Soyuz "Globus" Mechanical Navigation Computer Part 2: Powering Up

Summary

In this episode, Marc and Ken restore a Soyuz Navigation Computer, known as the Globus, which was used in spacecraft like the Soyuz T and TM capsules. The team faces multiple challenges, including a damaged globe, cut wires, and an out-of-sync longitude indicator. After reverse engineering the device and recalibrating its mechanical components, they successfully get the system working again, demonstrating its functionality in a time-lapse of orbits. The episode showcases the team's technical expertise and determination to revive this historic piece of space navigation technology, with a promise to continue repairs in the next episode.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Soyuz Navigation Computer (Globus) was a sophisticated analog device used in Soyuz T and Soyuz TM capsules until 2002, powered primarily by mechanical components.
• 🛠️ The device suffered damage due to a fall, with a dislodged globe-supporting shaft that prevented proper function, but it was successfully repaired.
• 🌍 The Globus was likely assigned to the Apollo-Soyuz rendezvous flight in 1975, based on the markings and 1973 date codes found on its components.
• 🔌 Many of the electrical wires had been cut off, possibly to prevent further use after the device's fall, but the team managed to reverse engineer and reconnect the wiring.
• ⚙️ The main issue in the repair was getting the globe to rotate properly, which involved sending pulses to the solenoids that control the globe's movement.
• 🔧 The repair team used high-tech equipment, such as HP gear, to generate precise pulses, adjusting the timing to make the globe rotate at a correct pace.
• ⏳ When the globe was powered up, the rotation was incredibly slow, leading to experimentation with overclocking it by increasing pulse frequency to speed up the movement.
• 🌐 The system initially had a discrepancy with longitude readings, caused by an incorrectly timed cam correction mechanism that needed fine-tuning to match the globe's actual position.
• 🌀 The longitude correction required synchronization between multiple components, including a cam and differential mechanism, to ensure accurate positioning of the globe during its orbit.
• 🚀 After troubleshooting and re-aligning the cam correctly at a 45-degree angle, the longitude readings were successfully corrected, and the system functioned as expected, showing accurate positional data.
• 🎥 A time-lapse video of the working globe was created, demonstrating the smooth and synchronized operation of the longitude and latitude indicators, as well as the daylight/shadow indicator and orbit counter.

Q & A

What is the Globus system and how was it used in the Soyuz capsules?

The Globus system is an analog navigation computer used in the Soyuz T and Soyuz TM capsules. It was employed to simulate orbital flight paths, track spacecraft positions, and provide critical data for rendezvous missions, such as the Apollo-Soyuz flight in 1975.

Why was the Globus system damaged, and how was the issue diagnosed?

The Globus system was damaged, likely due to a fall, which dislodged the globe supporting shaft and caused mechanical controls to malfunction. The team identified the issue by tracing the damage to the dislodged shaft.

How did the team repair the damaged Globus system?

The team carefully removed the globe, inspected the damaged bearing, and reinserted the globe's shaft after repairing the bearing. This restored the globe's movement, and they were able to manually adjust the system's controls.

What did the markings on the Globus globe suggest about its history?

The globe had markings that included NASA tracking stations, which indicated that it was likely used during the Apollo-Soyuz rendezvous mission in 1975. The date codes on its components also pointed to 1973, aligning with that mission.

What challenge did the team face regarding the electrical wires in the system?

The team discovered that many of the electrical wires had been cut off, which was puzzling since the unit had a tamper-proof seal. This suggested that the wires were intentionally cut, possibly to prevent further use after the fall.

How did the team manage to restore power to the Globus system?

By reverse engineering the wiring and using a pulsing mechanism, the team was able to restore power to the solenoids, making the globe rotate again. They used specialized equipment to send pulses at 27 volts to drive the mechanism.

What issue did the team encounter when testing the movement of the globe?

The team initially faced a slow rotation of the globe. They experimented with overclocking the system to speed up the movement, successfully achieving a faster orbit simulation by adjusting the pulse rate.

What was the problem with the longitude reading during testing?

The longitude indicator was not properly synchronized with the globe's rotation. The reading was accurate at some points but progressively more off at others. This discrepancy was caused by the lack of correction for longitude based on latitude.

How did the team fix the longitude synchronization issue?

The team realized that the longitude correction mechanism needed to be timed with the latitude. They adjusted a cam mechanism to ensure that the longitude indicator was correctly synchronized with the globe's movement, especially for different latitudes.

What was the final outcome of the repair process?

After carefully adjusting the cam and correcting the timing, the team successfully restored the functionality of the longitude indicator. The system now accurately displayed the correct longitude, latitude, and orbit information, and the globe was fully operational again.