Kosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
Encyclopedia
Kosmonavt Yuri Gagarin was a Soviet
space control-monitoring ship that was devoted to detecting and receiving satellite communications. Named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
, she was completed in December 1971 to support the Soviet space program
. The ship also conducted upper atmosphere
and outer space
research.
It had very distinguishable looks due to two extremely large and two smaller parabolic "dish"
antennas
placed on top of the hull.
In Soviet times, the Kosmonavt Yuri Gagarin was the world's largest communications ship and was the flagship of a fleet of communications ships. These ships greatly extended the tracking range when the orbits of cosmonauts and unmanned missions were not over the USSR.
In 1975, the ship was a part of the Soviet-American Apollo-Soyuz joint test program.
The communications ships belonged to the Soviet Academy of Sciences. The maritime part fell under the responsibility of the Baltic- and Black sea shipping. The ships had home ports in the Ukraine
(Kosmonavt Yuri Gagarin and the other surveillance ship Akademik Sergei Korolev
), so after the fall of the Soviet Union they were transferred to Ukraine – ending their role in spaceflight.
She was sold for scrap
shortly after the break-up of the Soviet Union along with the Akademik Sergei Korolev.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
space control-monitoring ship that was devoted to detecting and receiving satellite communications. Named after cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
, she was completed in December 1971 to support the Soviet space program
Soviet space program
The Soviet space program is the rocketry and space exploration programs conducted by the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from the 1930s until its dissolution in 1991...
. The ship also conducted upper atmosphere
Aeronomy
Aeronomy is the science of the upper region of the atmosphere, where dissociation and ionization are important. The term aeronomy was introduced by Sydney Chapman, and the above definition stems from 1960. Today the term also includes the science of the corresponding regions of the atmospheres of...
and outer space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
research.
It had very distinguishable looks due to two extremely large and two smaller parabolic "dish"
Parabolic reflector
A parabolic reflector is a reflective device used to collect or project energy such as light, sound, or radio waves. Its shape is that of a circular paraboloid, that is, the surface generated by a parabola revolving around its axis...
antennas
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
placed on top of the hull.
In Soviet times, the Kosmonavt Yuri Gagarin was the world's largest communications ship and was the flagship of a fleet of communications ships. These ships greatly extended the tracking range when the orbits of cosmonauts and unmanned missions were not over the USSR.
In 1975, the ship was a part of the Soviet-American Apollo-Soyuz joint test program.
The communications ships belonged to the Soviet Academy of Sciences. The maritime part fell under the responsibility of the Baltic- and Black sea shipping. The ships had home ports in the Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
(Kosmonavt Yuri Gagarin and the other surveillance ship Akademik Sergei Korolev
Akademik Sergei Korolev
The Akademik Sergei Korolev was a space control-monitoring ship constructed in 1970 to support the Soviet space program. Named for Sergei Korolev, the head Soviet rocket engineer and designer during the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1950s and 1960s, the ship also...
), so after the fall of the Soviet Union they were transferred to Ukraine – ending their role in spaceflight.
She was sold for scrap
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
shortly after the break-up of the Soviet Union along with the Akademik Sergei Korolev.
External links
- A. Karpenko, ABM and Space Defense, Nevsky Bastion, No. 4, 1999, pp. 2-47, Federation of American Scientists (Online)