June 30, 1971 was a painful day for the Soviet space industry. In that year, the Soyuz-11 spacecraft, which completed a space mission, had a serious accident on the way back, resulting in the death of three astronauts on the way back. There are many reasons for this disaster, but the "human" factor is a large weight that requires more research.
In April 1971, the Soviet Union launched United Nations 10 into space and rendezvous with the Resaly-1 space station, greatly enhancing the Soviet Union's reputation in space. Then, the launch of "United 11" was also put on the agenda. At present, there are many problems in the docking process between the ISS and Soyuz-10, among which there are unreasonable. Although some experts had already noticed the problem, the Soviet space directors turned a blind eye to it and began the launch of new spacecraft.
In the space war between the United States and the Soviet Union, time was the most valuable asset. The USSR also did not want to be left behind by the United States, so they soon began testing work on the "SOYU11". In order to ensure the smooth progress of this flight, three experienced astronauts were selected. This problem came to light when the work was about to be implemented. Some experts believe that because the re-entry cabin is small and can only carry 2 people, the best thing to do is to send 2 people. But Soviet space leaders rejected the plan because they felt that sending only two people was not enough.
As a result, they made a bold decision: they required astronauts to take off their spacesuits when they boarded the capsule. They believe that the conditions in the re-entry capsule are enough to support the life of astronauts, so the space suit seems dispensable. This decision led to a tragedy.
The launch of the Soyuz-11 "received a huge victory, which attracted a lot of attention. The astronauts spent more than 20 days on the space station and successfully carried out all their missions. After the spacecraft disengaged from the space station, the re-entry valve did not close, and this was due to the problems left by the "Alliance-10". After de-orbiting from Earth, a huge thrust causes the flap to open, and the three astronauts are placed in the harsh universe. The air in the universe is vacuum, and the pressure in the air causes the liquid in their bodies to evaporate rapidly, in which case it is impossible for them to survive at all.
This disaster, which should not have happened, was actually due to the fact that the valve of the returner was not manually closed. The Soviet Space Command has already called the astronauts, but has not received any reply. They had anticipated the possibility of an accident, but they were unable to stop it in time. In the end, "Union-11" landed on the ground, but the astronauts have been dead for a long time.
This incident was the most painful in the history of Soviet aviation and dealt a big blow to the Soviet space program. Eventually, those involved were held accountable, and the head of the space agency, Kamanin, was relieved of his duties. In the aftermath of the incident, the scheduled project for the space station was delayed, and the Resaray 1 space station was also affected by the event. In the history of human space, the tragic experience of heroic astronauts who gave their lives is not the only case.
It is clear that the twists and turns of aviation in the former Soviet Union did not stop the study of space. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Columbia space shuttle in the United States suffered a similar disaster, and the crew was not spared. Although different peoples are different, every astronaut who sacrifices himself for the sake of human development should be called a hero.
The development of the American space industry gradually slowed down and regressed in the collapse of the Soviet Union. Today, China is emerging as a new space power. According to China's space program, they will land humans on the moon and build a scientific research base on the moon in 2030. Perhaps in the near future, we will be able to see another human landing on the moon.
The Soviet Union's "Alliance 11" incident is a good reminder that security cannot be ignored when conducting space exploration. We should remember those astronauts who fought for the future of mankind, but we should also remember that in the exploration of the unknown, safety must be put first.
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