Japan and space. Japan

19:32 05/02/2018

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The most important thing the Japanese learned after being brought to their senses by the world community in 1945 was to disguise their military preparations. Then the “barbarians” very quickly brought them down to the sinful earth, from the sky-high heights of self-esteem. Although before this, the country of the “rising”, for a whole decade, brought animal horror, with its “civilization,” to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

And we must give them their due, at present, being under occupation, they manage not to lag far behind technologically in a number of critical industries. It is not difficult to guess that a country capable of building and operating nuclear power plants will, without a doubt, cope (sooner or later) with the creation of nuclear weapons. The accident in Fukushima revealed this outwardly invisible detail.

In turn, the Japanese space program pursues another fundamental goal - the creation of (different) and under nuclear weapons including. It’s just that all this is disguised as peaceful and even in some places commercial (sometimes downright clown) study and exploration of space.

Moreover, North Korea(DPRK) - this is impossible in principle, although it did not destroy tens of millions of people, but for Japan - this is possible. Taking into account historical knowledge, there is no doubt that they, unlike the Koreans, would have already used WMD (weapons of mass destruction). There is experience, and colossal one, albeit chemical and bacteriological, but this is also very unpleasant.

The Japanese did not forget or forgive the shame and humiliation of their defeat - they hid. Japan resembles a cunning fox, which slowly, literally in parts (paw, tail, nose), enters the hare’s house to warm up. You know what happened next. And the “fox” also understands the end result. But the ambitions and instincts of a predator again push her (in the end), under the heavy paw of a bear, who will definitely stand up for the hare.

In the meantime, on February 3, 2018, a Japanese rocket successfully launched the TRICOM-1R microsatellite, weighing 3 kg. The rocket itself weighs about 2.6 tons, while its diameter is 52 cm and length is 9.54 m. The public gushes with delight.

The previous attempt, in January 2017, ended in failure, but certain conclusions were drawn. And everything is presented in the media in such a way as to create the impression that this is all not serious, but make-believe. The Japanese have become very adept at throwing dust over the past years. With feigned naivety, they report that the rocket uses rechargeable batteries, intended, among other things, for ordinary household purposes.

And the small size of the rocket is for efficiency (costs amount to 3.6 million dollars). Although here they are disingenuous. Putting a cargo weighing 3 kg into orbit for 3.6 million dollars is anything but saving. Just ask how much it costs to deliver 1 kg of cargo into orbit in other countries. Amazing discoveries await you.

For obvious reasons, the “samurai” cannot openly declare the end of the occupation. They also cannot announce the creation of short- and medium-range missiles and place them on wheeled launchers. They do not have the main component - a nuclear warhead. Fukushima “broke everything.”

And conventional ammunition will not help Japan, but will only harm it. The carefully built image of a peace-loving nation will slip away like a broken mask. That's why they continue to transport missiles on regular trucks.

Well, I can’t miss cosmonautics day, right? :)
Lots of news about Japanese space :)

First, a story about where Japanese ships fly from:
Uchinoura Space Center (Japanese: Uchinoura-Uchu: -Ku:kan-Kansokusho?) - a spaceport located on the coast Pacific Ocean near the Japanese city of Kimotsuki (formerly Uchinoura), in Kagoshima Prefecture. Until the formation of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in 2003, it was designated the Kagoshima Space Center and operated under the auspices of the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science (ISAS). From the Uchinoura Cosmodrome, solid-propellant Mu rockets are launched, which were used for all launches of Japanese scientific spacecraft, as well as geophysical and meteorological rockets. Launched spacecraft can have an orbital inclination ranging from 29° to 75° to the equatorial plane. The center has deep space communication stations to support flights of interplanetary stations.
Construction of the Kagoshima Space Center, designed for experimental launches of large rockets, began in 1961 and was completed in February 1962. Previously, before the establishment of this launch complex, test launches of Japanese K150, K245 and Kappa missiles were carried out from the Akita missile test base in Michigawa (39°34′00″ N 140°04′00″ E. d. (G) (O)), from the mid-1950s to the 1960s. However, the launch of large rockets required a wider area for the fall of spent stages than the narrow Sea of ​​Japan. After evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of various sites, the city of Uchinoura in Kagoshima Prefecture, located right on the Pacific coast, was chosen for the construction of the spaceport. When constructing the complex, the designers took advantage of the natural hilly landscape.

Solid propellant rockets created in Japan were typically named after the letters of the Greek alphabet - "Alpha", "Beta", "Kappa", "Omega", "Lambda", and "Mu", some letters were omitted due to cancellation projects. The Mu family of missiles, still in use today, is the most powerful and complex.
The first rocket launch carried out from the new site was the launch of the K150 rocket, which was a smaller copy of the Kappa rocket, in August 1962. After this, full-scale testing of the Kappa and Lambda series missiles began, with a parallel acceleration of work on the Mu program. On February 11, 1970, after four accidents, the experimental satellite was successfully launched into orbit using a Lambda-4S (L-4S-5) rocket. The Osumi spacecraft (named after the peninsula in Kagoshima Prefecture) became the first Japanese artificial satellite Earth. Subsequently, significant progress in the creation of Mu-class rockets made it possible to carry out one launch of a scientific spacecraft per year. The latest generation of Mu-5 rockets first demonstrated their capabilities with the launch of the MUSES-B (Haruka) research satellite in February 1997.
After the transfer of ISAS to JAXA, the spaceport was renamed the Uchinoura Space Center, and launches of heavy solid rockets for scientific purposes were retained.
How the space “truck” was launched two years ago:


A group of Japanese corporations led by Mitsubishi are building the world's first orbital power plant. Now specialists from Kyoto University are preparing for ground tests.
The station is a group of 40 satellites equipped with solar panels. They will transfer the accumulated energy to the ground in a non-contact manner using electromagnetic waves. A huge “mirror” with a diameter of 3 km, which will be placed in a desert area of ​​the ocean, will receive the signal on the planet.
The advantage of an orbital power plant is that it is not dependent on the weather. According to experts, it will work 10 times more efficiently than the earth's one.

The Japanese experimental space sailing ship IKAROS (“Icarus”) has gained an additional 100 m per second or 360 km over the past six months, thanks to its sail, “working” due to the pressure of sunlight. per hour, according to the Japanese space agency JAXA.
The device was launched on May 21, 2010. simultaneously with the Akatsuki research probe, and the two of them went to Venus. At the beginning of summer, “Icarus” began to unwind and unfurl its sail – a 14-meter square membrane sheet. The sail is 7.5 microns thick—thinner than a human hair—made of polyimide resin reinforced with aluminum. Total weight The device weighs 310 kg. In addition, thin solar panels and blocks of liquid crystals are attached to it, capable of changing their reflectivity and, accordingly, the acceleration value when switching. By switching crystals from different sides of the sail, experts hoped to change the direction of movement of the device.
IKAROS became the first successful space sailing ship in history to be sent on an interplanetary journey. Currently The sailboat is located 10.5 million km away. from Venus.

The success of the first space sailing ship in history is overshadowed by the failure of the mission of its “fellow traveler” - the Venusian probe Akatsuki. Due to an abnormal operation of a fuel system valve, this space station was unable to enter orbit around Venus and flew past. Scientists expect to repeat their attempt to put the device into orbit around Venus in six years, when Akatsuki is again in the vicinity of the planet. This was reported by Russian Space.

The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to expand the satellite mineral exploration program to the Eastern and West Africa, reported the Nikkei information portal. Currently Japan is using satellite technology to search for metals in South Africa such as platinum and rare earth metals.
The ministry's deputy minister, Yoshikatsu Nakayama, plans to urge delegates from more than 40 African countries at a South African mining investment conference this week to join forces with Japan in satellite geological exploration in light of the hope of discovering tungsten and nickel deposits in eastern Africa. and manganese - in the west. Japan is also seeking to seize the initiative from China in South Africa and Zambia, where Chinese firms are buying up rights to chromium and copper mining.

The President of the Japanese Space Agency, Keiji Tachikawa, shared with reporters his plans to participate in the lunar base project. Japanese robots could replace astronauts when performing various tasks on the surface of the satellite.
According to Tachikawa, robots can carry out construction and geological exploration work, and extract minerals. Modified versions of the Asimo and Qrio robots, created by Honda and Sony corporations, are being considered as candidates. In addition, many earthly machines and mechanisms can be adapted for use on the Moon.
The Japanese space agency's 20-year plan is consistent with the George W. Bush administration's 2004 plan to create a habitable lunar base by 2025. The base should serve as an intermediate point for landing humans on Mars.
The lunar colonization project could be a significant boost to Japan's struggling space industry.
Hm, hm... Especially considering that Obama decided not to fly to the moon.

TOKYO/TSUKUBAI ( This is where the KEK accelerator center and laboratory are located), April 12 - RIA Novosti, Sergei Kotsyuba. A RIA Novosti photo exhibition dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight opened on Tuesday at the National Space Center of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), in the science city of Tsukuba.
“Our goal is to hold an exhibition that would highlight the contribution made to space exploration by Soviet and then Russian manned spacecraft,” said one of the organizers of the Gagarin anniversary events, Takaki Takizaki, head of JAXA’s public relations department.
Photographers from the Novosti Press Agency (the predecessor of RIA Novosti) were among the first Soviet journalists to photograph Gagarin, and now the agency's Internet archive contains about 3 thousand such images.
The exhibition in Japan presents more than 30 unique photographs from the agency’s archive. Visitors to the exhibition can also see an authentic example of a spacesuit. Russian cosmonauts, space nutrition kits and a life-size model of the Soyuz launch vehicle lander, owned by JAXA.
“Gagarin was the first, no one else will be able to do what he did,” said Kyoko Hanari, an employee of the administrative department of the National Space Center in Tsukuba.

The photo exhibition is taking place in Japan as part of a whole range of events declared as “The main event of this spring - Space then and today - from the 50th anniversary of Gagarin’s first flight to Furukawa’s flight.” This anniversary year, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa is to be delivered by the Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), where he will work for over six months.
Tsukuba is located 75 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, close to the areas most affected by the devastating earthquake and the tsunami on March 11. The consequences of the rampant disaster forced the administration of the space center located in Tsukuba to cancel some of the ceremonial events, including the Science and Technology Week, the opening of which was supposed to take place on April 16.

However, according to the organizers, this will not affect the photo exhibition dedicated to Gagarin’s flight. The exhibition, as planned, will last until mid-summer 2011.

This is how the artist imagines the “Phase-2” apparatus immediately after shooting from the balloon

Combined scheme of “Phase-1” and “Phase-2” devices

Launch of the first sample of the H-IIA family

The defeat in World War II was a real gift for Japan, no matter how crazy it may sound. Ideas of national superiority became a thing of the past along with militaristic frenzy, and the nation was able to focus on truly important issues - above all, efficiency. This is how the famous Japanese miracle appeared, which everyone has heard about. But hardly many people know that something similar happened in the field of space development. The Japanese built their space program not for the sake of glory, but solely to achieve utilitarian, albeit large-scale, goals.

Three sisters

The Japanese space budget (according to euroconsultec.com) is no more than 12% of NASA's budget. Nevertheless, not one, not two, but three independent civilian space divisions have been living and thriving on this money for several decades: the NASDA (National Space Development Agency) space agency, the ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science) and a scientific laboratory NAL (National Aerospace Laboratory). Moreover, there is no unified leadership and each of the three divisions has its own research centers and launchers.

There is a widespread opinion among experts that it is thanks to competition that Japan is so tight deadlines and with fairly limited funding achieved great success. IN recent years, against the backdrop of worsening economic situation, there was talk about the merger of the three divisions or at least about a single management of them, but there are still three “sisters” and their total budget is still in the region of $2 billion.

NASDA

The Japan Space Development Agency (NASDA) was formed in 1969 (see sidebar “NASDA History Milestones”). From the very beginning, the focus was on the most efficient use of funds. The Americans helped with technology. In quite short terms Japan has mastered the technology of space flight and learned to launch cargo into orbit on its own. It is important to note here that for Japan, space is not a luxury or a matter of national prestige. And not even a military facility. The life of the entire population of the country depends on the weather and elements. Therefore, for Japan, research in the field of meteorology is literally a matter of life and death. The efforts of scientists and engineers are mainly concentrated on this.

Space plane "Nadezhda"

Everyone knows that launching rockets is very, very expensive. It's just indecent

expensive. Therefore, all over the world, science fiction writers and scientists are coming up with a wide variety of ways to launch cargo into orbit. The Japanese settled on an unmanned space plane. Calling it HOPE-X (“Hope” in English), or H-II Orbiting Plane Experimental, they began to actively develop the technologies that make up this grandiose project. The example of its implementation clearly shows how judiciously taxpayer funds were used and how thoughtful each stage was.

"Flying saucer"

The first step towards creating HOPE-X was the OREX (Orbital Re-Entry eXperiment) experiment, which took place in 1994. The essence of the experiment was to send a small object into orbit and return it after one orbit. Most of all, it looked like a “flying saucer”, only very small (diameter - 3.4 m, radius of the nose - 1.35 m, height - 1.46 m, weight - about 865 kg at launch and about 761 kg at moment of return). First, the H-II rocket launched OREX into an orbit at an altitude of 450 km. About 100 minutes after launch, the device passed over the island of Tanegashima. At this moment, according to plan, the braking engines fired and the process of deorbiting began. All this was observed by ground stations on the islands of Tanegashima and Ogasawara. After leaving orbit, OREX entered the upper atmosphere somewhere in the center of the Pacific Ocean. This happened 2 hours after launch. During the descent, the nose section heated up to 15700C, which led to the loss of communication with the device, because the plasma formed around the device reflected radio waves. At these moments, the state of OREX was recorded by sensors and recorded in the on-board computer. At the moment the connection was restored, the device transmitted data to telemetry stations located on aircraft and ships. OREX then fell into the ocean about 460 km from Christmas Island. The entire flight took approximately two hours and ten minutes. All set goals were achieved: in particular, data on aerodynamics and thermal conditions at the time of return from orbit, data on the behavior of skin materials were collected, an analysis was carried out of the state of the device at the time of loss of contact with the Earth, and navigation information collected using the GPS global positioning system was obtained . The most valuable result is data on the behavior of ultra-strong skin materials that are planned to be used in the HOPE-X spaceplane project. Japan's National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) took part in OREX.

Up to fifteen speeds of sound

In February 1996, the J-I launch vehicle launched the next device into orbit - HYFLEX (Hypersonic FLight EXperiment). The goals of the project were to learn how to build hypersonic (that is, with a speed of 3 times the speed of sound) aircraft and collect data on their behavior.

At an altitude of about 110 km, HYFLEX separated from the launch vehicle and made a free flight at a speed of 3.9 km/s, at times reaching Mach 15 (Mach 1 is the speed of sound in the atmosphere, or about 1200 km/h). After passing the “dead zone” and restoring radio contact, the device transmitted telemetry data to aircraft and ships, threw out parachutes and attempted to splash down. However, there was a misfortune - he drowned, having nevertheless completed the entire flight program. An important aspect of the experiment was the study of the navigation system and altitude control system. The device weighed 1054 kg, its surface area was 4.27 square meters. m, length - 4.4 m, wingspan - 1.36 m, height - 1.04 m.

Aspects of automatic landing

The problem of automatic landing has never been solved industrially. Such systems existed (for example, the military Il-76, and the Buran landed on its own), but their reliability, to put it mildly, left much to be desired. Testing the ALFLEX unmanned landing system at low (relatively) speeds was the next step towards creating a space plane. From July to August 1996, 13 experiments were carried out as part of the ALFLEX project. A device similar to the future HOPE-X was lifted by helicopter to a very high altitude and dropped. The device captured the landing line and performed an automatic landing. All experiments were completed successfully. The length of the device was 6.1 m, the wingspan was 3.78 m, the height without chassis was 1.35 m, and the weight was 760 kg.

How the experiment went

ALFLEX was first attached to a helicopter. Then the latter rose into the air and followed the given course. When the ALFLEX nose was aligned with runway, the helicopter accelerated to 90 knots (approximately 166 km/h) and released the device into free flight. The descent rate was about 300. When taking off from the helicopter, the speed of the vehicle was about 180 km/h. At the moment of touching the ground, ALFLEX released a braking parachute and also reduced speed using the landing gear. After each “run”, possible damage to the helicopter and the ALFLEX module was examined. As a result, data was obtained on the behavior of the device, with characteristics similar to the HOPE-X aircraft under low-speed landing conditions. Experience in developing an autonomous descent and landing system was acquired.

How it happened: “Phase 1”

Actually, the reason for writing this article was the publication of the results of the HSFD Phase-I experiment (“Phase-1”). HSFD (High Speed ​​Flight Demonstration) is the next step towards building a space plane. A device with a jet engine has already been created, capable of accelerating to Mach 0.6 (about 700 km/h), which can take off on its own, follow a given route and land at a specified location.

Just such a device took off in the fall of 2002 from Christmas Island. The device accelerated, rose to a height of 5 km, then descended, glided and landed on the same runway. He followed the flight program exactly, which, by the way, can be changed at any time. The Phase-1 device is a smaller copy of HOPE-X (25% of the size of the future aircraft). It is equipped with a jet engine and landing gear. The on-board computer, using GPS and sensors, determines flight parameters and controls movement. The dimensions of the Phase-1 apparatus are as follows: length - 3.8 m, wingspan - 3 m, height - 1.4 m. Weight - 735 kg. Wing area - 4.4 square meters. m. Engine power - 4410 N.

How it will be: “Phase 2”

The second phase of the HSFD experiment will be no less interesting. The device will be the same as in “Phase-1”. Only instead of a rocket engine, it will have a huge parachute, and instead of a chassis, it will have inflatable bags, like airbags in cars. First, the device will be hooked by the tail to a small balloon. He will “carry” the device to a huge balloon, which in turn will pull it into the stratosphere. Then, at an altitude of approximately 30 km, the shuttle will shoot off and fly down. Having accelerated to transonic speeds, it will collect a variety of aerodynamic data, then select a direction and use parachutes to land. Since it does not have any engines, the Phase 2 vehicle will glide and use only a parachute and inflatable bags for landing. This experiment is planned to be carried out in 2003.

What's next

If “Phase-2” ends as successfully as all previous experiments, the next step will be TSTO (Two-Stage To Orbit), it will be something similar to “Buran”, but fundamentally unmanned, that is, it is not even provided for possibility of manned flights. And the next step will be a full-fledged space plane - a device capable of taking off from a regular airfield, flying to orbit and returning. When this will happen is completely unclear, but the current pace of the Japanese program inspires confidence that someday this will definitely happen.

Japanese minimalism: The Japanese in space

The defeat in World War II was a real gift for Japan, no matter how crazy it may sound. Ideas of national superiority became a thing of the past along with militaristic frenzy, and the nation was able to focus on truly important issues - above all, efficiency. This is how the famous Japanese miracle appeared, which everyone has heard about. But hardly many people know that something similar happened in the field of space development. The Japanese built their space program not for the sake of glory, but solely to achieve utilitarian, albeit large-scale, goals.

Three sisters

The Japanese space budget (according to euroconsultec.com) is no more than 12% of NASA's budget. Nevertheless, not one, not two, but three independent civilian space divisions have been living and thriving on this money for several decades: the NASDA (National Space Development Agency) space agency, the ISAS (Institute of Space and Astronautical Science) and a scientific laboratory NAL (National Aerospace Laboratory). Moreover, there is no unified leadership and each of the three divisions has its own research centers and launchers.

There is a widespread opinion among experts that it was thanks to competition that Japan achieved great success in such a short time and with rather limited funding. In recent years, against the backdrop of a worsening economic situation, there has been talk of a merger of the three divisions, or at least about a single management of them, but there are still three “sisters” and their total budget is still in the region of $2 billion.

NASDA

The Japan Space Development Agency (NASDA) was formed in 1969 (see sidebar “NASDA History Milestones”). From the very beginning, the focus was on the most efficient use of funds. The Americans helped with technology. In a fairly short time, Japan mastered the technology of space flight and learned to launch cargo into orbit on its own. It is important to note here that for Japan, space is not a luxury or a matter of national prestige. And not even a military facility. The life of the entire population of the country depends on the weather and elements. Therefore, for Japan, research in the field of meteorology is literally a matter of life and death. The efforts of scientists and engineers are mainly concentrated on this.

Space plane "Nadezhda"

Everyone knows that launching rockets is very, very expensive. It's just indecent
expensive. Therefore, all over the world, science fiction writers and scientists are coming up with a wide variety of ways to launch cargo into orbit. The Japanese settled on an unmanned space plane. Calling it HOPE-X (“Hope” - translated from English), or H-II Orbiting Plane Experimental, they began to actively develop the technologies that make up this grandiose project. The example of its implementation clearly shows how judiciously taxpayer funds were used and how thoughtful each stage was.

"Flying saucer"

The first step towards creating HOPE-X was the OREX (Orbital Re-Entry eXperiment) experiment, which took place in 1994. The essence of the experiment was to send a small object into orbit and return it after one orbit. Most of all it looked like a “flying saucer”, only very small (diameter - 3.4 m, radius of the nose - 1.35 m, height - 1.46 m, weight - about 865 kg at launch and about 761 kg at moment of return). First, the H-II rocket launched OREX into an orbit at an altitude of 450 km. About 100 minutes after launch, the device passed over the island of Tanegashima. At this moment, according to plan, the braking engines fired and the process of deorbiting began. All this was observed by ground stations on the islands of Tanegashima and Ogasawara. After leaving orbit, OREX entered the upper atmosphere somewhere in the center of the Pacific Ocean. This happened 2 hours after launch. During the descent, the nose section heated up to 15700C, which led to the loss of communication with the device, because the plasma formed around the device reflected radio waves. At these moments, the state of OREX was recorded by sensors and recorded in the on-board computer. At the moment the connection was restored, the device transmitted data to telemetry stations located on aircraft and ships. OREX then fell into the ocean about 460 km from Christmas Island. The entire flight took approximately two hours and ten minutes. All set goals were achieved: in particular, data on aerodynamics and thermal conditions at the time of return from orbit, data on the behavior of skin materials were collected, an analysis was carried out of the state of the device at the time of loss of contact with the Earth, and navigation information collected using the GPS global positioning system was obtained . The most valuable result is data on the behavior of ultra-strong skin materials that are planned to be used in the HOPE-X spaceplane project. Japan's National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) took part in OREX.

Up to fifteen speeds of sound

In February 1996, the J-I launch vehicle launched the next device into orbit - HYFLEX (Hypersonic FLight EXperiment). The goals of the project were to learn how to build hypersonic (that is, with a speed of 3 times the speed of sound) aircraft and collect data on their behavior.

At an altitude of about 110 km, HYFLEX separated from the launch vehicle and made a free flight at a speed of 3.9 km/s, at times reaching Mach 15 (Mach 1 is the speed of sound in the atmosphere, or about 1200 km/h). After passing the “dead zone” and restoring radio contact, the device transmitted telemetry data to aircraft and ships, threw out parachutes and attempted to splash down. However, there was a misfortune - he drowned, having nevertheless completed the entire flight program. An important aspect of the experiment was the study of the navigation system and altitude control system. The device weighed 1054 kg, its surface area was 4.27 square meters. m, length - 4.4 m, wingspan - 1.36 m, height - 1.04 m.

Aspects of automatic landing

The problem of automatic landing has never been solved industrially. Such systems existed (for example, the military Il-76, and the Buran landed on its own), but their reliability, to put it mildly, left much to be desired. Testing the ALFLEX unmanned landing system at low (relatively) speeds was the next step towards creating a space plane. From July to August 1996, 13 experiments were carried out as part of the ALFLEX project. A device similar to the future HOPE-X was lifted by helicopter to a very high altitude and dropped. The device captured the landing line and performed an automatic landing. All experiments were completed successfully. The length of the device was 6.1 m, the wingspan was 3.78 m, the height without landing gear was 1.35 m, and the weight was 760 kg.

How the experiment went

ALFLEX was first attached to a helicopter. Then the latter rose into the air and followed the given course. When the nose of the ALFLEX aligned with the landing strip, the helicopter accelerated to 90 knots (approximately 166 km/h) and released the device into free flight. The descent rate was about 300. When taking off from the helicopter, the speed of the vehicle was about 180 km/h. At the moment of touching the ground, ALFLEX released a braking parachute and also reduced speed using the landing gear. After each “run”, possible damage to the helicopter and the ALFLEX module was examined. As a result, data was obtained on the behavior of the device, with characteristics similar to the HOPE-X aircraft under low-speed landing conditions. Experience in developing an autonomous descent and landing system was acquired.

How it happened: “Phase 1”

Actually, the reason for writing this article was the publication of the results of the HSFD Phase-I experiment (“Phase-1”). HSFD (High Speed ​​Flight Demonstration) is the next step towards building a space plane. A device with a jet engine has already been created, capable of accelerating to Mach 0.6 (about 700 km/h), which can take off on its own, follow a given route and land at a specified location.

Just such a device took off in the fall of 2002 from Christmas Island. The device accelerated, rose to a height of 5 km, then descended, glided and landed on the same runway. He followed the flight program exactly, which, by the way, can be changed at any time. The Phase-1 device is a smaller copy of HOPE-X (25% of the size of the future aircraft). It is equipped with a jet engine and landing gear. The on-board computer, using GPS and sensors, determines flight parameters and controls movement. The dimensions of the Phase-1 apparatus are as follows: length - 3.8 m, wingspan - 3 m, height - 1.4 m. Weight - 735 kg. Wing area - 4.4 sq. m. Engine power - 4410 N.

How it will be: “Phase 2”

The second phase of the HSFD experiment will be no less interesting. The device will be the same as in “Phase-1”. Only instead of a rocket engine, it will have a huge parachute, and instead of a chassis, it will have inflatable bags, like airbags in cars. First, the device will be hooked by the tail to a small balloon. He will “carry” the device to a huge balloon, which in turn will pull it into the stratosphere. Then, at an altitude of approximately 30 km, the shuttle will shoot off and fly down. Having accelerated to transonic speeds, it will collect a variety of aerodynamic data, then select a direction and use parachutes to land. Since it does not have any engines, the Phase 2 vehicle will glide and use only a parachute and inflatable bags for landing. This experiment is planned to be carried out in 2003.

If “Phase-2” ends as successfully as all previous experiments, the next step will be TSTO (Two-Stage To Orbit), it will be something similar to “Buran”, but fundamentally unmanned, that is, it is not even provided for possibility of manned flights. And the next step will be a full-fledged space plane - a device capable of taking off from a regular airfield, flying to orbit and returning. When this will happen is completely unclear, but the current pace of the Japanese program inspires confidence that someday this will definitely happen.

Basic facts in space development:

1969 June The 61st session of Parliament approved the law establishing NASDA.
October NASDA receives registration - the Space Center on the island of Tanegashima, two branches in Tokyo - Kodiara and Mitaka, and two tracking stations - Katsura and Okinawa.
1970 October The creation of the N-I rocket has begun. This is a three-stage carrier built using American Top-Delta technology.
1972 June The Space Center was founded in the city of scientists Tsukuba.
1975 September The N-I rocket launched the first Japanese satellite, Kiku-1, into orbit, which operated in space until April 28, 1982.
1976 September The creation of the N-II rocket, also three-stage and also based on American Top-Delta technology, has begun.
1977 February Launch of the first Japanese geostationary satellite, Kiku-2. Carried out by rocket No. 3 of the N-I series.
1978 October Earth Observation Center founded.
1979 August A museum has been opened at the Tanegashima Space Center.
1980 July The Jet Propulsion Research Center was founded in the city of Kakuda.
1981 February Start of launches N-I missiles I and H-I rocket development.
September Completion of a series of N-I rocket launches (a total of 7 satellites were launched). Start of construction at the Tanegashima Center
launch pad for H-I missiles.
1985 August Three candidates have been selected for the role of payload specialist for the shuttle flight. They became Mamoru Mori,
Takao Doi and Chiaki Naito. Preliminary development of the space station begins.
September Construction of a launch pad for H-II missiles begins at the Tanegashima Center.
1986 August Start of rocket development H-I series I and launches of H-I series rockets.
1987 February Completion of a series of N-II rocket launches (a total of 8 satellites were launched).
1988 September An Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) was signed on the development and sharing of the space station. Participating countries: Japan, USA, Canada and some European ones. Completion of the construction of the test site on the island of Tanegashima, where the LE-7 rocket engine was subsequently tested.
1989 June The IGA is approved by the Japanese Diet.
October Celebrating NASDA's 20th Anniversary.
1990 April Selection of a payload specialist for the shuttle.
1991 July The process of selecting candidates for the role of the first Japanese astronaut begins (curiously, the first Japanese man in space, Akiyama Toyohiro, had nothing to do with NASDA, but flew with Russian cosmonauts in 1990 on the initiative of
television company TBS, where he worked as an editor and presenter of international news).
1992 February Completion of a series of launches of H-I rockets (a total of 9 satellites were launched).
April A decision was made on the candidacy of the first cosmonaut. He became Mamoru Mori.
September During his shuttle flight, Mori conducted 34 experiments as part of Project Fuwatto'92, a development in the field of creating new materials in microgravity conditions.
October Selection of a second payload specialist to continue microgravity research.
1993 April Start of development of J-I series missiles.
1994 February Start of launches of H-II series rockets. OREX (Orbital Return Experiment) and VEP (Payload Evaluation System) device launched.
July Second international experiment to study microgravity.
August Launch of the Kiku-6 satellite using the H-II rocket No. 2 (ended in failure due to failure of the ODU, onboard propulsion
installations, also called shunting motors).
1995 March The H-II rocket No. 3 launches the SFU (returnable research satellite) and the geostationary weather satellite GMS-3 into orbit.
1996 January The shuttle returns the SFU module to Earth.
February J-I rocket No. 1 launches the hypersonic test module HYFLEX into orbit.
July-August 13 experimental flights were carried out as part of the ALFLEX automatic landing project.
1996 August The fourth H-II rocket launches the Midori satellites into orbit as part of the satellite surveillance project. environment ADEOS.
1997 November For the first time, Japanese astronaut Takao Doi makes a spacewalk.
1998 February The fifth H-II rocket launches the COMETS radio relay satellite into orbit.
1999 November Unsuccessful launch of the eighth rocket of the H-II series.
2001 August Launch of the first H-IIA series rocket.

Readers are offered the first material in a fascinating series of introductory articles about the Japanese space program.

With this article, dear readers of our site, we open a series of materials about the Japanese space program. "About what?!" – you probably ask. And you will be absolutely right - not much is known about the Japanese space exploration program, or rather, not a very wide circle of people.

Of course, any schoolchild (at least for now) knows who Yuri Gagarin is and why he is famous. Some will even remember exactly when and on what ship his flight took place. Americans still sacredly remember the name of their first astronaut (even those of them who do not know who Gagarin is) - Alan Shepard, despite the fact that his flight, strictly speaking, was ubbital. And of course, in the USA everyone honors the legendary commander of the Apollo 11 crew, the first person to set foot (until proven otherwise) on the surface of the Moon. Finally, the term “taikonaut” has recently become fashionable, along with the name of the first Chinese in orbit, Yang Liwei.

More recently, we even celebrated the 50th anniversary of the orbital flight of the first four-legged astronauts – the dogs Belka and Strelka. Tell me, dear readers, have you heard of at least one Japanese astronaut? For example, I was always surprised by the fact that, despite the fact that almost any person would confidently call Japan one of the leading countries in the field of high technology, hardly one in a hundred has heard anything about the space program of this country. It would seem, who else if not the Japanese with their technologies to conquer space? I can assure you that the Japanese space program has a lot of interesting things - the Land of the Rising Sun has its own launch vehicles, the vehicles of the proud children of Amaterasu flew to the Moon and asteroids, flights to Venus and Mars are planned. The Japanese have created a solar yacht and have their “home” on the ISS. We will tell you about all this. Today we decided to start not with ships and satellites, “rocks, sticks and iron,” but with people, Japan’s envoys in space. So, today we will introduce you to the most remarkable Japanese astronauts... and those who almost became them.

Gagarin of the rising sun

So, Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut of the USSR and the whole world:

Alan Shepard, first American astronaut:

Yang Liwei, the first Chinese taikonaut:

And this is the very first astronaut from Japan and the first Japanese in space, Toyohiro Akiyama (秋山豊寛):

The most amazing thing is that the first Japanese astronaut... was not an astronaut at all! He was born at the height of World War II, in 1942, and could hardly imagine what kind of future awaited him: that the spaceship of the Soviet Union, then the enemy of Japan, which defeated the Kwantung Army in 1945, would not only take him into orbit decades later, and will make him the first Japanese astronaut. The road to space began for Akiyama in 1966 - it was this year that he began working at the TVS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) television and radio corporation. He progressed well in his career, occupying increasingly significant positions, and in 1989 he was selected for the commercial space flight program, for which TVS signed a contract with Soviet Union to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its founding. Thus, Akiyama also became the first professional journalist in space, not only in Japan, but also in the world!

Since October 1989, he trained at the Cosmonaut Training Center. Yu. Gagarin, and on December 2, 1990 he launched into space on the Soyuz TM-11 spacecraft. The crew commander was V.M. Afanasyev, the flight engineer was M.Kh. Manarov, both were Soviet cosmonauts.

The ship docked with the Mir station, and the Japanese spent about 5 days on it. During this time, he conducted live reports from orbit and even conducted scientific experiments... with Japanese tree frogs! In total, his flight lasted 7 days, 21 hours and 54 minutes. Unfortunately, it turned out that journalists are not very suitable for space flight: despite the preparation, during the flight Akiyama had problems with the vestibular apparatus, the so-called. space sickness.

His career after the flight was no less interesting. In 1991, he filmed a report in Kazakhstan about the fate of the Aral Sea. In 1995, he resigned from his corporation in protest against its commercialization. After that, the first Japanese astronaut... organized a mushroom and rice farm in Fukushima Prefecture! Truly, Japan got the most unusual first astronaut in the world.

Tereshkova in Japanese

During the first space flights, it was believed that space was not a woman’s business. Even Valentina Tereshkova’s flight changed little - the beautiful half of humanity adorned outer space en masse much later.

But what about the Japanese, or more precisely, Japanese women? Amaterasu's first daughter in space was Chiaki Mukai (向井千秋):

In comparison with Tereshkova, who was in orbit in 1963, and even the first “space” American Sally Ride (she flew into space in 1983), Chiaki was significantly “late”: she reached space only in 1994. She flew on American shuttles, and twice - the second time in 1998. Her total flight time was a fairly respectable 8 days, 21 hours and 44 minutes. By the way, for the first time she flew into space on the infamous shuttle Columbia, which died on February 1, 2003.

Tourist from Japan

Space tourism is the latest in tourism fashion. Moreover, this pleasure is still very, very expensive - we're talking about about millions of dollars. The Japanese, however, did not lose face here either. Or rather, they almost didn’t hit.

Meet Daisuke Enomoto (榎本大輔):

As you can see, he doesn't look much like an astronaut. Actually, it is so: this cute Japanese is an entrepreneur, the owner of the Internet company Livedoor. He was supposed to become the seventh space tourist in history, and at the same time the first from Asia and Japan.

He was supposed to fly on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft in September 2006. However, in August, due to “medical inconsistencies”, he was removed from the flight. It is noteworthy that Anousheh Ansari, an American of Iranian origin, the first woman in history to be a space tourist, went into space instead.

Extreme

In fact, astronauts are very superstitious people. For example, they never say “last,” only “extreme.” So, the extreme among the Japanese so far is Soichi Noguchi (野口聡一):

He is a completely professional astronaut; he was supposed to go into space for the first time in 2003, but due to the disaster of the Columbia shuttle we have already mentioned, the flight was postponed. As a result, he launched on July 25, 2005, on the Discovery shuttle, this was the first flight of the Space Shuttle system after that tragedy.

During his flights, Noguchi went into outer space more than once and worked on the International Space Station:

Until very recently, he returned only recently - on June 2, 2010. This was a major event in Japan; correspondents from the leading news agency Kyodo Tsushin specially traveled to Kazakhstan and waited all night in the wild steppe for the return of the Soyuz descent module, on which the astronaut was returning, to interview him immediately after the hatches were opened.

With this, dear visitors of our site, we say goodbye to you. Stay tuned for our next articles about Japan's space program!

P.S. Read the next articles in this series.