Sputnik 10
Encyclopedia
Korabl-Sputnik 5 or Vostok-3KA No.2, also known as Sputnik 10 in the West, was a Soviet
spacecraft which was launched in 1961, as part of the Vostok programme
. It was the last test flight of the Vostok spacecraft
design prior the first manned flight, Vostok 1
. It carried the mannequin
Ivan Ivanovich
, a dog
named Zvezdochka ("Starlet", or "Little star"), television cameras and scientific apparatus.
Only days before the launch of Korabl-Sputnik 5, the cosmonaut team, which consisted of 20 men, experienced its first fatality. Cosmonaut candidate Valentin Bondarenko
was killed in a fire during a training exercise in an oxygen-rich isolation chamber. It's not clear whether other cosmonauts were told of his death or not; the media didn't learn of Bondarenko's death - or even of his existence - until many years later, in 1986.
carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
. It was successfully placed into low Earth orbit
. As planned, the spacecraft completed a single orbit, and then reentered the atmosphere over the Soviet Union; the total flight time was approximately that of other single-orbit missions, so about 105 minutes. During the descent, the mannequin was ejected from the spacecraft in a successful test of its ejection seat, and descended separately under its own parachute, as it had done on the previous mission, Korabl-Sputnik 4. It landed at approximately 07:40 UTC, northeast of Izhevsk
, near the Bolshesosnovsky District
.
, would occur about on April 12, 1961, carrying the world's first space traveller Yuri Gagarin
. The spacecraft Gagarin used was a nearly identical model, called Vostok 3KA-3. A major difference between the 3KA-2 and 3KA-3 spacecraft was that 3KA-2 version, like all unmanned Vostok spacecraft, was equipped with a self-destruct system, in the event it reentered the atmosphere over foreign territory.
ed at Sotheby's
on 12 April 2011, the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's spaceflight, Vostok 1
. The spacecraft was expected to sell for $2-10 million USD
., and was sold for $2,882,500 USD.
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....
spacecraft which was launched in 1961, as part of the Vostok programme
Vostok programme
The Vostok programme was a Soviet human spaceflight project that succeeded in putting a person into Earth's orbit for the first time. The programme developed the Vostok spacecraft from the Zenit spy satellite project and adapted the Vostok rocket from an existing ICBM design...
. It was the last test flight of the Vostok spacecraft
Vostok spacecraft
The Vostok was a type of spacecraft built by the Soviet Union. The first human spaceflight in history was accomplished on this spacecraft on April 12, 1961, by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin....
design prior the first manned flight, Vostok 1
Vostok 1
Vostok 1 was the first spaceflight in the Vostok program and the first human spaceflight in history. The Vostok 3KA spacecraft was launched on April 12, 1961. The flight took Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union, into space. The flight marked the first time that a human entered outer...
. It carried the mannequin
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
Ivan Ivanovich
Ivan Ivanovich
Ivan Ivanovich, the Russian equivalent for 'John Doe' was the name given to a mannequin used in testing the Russian Vostok spacecraft in preparation for its manned missions....
, a dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
named Zvezdochka ("Starlet", or "Little star"), television cameras and scientific apparatus.
Background
A spacecraft of the design Vostok 3KA had only been launched once before, which was on March 9, 1961. This mission was called Korabl-Sputnik 4, and it was a complete success. Prior to Korabl-Sputnik 4, the two previous missions in the Vostok programme were both launched in December 1960, and both ended in failure.Only days before the launch of Korabl-Sputnik 5, the cosmonaut team, which consisted of 20 men, experienced its first fatality. Cosmonaut candidate Valentin Bondarenko
Valentin Bondarenko
Valentin Vasiliyevich Bondarenko was a Soviet fighter pilot and cosmonaut. He died during a training accident in Moscow, USSR, in 1961. A crater on the Moon's far side is named for him.-Education and military training:...
was killed in a fire during a training exercise in an oxygen-rich isolation chamber. It's not clear whether other cosmonauts were told of his death or not; the media didn't learn of Bondarenko's death - or even of his existence - until many years later, in 1986.
Mission
Korabl-Sputnik 5 was launched at 05:54:00 UTC on 25 March 1961, atop a Vostok-KVostok-K
The Vostok-K , GRAU index 8K72K was an expendable carrier rocket used by the Soviet Union for thirteen launches between 1960 and 1964, six of which were manned. It was derived from the earlier Vostok-L, however it featured uprated engines to improve performance, and enlarge its payload capacity...
carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5
Gagarin's Start
Gagarin's Start is a launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, used for the Soviet space program and now managed by the Russian Federal Space Agency....
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
. It was successfully placed into low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
. As planned, the spacecraft completed a single orbit, and then reentered the atmosphere over the Soviet Union; the total flight time was approximately that of other single-orbit missions, so about 105 minutes. During the descent, the mannequin was ejected from the spacecraft in a successful test of its ejection seat, and descended separately under its own parachute, as it had done on the previous mission, Korabl-Sputnik 4. It landed at approximately 07:40 UTC, northeast of Izhevsk
Izhevsk
Izhevsk is the capital city of the Udmurt Republic, Russia, situated on the Izh River in the Western Urals. Population: From 1984 to 1987 Izhevsk carried the name Ustinov |Minister of Defense of the USSR]], Marshal of the Soviet Union, Dmitry Ustinov). The city is an important industrial center,...
, near the Bolshesosnovsky District
Bolshesosnovsky District
Bolshesosnovsky District is an administrative district of Perm Krai, Russia; one of the thirty-three in the krai. Municipally, it is incorporated as Bolshesosnovsky Municipal District. The area of the district is . Its administrative center is the rural locality of Bolshaya Sosnova...
.
Capsule recovery
The landing occurred during a snowstorm, which caused delays in located exactly where touchdown occurred. It was about 24 hours after landed when a recovery team arrived at the site. Local villagers assisted the team to the landing area, with the help of a horse-drawn sled. The recovery team noted that the spacecraft was still hot to touch, 24 hours after landing in five feet of snow. The nearby villages were suspicious of the recovery teams, believing that the mannequin was in fact a person who may have been badly injured.Legacy
The success of Korabl-Sputnik 5 was the final step required to get approval for a manned mission. That manned mission, known as Vostok 1Vostok 1
Vostok 1 was the first spaceflight in the Vostok program and the first human spaceflight in history. The Vostok 3KA spacecraft was launched on April 12, 1961. The flight took Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union, into space. The flight marked the first time that a human entered outer...
, would occur about on April 12, 1961, carrying the world's first space traveller 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....
. The spacecraft Gagarin used was a nearly identical model, called Vostok 3KA-3. A major difference between the 3KA-2 and 3KA-3 spacecraft was that 3KA-2 version, like all unmanned Vostok spacecraft, was equipped with a self-destruct system, in the event it reentered the atmosphere over foreign territory.
2011 Auction
The re-entry module of the spacecraft Vostok 3KA-2 was auctionAuction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
ed at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
on 12 April 2011, the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's spaceflight, Vostok 1
Vostok 1
Vostok 1 was the first spaceflight in the Vostok program and the first human spaceflight in history. The Vostok 3KA spacecraft was launched on April 12, 1961. The flight took Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union, into space. The flight marked the first time that a human entered outer...
. The spacecraft was expected to sell for $2-10 million USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
., and was sold for $2,882,500 USD.