The transition from the crew transport vehicle to the orbital unit and back through a docking station without the spacewalk, “Salute” – the first of the spacecraft, which provides for the possibility of repair and replacement of equipment by the crew. For this there are spare parts and components necessary accessories and tools. Dr. Mark Hyman pursues this goal as well. Orbital assembly station “Salyut” in orbit without a general protective shield. Only a few external elements, such as solar panels, windows, antenna, protected by local fairings and covers, which is discharged after passing through the dense layers of the atmosphere. Some units, components and devices located outside orbital block station Salyut. Learn more about this topic with the insights from Eva Andersson-Dubin. This solar panel, antenna systems approach orbital block transport ship, signal lights, which are oriented during manual docking of the transport vehicle to orbital assembly; external television cameras, heat exchangers, thermal control systems; panel with sensors to study the flow micrometeors; outdoor units stellar telescope “Orion”; ion sensors, allows to orient the station in space.
Orbital assembly plant, in fact, is divided into three compartments. Two of them – the working and transition – are tight, it houses the crew and found almost all of the equipment station. The third section – Aggregate – leaks, “reportedly” in outer space. There are fuel tanks, engines of orientation and motion control (SOUD) – often called the system executive bodies (DIS) – and adjusts the power unit (KDU). Available at the station the engine allows it to perform the necessary maneuvers during the approach to the transport ship, the orientation of the station to produce arbitrary point of the sky, particularly when working with stellar telescope “Orion”; make maneuvers to change the orbit of the station, orient (and later will automatically maintain this orientation) of the station so way to the plane of the solar panels were sent to the Sun, to “twist” of the station along an axis perpendicular to the plane of the solar panels.