kids encyclopedia robot

Vostok 2 facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Vostok 2
Vostok spacecraft.jpg
Model of the Vostok capsule with its upper stage
Operator Soviet space program
Harvard designation 1961 Tau 1
Mission duration 1 day, 1 hour, 18 minutes
Orbits completed 17.5
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft Vostok-3KA No.4
Manufacturer Experimental Design OKB-1
Launch mass 4,731 kilograms (10,430 lb)
Crew
Crew size 1
Members Gherman Titov
Callsign Орёл (Oryol - "Eagle")
Start of mission
Launch date August 6, 1961, 06:00 (1961-08-06UTC06Z) UTC
Rocket Vostok-K 8K72K
Launch site Baikonur 1/5
End of mission
Landing date August 7, 1961, 07:18 (1961-08-07UTC07:19Z) UTC
Landing site Krasny Kut
50°51′10″N 47°01′14″E / 50.85276°N 47.02048°E / 50.85276; 47.02048
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Eccentricity 0.00501
Perigee 166 kilometres (103 mi)
Apogee 232 kilometres (144 mi)
Inclination 64.93 degrees
Period 88.46 minutes
Epoch 6 August 1961, 02:00:00 UTC
Vostok2patch.png Gherman Titov 2.jpg
Vostok programme
Manned flights
Vostok 3 →

Vostok 2 (Russian: 'Восток-2, Orient 2 or East 2) was a Soviet space mission. It carried cosmonaut Gherman Titov into orbit for a full day to study the effects of a long period of weightlessness on the human body. Titov orbited the earth over 17 times. Yuri Gagarin in Vostok 1 had only done one orbit.

The flight was an almost complete success. Problems included not turning on a heater which meant the temperature dropped to 50 °F (10 °C), a period of space sickness, and problems on re-entry when the reentry module failed to separate cleanly from its service module.

Titov took manual control of the spacecraft for a short while. The Soviets admitted that Titov did not land with his spacecraft. Titov said he ejected from his capsule to test another landing system. It is now known that all Vostok program landings were done this way.

The re-entry capsule was destroyed during development of the Voskhod spacecraft.

As of 2012, Titov is the youngest person to reach space. He was 25 years old at launch.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Vostok 2 para niños

kids search engine
Vostok 2 Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.