Space probe

Space probes and aircraft have been created to carry out physical research of near-Earth interplanetary space, celestial bodies of the Solar System and their surroundings. Unlike high-speed satellites, high-speed sounding rockets and high-altitude probes, spacecraft carry out measurements at distances from the Earth’s surface exceeding the radius of the Earth. If we consider the term “K.”, which is applied to satellite systems that have been launched into orbits with low and medium eccentricity, then he means them. z. “Z” is not used in this context. This category includes spacecraft that are used for flights to the Moon and planets. The birth of the world’s first spacecraft, which was named “Luna-1”, took place in the USSR on January 2, 1959. On January 4, 1959, it was placed into a hyperbolic orbit other than the Earth’s, and moving along it, on January 4, 1959, it appeared near the Moon, leaving the Earth’s gravitational zone and becoming the first artificial planet of the Solar system. Spacecraft launched into heliocentric orbits are often called long-range spacecraft. In domestic practice, such devices are often called automatic interplanetary stations (AMS), lunar stations, etc. In the United States, such devices are called lunar probes, Martian probes, etc. Space stations are often called probes for exploring the peripheral regions of near-Earth space and interplanetary space (for example, American IMP satellites, Soviet spacecraft that were part of the Electron system). Classical K. Z. Soviet spacecraft of the Zond series and American spacecraft of the Pioneer series are considered. They were designed to explore near-Earth and interplanetary space; the Zond series devices, starting with Zond-3, made a great contribution to the study of the Moon and its surroundings (see also “Luna”).
Scientific research on the spacecraft is carried out either with the help of on-board equipment (measurements of particle fluxes, magnetic field, etc.), or by taking photographs and remote measurements. In order to obtain the results of experiments, they are usually transmitted via telemetry or television channels (for example, experiments with Luna-3, Venus series devices, etc.) or delivered to Earth in a return device. For example, these can be devices such as Luna-16, Zond.
In order to lay interplanetary routes, spacecraft are usually launched from an intermediate satellite orbit. Their landing on other celestial bodies is usually also carried out from an intermediate orbit, which is used to create an artificial satellite. In the case of return to Earth (for example, some spacecraft of the Zond series), re-entry into the atmosphere using the second cosmic velocity is used. The indicators of the trajectory of the KZ are determined using a system of radio engineering measurements. Sometimes photographic observations of comets that are artificial are used for this purpose (for example, when launching “Luna-1” and “Luna 2”).
For the first time, experimental data on the peripheral regions of near-Earth outer space were obtained with the help of K. Z. As a result of the research, the Earth’s magnetosphere was discovered and investigated. (“Luna-1”, “Luna-2”) the solar wind was discovered, which is a continuous stream of particles that the Sun emits in calm conditions and the release of particles characteristic of increased solar activity. In the process of studying the flows, magnetic fields were found in them, which were “frozen” in them. The interaction of solar wind fluxes with the Earth’s magnetosphere has also been established, which is of great importance for studying the dynamics of magnetic storms, the occurrence of auroras and other geophysical phenomena caused by solar-terrestrial connections.
To. With the help of spacecraft that were launched to Venus and Mars, it was possible to obtain experimental data on how far away their nearest habitable planets and atmosphere are; also, thanks to them, photographs of the surface of the Moon and Mars were obtained, as well as the physical characteristics of the lunar soil were studied. In the course of recent studies, they were carried out both directly on the Moon and on samples of lunar soil that were delivered to Earth.