Where is the Plesetsk space center? Exact coordinates

If everything is more or less clear with the Baikonur, the question of where the Plesetsk space center is located will puzzle many. And all because there is not much talk about him. It is necessary to fill in the missing information.

When did it all start?

In the winter of 1957. It was then in January it was decided to create a military facility. It was to be the first compound of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The same year was marked by the beginning of the construction of the first launch complex. For today the cosmodrome has six launching sites, some of them are under reconstruction.

How did you choose its location?

It is now possible to simply be interested in where Plesetsk is located - the famous cosmodrome, and then it was necessary to find a suitable terrain for it.

At that time, it was necessary to take into account many factors. They have not lost their importance in the modern world. The place where the Plesetsk space center is located meets these conditions:

• Close location of the railway station;
• The possibility of hitting a credible adversary;
• Compliance with the condition of special secrecy;
• Has the opportunity to conduct test launches in the region of the Kamchatka Peninsula;
• It is removed from large settlements and is located in sparsely populated areas.

All these requirements correspond to the territory at some distance from Arkhangelsk. It is there that the place where the Plesetsk cosmodrome is located is located.

And what are its coordinates?

Not always enough information that he was removed from Arkhangelsk at a distance of about 180 km to the south. It happens that you need to know exactly where the Plesetsk cosmodrome is located. The coordinates then will be very handy.

Although it is very difficult to talk about exact geographical data for a settlement, since it is quite stretched across a vast territory. But still. Most sources state this information:

• East Longitude - 40.68º or 40º41 ';
• The northern latitude is 62.96 or 62 ° 57 '.

A bit of his history

The first launcher was completed two years after the start of construction. And a year later (in 1960), the first missile's combat duty began.

After another three years, it was decided to use the available launching systems to launch satellites. And in 1966 the first of them was sent to orbit from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. After this event, the cosmodrome became actively used. And the next two decades were characterized by the fact that every fourth world space launch was carried out from this place.

Before the beginning of 1999, more than 1,500 launch vehicle launches had been carried out.

And out of this number only 49 were accompanied by emergency situations.

In the plans for using the cosmodrome, there is an item on the implementation of manned flights.

Information about the cosmodrome and its surrounding area

"1st State Test" - this is officially called the Plesetsk space center. Brief information about him is as follows:

- the name was given by the station "Plesetskaya", owned by the Northern Railway ;

- the terrain is characterized as a plateau-like hilly plain;

- The territory is located in a sharply continental climate, which is characterized by extreme instability and is very cold;

- the cosmodrome covers an area of 1,762 km ² ;

- its length along the parallel - about 46 km, along the meridian - 82 km;

- The administrative center of the cosmodrome is located in Mirny;

- the population of its population varies from 30 to 50 thousand people, this value depends on what task Plesetsk performs;

- the status of the city - ZATO, which stands for "closed administrative-territorial formation".

How does the environment affect?

The area where the Plesetsk cosmodrome is located, however, like any other, can hardly be called ecologically safe. But more on that later. First about the changes that have taken place in the environment. And they are obvious. Because it was necessary to build the cosmodrome and the objects of its maintenance on the cleared territory. In addition, it was necessary to build residential buildings and infrastructure, so that service personnel could live in close proximity to work.

Mainly negative influence is exerted by the falling parts of the missiles, which are separated from them during the flight. The territory of the Arkhangelsk region has 11 fall regions. Here, construction is limited, land is not used for agricultural land. And all because they can have remains of rocket fuel. It contains a poisonous substance asymmetric dimethylhydrazine and also acts as a nitrogen fertilizer, accelerating the growth of plants. Therefore, around the cosmodromes, there is usually an increased growth of grass in places where fuel was spilled.

It should be noted that in recent years the number of launches has significantly decreased. Therefore, the falling parts of carrier rockets became smaller. In this regard, the concentration of harmful substances has decreased.

Plus, the latest launches are carried out on a fuel consisting of kerosene or liquid oxygen. Only sometimes there is a flight of missiles that still use old fuel. This also significantly affects the concentration of dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide in the environment. It changes in a smaller direction. In addition, 4 polygons have not been used for several years. Some even longer than 10.

All this concerns the spilled fuel. What burns inside the engines is not harmful because of the exhaust. Because they maintain such a high temperature that the fuel burns almost without residue. The results of its combustion are water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen.