Korabl-Sputnik 4
![]() 1961 postage stamp | |
Names | Sputnik 9 |
---|---|
Mission type | Biological Technology |
Operator | Soviet space program |
Harvard designation | 1960 Theta 1 |
COSPAR ID | 1961-008A |
SATCAT no. | 91 |
Mission duration | 1 hour, 41 minutes |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | Vostok-3KA |
Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
Launch mass | 4,700 kilograms (10,400 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 9 March 1961, 06:29:00 | UTC
Rocket | Vostok-K 8K72K |
Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
End of mission | |
Landing date | 9 March 1961, 08:09:54 | UTC
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Perigee altitude | 173 kilometres (107 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 239 kilometres (149 mi) |
Inclination | 64.93 degrees |
Period | 88.6 minutes |
![](http://178.128.105.246/content-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
Korabl-Sputnik 4[1] (Russian: Корабль-Спутник 4 meaning Ship-Satellite 4) or Vostok-3KA No.1, also known as Sputnik 9 in the West,[2] was a Soviet spacecraft which was launched on 9 March 1961. Carrying the mannequin Ivan Ivanovich, a dog named Chernushka, some mice and the first guinea pig in space, it was a test flight of the Vostok spacecraft.[3]
Korabl-Sputnik 4 was launched at 06:29:00 UTC on 9 March 1961, atop a Vostok-K carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.[1] It was successfully placed into low Earth orbit. The spacecraft was only intended to complete a single orbit, so it was deorbited shortly after launch, and reentered on its first pass over the Soviet Union. It landed at 08:09:54 UTC, and was successfully recovered. During the descent, the mannequin was ejected from the spacecraft in a test of its ejection seat, and descended separately under its own parachute.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Vostok". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
- ^ Gray, Tara (1998). "A Brief History of Animals in Space". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Soyuz". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 7 January 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2010.