Kosmos 110

Summary

Kosmos 110 (Russian: Космос 110 meaning Kosmos 110) was a Soviet spacecraft launched on 22 February 1966 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Voskhod rocket. It carried two dogs, Veterok ("Breeze") and Ugolyok ("Little piece of coal").[3] It was one of the more eye-catching and popular experiments of the long series of Russian Kosmos satellites.[4]

Kosmos 110
Mission typeBiosciences
OperatorOKB-1
COSPAR ID1966-015A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.2070
Mission duration21 days, 17 hours and 59 minutes
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftVoskhod 3KV No.5
Spacecraft typeVoskhod 3KV
ManufacturerOKB-1
Launch mass5700 kg[1]
Start of mission
Launch date22 February 1966, 20:09:36 GMT
RocketVoskhod 11A57
Launch siteBaikonur 31/6
ContractorOKB-1
End of mission
DisposalRecovered
Landing date16 March 1966, 14:09 GMT
Landing siteSteppes of Kazakhstan, USSR
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[2]
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude190 km
Apogee altitude882 km
Inclination51.9°
Period95.3 minutes
← Kosmos 109

Mission

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The launch of Kosmos 110 was conducted using a Voskhod 11A57 s/n R15000-06 carrier rocket, which flew from Site 31/6 at Baikonour. The launch occurred at 20:09:36 GMT on 22 February 1966. Kosmos 110 separated from its launch vehicle into a low Earth orbit with a perigee of 190 km (120 mi), an apogee of 882 km (548 mi), an inclination of 51.9°, and an orbital period of 95.3 minutes.[2]

It incorporated a re-entry body (capsule) for landing scientific instruments and test objects. It was a biological satellite that made a sustained biomedical experiment through the Van Allen radiation belts with the dogs Veterok and Ugolyok.[3] In addition to the two dogs, several species of plants, moisturized prior to launch, were also carried. On 16 March 1966, after 22 days in orbit around the Earth, they landed safely and were recovered by recovery forces at 14:09 GMT.[2]The dogs had orbited the Earth 330 times.[5]

Results from the mission showed that whilst some beans germinated poorly, lettuce grew larger all around with 50% more yield and Chinese cabbage showed greater mass. Those that germinated in space thus became the first seeds to do so. Overall the mission showed that long duration space flight had definite but variable effects on plants, with some producing better results than on Earth.[6]

The two dogs showed severe dehydration, weight loss, loss of muscle and coordination and took several weeks to fully recover.[7]

This spaceflight of record-breaking duration was not surpassed by humans until Skylab 2 in June 1974 and still stands as the longest space flight by dogs.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Display: Cosmos 110 1966-015A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b c "Trajectory: Cosmos 110 1966-015A". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2021.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ a b c LMurray (5 November 2007). "Laika and Her "Children"---Animals in the Space Race". Saving Earth | Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  4. ^ Rich, Vera (13 April 1978). "Kosmos-1000 up" (PDF). Nature. 272: 574.
  5. ^ Janes Spaceflight Directory (1987) ISBN 0 7106-0838 1 p206
  6. ^ Brian Harvey; Olga Zakutnyaya (2011). Russian Space Probes: Scientific Discoveries and Future Missions. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 315. ISBN 978-1-44198-150-9.
  7. ^ Brian Harvey; Olga Zakutnyaya (2011). Russian Space Probes: Scientific Discoveries and Future Missions. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 314. ISBN 978-1-44198-150-9.