Design of Salyut-1

Site map

Site update log

About this site

About the author

Mailbox

SUPPORT THIS SITE!

ADVERTISE

Searching for details:

The author of this page will appreciate comments, corrections and imagery related to the subject. Please contact Anatoly Zak.

Related pages:

ADVERTISE! | DONATE! | SUBSCRIBE!

The first Salyut space station

Previous chapter: Development of the Salyut space station

salyut

1	Antennas of the rendezvous system	13	Waste collectors
2	Solar panels	14	Attitude control thrusters
3	Telemetry antennas	15	Propellant tanks
4	Windows	16	Toilet
5	Orion celestial telescope	17	Meteoroid sensors
6	Air-regeneration system	18	Treadmill
7	Movie camera	19	Work desk
8	Photo camera	20	Central console
9	Biological research equipment	21	Pressurization tanks
10	Food refrigerator	22	Periscope
11	Sleeping area	23	Soyuz propulsion system
12	Water tanks

SUPPORT THIS PROJECT!

The Salyut space station, identified in the industrial documentation as 17K, structurally consisted of a transfer compartment with a diameter of 2.1 meters, followed by the main work section, in turn containing a science instrument compartment, and closed up with an instrument section.

The work section, borrowed from the Almaz project was subdivided into two cylinders 4.1 and 2.9 meters in diameter, with a conical ring in between. The instrument module (also 2.1 meters in diameter) contained an orbit correction engine, borrowed from the Soyuz spacecraft. Soyuz also became a donor of many critical “internal organs” for its larger counterpart, including the manual and automated flight control system, computing avionics and measuring sensors, the power storage and distribution system, the telemetry, radio and life-support systems. To fit all this heritage hardware into the alien body of Almaz, a whole new structural skeleton had to be designed.

Also, a network of small thrusters responsible for maintaining the attitude of the station in space was developed from scratch, along with a scientific package, which was fitted into a special niche, which was originally intended by Almaz engineers to accommodate a high-power spy camera. Due to the much longer missions planned for Salyut in comparison to Soyuz flights, the station’s thermal control system had to be developed largely anew, with only some hardware recycled from Soyuz.

The station’s scientific instruments with a total mass of 1.5 tons included, the OST-1 Sun-watching telescope, the RT-4 X-ray detector, the ITSK infra-red spectrometer and the OD-4 telescope with 60-power magnification, among other payloads.

The station was expected to accommodate two or three consecutive crews with a total time onboard of around three months. However, its life span was limited by non-replenishable consumable resources, such as propellant and oxygen supplies.

Known specifications of the DOS-7K complex:

DOS-7K complex total mass in orbit	25,600 kilograms
DOS station mass in orbit	18,900 kilograms
7K-T transport spacecraft mass	6,700 kilograms
Payload mass	1,200 kilograms
Full length of the Soyuz/Salyut complex	23 meters
Full length of the Salyut station	14.6 - 16 meters
Maximum body diameters of the Salyut station	4.15 meters
Solar panel span	11 meters
Total solar panel area	42 square meters
Total habitable volume	100 cubic meters
Development cost	~60 million rubles

Next chapter: Launch of Salyut-1

The article by Anatoly Zak; Last update: August 25, 2021

Page editor: Alain Chabot; Last edit: April 19, 2021

interior

Interior view of the DOS-7K space station looking toward the fornt docking port and over the control console.

interior

The flight control console inside the DOS-7K space station.

interior

Flight engineer work site inside the DOS-7K space station.

propulsion

Propulsion module of the DOS-7K space station.

orion

The Orion telescope