The VBK-Raduga capsule was a reentry capsule that was used for returning materials to Earth's surface from the space station Mir. They were brought to Mir in the Progress-M cargo craft's dry cargo compartment. For return, the capsule would be substituted for the Progress' docking probe before it left the space station, and then after the Progress-M performed its deorbit burn, the capsule was ejected at 120 km altitude to reenter the atmosphere independently. It would then parachute to a landing area in Russia.[1]
| VBK-Raduga | |
|---|---|
| МКБ-Радуга | |
 NASA illustration of a VBK-Raduga ballistic return capsule during final descent to Earth. | |
| Type | Reentry capsule |
| Specifications | |
| Dimensions | 1.5m long, 60cm diameter |
| Dry mass | 350kg |
| History | |
| Launched |
|
| First flight |
|
| Last flight |
|
Each Raduga was about 1.5 m long, 60 cm in diameter, and had an unloaded mass of about 350 kg. It could return about 150 kg of cargo back to Earth. Use of the Raduga reduced the Progress-M's cargo capacity by about 100 kg, to a maximum of about 2400 kg.[citation needed]
The European Space Agency studied a very similar system called PARES (Payload Retrieval System), for use in combination with the Automated Transfer Vehicle.[2]
| Capsule | Launch date | Carried by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| VBK-Raduga 1 | 27 September 1990 | Progress M-5 | |
| VBK-Raduga 2 | 19 March 1991 | Progress M-7 | Lost on reentry |
| VBK-Raduga 3 | 20 August 1991 | Progress M-9 | |
| VBK-Raduga 4 | 17 October 1991 | Progress M-10 | |
| VBK-Raduga 5 | 19 April 1992 | Progress M-12 | |
| VBK-Raduga 6 | 15 August 1992 | Progress M-14 | |
| VBK-Raduga 7 | 31 March 1993 | Progress M-17 | Capsule returned by Progress M-18 |
| VBK-Raduga 8 | 10 August 1993 | Progress M-19 | |
| VBK-Raduga 9 | 11 October 1993 | Progress M-20 | |
| VBK-Raduga 10 | 22 March 1994 | Progress M-23 | |
| 9 April 1995 | Progress M-27[3] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "VBK-Raduga". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ "PARES to complete study phase". Flight International. 5 April 2005. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
- ^ McDonald, Sue (December 1998). "Mir Mission Chronicle". NASA JSC (published 1 December 1998).