The Proton (Прото́н) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. It is still in use as of 2015 for both commercial and government launches. This makes it one of the most successful heavy boosters in the history of spaceflight. All Protons launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The name "Proton" originates from a series of large scientific satellites, which were among the rocket's first payloads. The enormous capacity of the new rocket allowed the heavy materials used in particle detectors. Thus the Proton satellites were pioneers of high-energy astronomy. Like many Soviet boosters, the name of the recurring payloads became associated with their launchers.
Payloads can be fitted with either a Blok D or Briz-M upper stage. Launch capacity to low Earth orbit is about 22tonnes (44,000lbm). Interplanetary transfer capacity is about 5–6tonnes (11,000–13,000lbm).
Next scheduled launch
For a full schedule of launches and deep-space rendezvous, see 2024 in spaceflight.
O'Neill began researching high-energy particle physics at Princeton in 1954 after he received his doctorate from Cornell University.
Two years later, he published his theory for a particle storage ring. This invention allowed particle physics experiments at much higher energies than had previously been possible. In 1965 at Stanford University, he performed the first colliding beam physics experiment.
While teaching physics at Princeton, O'Neill became interested in the possibility that humans could live in outer space. He researched and proposed a futuristic idea for human settlement in space, the O'Neill cylinder, in "The Colonization of Space", his first paper on the subject. He held a conference on space manufacturing at Princeton in 1975. Many who became post-Apollo-era space activists attended. O'Neill built his first mass driver prototype with professor Henry Kolm in 1976. He considered mass drivers critical for extracting the mineral resources of the Moon and asteroids. His award-winning book The High Frontier: Human Colonies in Space inspired a generation of space exploration advocates. He died of leukemia in 1992.
Selected picture
A timed exposure of Space ShuttleColumbia on launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in preparation for her maiden flight, STS-1. To the left of the Shuttle are the fixed and the rotating service structures.