Computing in the Soviet Space Program

Introduction

Bibliography

Computers

Discussion

Documents

Essays

Institutions

Interviews

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"Glory to the Communist Party!" Soviet propaganda poster

"The leadership of the [Soviet Strategic] Missile Forces has more trust in automatic satellites, and it underestimates the role of human beings in space research. It is a shame that in our country, which was the first to sent man into outer space, for four years the question has been debated whether man is needed on board a military spacecraft. In America this question has been resolved firmly and conclusively in favor of man. In this country, many still argue for automata."

Soviet cosmonauts' letter to Leonid Brezhnev (1965)

Gagarin's workbook No. 107

Cosmonaut Yurii Gagarin's workbook No. 107, pp. 1-3; May 1960. This workbook contains Gagarin's lecture notes. The first lecture is a historical overview of the development of rocketry in the U.S.S.R. and abroad. It includes a list of types of rocket weaponry, biographies of the rocketry pioneers Tsiolkovskii, Tsander, and Kondratiuk, and an overview of more recent developments abroad and in the Soviet Union. The second lecture is on the fundamentals of jet propulsion movement. It starts with the introduction of the concept of derivative.

Komarov's workbook No. 38

Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov's workbook No. 38, p. 1 [?]. This workbook contains Komarov's lecture notes. The first lecture is on the system of indication and manual control of the Vostok space ship (SIS-1-3KA). The first page contains a brief description of the components of this system, and a drawing of the instrument board.

Komarov's workbook No. 39

Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov's workbook No. 39, pp. 53-58; July 1961. This workbook contains Komarov's lecture notes. The first lecture is on the system of manual control of the Vostok 3A space ship. This lecture was given by the spacecraft control system designer Boris Raushenbakh. The second lecture was devoted to the description of the second space mission. It was given by the leading spacecraft designer Konstantin Feoktistov.


site last updated 26 March 2003 by Slava Gerovitch