Some features of the applied reliability of space control radar stations

Context. The space control radar stations carry out the extremely important functions, therefore, they must be extremely reliable, and ensuring reliability is one of the key requirements at all stages of their life cycle. Objective. The goal of the work is the analyzing some aspects of ensuring reliability, caused by the peculiarities of the process of developing and manufacturing radar stations monitoring space, justifying the possibility of using the experience of a domestic developer in solving reliability problems in new samples. Method. A comparative analysis of the methods of development, manufacturing and testing of complex technical systems, existing standards and the standard of the Chief Designer are used in the work. Results. Some of the characteristic features of space control radar stations are given: uniqueness, single production, low repeatability and a large range, the impossibility of manufacturing and testing functionally complete systems directly under the manufacturer’s conditions. A number of features of design and manufacturing according to the standard of the Main Designer, which are absent in the existing standards, are considered, the necessity of developing new regulatory documents that take into account the specifics of the design and manufacture of space control radar stations is justified. From an applied point of view, a number of specific scientific and practical solutions for ensuring the reliability of space control radar stations of a domestic developer which may be used in further developments are presented. It has been established that many terms in the modern theory of reliability do not have an applied focus and do not allow increasing the accuracy of classifying the state of an object. It is shown that the creation of new generations of space monitoring radar stations is accompanied by the emergence of new scientific and practical tasks unknown to science, the solution of which is connected with the use of new scientific ideas and with the own developments of component elements. It is shown that the use of co-temporal elemental base in the design of space monitoring radar creates difficulties in ensuring the reliability of hierarchical levels, since testing by existing standards is possible only for lower levels of hierarchy. It is established that the existing standards of general technical requirements and methods of control and testing for products and radar stations are not always identical and it is impossible to ensure, that applying a highly reliable element base, we shall receive the same radar station reliability. Obviously, the new stage of ensuring reliability must be associated with the individual reliability of the elements themselves. It justifies the importance of the scientific task associated with the choice of control parameters of the modern generation of radar stations in the conditions of the impossibility of applying traditional control, which requires the interruption of their operation. The temperature as a function of time is proposed as a parameter for estimating the state of products. A number of ways to ensure the reliability of new generations of space monitoring radar stations based on the use of new information signals, as well as reliability models built into the element base for creating a system for collecting, storing and analyzing information — the same for all stages of the radio electronic equipment. Conclusions. Taking into account the features of the design and manufacture of space monitoring radar stations and the practical experience of a domestic developer to solve reliability problems will ensure the creation of technology of highly reliable generations of space control radars and the development of stations of “high factory readiness”.

Combining heritage and spirit of innovation

The paper provides an overview of the main activities of JSC NPO Lavochkin from the 30s of the last century till present, and also a description of promising projects. Diversified programs for development and production of space complexes for scientific investigations of deep and adjacent space objects are presented. For the 75th anniversary of the foundation of RSC Energia, touchpoints between the veteran space enterprises are discussed. Consideration is given to the issue of transferring the lunar and planetary subject of OKB-1 to the team of S.A. Lavochkin machine-building plant and assigning Georgy Nikolaevich Babakin to a position of the chief designer. The tasks being solved by spacecraft and the ways of their implementation are briefly analyzed. The near-term prospects of national and international space programs are outlined. Keywords: Lavochkin, Babakin, Luna, Venera, Mars series spacecraft, astrophysical observatories, hydrometeorological spacecraft, Fregat upper stage.

Combining heritage and spirit of innovation

The paper provides an overview of the main activities of JSC NPO from the 1930s till present, and also a description of promising Diversified programs for development and production of space for For the of of scientific investigations the 75th anniversary of Lavochkin projects. complexes of deep and adjacent space objects are presented. veteran space enterprises the foundation are discussed. of RSC Energia, touchpoints between Consideration is given to the issue transferring the lunar and planetary subject of OKB-1 to the team S.A. Lavochkin machine-building plant and assigning Georgy Nikolaevich Babakin to a position of the chief designer. The tasks being solved by spacecraft and the ways of their implementation are briefly analyzed. The near-term prospects of national and international space programs are outlined.

Military-Technical Cooperation of the USSR and the CHSR in the 30s of the 20th Century (According to the Memoirs of Chief Designer of Artillery Weapons of the Kirov Plant I.A. Makhanov). Part 2

Introduction. Memoirs of I.A. Makhanov, who in the 1930s was the chief designer of artillery weapons at the Kirov plant, contain unique data on the development of the military-technical thought and the defense sector of the USSR industry in the pre-war period. The published fragment of memoirs, first introduced into scientific circulation, supplements and corrects the ideas formed in historiography about the militarytechnical cooperation of the USSR and Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II. Methods and materials. The preparation of the source text for publication is carried out taking into consideration the modern requirements of archaeography. The published fragment is provided with archaeographic notes which allow to reconstruct the history of creation and modification of the text by the author. The scientific commentary provides information about personalities, place names and specific terms mentioned in the text. Analysis. The author pointed out that despite the supply of the latest weapons from Czechoslovakia to Yugoslavia, Italy, Turkey, Latin America, the share of purchases by the USSR was 50% and had broad prospects for increasing. The German occupation of 1938 suspended and then interrupted military-technical cooperation between the countries. Nevertheless, the Czech side fulfilled all obligations to the USSR. Result. As the published fragment of I.A. Makhanov proves, in the 1930s Czech specialists willingly acquainted the Soviet delegation with the latest developments in artillery systems. At the same time, after the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Germany, none of these weapons were brought to a prototype. Plants “Skoda” and “Zbroevka” were engaged only in the production and modernization of old weapons. Thus, the data of I.A. Makhanova confirm the hypothesis of sabotage of work for Nazi Germany by Czech designers led by V. Gromadko.

Military-Technical Cooperation of the USSR and the ChSR in the 30s of the 20th Century (According to the Memoirs of Chief Designer of Artillery Weapons of the Kirov Plant I.A. Makhanov)

Introduction. Memoirs of I.A. Makhanov, who in the 1930s was the chief designer of artillery weapons at the Kirov plant, contain unique data on the development of the military-technical thought and the defense sector of the USSR industry in the pre-war period. The published fragment of memoirs, first introduced into scientific circulation, supplements and corrects the ideas formed in historiography about the military-technical cooperation of the USSR and Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II. Methods and materials. The preparation of the source text for publication is carried out taking into consideration modern requirements of archaeography. The published fragment is provided with archaeographic notes which allow reconstructing the history of creation and modification of the text by the author. The scientific commentary provides information about personalities, place names and specific terms mentioned in the text. Analysis. The author pointed out that despite the supply of the latest weapons from Czechoslovakia to Yugoslavia, Italy, Turkey, Latin America, the share of purchases by the USSR was 50% and had broad prospects for increasing. The German occupation of 1938 suspended and then interrupted military-technical cooperation between the countries. Nevertheless, the Czech side fulfilled all obligations to the USSR. Results. As the published fragment of I.A. Makhanov proves, in the 1930s Czech specialists willingly acquainted the Soviet delegation with the latest developments in artillery systems. At the same time, after the occupation of Czechoslovakia by Germany, none of these weapons were brought to a prototype. “Skoda” and “Zbroevka” plants were engaged only in the production and modernization of old weapons. Thus, the data of I.A. Makhanov confirm the hypothesis of sabotage of work for Nazi Germany by Czech designers led by V. Gromadko.

“Spacecraft Thermal Control Technologies”

Into my hands came an exciting new book about space. “Spacecraft Thermal Control Technologies” is written by Professor Jianyin Miao, Qi Zhong, Professor Qiwei Zhao and Professor Xin Zhao. All the authors of this book are part of the Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering, China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), Beijing, China. Jianyin Miao is a head scientist of heat pipes at CAST and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, USA) visiting professor, and is an academic leader for space thermal control technology at China Aerospace Science. Qi Zhong is a research fellow at CAST and his expertise is in the field of aerospace thermal control. Qiwei Zhao is a professor at CAST with expertise in the field of space thermophysics. Professor Xin Zhao has served as a chief designer of thermal control subsystems. He serves on the professional committee at CAST. He has received several national and ministerial awards for his work in this field. The series editor Peijian Ye, (China Academy of Space Technology, Beijing, China) is a Chinese aerospace engineer. He is a professor at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China, and is a professor at the Harbin Institute of Technology, China. He is a research fellow and chief engineer at CAST. He is also the Chief Commander and Chief Designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program. In his honour the inner main-belt asteroid 456677 Yepeijian, discovered by the Purple Mountain Observatory Near-Earth Object Survey Program at the XuYi Station, China, took his name in 2007.

Selling Whitefriars Stained Glass: James Hogan in the United States 1926–1940

A brief history of stained glass manufacture by James Powell & Sons introduces an account of the firm's success in selling windows in the USA in the interwar years, as recorded in the diaries of James Hogan, their chief designer.