4 ms·

I was in the Soviet Union for a couple of weeks at the end of the 60's. Our Intourist guide took us to see an exhibition having to do with the Soviet space effo

I was in the Soviet Union for a couple of weeks at the end of the 60's. Our Intourist guide took us to see an exhibition having to do with the Soviet space effort. One of the exhibits was a spherical module which, given the date, I imagine was part of a Soyuz-A. The thing that struck me, and that I would be interested in having confirmed (or not) by someone knowledgeable, was that part of the thing (a porthole surround?) was made of/trimmed with wood. Could this be the case or is my memory playing tricks on me?

cromulent 11y ago
A Google search turned up that the Chinese have used a heat shield made of impregnated oak, and perhaps the Russians used a cork one. Some speculation: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=11075.25;wap2 http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=11075.25;wa...
bliti 11y ago
May you share more about the experience?
jeffwass 11y ago
Was it the Vostok? (it's spherical at least, not sure of the wood) : http://i.imgur.com/XBcLxta.jpg http://i.imgur.com/XBcLxta.jpg
gman99 11y ago
Perhaps you're thinking of Vostok? I thought much the same when I saw it in the Science Museum in London (just last weekend). Some kind of heat resistant cork or something? http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/ImageHandler.ashx?image={4D8D3C65-0821-4FF3-A31B-07FB36C27418}&height=392&width=800&crop=true http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/ImageHandler.ashx?image={4D8... I can heartily recommend the Cosmonaughts exhibition if you're at all interested in the birth of the Space Age. It's open till the 12th of March: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/cosmonauts http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/...
KineticLensman 11y ago
Not a spacecraft, but the Germans in WW2 developed an air-to-air missile [0] that had wooden fins. It wasn't going fast enough to create significant atmospheric heating and wood wasn't a strategically limited resource. I've seen one at a museum in the US, and the wood looks really incongruous. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrstahl_X-4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrstahl_X-4
sandworm101 11y ago
Wood actually has great properties re fire and heat. It doesn't conduct heat very well. In a fire, the outer surfaces turn to ash, allowing the structure to survive for a time at temperatures that would melt steal instantly.

cromulent 11y ago

A Google search turned up that the Chinese have used a heat shield made of impregnated oak, and perhaps the Russians used a cork one. Some speculation: http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=11075.25;wap2 http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=11075.25;wa...

bliti 11y ago

May you share more about the experience?

jeffwass 11y ago

Was it the Vostok? (it's spherical at least, not sure of the wood) : http://i.imgur.com/XBcLxta.jpg http://i.imgur.com/XBcLxta.jpg

gman99 11y ago

Perhaps you're thinking of Vostok? I thought much the same when I saw it in the Science Museum in London (just last weekend). Some kind of heat resistant cork or something? http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/ImageHandler.ashx?image={4D8D3C65-0821-4FF3-A31B-07FB36C27418}&height=392&width=800&crop=true http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/ImageHandler.ashx?image={4D8... I can heartily recommend the Cosmonaughts exhibition if you're at all interested in the birth of the Space Age. It's open till the 12th of March: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/cosmonauts http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/...

KineticLensman 11y ago

Not a spacecraft, but the Germans in WW2 developed an air-to-air missile [0] that had wooden fins. It wasn't going fast enough to create significant atmospheric heating and wood wasn't a strategically limited resource. I've seen one at a museum in the US, and the wood looks really incongruous. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrstahl_X-4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrstahl_X-4

sandworm101 11y ago

Wood actually has great properties re fire and heat. It doesn't conduct heat very well. In a fire, the outer surfaces turn to ash, allowing the structure to survive for a time at temperatures that would melt steal instantly.