s astronaut Bruce
McCandless II used the Manned
Maneuvering Unit to float freely in
space in February, 1984.
• The crew of Endeavour grabbed an
orbiting satellite with their hands
for repair in May, 1992. [video]
http://i.space.com/images/i/000/009/609/i02/STS049-91-020.jpg?1305321760
http://www.spacetelescope.org/images/10063561/
http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/s84-27018.jpg
Why all the past tense?
• NASA retired the space shuttle fleet in
2011 (they had to extend the life of the
shuttle a little bit).
– The International Space Station was
finally done.
– Satellites were being launched by
unmanned rocket.
• Many from Wallops Island, VA, which you can
see from Bucks County!
– The Hubble had its last repair.
– The equipment was getting old.
• The closest shuttle on display is the
Enterprise (landing test shuttle only) at
the Intrepid Museum in NYC.
http://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/2010-4649.jpg
Space Stations
• Space stations began to be developed in earnest once
the Soviets lost the Moon race.
• In order of launch and only counting occupied ones:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
USSR: Salyut 1 [1971]
US: Skylab [1973-1979]
USSR: Salyut 3 (military station) [1974-1975]
USSR: Salyut 4 [1974-1977]
USSR: Salyut 5 (military station) [1976-1977]
USSR: Salyut 6 [1977-1982]
USSR: Salyut 7 [1982-1991]
USSR/Russia: Mir [1986-2001]
International Space Station [1998- ]
Space Stations
• Mir and the ISS are the first two modular
space stations, in that they were launched in
pieces and could be built progressively into
ever-larger sizes.
• Of all the space stations, we’ll discuss just the
International Space Station here.
• First, let’s look at how it was built:
– Building the Biggest International Space Station
The International Space Station
http://i.space.com/images/i/000/045/038/original/Space_Station_over_Earth.jpg?1421433521
The International Space Station
• After years of competition, the ISS is among the first*
examples of international cooperation when it comes to
space.
• It has been continuously occupied since November 2, 2000.
• Exploring the International Space Station
• Other points:
–
–
–
–
How does going to the bathroom in space work?
Water in Space
Water Bubble in Space
Live from the ISS
• *In 1975, there was a cooperative US/USSR Apollo-Soyuz
mission that docked in space successfully.
1975: Apollo-Soyuz Test Project
FYI: “Soyuz” is the name given to a design of Soviet spacecraft still in use today.
• Launched hours apart on July 15,
1975, the two spacecraft docked on
July 17 and the hatch between them
was opened at 3:17 pm for a historic
handshake.
• Compromises had to be made to
make the two spacecraft compatible
(docking hardware, cabin pressure),
and they did other commemorative
activities while in flight.
• It was the last ocean landing for a U.S.
spaceflight.
– Soviet/Russian landings were/are
typically on land.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/ASTP_handshake_-_cropped.jpg
Space Emergencies
• Now for a look at the darker side of human
spaceflight:
– Gemini 8
– Apollo 13
– Soyuz 18A
– Soyuz T-10
Gemini 8
• Launched on March 16, 1966, and carrying Neil
Armstrong and David Scott on a mission to dock with a
target vehicle known as Agena.
• Unfortunately, they started rolling in orbit during
docking because a thruster was stuck “on.”
• Even after undocking, the roll was so severe it
threatened to make the astronauts so dizzy they would
be unable to right the ship.
• Armstrong was able to disengage from the Agena and
regain stability manually before immediate reentry.
Apollo 13
• In April 1970, planned as the third Moon
landing, Apollo 13 was forced to abort
when an oxygen tank ruptured en route.
– Jack Swigert uttered the phrase, “Okay
Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”
• No one ever said, “Houston, we have a
problem.”
• To save their lives, Swigert, James Lovell,
and Fred Haise moved into the Lunar
Excursion Module (LEM) and used its
booster to orbit the Moon and return to
Earth.
– They also pulled off an awesome feat of
engineering to create an air scrubber to
eliminate the buildup of carbon dioxide.
http://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/multimedia/detail.cfm?id=5434
Soyuz 18A
• On April 5th, 1975, Soyuz 18A’s booster rocket
stages failed to separate, causing the descent
module to release automatically.
– They had just reached space.
– On the way down, the two cosmonauts (Vasili
Lazarev and Oleg Makarov) experienced 21.3 Gs of
deceleration – Lazarev was injured.
• That’s a lot.
• They landed very near China in below-zero
temperatures, and were rescued the next day.
Soyuz T-10
• A fuel leak just before ignition, causing a massive fire
on the launch pad on September 26, 1983.
– You know, right underneath the rocket boosters filled with
fuel.
• The wiring that would have allowed their escape
system to automatically work was destroyed in the
fire.
• A manual command – having to pass through several
different officers – was issued and the capsule
ejected six seconds before the boosters exploded.
– On the way up, Vladimir Titov and Gennadi Strekalov
experienced 14-17 Gs.
– Video!
Space Disasters
• Unfortunately, this slide exists.
• With something as daring as spaceflight,
disasters were inevitable:
– Apollo 1
– Soyuz 1
– Soyuz 11
– Challenger
– Columbia
Apollo 1
• The first Apollo mission, carrying
Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger
Chaffee, was meant only to be a
test on the launch pad on January
27, 1967.
– No actual launch intended.
• However, faulty wiring caused a
fire inside the sealed capsule,
killing all three astronauts.
– The interior was a pure oxygen
environment.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Apollo1_Crew_im_Simulator.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/tCASlwf.jpg
https://writeitforward.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/apollo-1-fire.jpg
Soyuz 1
• The Soviet space program had its first tragedy on April
23, 1967 – just three months after Apollo 1.
– It was the first in-flight death.
• Aboard Soyuz 1, cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov died
when the reentry capsule never successfully deployed a
parachute.
http://media.web.britannica.com/eb-media/17/69117-050-18E59214.jpg
http://americaspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Soyuz-1-remains2.jpg
Soyuz 11
• Soyuz 11 marks what is to
date the only fatalities in
space, when Georgi
Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov,
and Victor Patseyev died as a
result of depressurization of
the cabin.
• On their reentry from 24 days
aboard Salyut 1 on June 29,
1971, a valve opened and the
air in the capsule rushed out,
suffocating the crew.
• CPR was given to the
cosmonauts but to no avail.
http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/Images/StarChild/space_level2/soyuz11_crew_big.gif
http://www.straitstimes.com/news/world/more-world-stories/story/nasa-rocket-explodes-5-the-worst-accidents-space-history-2014102
Challenger
• We’ve seen this before, but the
Challenger disaster occurred on
January 28, 1986.
• Cold temperatures caused an Oring designed to seal joints in
the solid rocket boosters to fail.
– All seven astronauts were killed.
• Manned spaceflight through
NASA was halted for over two
years.
– Video?
http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/challenger_2011/bp1.jpg
http://media.cleveland.com/nationworld_impact/photo/space-shuttle-challengerjpg-ff9375e2f0d3b75c.jpg
Columbia
• On February 1st, 2003, space shuttle
Columbia broke apart on reentry
over eastern Texas and Louisiana.
– All seven crew members died and
pieces of the shuttle littered the area
under the approach.
• Foam insulation from the external
tank during launch broke off and
struck the left wing of the orbiter.
• Heat from the atmosphere on
reentry slowly broke the shuttle
apart.
– Again, more than two years passed
without human spaceflight from
NASA.
– Videos.
http://imgur.com/gallery/esEJMmg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Crew_of_STS-107,_official_photo.jpg
Course Closure
• It is not my intention to end a course – about
the wonders of space – on the tragedies of
space.
– Though they are real and must be remembered.
• Instead, I will take this opportunity to remind
all of you that discovery does not often
happen without sacrifice, and that there’s a
very real human element to all this that you
have learned in this course.
Course Closure
• For a closing note, I leave you with this:
– The Known Universe
Go explore something.