TMK
Encyclopedia
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
space exploration project to send a manned flight to Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
and Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
(TMK-MAVR design) without landing.
The TMK-1 spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
was due to be launched in 1971 and make a three-year-long flight including a Mars fly-by at which time probes would have been dropped. Expanded project variations, such as the TMK-E, Mavr or KK, including a Venus flyby, electric propulsion or a manned Mars landing were also proposed.
The TMK project was planned as an answer from the Soviet Union to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
manned moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
landings. A previous Martian Piloted Complex
Martian Piloted Complex
The Martian Piloted Complex or MPK was a Soviet Union Mars expedition proposed by Mikhail Tikhonravov. It featured a six Cosmonaut crew on a 900 day mission, with a launch in 1975....
mission was proposed in 1956. The project was never completed because the required N1 rocket
N1 rocket
N-1 was a heavy lift rocket intended to deliver payloads beyond low Earth orbit, acting as the Soviet counterpart to the NASA Saturn V rocket. This heavy lift booster had the capability of lifting very heavy loads into orbit, designed with manned extra-orbital travel in mind...
never flew successfully.
TMK-1
| TMK-1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Description | ||
| Role: | Mars Expedition | |
| Crew: | three | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Height: | 39 ft | 12 m |
| Diameter: | 19.60 ft | 6 m |
| Volume: | ||
| Rocket engines | ||
| Main Engine (Lox/Kerosene) : | ||
| Performance | ||
| Endurance: | 1095 days | |
The first flight to Mars of the TMK-1 was planned to begin on June 8, 1971.
The 75 metric ton TMK-1 spacecraft would take a crew of three on a Mars flyby mission. After a 10.5 month flight the crew would race past Mars, dropping remote controlled landers, and then be flung into an earth-return trajectory. Earth return would happen on July 10, 1974, after a voyage of three years, one month, and two days.
Spacecraft configuration:
- A habitation or pilot compartment, with an internal volume of 25 cubic meters
- A work or equipment section, including the hatch for extra-vehicular activities and a solar storm shelter should solar flares increase radiation to dangerous levels. Total volume of the section 25 cubic meters
- A biological systems compartment, with the SOZh closed-cycle environmental control system, with a total volume of 75 cubic meters
- A aggregate section, with the Mars probe capsules, the KDU midcourse correction engine, the SOZh solar concentrator and solar panels, and radio antennas
- The SA crew earth re-entry capsule, about 4 m in diameter
TMK-E
| TMK-E | ||
|---|---|---|
| Description | ||
| Role: | Mars Expedition | |
| Crew: | six | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Height: | 574 ft | 175 m |
| Diameter: | 19.60 ft | 6 m |
| Volume: | ||
| Electric engines | ||
| Main Engine (Xenon) : | 74 N | 17 lbf |
| Performance | ||
| Endurance: | 1000 days | |
This variation was proposed in 1960, and consisted of a complete Mars landing expedition to be assembled in Earth orbit using several N1
N1 rocket
N-1 was a heavy lift rocket intended to deliver payloads beyond low Earth orbit, acting as the Soviet counterpart to the NASA Saturn V rocket. This heavy lift booster had the capability of lifting very heavy loads into orbit, designed with manned extra-orbital travel in mind...
launches. The spacecraft would be powered by nuclear electric engines and five landers would deliver a nuclear-powered Mars Train on the surface for a one-year mission.
The TMK-E would be capable of a three-year flight to Mars and return, of which one year was powered flight.
It would measure 175 m in length and house a crew of six. Six landing craft were included, two for the crew and four for the Mars Train vehicles.
Mavr (MArs - VeneRa)
| Mavr | ||
|---|---|---|
| Description | ||
| Role: | Venus Expedition | |
| Crew: | three | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Height: | 82 ft | 25 m |
| Diameter: | 19.60 ft | 6 m |
| Volume: | 45.00 m3 | |
| Rocket engines | ||
| Main Engine (Lox/Kerosene) : | ||
| Performance | ||
| Endurance: | 680 days | |
A variation of the TMK mission planning involved a flyby of Venus on the return voyage, and was given the code name "Mavr" (MArs - VeneRa), meaning Mars - Venus.
KK - Space Complex for Delivering a Piloted Expedition to Mars
| KK - Space Complex for Delivering a Piloted Expedition to Mars | ||
|---|---|---|
| Description | ||
| Role: | Mars Expedition | |
| Crew: | three | |
| Rocket engines | ||
| Main Engine (Xenon) : | 14 lbf ea | 61 N |
| Performance | ||
| Endurance: | 630 days | 30 days Mars stay |
In 1966, a final version of the TMK studies was known as KK - Space Complex for Delivering a Piloted Expedition to Mars. Nuclear electric propulsion was to be used for the 630 day mission. The craft structure consisted of:
- EK - Expeditionary spacecraft: command center for piloting in interplanetary space
- OK - Orbital Complex: living and work compartments and the life support systems
- SA - The Landing Module, AV - The Ascent Module and RV - The Ascent Rocket stage
- PS - The Planetary Station: used by the expedition on the Martian surface for life support and scientific research
The launch was planned for 1980, with a crew of three cosmonauts. Mars stay duration would be 30 days.
Mission data:
- Total Payload Required in Low Earth Orbit-metric tons: 150
- Total Propellant Required-metric tons: 24
- Number of Launches Required to Assemble Payload in Low Earth Orbit: 2
- Launch Vehicle: N1N1 rocketN-1 was a heavy lift rocket intended to deliver payloads beyond low Earth orbit, acting as the Soviet counterpart to the NASA Saturn V rocket. This heavy lift booster had the capability of lifting very heavy loads into orbit, designed with manned extra-orbital travel in mind...