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The TKS transport ship
During
the 1960s and 1970s, a design bureau led by
Vladimir
Chelomei
developed an enduring series of manned transport ships, designated
TKS and intended to resupply the Almaz space station. In the 1980s, the
design of the craft became a base for the add-on modules of the
Salyut
and
Mir space station
and in the 1998, the same
craft served as a founding stone of the
International
Space Station
.
Previous chapter:
Almaz space station
Technical description
The TKS spacecraft
with a total mass of 20 tons, consisted of two elements:
- Functional
Cargo Block, FGB, with the industrial designation 11F77;
- A three-seat
Reentry Capsule, VA, with the industrial designation 11F74.
The TKS was
designed to be launched on a
Proton
rocket and carry a three-person crew, along with up to eight small film return capsules and
other supplies for the Almaz station. The TKS was equipped with the I11F77
propulsion system and eight externally attached cylindrical propellant
tanks.
The TKS spacecraft
had a length of 13 meters and a pressurized volume of 49.88 cubical meters.
Vladimir
Chelomei delegated the development of the TKS spacecraft to the branch
of his design bureau, known as KB Salyut located in the Moscow district
of Fili. The development of the VA reentry capsule was conducted by Chelomei's
"home" bureau in Reutov, east of Moscow.
The VA capsule
could be attached either to the FGB module of the TKS and or to the front
section of the Almaz station or to both. In the latter case, the Almaz
station could be launched manned with the crew riding to orbit inside
the VA capsule. The crew members would be able to exit and enter the VA
capsule in orbit via a special hatch in the thermal protective shield
of the craft.
Upon separation
from the FGB craft or from the Almaz station, the VA capsule would be
able to conduct an autonomous flight of up to 31 hours long. Along with
the three-member crew, the VA capsule could apparently return as much
as 50 kilograms of cargo. (
49
)
The VA capsule was equipped with an 11D841 solid-propellant motor, which was intended to propel the emergency escape rocket away from the ship after it would reach safe altitude during the launch. Another solid-propellant motor designated 11D848 was providing soft landing of the VA capsule. Both engines were developed at MKB Iskra.
Development
of the TKS
The preliminary
design of the TKS spacecraft was completed at KB Salyut under the direction
of Ya. B. Nodelman in 1969. (
134
)
To support
the TKS program, the NIIKhIMMash center in Zagorsk, north-east of Moscow,
built test facilities to simulate the jettisoning of the payload fairing,
live firing of the propulsion system and for vacuum testing. The craft
life-support system and thermal control were tested at the aviation research
center in Chkalovo, north-east of Moscow. The facilities for testing
the docking system and the process of separation between the FGB and the
VA reentry capsule were deployed at the Khrunichev production plant in
Fili.
In accordance
with the timeline approved by the Minister of General Machine Building,
MOM, Afanasiev, on June 15, 1972, the construction of the TKS spacecraft
was to have started in the fourth quarter of 1972. (
134
)
In order
to accelerate the man-rating of the TKS and VA spacecraft, the developers
made the decision to launch two unmanned VA reentry capsules in every
test flight. The dual launch of reentry capsules would maximize the test
data gathered during each reentry and landing. Such test flights were
conducted between 1976 and 1978.
In addition,
so-called "autonomous launches" of the VA capsules, aimed to
test its emergency escape system, were conducted from
Site
51
in
Baikonur
on a ballistic trajectory
from 1974 to 1977. At least one such test ended in failure, according
to the memoirs of a program participant. (
100
)
In December
1978, the Minister of General Machine Building approved the formation
of a special group of six cosmonauts within Chelomei's NPO Mash, specifically
for manned missions onboard the TKS spacecraft.
The TKS
spacecraft technical specifications: (
49
)
Industrial
designation
|
11F72
|
Crew
size
|
3
people
|
Launch
mass
|
21,620
kg
|
Mass
in orbit
|
17,510
kg
|
Payload
mass to orbit
|
12,600
kg
|
Mass
of onboard propellant
|
3,822
kg
|
Length
|
13
meters (17.51 meters with VA capsule
|
Diameter
|
4.15
meters
|
Solar
arrays size
|
40
square meters
|
Onboard
power supply
|
2,400
Watt
|
The VA
capsule technical specifications: (
49
)
Industrial
designation
|
11F74
|
Crew
size
|
3
people
|
Mass
at launch (with emergency escape system)
|
|
Mass
in orbit
|
4,250
kg
|
Mass
on landing
|
3,800
kg
|
Payload
mass, including
- Onboard
systems
- The
crew (in spacesuits)
|
2,135
kg
|
|
|
Total
internal volume
|
8.37
cubical meters (
49
)
|
Habitable
volume
|
4.56
cubical meters (
49
)
|
Length
|
3.64
meters
|
Diameter
|
2.79
meters
|
Emergency escape tower discard solid propellant motor
|
11D841
|
Soft-landing solid propellant motor
|
11D848
|
Overview
of TKS missions and TKS-based modules:
Kosmos-881, 882
|
Two
VA
|
1976
Dec. 15
|
-
|
|
Orbital
test of VA
|
Kosmos-929
|
TKS/VA
|
1977
July 17
|
1977 Aug. 16
|
1978
Feb. 3
|
First
TKS test.
|
no
name
|
Two
VA
|
1977
Aug. 5
|
-
|
-
|
LV
failure. Suborbital test of VA
|
Kosmos-997, 998
|
Two
VA
|
1978
March 30
|
-
|
-
|
Orbital
test of VA
|
Kosmos-1100, 1101
|
Two
VA
|
1979
May 23
|
-
|
-
|
Orbital
test of VA
|
Kosmos-1267
|
TKS
|
1981
April 25
|
1981
May 24
|
1982
July 29*
|
Docked
to Salyut-6 on June 19, 1981.
|
Kosmos-1443
|
TKS
|
1983
March 2
|
1983 Aug. 23
|
1983
Sept. 19
|
Docked
to Salyut-7 from March 10 to Aug. 14.
|
Kosmos-1686
|
TKS
|
1985
Sept. 27
|
VA not included
|
1991 Feb. 7
|
Docked
to Salyut-7 on Oct. 2, 1985; deorbited with the station
|
|
TKS/Kvant
|
1987 March 30
|
VA not included
|
|
Docked
to Mir
|
Polyus/Skif
|
TKS/Polyus
|
1987
May 15
|
VA not included
|
|
Energia
test launch; Payload failed to reach orbit;
|
|
|
1989 Nov. 26
|
VA not included
|
|
|
|
|
1990 May 31
|
VA not included
|
|
|
|
|
1995 May 20
|
VA not included
|
|
|
|
|
1996 April 23
|
VA not included
|
|
|
|
|
1998
Nov. 20
|
VA not included
|
-
|
|
|
|
|
VA not included
|
-
|
|
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