[FPSPACE] TV from Sputnik-2, again

[David Woods]

Folks,

Geert posed a number of questions about Sputnik 2 that carried Laika, 
the first living creature into orbit.  Unfortunately, the thermal 
regulating system failed and she died shortly after launch instead of 
surviving for a week with the onboard life support system as planned. 

Rummaging through my Sputnik-2 folder, I came across two sources with 
some rather extensive information that I had copied about the mission 
(the good news).  Unfortunately, at the time, I copied only the pages of 
interest from those sources and did not include the reference source 
information (the bad news).

The first source had the authors and title of their contribution at the 
top of pages 105-119 but nothing else: V. N. Chernov and V. I. Yakolev 
"Research on Animal Flight in an AES".  Their chapter described the 
sealed cabin in quite a bit of detail with a number of accompanying 
illustrations.  The cabin was cylindrical, measuring 640 mm in diameter 
with curved ends giving it an overall length of 800 mm.  "The equipment 
of the hermetically sealed cabin included devices for purifying the air, 
for regulating the air temperature, for filling the feeding trough with 
food, sanitary equipment, and medical recording gear".  Inside the cabin 
was the unit where Laika was placed for the flight.  It can be described 
as a rectangular box with air regeneration units to the right and left 
and the dog in the center in a space measuring 600 x 220 x 450 mm.  
Laika weighed about 6 kg.  The regenerator was actually U-shaped, 
wrapping around behind the dog.  Air was drawn in through a single port 
at the back, forced through each regenerator half by fans and exited at 
the front.  Pictures of Laika seated in the unit show the exit ports 
with the fans at the lower left and right. On top of Laika's right half 
of the unit was a cylindrical "automatic device for measuring arterial 
pressure". Behind it, also on top, was a "cabin air pressure recorder" 
and a "cabin air temperature recorder".   On the left top was another 
cylindrical "reservoir of compressed air supplying pressure for (the) 
automatic water supply".  On top at the center back was a "recorder for 
the animal's movement".  On the top inside shell of the cabin was an 
"electric fan of blower with (a) deflector".  Air composition was 
regulated by a cabin "pressure relay" that switched the regenerator fans 
on when the cabin pressure rose above 765 mm Hg.  The cabin air 
circulator fan switched on when the temperature rose above +15 deg C.  
The "water supply was contained in a 3 liter metal reservoir.  The food 
was in the form of a jelly which contained the necessary amount of basic 
food substances as well as water, and was calculated to supply the 
animal's full requirements for seven days".  "A special rubber bag for 
collecting urine was attached to the hindquarters of the animal, and a 
special girdle was placed over the shoulders to help to attach it to the 
body.  The excreta passed along a tube into the enclosed bag.  The bag 
contained a quantity of activated carbon and specially dried moss which 
removed the odor and absorbed the liquid fraction".  A telemetry "block 
diagram of apparatus" shows six inputs to a sampling switch box 
measuring: respiration, EKG, "oscillatory voltage from artery", body 
temperature, movement, "calibration marks", and "sleeve pressure".  
Respiration was measured with a "tension type rheostat strain gauge 
which (was) fitted as a belt around the animal's thorax".  The 
"oscillatory voltage" parameter was a piezoelectric crystal device that 
"transformed the pulsation of the arterial wall into a voltage change" 
to detect heart beats.  "The animal's movements were recorded by a 
potentiometer device which indicated their duration and extent".  
"Calibration marks" may have been a reference parameter used to verify 
the calibration state of the system.  The "sleeve pressure" was a blood 
pressure cuff that "recorded by periodic compression with a special cuff 
of a length of carotid artery brought out onto a skin flap".  Five 
additional measurements went directly to the "radiotelegraphic system": 
three cabin temperature measurement sensors, and a cabin pressure 
sensor.  So telemetry consisted of eleven parameters measuring  the 
state of the animal and the state of the cabin environment.  There 
apparently was no TV camera nor a auditory sensor picking up any barking.

I copied pages 320 - 373 of the second document.  As I said I have 
neither the names of the authors nor title for this document.  That 
aside, there was more information in it.

The first chapter indicated that the cabin was made of AMTsAM sheet 
aluminum alloy, 2 mm thick.  "In order to provide the necessary 
coefficients of attenuation and to give protection against solar 
radiation, the surface of the capsule was specially treated and 
polished".  A 160 mm diameter, 5 mm thick plastic inspection portal was 
fitted to the hatch of the cabin.  "A number of capsules were made, each 
of which was subjected to static tests to withstand external and 
internal pressure and also for the effects of high and low 
temperatures".  The document then went on to describe all of the testing 
the cabins underwent with pressures up to 1.5 atmospheres and 
temperatures ranging from -40 to +50 deg C.  While Laika's mission was 
planned for 7 days, reserves in the cabin were designed for a "normal 
state of activity, in the capsule for 20 days".    The regenerator was 
U-shaped: "divided into three channels left, right and transverse", with 
the width of left side at 108 mm and the right side at 118 mm.  "A 
sanitary tank made of sheet aluminum alloy was attached to the lower 
part of the regenerator box".  "The automatic food dispenser was placed 
in an opening in the floor and together with it on its left side, facing 
the animal, was fixed a drinking bowl.  The water was fed into the 
drinking bowl from the automatic water dispenser, placed on the outside 
wall of the regenerator box.  A compressed air cylinder feeding water 
from the water reservoir into the automatic dosing installation was 
placed on the left lid.  The water reservoir contained approximately 5 
liters of water".  This differs from the previous document that said it 
carried 3 liters of water.

In the next chapter it stated that "a dog, weighing 5-6 kg, requires, 
for one hour, an average of 4-6 liters of oxygen, and expires 
approximately the same quantity of carbon dioxide and 6-8 grams of water 
vapor".  The air regenerator was described as using  silica gel with an 
admixture of calcium chloride to absorb water vapor and noxious gases 
from the air and generate approximately 5 liters of oxygen per hour.  
The ventilation rate of 350 liters/hr kept the carbon dioxide content at 
0.1 to 0.5 percent.

So there does exist a fair amount of information about the systems 
onboard Sputnik-2 and it seems to clarify that there was no TV nor audio 
downlink.  Cabin temperature was to be maintained by simply circulating 
the internal air supply and conducting any excess heat out through the 
aluminum shell.  Whether either part of the shroud failed to be 
jettisoned or this thermal regulator system did not perform as 
calculated remains undocumented at this time.

Dave

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Re: [FPSPACE] TV from Sputnik-2, again
Date: 	Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:42:26 +0100
From: 	Geert Sassen <geert at navtools.nl>
To: 	Sven Grahn <svengrahn at telia.com>
CC: 	FPSPACE FPSPACE <fpspace at friends-partners.org>
References: 	<44DAC79ABFFF436CAAF4A885889C8373 at svempadator>


<snip>

Sputnik 2 still holds a few more mysteries:
+ It has been mentioned that (part of?) the launch shroud did not 
separate after launch and this was held as one of the reasons for the 
failure of the temperature control system, however I have not found any 
clear description of the temperature control system used and it sounds 
like there was only a 'passive' system with air circulating through the 
container and then venting outside (more or less similar to the early 
EVA suits). This was probably sufficient for the suborbital flights 
however not for a prolonged flight.
+ It has been mentioned that there was a system to supply the dog with 
food and water, however once again all descriptions of these systems 
seem to be from the Korabl Sputnik and Cosmos 110 flights which used 
different containers for the dogs. The suborbital flights probably did 
not carry food and water, so was the PS2 container sufficiently modified 
in the very short timeframe, or is this just a 'nice story' to silence 
guilty consciences?
+ There are some descriptions which mention that the dog was 'exited' 
during launch and it is mentioned that 'barking' was heard in the 
control room. This raises the question as to if PS2 carried a 
microphone, or is there once again confusion with the Korabl and Cosmos 
110 flights?

Regards,

Geert Sassen.