Testing of a unique simulator has begun at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. The centrifuge is a copy of a spaceship - the only one of its kind.

The famous Gagarin phrase is heard at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, and the huge 300-ton centrifuge TsF-18 begins to rotate. This is one of the first launches after the hall was renovated.

“The fork can rotate. The ring rotates in the fork. And the cabin rotates inside the ring. Centrifugal force created by rotating a centrifuge around the hall. This is necessary in order to obtain an overload vector that affects the astronaut,” explains Vladimir Kirshanov, head of the department of centrifuges and dynamic simulators at the Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

In the centrifuge (this time there was no one in it), the astronauts practice the launch or descent of the spacecraft in manual mode. In reality, overloads can reach 4-5 units. But the crew must still remain operational.

“Blood from the top of the head moves down. You need to have the skill and behave accordingly so that there is no loss of consciousness,” explains Yuri Malenchenko, Hero of Russia, cosmonaut pilot, deputy head of the Cosmonaut Center. Yu.A. Gagarin.

For Yuri Malenchenko, who has six space flights under his belt, centrifuge training once saved his life. During the fourth descent from orbit, the ship fell onto a ballistic trajectory. The overload reached almost 9 units. This is an incredible challenge.

“My body was so strong that I withstood this overload quite well. I could conduct radio communications and control everything that was necessary,” recalls Yuri Malenchenko.

Preparation for rotation looks something like this: instructors place the astronaut in a special chair, fasten them with belts, right hand They give you a tanget - this is a kind of joystick for communication.

- This button must be held down during rotation. If you let it go, it means you feel bad or have lost consciousness. The centrifuge stops.

In a chair, an astronaut is rolled into the centrifuge cabin. This, by the way, is an exact copy of the ship. The hatches are closed and space begins.

At first it all seems like spinning on a carousel. But as the speed increases, the astronauts begin to experience, to put it mildly, unpleasant sensations. The muscles fill with lead, it’s hard to raise your arms, it’s hard to breathe, it becomes stuffy. All due to overload. For example, with three units, body weight increases three times.

The astronauts are rotated for several minutes with different types and magnitudes of overloads. Maximum up to 8 units. Although this centrifuge is capable of simulating up to 30. However, it is clear that such an indicator is not compatible with life.

The TsF-18 centrifuge was built back in the Soviet years. But it still remains one and only of its kind. In the near future, after all the necessary tests have been carried out, the cosmonauts will again begin to prepare with its help for their future flights.

Want to know what overload is? Centrifuge training will show whether you are ready for space flight. Feel like a real astronaut!

Rotation on a centrifuge

During the flight into orbit, as well as when returning from outer space, astronauts face severe overloads. Therefore, training astronauts in a centrifuge is included in the mandatory training of the star crew. Even space tourists will not be able to get into orbit without such a test.

Spinning in a centrifuge helps establish the physical endurance of astronauts, and also trains their ability to control the ship during overloads. During standard training, astronauts learn to tolerate overloads of up to 8 units in the chest-back direction and up to 5 units in the head-pelvis direction. In addition, they train to control the ship during descent from orbit in manual mode and at the same time independently control the law of change in overload.

Centrifuge training for beginners

The Cosmonaut Training Center uses special centrifuges TsF7 and TsF18. The latter weighs three hundred tons and is the largest in Europe.

What is spinning on a centrifuge?

• Dynamic simulators with a rotation radius of 7 and 18 meters;
• Starting power up to 27 megawatts;
• Maximum acceleration 30g;
• Rotation in a circle and in three planes;
• Speed ​​up to 250 km/h;
• More than 36.5 rpm;
• The conditions inside the simulator are as close to natural as possible: in the cabin you can change the pressure, temperature, humidity and composition of the atmosphere.

The profession of an astronaut involves constant overload, tests of strength and endurance. Therefore, they have to improve their body and body much more than ordinary people. We found out how astronauts train on Earth and in space

The profession of an astronaut involves constant overload, tests of strength and endurance. Therefore, they have to improve their body and body much more than ordinary people. We found out how astronauts train on Earth and in space.

General physical training

An astronaut should not be muscular, but he should be strong, fast, dexterous and, most importantly, resilient. Therefore, general sports training includes many sports, including Athletics, gymnastics, swimming, winter - ski race. To improve coordination and reaction speed, astronauts practice diving, acrobatics and trampolining.

IN gym future cosmonauts train three times a week for two hours. To get the highest score for sports training, a cosmonaut candidate under the age of 35 must fulfill the following standards:

1 . Running 3 km - no more than 12 minutes 20 seconds.

2. 800m freestyle swim - no more than 19 minutes.

3. 5 km ski race - no more than 24 minutes.

4. Pull-ups - 14 times.

5. 100 meter dash – no more than 13.2 seconds

6. Long jump - at least 2.5 meters.

7. Diving underwater - at least 25 meters.

Readiness for cardio exercise and aerobic endurance are tested as follows: a cosmonaut candidate trains for 5 minutes on an exercise bike with a light load, then rests for three minutes and pedals for another 5 minutes with maximum load. During the entire exercise, heart rate and blood pressure are measured.

Special physical training

Weightlessness, overloads, vestibular irritations - you will not encounter these phenomena on Earth, so special training is carried out to adapt the body to these phenomena.

Centrifuge: overload training

A centrifuge is a special installation that resembles a huge carousel and rotates at speeds of up to 70 revolutions per minute. During centrifuge training, an ill-prepared person can lose not only the contents of the stomach, but also consciousness. American astronauts spent up to 10 hours in a centrifuge for 40 weeks before launching the Apollo spacecraft.

Barani chair and Khilova swing

To quickly adapt to conditions of weightlessness, astronauts train the vestibular apparatus. The most famous simulator for this is the Barany chair, which is a rotating chair on which you are spun in one direction or the other. Another device for the development of the vestibular apparatus is a Khilov swing with a platform that maintains a horizontal position during swinging.

Pressure chamber

Readiness for pressure changes and oxygen starvation is checked using a pressure chamber - a special compartment in which conditions are created corresponding to an altitude of 5 thousand meters. Under such conditions, they are usually detected.

Training in space

Prolonged stay in zero gravity is very harmful to the body - in six months, astronauts lose up to 20% muscle mass and up to 18% bone. To avoid this, they need daily. But how can this be achieved if even the heaviest dumbbell in space weighs nothing?

For strength training The ISS has a special ARED simulator with a clever system of cylinders and rubber connections, providing a load of up to 600 kg. It can be used to perform exercises for all muscle groups.

There is a special one in space treadmill, on which astronauts are required to spend at least an hour a day. To ensure attraction to the simulator, astronauts have to wear a special vest-belt. Maximum speed the cosmic treadmill is 16 km/h. The space exercise bike is built on the same principle - the astronaut's body is fastened to the seat, and his legs are fastened to the pedals.

To receive credit for the elective, you must type a total of 12 points. Points can be obtained for problems solved at home, as well as for tasks that will be at the final work on Monday, December 25, 2017.

Homework assignments (due date: 12/25/2017):
(If you have any questions about the tasks, on Saturday 12/23/2017 you can come to room 301 for advice)

1. Problem on the basic kinematic equations of uneven motion:

An object fell out of a helicopter rising upward with a constant acceleration of 4 m/s 2 , 10 s after the start of the ascent. Find the time the object falls to the ground. Neglect air resistance. (Solve the problem using kinematics equations, make a drawing in the solution). (Maximum 3 points per task)

2. Problem on the basics of curvilinear motion:

Line in the picture MN – trajectory of uniform motion of a material point at a speed of 3 m/s. Draw the velocity and acceleration vectors at points A and B, lying on curves with radii 10 cm and 15 cm. Determine the velocity and acceleration modules at these points (the sign of the module will depend on the direction of the vector). (Maximum 3 points per task)

3. Problem for uniform motion of a body in a circle:

Cosmonauts are trained for overload in special centrifuges. At what frequency must the centrifuge rotate so that an astronaut located at a distance of 3 m from the axis of rotation moves with an acceleration of 5 g ? (Maximum 2 points per task)

4. Problem on the law of universal gravitation:

At what distance from the Earth's surface is the acceleration of gravity equal to 1 m/s2? (Maximum 2 points per task)

5. Problem on the parameters of artificial Earth satellites:

The rocket rotates around the Earth at a speed of 5 km/s. After changing the orbit, the rocket began to move at a speed of 4 km/s; find the ratio of the radii of the orbits and the period of revolution of the rocket around the Earth after such a change in speed. (Maximum 2 points per task)

How cosmonaut candidates are tortured before flying into orbit

Flight into space is associated with fantastic overloads, for which the astronaut must be prepared. Therefore, before the flight, the body of each applicant is subjected to severe tests - we are talking about the most difficult of them.

Centrifuge

Willingness for overloads is instilled in future cosmonauts with the help of a centrifuge - a huge installation that resembles a carousel with a special capsule at the end. It rotates at an insane speed, reaching 70 rpm. During centrifuge training, an ill-prepared person can lose not only the contents of the stomach, but also consciousness. American astronauts spent up to 10 hours in a centrifuge for 40 weeks before launching the Apollo spacecraft.

Pressure chamber

The astronaut must be prepared to face a lack of oxygen and sudden changes in pressure. This readiness is tested using a pressure chamber - a special compartment in which conditions are created corresponding to an altitude of 5 thousand meters, and the subjects are deprived of an oxygen mask. Under such conditions, all hidden pathologies of the body are usually revealed.

Thermal chamber

Astronauts' spacesuits are equipped with a thermal regulation system, but if it suddenly fails in outer space, the body must be prepared for elevated temperatures. Therefore, all astronaut candidates are tested in a thermal chamber in which the temperature is 60 degrees Celsius and the humidity is 50%. You need to survive in such conditions for one hour.

Sound chamber

Cosmonauts are people not only with excellent health, but also with an outstanding psyche. To test it, applicants are placed in a soundproof chamber - a room with weak artificial lighting and complete sound insulation. Do you think it's easy? Absolute silence is much scarier than you think. The world record for staying in an anechoic chamber is only 45 minutes, and the average person begins to rush out after 10 minutes. In addition, history knows many cases when, after being in absolute silence, a person went crazy.

Skydiving

For many, skydiving is fun, not a challenge, but not for astronauts. During a free fall from a height of several thousand meters, they must perform various tasks, for example, using signs laid out on the ground to determine or calculate the time of parachute opening. If you do this a little earlier than necessary, the exam will be failed. A little later than necessary - and you're dead. Of course, a conditional corpse, since if the parachutist does not open the parachute on time, the machine gun will do it for him.

Survival tests

Survival tests - The final stage training, which is no longer associated with space overloads, but with earthly problems that may arise if an astronaut lands in the wild. Cosmonaut candidates are dropped off in the taiga, desert or ocean with a minimum supply of provisions and equipment. Their goal is to survive in these conditions for several days and be able to get to the camp where help awaits them.