JSC RD "Zvezda" Facility
Thursday 16th June
Thursday afternoon was our visit to Research, Development & Production Enterprise Zvezda at Tomilino, Gogol str., 39.Zvezda, describes itself as being a leader in the development and production of portable life support systems for pilots and cosmonauts, aircraft emergency escape and survival systems, and in-flight aircraft refueling systems.
| At 15:35 we had arrived at the Zvezda facility at Tomilino, Gogol str., 39, and were entering the first building on our itinery. |
| Ulf took this picture from a different perspective, showing me in the background taking the previous picture. |
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| Inside the dimly lit building our guide for the visit began the presentation, with Lena doing the English translation. |
| The building houses what appears to be an ancestor of the big centrifuge that we saw at Star City - no doubt from the early days of Soviet research. |
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| A closer look at the centrifuge cab. |
| A look up through the opening under the centrifuge cabin. |
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One of several early model ejection seats on display. From
the Zvezda web site:
One of the main areas of "RD&PE Zvezda" activities is design, development, manufacture and testing of the emergency escape means for pilots of various air and space vehicles. The great scope of scientific and engineering researches, careful analysis of military aviation accidents defined a new generation ejection seat concept, which was embodied in the K-36 ejection seat family in late 60s. |
| Another of the ejection seats on display. I am not sure if either of these are examples of the K-36 mentioned above, but they look to be of the right vintage. |
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| This looks like one of the test subjects from one of the less successful tests.. |
| Another test dummy - a little less disconcertingly human like without a flight suit. |
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Spacesuit Development
The next stop on our tour was the spacesuit test facility containing a large vacuum chamber for simulating space conditions.
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Our guide then led us to an adjacent building - You could tell it was
going to be an interesting visit by what was standing in the corner
of reception just inside the main entrance to the building.
This is the Orlan EVA suit with Zvezda SPK/YMK Manned Manuevering Unit. |
| Our guide gives an introductory talk on the vaccuum system, with the large cylindrical chamber visible on the right in this picture. |
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| A panel which seems to indicate the configuration of the vacuum system. |
| Access to the chamber is via a removeable end cap rather than through an air lock. In the event of an emergency the chamber is repressurized to normal pressure and the end of the chamber was is opened. |
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| A press of a button and the vacuum chamber begins to open. |
| Our guide continues his presentation as the end of the chamber continues to inch away from the main cylinder. |
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| Oops - looks like someone forgot to take the cosmonauts out last time they used it.. |
| I believe the chamber is used for crew training as well as suit testing. |
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| A closer look at some of the instrumentation on the outside of the chamber. |
| The control area for the vacuum chamber, from where engineers and the medical team run the tests.. |
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