Orbiting Around World: The Stories of the space stations By Anchalesh Patil

Salyut 1: Chapter 1

Today, we all know that there is a research laboratory and a home revolving in LEO, i.e., the International Space Station. But as I mentioned in my last article, it is not the first space station orbiting in Leo; there are many others that are being built for the launch, and some of them have already been launched. But the making of such laboratories, as well as homes in space or in orbit, started 52 years ago from now. It is the time of the Cold War; it is the time of the Space Race. At that time, the U.S. government had just completed its moon landing. To compete in the space race, the USSR government also thought to go for the moon landing first. But Leonid Brezhnev, who was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, canceled that plan.

Salyut 1 is simply a modification to the "Almaz space station." The name Salyut 1 means "salute" in the Russian language and was chosen to honor cosmonaut Yury Gagarin’s historic first orbit of Earth a decade earlier.

In the early 1960s, the Soviet Union started a project that would alter the course of human history. The objective was to build the first space station in history, which had never been done before. Although the project was kept under wraps, information about it started to circulate, igniting global rumors and excitement.

Designing the structure was the first step in constructing the space station. The engineers had to figure out how to build a stable platform that could support human life in an unfriendly space environment, among other difficulties. The building had to be both lightweight and portable while also being able to withstand the harsh conditions of space.

Salyut-1

Basically, the engineers design the space station in various compartments, of which the first is the "docking module," i.e., the "transfer compartment." Its purpose was to act as a doorway for the crew to enter and leave the station. The docking system, which allowed spacecraft to dock with the station, was also housed in the compartment.

Another one is the working compartment, which is mainly known as the "main module." The working compartment housed the crew's living quarters, the station's control panel, the tools needed to conduct experiments, as well as windows that allowed the crew to observe Earth and space.

After that, there is an "auxiliary compartment." The station's propulsion system, electrical equipment, and life support systems were all housed in the auxiliary compartment, which was at the back of the structure. The station's storage area, which housed spare parts, equipment, and tools, was also located in the compartment.

Another one is the "orbital module," viz. At the top of the station, in a compact compartment, was the orbital module. It was employed for observing celestial bodies and conducting scientific experiments. The module had a camera, a spectrometer, and a telescope for taking pictures of space.

After that, there is the "instrumentation compartment", which was Between the working compartment and the auxiliary compartment is the instrumentation compartment. It housed the scientific apparatus, telemetry systems, and communication hardware for the station.

After that last but one of the most important modules or compartments, the "Airlock," which is at the base of the station, in a small compartment. It was used to move supplies and equipment between the spacecraft and the station, as well as to conduct spacewalks.

A cylinder shape with a diameter of roughly 4.15 meters and a length of roughly 20 meters was chosen by the engineers (as you can see in the diagrammatic view of Slayut-1). The total weight of Salyut 1 is around 18424.922 kg, i.e., around 40,620 pounds. The habitation module, instrumentation module, and propulsion module were the three compartments that made up the structure, which was constructed of an aluminum alloy. The crew would live and work in the habitation module, while the instrumentation module would house the technological instruments and communication systems. The space station's orbit was adjusted using the propulsion module.

The engineers started producing the different parts of the space station once the design was complete. This required a number of procedures, such as metal cutting and shaping, welding, and component assembly. The manufacturing procedure was sensitive because even a small mistake could have catastrophic results in space.

This is a basic overview of the structure of the "Salyut 1 space station."?

In the next article, I’m going to explain a few more details about this space station…

Stay tuned…