Space shuttle Atlantis returns to Earth

Space Shuttle Atlantis was the fourth operational shuttle built and is one of the three currently operational spacecraft in the Space Shuttle fleet. Space Shuttle Atlantis is named after the two-masted boat that served as the primary research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts from 1930 to 1966. Orbiter Vehicle Designation is OV-104.

In June 1995, STS-71 performed the first Space Shuttle docking with Russia's Mir Space Station. This mission was very important historically because it was the 100th manned space launch by the United States, the first ever on-orbit change out of Shuttle crew members and the docking created the largest spacecraft ever placed into orbit at that time.

Atlantis pioneered the Shuttle-Mir missions, flying the first seven missions to dock with the Russian space station. When linked, Atlantis and Mir together formed the largest spacecraft in orbit at the time. The missions to Mir included the first on-orbit U.S. crew exchanges, now a common occurrence on the International Space Station. On STS-79, the fourth docking mission, Atlantis ferried astronaut Shannon Lucid back to Earth after her record-setting 188 days in orbit aboard Mir.

The Soviet Ekranoplan and WIG

The Cold War was the catalyst for the development of a diversity of interesting vehicles, platforms and technologies, but few have been of more interesting to me than the Soviet “Lun” ekranoplan pictured above and below. The Soviet Union began developing the wing-in-ground (WIG) ground effect technology in the 1930’s, but the craft reached a pinnacle of sorts in the 1980’s with the Lun , though WIG craft have yet to reach any broad application, whether military or commercial. Ekranoplans benefit from WIG in two important ways, the first being the ability to achieve incredibly high speeds and the second that flying at 10 to 50 feet above the surface makes them largely undetectable by radar.

WIG works as a high pressure region develops beneath the wing’s lower surface and above the water surface, which enhances its lift compared to a conventional wing in free air. The close proximity of the water also disrupts the formation of wing-tip vortices, which are a major cause of induced drag on conventional wings in free air. To benefit from WIG, the airfoil must have a relatively flat lower surface in order to increase lift. WIG craft have an advantage over water-bourne craft in that a huge amount of power is needed to overcome the drag of the water. By flying just above the water that power can be used for speed and carrying capacity.

Ekranoplans were developed in a range of sizes and applications, but they could reach enormous proportions and cargo carrying capacity. The Lun, among the largest to be developed, spanned 240 feet long with a wingspan of 144 feet. Its size would be comparable to a Boeing 747. It had a maximum takeoff weight of 882,000 pounds and a range of over 1,800 miles. This behemoth could cruise at 341 mph, leaving traditional naval vessels quickly in its wake.

Baikonur Cosmodrome Space Launches

Baikonur cosmodrome is the world's largest operating launch facility. It is located in what is now Kazakhstan and has been ground zero for the Soviet and later, Russian space programs' projects. Basically, it’s the Russian space program's Kennedy Space Center.

The Baikonur cosmodrome was founded on June 2, 1955. It was originally a missile launch facility but was later expanded to support space launches as well. The space facility's name is actually an interesting story as it was originally the name of a town 200 miles north of it. The supposition is that this was done to confuse the United States military. This makes sense due to its original purpose and the Space Race that started shortly afterward.

During the Soviet era, when Kazakhstan was still a part of the Soviet Union, Baikonur became the Milan and Venice of the Space exploration renaissance. Many of the Soviet space program's groundbreaking successes in spaceflight occurred here. It was the site where Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, was launched starting the beginning of the famous rivalry in the development of space technology between the United States and the Soviet Union. It was also where the Soviet launched the first animal, a dog named Laika, into space as well as the launch stage for the mission that made Yuri Gagarin the first man in space.