A Short History of the Soviet and Russian Space Program

A Short History of the Soviet and Russian Space Program The modern age of space exploration exists largely because of the actions of two countries who competed to get the first people on the Moon: the United States and the former Soviet Union. Today, space exploration efforts include more than 70 countries with research institutes and space agencies. However, only a few of them have launch capability, the three largest being NASA in the United States, Roscosmos in the Russian Federation, and the European Space Agency. Most people know of the U.S.s space history, but the Russian efforts occurred largely in secrecy for many years, even when their launches were public. Only in recent decades has the full story of the countrys space exploration been revealed through detailed books and talks by former cosmonauts.   The Age of Soviet Exploration Begins The history of Russias space efforts starts with World War II. At the end of that huge conflict, German rockets and rocket parts were captured by both the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Both countries had dabbled in rocket science before that.  Robert Goddard in the U.S. had launched that countrys first rockets. In the Soviet Union, engineer Sergei Korolev had experimented with rockets, too. However, the chance to study and improve upon Germanys designs was attractive to both countries and they entered into the Cold War of the 1950s each striving to outdo the other into space. Not only did the U.S. bring over rockets and rocket parts from Germany, but they also transported a number of German rocket scientists to help with the fledgling National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and its programs. The Soviets  captured rockets and German scientists, too, and eventually began experimenting with animal launches in the early 1950s, although none reached space. Yet, these were the first steps in the space race and set both countries on a headlong rush off Earth. The Soviets won the first round of that race when they put Sputnik 1 into orbit on October 4, 1957. It was a huge win for Soviet pride and propaganda and a major kick in the pants for the fledgling U.S. space effort. The Soviets followed up with the launch of the first man into space, Yuri Gagarin, in 1961. Then, they sent the first woman in space (Valentina Tereshkova, 1963) and did the first spacewalk, performed by Alexei Leonov in 1965. It looked very much like the Soviets might score the first man to the Moon, too. However, problems piled up and pushed back their lunar missions due to technical problems. Disaster in Soviet Space Disaster struck the Soviet program and gave them their first big setback. It happened in 1967 when cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov  was killed when the parachute that was supposed to settle his Soyuz 1 capsule gently on the ground failed to open. It was the first in-flight death of a man in space in history and a great embarrassment to the program. Problems continued to mount with the Soviet N1 rocket, which also set back planned lunar missions. Eventually, the U.S. beat the Soviet Union to the Moon, and the country turned its attention to sending unmanned probes to the Moon and Venus. After the Space Race In addition to its planetary probes, the Soviets got very interested in orbiting space stations, particularly after the U.S. announced (and then later canceled) its Manned Orbiting Laboratory. When the U.S. announced Skylab, the Soviets eventually built and launched the Salyut station. In 1971, a crew went to Salyut and spent two weeks working aboard the station. Unfortunately, they died during the return flight due to a pressure leak in their Soyuz 11 capsule. Eventually, the Soviets solved their Soyuz issues and the Salyut years led to a joint cooperation project with NASA on the Apollo Soyuz project. Later on, the two countries cooperated on a series of Shuttle-Mir dockings, and the building of the International Space Station (and partnerships with Japan and the European Space Agency). The Mir Years The most successful space station built by the Soviet Union flew from 1986 through 2001. It was called Mir and assembled on orbit (much as the later ISS was). It hosted a number of crew members from the Soviet Union and other countries in a show of space cooperation. The idea was to keep a long-term research outpost in low-Earth orbit, and it survived many years until its funding was cut. Mir is the only space station that was built by one countrys regime and then run by the successor to that regime. It happened when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991 and formed the Russian Federation. Regime Change The Soviet space program faced interesting times as Union began to crumble in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Instead of the Soviet space agency, Mir and its Soviet cosmonauts (who became Russian citizens when the country changed) came under the aegis of Roscosmos, the newly formed Russian space agency. Many of the design bureaus that had dominated space and aerospace design were either shut down or reconstituted as private corporations. The Russian economy went through major crises, which affected the space program. Eventually, things stabilized and the country moved ahead with plans to participate in the International Space Station, plus resume launches of weather and communications satellites. Today, Roscosmos has weathered changes in the Russian space industrial sector and is moving ahead with new rocket designs and spacecraft. It remains part of the ISS consortium and has announced Instead of the Soviet space agency, Mir and its Soviet cosmonauts (who became Russian citizens when the country changed) came under the aegis of Roscosmos, the newly formed Russian Space Agency. It has announced interest in future lunar missions and is working on new rocket designs and satellite updates. Eventually, the Russians would like to go to Mars, as well, and continue solar system exploration.

HR managers want every job candidate to ask these questions

HR managers want every job candidate to ask these questions You’re feeling prepared for your interview. You’ve practiced your handshake (firm, confident). You’ve got your talking points down cold and are ready to answer just about any question thrown your way. But are you ready to ask questions yourself? An interview isn’t just fielding questions and making eye contact with your interviewer- it’s a dialogue between the two of you (or more, if you’re facing a panel-type situation), so it’s crucial to remember that you should also be asking questions too. Let’s look at some of the questions that HR managers look to hear from good, engaged candidates for a job. Questions About the CompanyA great interviewee is going to come armed with both knowledge and questions about the hiring company. You don’t need to memorize every word of their corporate webpage, but a look at the mission statement and any relevant news articles is a good place to start. Once you have that baseline of info, yo u can ask informed questions about the company.Here are some examples:I know that this company prioritizes sustainability. How do you see this role fitting in with that mission?I was interested by the differences between this company and X Co.’s approach to ____. Who do you consider your top competitor in the field, and why? Where do you see the company evolving over the next five years in this industry?Where does this role fit in the company’s overall strategy?What defines â€Å"success† here at this company? What defines â€Å"failure†?Questions about the company, as well as its goals and values, show that you’re interested in becoming a part of the team- not just scoring a job offer. Cultural questions indicate that you’re aware of trends in the larger industry as well as in this company.Questions About the JobIdeally, you’re going to be the person they hire for this job, so it’s important to show a) curiosity; and b) that y ou’ve put a lot of thought into this opportunity. These aren’t questions like, â€Å"so what is this job, anyway?† These should be more substantive questions about the parts of the job that may not be obvious from the description.Here are some examples:What are your expectations for this role?What do you see as the long-term significance of this role in the company?What’s the management style in this department?What is the typical career path for someone hired into this position?Is this a new role? If so, what need was it created to fill? If not, can you tell me what happened with the last person in this role?What are the biggest obstacles facing this team right now?What’s the primary goal of this role in the first 90 days? The first year?What would you say is the biggest challenge/project on the horizon for this role?What would you say is the most challenging part of this position?These questions indicate that you’re envisioning yourself se ttling into the role and considering the day-to-day tasks as well as opportunities to grow.Questions About LogisticsIn the interview, it’s natural to wonder about things like what the next steps are. There are ways you can phrase this that make them intelligent questions. Here are some examples:Thanks so much for meeting with me today! What can I expect, in terms of next steps?Is there anything else I can do to provide more information, or otherwise follow up with your team?What Not to AskSalary questions. These are almost always better saved for later in the process, once you’ve got an offer and can begin negotiating. Mentioning it during the interview can seem overeager.Specific demands. The interview is also not the time to announce that you’re going to need X time off, or request that you get an answer within three business days.Personal questions. Your interviewer may have family pictures on her desk or little tchotchkes that suggest a hobby. That can be a small talk facilitator at the beginning of the interview (â€Å"Hey, we root for the same World Cup team!†), but it’s really not an opening to ask a bunch of invasive questions. Remember, you’re being interviewed for a job- it’s not speed dating.As long as your questions are thoughtful, professional, and require more than a yes or a no, they’re likely to be welcomed throughout the interview or saved for the end. Remember that the goal is to show how interested you are in this job and demonstrate that you’re engaged fully in this process. Good luck!