In 2011, the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) launched a unique space observatory, "Radioastron", with a 10-meter reflector antenna that, together with the largest ground-based radio telescopes and tracking stations, forms a system making it possible to study the nuclei of galaxies and other astronomical objects at the hitherto unprecedented high resolution of millionths of seconds of arc, that is millions of times better than the naked human eye. This landmark event in the history of national and world astrophysics occurred on July 18, when the Zenit-3M rocket with the acceleration pod "Fregat 2SB" was launched from the Baikonur space-drome carrying the satellite module Spectr R to a high-apogee orbit. Let us recall that the program "Radioastron" was initiated by the Astrospace Center of the Lebedev Physics Institute (FIAN) way back in the 1980s. Nikolai Kardashev (elected to the national Academy of Sciences Cosmic radio interferometer "Radioastron". Science in Russia, No. 1, 2012 стр. 33 Layout of the radio telescope and the base module. in 1990), a follower of the founder of the Soviet school of modern astrophysics, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences losif Shklovsky, and his colleagues started building a telescope to obtain images, coordinates and angular movements of various objects in the Universe. However, in 1990 the project was frozen due to financial reasons. Thereupon it was resumed and was eventually completed in the 2000s. Now this project is a part of global international cooperation that integrates scientific forces of 20 countries. The astrophysical satellite carries a useful load of about 2,500 kg with complex electronic equipment manufactured by the FIAN Astrospace Center and partners from the United States, India, Australia, Finland, and Switzerland, and a parabolic antenna--the "heart" of the onboard observatory placed on the "Navigator ... Читать далее