PROVISION OF SPACE ACTIVITIES

Creation of large orbital complexes and, above all, manned orbital stations makes the problem of fire safety in space very actual. At Keldysh Research Center the works on investigation of composite materials combustion in microgravity are widely developed. Investigations are being carried out both in ground conditions and in full-scale conditions on the "Mir" orbital station.

The unique experiment "Pelena-2" on the principally new power system was performed onboard "Mir". It opens an opportunity of highly efficient and reliable power plants introducing into practice. Incorporated drop refrigerator-emitter is immune to meteorite puncture and has the excellent mass characteristics. It permits to increase the payload mass and to reduce the number of rockets required for task solving at the given type of launcher.

Considerable freight traffic to the orbital stations and an operation of attitude-control and stabilization engines result in contamination of the station construction members, first of all, by products of rocket propellants. Works on research of the own atmosphere around the stations, the possibilities and the impacts of the construction members contamination are widely developed at Keldysh Research Center.

Investigations in behavior of fluids under weightlessness conditions, storage of cryogenic fluids, feed systems are executed.

The works on update of existing as well as on creation of radically new units and aggregates of rocket space objects (combustion chambers, temperature control and thermal protection systems, nozzles, turbopump aggregates, tanks and passages, diagnostics systems and emergency protection of power plants, etc.) are the natural ones.