Over the past hundred years, man has learned more about space than in all previous history. Yet it is difficult to find a more risky and dangerous profession than an astronaut. For the opportunity to touch the secrets of the Universe, desperate daredevils often have to pay with their own lives.
Today we have combined in our selection 10 most high-profile disasters in space... Many of them were classified and for many years even the relatives and friends of the astronauts themselves did not know about them. Other disasters have occurred almost live, affecting millions of people around the world.
10. "Soyuz-6"
When landing in January 1969, the instrument-assembly compartment and the descent vehicle did not separate. The plating of both parts of the ship began to melt on descent, and the fuel tanks exploded. Fortunately, the landing system worked and allowed the dilapidated Soyuz to land. Cosmonaut Boris Volynov miraculously survived this accident.
9. "Soyuz-18"
Having risen to a height of 192 km, the ship fell into an uncontrollable fall. The astronauts endured G-forces equal to 21g. However, the landing system still worked and the Soyuz landed on the slope of the Altai Mountains, parachuting into a pine tree.
8. "Soyuz T-16"
The first stage of the rocket caught fire during launch in September 1983. Fortunately, the "shooting" officer noticed this and gave the command to start the emergency rescue system. The spacecraft soared up a kilometer and landed near the stratum site with two astronauts on board.
7. Apollo 13
The explosion of an oxygen tank on board and a painful return to Earth in the lunar module in April 1970 formed the basis of the plot of the Hollywood film of the same name. This unsuccessful flight to the moon lasted 7 days, more than half of which the astronauts spent at air temperatures no higher than 11 degrees in a state of almost complete immobility.
6. "Soyuz-1"
In 1967, the leadership of the USSR strove with all its might to catch up with the Americans, who had pulled ahead in the space race. The launch of Soyuz-1 took place in an atmosphere of haste, which caused the tragedy. The ship's attitude control system failed, and both parachutes failed during landing. The Soyuz flight ended with the death of cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov.
5. Apollo 1
This catastrophe happened on Earth. A month before the scheduled launch, there was a fire on the ship. At this time, there were 3 astronauts inside the Apollo, who were burned to death within 14 seconds. Poorly insulated wiring became the cause of the fire.
4. Satellites "Cosmos-2251" and "Iridium 33"
The first collision of two artificial earth satellites occurred in 2009. The speeds of both satellites were approximately equal - 7470 m / s. As a result of the collision, in the orbit of the planet, about 600 debris of various sizes were formed, which even today "float" in near-earth space.
3. "Soyuz-11"
Soyuz 11 entered orbit in 1971 with three cosmonauts on board. For 23 days "Soyuz" worked in space, and the tragedy occurred during the return to Earth. The search team that arrived at the landing site found that the entire crew had died. Depressurization became the reason.
2. "Challenger"
In January 1986, dozens of reporters arrived at Cape Canaveral to watch the launch of the space shuttle.The start was broadcast on satellite TV, so hundreds of thousands of viewers became eyewitnesses of the disaster. At the 73rd second of the flight, one of the shuttle parts came off and punctured the fuel tank, which led to an explosion and instant death of 7 crew members.
1. "Colombia"
In February 2003, this shuttle was returning from its 28th flight. 16 minutes before the intended landing, the Columbia began to fall apart in the air. All crew members died... The debris of the shuttle scattered over an area of a couple of tens of square kilometers.