On the History of the Inception of Space Television

The article examines the main milestones in the early years of the era of space television, starting with an epoch-making event in this field, namely the development of the first Yenisei television equipment. It was designed to capture and transmit images of the invisible side of the Moon from the Luna 3 space probe (the automatic interplanetary station was launched in 1959). It is noted that the day of October 7, 1959 marked the birth date of space television, as on that day the radio and television system Luna 3 began transmitting images of the far side of the Moon to Earth. The article describes a number of technical solutions (including outdated ones for terrestrial television systems) that have found successful application in space television equipment. In particular, an example of the use of optical and mechanical systems in television equipment installed on the Mars, Luna, and Zond spacecraft, on the landers of the Venera program, and on the American spacecraft of the Ranger and Viking types is discussed. Another important milestone in the evolution of space television was the development of a television camera delivering fairly good image quality. This technical invention allowed scientists to monitor the condition of the first cosmonaut of the Earth, Yuri Gagarin, during his orbital flight on the Vostok satellite spacecraft on April 12, 1961. The article also discusses other achievements of Russian and global space television.