Turn of rescue (rocket)

A turn of rescue on a Fusée is a device used on the manned space flights, which makes it possible, when the launching of a rocket fails the takeoff or in the first phases of flight, to move away the capsule containing the cosmonauts from the rocket to put it out of reach possible explosion of the launcher.

For the first manned space flights (Gemini, Vostok), the rescue of the crew in the event of explosion of the rocket, was entrusted to a Ejector seat. This device was heavy (the surchage is preserved throughout the flight) and did not allow to draw aside suffisemment the cosmonauts of the danger zone when the rocket used fuels Hypergolique S (Oxygen/Hydrogène).

This device was or is installed for many launchings of space missions inhabited as well Russian as American: Mercury, Soyuz and its alternatives, Apollo, N1.

For all these missions, the tower of rescue consists of a long cylinder attached to the top of the capsule. It generally includes/understands two whole of rocket with solid fuel divided into crowns: the first unit makes it possible to tear off the capsule with the rocket and to propel it in altitude far from the body of the rocket, the second unit makes it possible to separate the cap and the tower from rescue once its mission fulfilled of the capsule which can then deploy its Parachute S before falling down towards the ground. Panels attached to the cap supplement the device and make it possible to stabilize the trajectory of the capsule during the propelled phase. If launching occurs without incident, the rockets of the tower of rescue are started to detach it from the capsule at the end of a certain amount of time (on Apollo, this operation is carried out after the lighting of the second stage).

The release of the tower of rescue can be manual or automatic.

The tower of rescue used for the Apollo missions had the following characteristics:

Length: 10.2 m
Diameter: 0.66 m
Weight: 4,2 tons
Pushed rockets: 689 kN

See too

Uses of the system on mission: Soyuz 18a (1975), Soyuz T-10-1 (1983).

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