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Vostok Spacecraft Retrofire and Deorbit Systems, December 1963

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Vostok Spacecraft Retrofire and Deorbit Systems, December 1963 DECLASSIFIED UNDER AUTHORITY OF THE INTERAGENCY SECURITY CLASSIFICATION APPEALS PANEL, E.O. 13526, SECTION 5.3(b)(3) ISCAP APPEAL NO. 2009-068, document no. 9 DECLASSIFICATION DATE: November 13,2014 )81 VOSTOK SPACECRAFT RETROFIRE AND DEORBff SYSTEMS DECEMBER \963 - TASK 61820 4{3.3.8.3) AiR FO~C~ ~~~S~l~ DEVilOPiiOOT C!NT~~~ ~O~WMA~ AI~ ~0~~~ ~A$f ~H11 ~~ElC@ A:-'rJIOC 63- 6292. 1nh.') ~ · n ..~ ~·.c . :1 , · ,J r. i~ . : 1 . ng w :~ r . v r P• r • Ol.:nlly aJJe :. t .: ~ ih~( (011 · -.U:1 t' ci ; n ;·, ·, ~: : b! c ;; : c .--~ , ·.Lr:.:ld b < fcnvarchd b )• the reClp : f· a1t d . r (· r • L· , ,-. 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F ·:·. ~t : c:. ~ · ':1 =:;;;._ n -- . a.. ~: 011 oy ' 'h~ ~t·-~ : p:en: c! r:. .=li = ~ c•r rt~ ·, ·A· ~·. ; r:: tO ;:..•_bord: na•r: ,,_ l e1nents m\.i.~;. b-: bJ,;f'd c·n it·.c:: ::pt·: ·!·r nt· t::d !(· know c:.i lr:; E !'e c·. p!er~ : to t=- e-:fci m h :~ . ~-"i s : gr.. e d r n. ~.;, ~ -;.0n -­ A :J•c.cr : ty· AFC : N Pe-ll ey L e'.'<r 205 5 datr:d 20 F · ·br ·.;;·: _. 195'1~ . ----- ... -- -··· -- - -- -··- . .. - -- -· ~--- ··-· ·--·----··----.. ---- .., _________ __ _____... _ . ~ . .. .. -· · F O REIGN TECHNOLO GY REPORT AFMDC - TR -- 63-9 ( T ~tl e. SecJ ~ r.) VOSTOK SPACECR AFT RETROFIRE AN~ DEORB1T SYSTEMS Ta~k 6!&204\3. 3.8 .3! Pr10 p3.red by: Ga.p!-a.!n Willi am J. Barl ow T his is an AFSC F·oreign T echn ology document prepared a nd publis h e d by the. AFSC for us e primarily within the command. It has not been reviewed ii>. the Office nf the ACS/Intelligence , Headquarte rs USAF, and does not nec essarily repreaer.~ an agre €d A '. !" F0::ce po ::.: ~i c;n . DEPUTY YOR FORELGN TECHNOLOGY AIR FORCE M::SSILE DEVELOPMEN T CENTE k AIR FORCE SYSTEM':: COMMAND HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE: NEW MEX.-.C1..' SECRET AFMDC 63-6292 .-.. ·-·- ---- ... -····-···· ··· .. ·-·-·-- -· ....._,__ ............. - ·· - ~-,__----. .... ...... ~.-.... --... PREFACE The inf<'.rm3. ~ •on :e!lected 1n th.1s repc!·' has been prepared p:-::,mar: \y fc.r t!­_.,.. 'O~e c.J F·n:eign Te ~ hnology p<!rsonnel engaged :n the analys,.s of th f, S<:>c: '.et. '-pace "'.[fort. Captain James W. ::o :he mate r:;.3.l 10 S.;-~!; ,::_ (:.n I"'f... -::cncf.!' r:u.ng O!' '!ent.aU.on systems .. The. $t-..:dy of the S<:>vie. ~ ,;pact>. eifc.rt !S ~n Ai~· Foro::e Systems Command p.:oject, a:!d thj..s report will be of part1cular interest t o m<hv i duals ccnc ~..rne- .d with Sovi et deorb1t, rctro­ thrust, and ~:e- - e nt~y t.,<:bniq•~es . Th:·.s .c s a t e.-:hrucal support do<:ume nt !or Proje::~ 6182, T3.sk 6182.04(3.3. 8.3). a:signed to the Ai-z: Force M.io;si.l.,; D evelopmer,t Center. · i 'I .i i ·! PUBLC ·,TJ.O:·•-- RS---­ 1i1F.W :rh:•.s Foreign Te<:!:r.c:logy do'O'-lmen~ ha~ beoon :>:<Wlewed and is approved for di.stribut.ion w i. tr.~n t!-o~ Au For:::e '>y •. e~,., Command. FOR THE COMMANDER ~~t:JL1:;T L!: Col 1 USAF DE[-c: t y £or Foreigl". Te:::hm,Jc g·i' AFMDC 63-&292. _.. ----·--·------·- .. ····-· . ------ ·-·-----·----··--··... ·---- . TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Nr Preface . Summary ii1 SECTION Introducuon SECTiON ll Ever.t Sequence 3 SECTION lU Re-Entry DectSion SECTION IV Spacecra!t Orient~non for Retrothrust. II SECTION V I>eorb1t Command and Ret~othrust ll SECTION VI R~orienta.tion for Re-Entry. 29 SECTION Vli Manual Reorientation System . 31 B ibliography . 34 I> istribution . Ll~T -jF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure l Vostok Event Sequence . • 4 Figure 2 One -Impulse Descent !rom Orbit s Figure 3 Paramete:s of !nterest. • • • . 6 AFMDC &3-6292 -· ,-.---·- · - - -- -·- -~- ----..·-- -­ ·- --·- ···--·-·----- - ~- · --~ ·-- · This report was prepared t.o satisfy requirements e~lablished by tr.. e Fore1gn Technology Division Vostok Techmcal Operat1ona1 P-rojectSpec~fic_.t;.on {TOPS). The:;oe requnements are rcfledcd I c"' page 47 of the TOPS as Taek 618;!04·:3.3.8.3). /.81 ·! Conr:lusions The following conclusions are presented: a. A decision tc deorbit a vehtcle is made by the Moscow ,. l; I M1ssi.on Control Group based on degree of m i ssion accomphsh · ment, the cosmonaut's recommenda~ions, . and c!'bltal parameters de.tcrmmed by the space tracking net. jB')' ·j b. Ground co mmands arc passed to the Vostok electronic I i prcgrammer, possibly •.ria a h;ghly d1rect1ve radar link ·from either Ko. ·• ,~chatka or the. Ty...tr~ Tam ran~eh'!ad f'n thE r r, ~cver, · crb!t. autc-.mati:: a<:tivati.on of deor.b' t events; the ::a£monaut w:tll mon~to:r and veri.iy the automat:~ sequence. The Sov!~t Space Event Support. Ships (SSESS) alsc mcnitor the c!eor·bit pha.se and coald be utilized in the deorb~t command link. ).8f c. There is a. separate a1.1tomaih : deorb1t u~~-:l·..,. :!on syat~m a.board t he Vostoks wh1cl", utilizes a sun sensor, g-;-.:-os , iii AFMDC 63 -6?.92 SECRET ... • ....-..----· - • · --··-- .------· --· ---··-· ·-- ,_,., _ _____ ,_ ____.. _ ______.. _A ' ' •-> •• · --- o• and horizon scanne.::-s. Three gy:ros and three. actuators are ut1liz.ed w1th the follo·v;•ing mechanl 7.al:ion affordcng the greatest prec~sion and ease vi operation: -:ll As the ve,h1de crosses 1n~o the sunlight on 1t.s re c over-y orbit, the solar sensor is used to align the longltudinal axis d,Iect.ly a~ the e-un; a t the 2ame time a s e t of th:>"ee caged c:rthogonal body ·· mounted gyrc.e are set into motion to wa"rn up. \2) Or.ce the sur.line 1s precisely eetabhshed, the body -mounted gyros are uncaged by the cosmonaut, thereby establishing a highly a cr.urate 1nerti.al attitude reference for deorbi.t. :3) Wi th r.he inertial reference estabbshed, th~t. ' vehicle iS then oriented to fire the retrorocket at the programmed r . ! t i me and 1 0 plane angle t.o ach1ev<;> impact. in the designated area. .! d. The r. ~trc.. : n.· <tt untt is 1den t i cal o n a ll -.rostok~ and Vostok··t.ype veht cles (Sputnik 4 and Cosmos l2 are epecittc examples); it has a nominal 40 . 3 -sP.cond burni ng t,~~ .- a.nd 1s a s ' ngle chamber, liqu1d bipropellant. turbopump rocke t. The eet1mated thn.:st l.S 3, 580.:!:. 380 pounds w1th a veloCJ.'.y ciecrP.ment (nV) of 464.:!:. 49ft/sec. The retrorocket has a consC<' i'lt t:N: tr.ereforF., it is necessary for t.he Soviets to adjust the , ..•~cor:-1tch AFMDC 63-629'2 - .. .... •-- - · -~ - ·-··.. ·-- ····· - -- ·----·--····--·-­ E.ngle [or each of th ebe satellites :. n order to. achleve impac t at spo .:;(\~ loca•.ic~. ~. This w1ll result m beth positive 3.nd n~. gat i ve rct~op i !ch angles bemg pos::.ible ior the Vosto k ser:es . ....;8} e. Abo'.lt 8 to 9 eeccnd8 afte:- termmation of retrothrust, the hfe support C:ibl. n is separa~ed f::-on1 the mstrument and ret<o" package. Both uni t s :re - e!'le? ~ h@ atmosphere at an angle between f. The li~e support C3.b>.n must be. reonented to place the heat shie ld along the .path of t.he velocity v e cto:-; there i s no speci.Ec tele metry to Vf;rify the exac t nat. u :-; e of thts event. ~ Backgro:.1nd Highlights Inf ormation utilized fc.r th ~ s paper ecn s·~s t e d of Loc kheed ESS reports, Goodyear Astroan.a.'.yo ;.s r~.
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