Voskhod programme

Voskhod 1 and 2 spacecraft

The Voskhod programme (Russian: Восхо́д, IPA: [vɐsˈxot], Ascent or Dawn) was the second Soviet human spaceflight project. Two manned missions were flown using the Voskhod spacecraft and rocket, one in 1964 and one in 1965.

Voskhod development was both a follow-on to the Vostok programme and a recycling of components left over from that programme's cancellation following its first six flights. The Voskhod programme was superseded by the Soyuz programme.

Design

The Voskhod spacecraft was basically a Vostok spacecraft that had a backup, solid fuel retrorocket added to the top of the descent module. The heavier weight of the craft was made possible by improvements to the R-7 Semyorka-derived booster. The ejection seat was removed and two or three crew couches were added to the interior at a 90-degree angle to that of the Vostok crew position. However, the position of the in-flight controls was not changed, so the crew had to crane their heads 90 degrees to see the instruments.

In the case of Voskhod 2, an inflatable exterior airlock was also added to the descent module opposite the entry hatch. The airlock was jettisoned after use. This apparatus was needed because the vehicle avionics and environmental systems were air-cooled, and depressurization in orbit would cause overheating. There was no provision for crew escape in the event of a launch or landing emergency. A solid fuel braking rocket was also added to the parachute lines to provide for a softer landing at touchdown. This was necessary because, unlike the Vostok, the Voskhod descent module landed with the crew still inside.

Comparison with Gemini

After the first-generation spacecraft Vostok and Mercury had proved the technical feasibility of manned spaceflight, NASA proceeded to build its second-generation capsule, Gemini, which was a completely new design which retained the successful features of Mercury such as the conical shape with a heat shield at the bottom while adding several new features for example engines strong enough to significantly alter orbit, docking and rendezvous facilities, and provisions for EVA, all of which were essential for practical applications of spaceflight, namely a manned Moon mission.

In comparison to that, Voskhod capsules were simply modified Vostok craft, retaining most of Vostok's limitations. In the end, Voskhod turned out to be a dead end and was abandoned after only two manned missions. It was superseded by the much more capable Soyuz spacecraft.

Flights

The Voskhod flights, with launch dates:

Unmanned

• Kosmos 47 - Unmanned test flight of the Voskhod hardware.
• Kosmos 57 - Unmanned test flight, unsuccessful.
• Kosmos 110 - Unmanned, sent two dogs, Veterok and Ugolyok, on 22-day flight, launched 22 February 1966.

Manned

Order	Mission	Launch	Duration	Landing	Crew			Notes
1	Voskhod 1	12 October 1964	1 d 0 h 17 m 3 s	13 October 1964	V. Komarov	K. Feoktistov	B. Yegorov	First multi-person spacecraft.
2	Voskhod 2	18 March 1965	1 d 2 h 2 m 17 s	19 March 1965	P. Belyayev	A. Leonov		First spacewalk.

Cancelled

• Voskhod 3 - 19-days two-crewed mission to study long-term weightlessness with artificial gravity, medical, military and other experiments [1]
• Voskhod 4 - 20-days single-crewed mission to study long-term weightlessness with artificial gravity, medical, military and other experiments [2]
• Voskhod 5 - 10-days all-female two-crewed mission with medical and other experiments and first female EVA-spacewalk [3]
• Voskhod 6 - 15-days two-crewed mission with military and other experiments and multiple spacewalks to test new EVA jet belt [4]

Results

While the Vostok program was dedicated more toward understanding the effects of space travel and microgravity on the human body, Voskhod's two flights were more aimed towards spectacular "firsts". Although achieving the first EVA ("spacewalk") became the main success of the program, beating the U.S. Project Gemini to put the first multi-person crew in orbit was the objective that initially motivated the program. After those goals were realized, the program planned to focus on other advances the spacecraft could accomplish, such as longer duration and a second female flight. However, there were delays preparing for Voskhod 3, during which time the Gemini program accomplished most of what had been planned for future Voskhods. In the end, the program was abandoned: which was aided by a change in Soviet leadership, which was less concerned about stunt and prestige flights, and allowed the Soviet designers to concentrate on the Soyuz programme.

External links

• Voskhod manned space project on Encyclopedia Astronautica