Over the past hundred years, man has learned more about space than in all previous history. Nevertheless, it is difficult to find a profession that is more risky and full of dangers than an astronaut. For the opportunity to touch the secrets of the Universe, desperate daredevils often have to pay their own lives.
Today we combined in our selection 10 most high-profile disasters in space. Many of them were kept secret and for many years even the relatives and friends of the astronauts themselves did not know about them. Other disasters have occurred almost live, affecting millions of people around the world.
10. Soyuz-6
When landing in January 1969, the instrument-aggregate compartment and the descent vehicle did not separate. The skin of both parts of the ship began to melt during the descent, the fuel tanks exploded. Fortunately, the landing system worked and allowed to plant a dilapidated Soyuz. Cosmonaut Boris Volynov miraculously survived this accident.
9. “Soyuz-18”
Rising to a height of 192 km, the ship fell into an uncontrollable fall. The astronauts suffered overloads equal to 21g. However, the landing system still worked and the Soyuz landed on the slope of the Altai Mountains, parachuting onto a pine tree.
8. "Union T-16"
The first stage of the rocket caught fire during a launch in September 1983. Fortunately, a shooting officer noticed this and gave the command to launch an emergency rescue system. The ship soared a kilometer up and landed near the stratum with two astronauts on board.
7. "Apollo 13"
The explosion of an oxygen cylinder on board and the painful return to Earth in the lunar module in April 1970 formed the basis of the plot of the Hollywood movie of the same name. This unsuccessful flight to the moon lasted 7 days, more than half of which astronauts spent at an air temperature of no higher than 11 degrees in a state of almost complete immobility.
6. Soyuz-1
In 1967, the leadership of the USSR did everything in its power to catch up with the Americans, who had advanced ahead in the space race. The launch of Soyuz-1 took place in an atmosphere of haste, which caused the tragedy. The ship's orientation system failed, and both parachutes failed during landing. The flight of the Soyuz ended in the death of cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov.
5. "Apollo 1"
This disaster happened on Earth. A month before the scheduled launch, a fire occurred on the ship. At that time, there were 3 astronauts inside the Apollo, which burned alive within 14 seconds. The cause of the fire was poorly insulated wiring.
4. Satellites Cosmos-2251 and Iridium 33
The first collision of two artificial Earth satellites occurred in 2009. The speeds of both satellites were approximately equal - 7470 m / s. As a result of a collision in the planet’s orbit, about 600 fragments of various sizes were formed, which even today "float" in near-Earth space.
3. Soyuz-11
Soyuz-11 entered orbit in 1971 with three astronauts on board. For 23 days, the "Union" worked in space, and the tragedy occurred during the return to Earth. Arriving at the landing site, the search team found that the entire crew was dead. The reason was depressurization.
2. The Challenger
In January 1986, dozens of reporters arrived at Cape Canaveral to observe the launch of the space shuttle. The start was broadcast on satellite TV, so hundreds of thousands of spectators became eyewitnesses to the disaster. At the 73rd second of the flight, one of the parts of the shuttle came off and broke through the fuel tank, which led to the explosion and instant death of 7 crew members.
1. Colombia
In February 2003, this shuttle was returning from its 28th flight. 16 minutes before the proposed landing, Columbia began to fall apart in the air. All crew members died. The wreckage of the shuttle scattered across the territory in a couple of tens of square kilometers.
