Hands and brains: what residents of Tomsk did for Vostochny cosmodrome

TOMSK, Apr 28 – RIA Tomsk. Start of the first ship "Union-2.1a" with three spacecrafts (albeit at the second attempt) took place on Thursday from the cosmodrome Vostochny. The contribution to this event was made by Tomsk residents – scientists developed for Vostochny meteosensors and testing equipment, students were involved in the construction.

On the website of Roskosmos it is reported that the first start of the spaceship from Vostochny happened about 05:00 in the morning on Moscow time (on Tomsk – around 08.00). The carrier rocket "Union-2.1a" with the removal block "Volga" and a sheaf from three spacecrafts – "Lomonosov", "Aist-2D" and SamSat-218 went into orbit.

"It (the cosmodrome Vostochny) will have to provide independent access to space from the territory of Russia on all range of space tasks. Owning spaceport from which it is possible to carry out starts of spacecrafts into any orbits, to realize the piloted programs and to investigate distant space, Russia becomes the significant partner in the international projects", – it is noted on the website.

Pour concrete

Students became the first residents of Tomsk who have visited Vostochny. Several times during the years of construction of the cosmodrome (works are conducted since 2012) construction groups of Tomsk higher education institutions went to this All-Russian student's building.

For example, in summer of 2014 guys from Tomsk State University of Architecture and Building helped to pour concrete the main base of the spaceport and to build concrete designs, and girls – painted buildings of a complex. In 2015 students of this higher education institution also worked as plasterers-painters at the spaceport.

And in fall of 2015 students of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) participated in the All-Russian building. They have been engaged at a final stage of works: improved the territory of a complex, did sidewalks and stacked a tile.

"Examiner" for the satellite

The first vice rector of Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (ТУСУРа) Yury Shurygin told RIA Tomsk that in higher education institution all equipment which is used in Russia for ground tests of systems of power supply of spacecrafts now is made.

Tomsk complexes are used in the research and design centers of space branch, for check of devices both in the course of development, and just before start.

"It turns out, tests take place on the earth, but in actual practice. At the same time it is necessary to consider all changes: there is a satellite in a shadow or on the sun, operation of the solar battery and chemical accumulators happening to them in use changes … We can even simulate what will be with the equipment in 10 years", – the interlocutor of agency has specified.

In turn the press service of the university specified that on Tomsk test complexes was tested, in particular, the "Aist-2D" satellite sent on Wednesday from Vostochny.

"The complex of the equipment consists of simulators of solar batteries, simulators of rechargeable batteries and simulators of loadings. It allows during development, during final assembly to carry out full setup, working off of all regular and emergency operation of the spacecraft, and also to carry out prestarting tests just before sending the satellite", – is said in the message.

Weather forecast

The resident of the Tomsk special economic zone LLC "Sibanalitpribor" is engaged in release of portable meteorological complexes. The Tomsk equipment is also used at Vostochny.

The ultrasonic meteorological stations developed by scientists of Institute of monitoring of climatic and ecological systems (IMCES) of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science are so compact that they find room in an army backpack, and their weight – only 1,5 kilograms. At the same time the equipment can independently work for a long time (some models do without service within a year).

One sensor can determine at the same time force and the direction of wind, turbulent characteristics, air temperature, humidity, pressure and other parameters.

According to the deputy director of "Sibanalitpribor" Vladimir Korolkov, main "client" of the company is the Russian army, special devices are developed for the Arctic.

At Vostochny the Tomsk equipment is included into complex system of meteorological observation. "At the spaceport the main thing that is required from the equipment, – is the reliability. But same it is required also for military meteocomplexes. Therefore both to troops and to the spaceport there are devices manufactured on the same technologies", – said Korolkov.