Vostok spacecraft

The Vostok (??????, translated as "East") was a type of spacecraft built by the Soviet Union's space program for human spaceflight.

Related Topics:
Spacecraft - Soviet Union - Human spaceflight

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The craft consisted of a spherical descent module (mass 2.46 tonnes, diameter 2.3 meters), which housed the cosmonaut, instruments and escape system, and a conical instrument module (mass 2.27 tonnes, 2.25 m long, 2.43 m wide), which contained propellant and the engine system. On reentry, the cosmonaut would eject from the craft at about 7,000 m (23,000 ft) and descend via parachute, while the capsule would land separately.

Related Topics:
Cosmonaut

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Vostok spacecraft was originally designed for use both as a camera platform (for the Soviet Union's first spy satellite program, Zenit) and as a manned spacecraft. This dual-use design was crucial in gaining Communist Party support for the program. The basic Vostok design has remained in use for some forty years, gradually adapted for a range of other unmanned satellites.

Related Topics:
Zenit - Dual-use - Communist Party - Satellite

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The descent module design was reused, in heavily-modified form, by the Voskhod programme.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There were several models of the Vostok leading up to the manned version:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Vostok 1K - prototype spacecraft. Used to test basic systems and prove the concept.
• Vostok 2K - photo-reconnaissance and signals intelligence spacecraft . Later named Zenit-2.
• Vostok 3K - Manned spacecraft.
 
Vostok spacecraft: Vostok 3KA spacecraft specifications ►