physics

Kosmos 1867

Kosmos 1867 is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kosmos 1867 rather than just read about it. In short: Kosmos 1867 (Russian: Космос 1867) was a nuclear powered radar ocean reconnaissance satellite (RORSAT) that was launched by the Soviet Union on July 10, 1987. It was put into an orbit of about 800 km (500 mi).

Key takeaways

Kosmos 1867 belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kosmos 1867 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kosmos 1867 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kosmos 1867 (Russian: Космос 1867) was a nuclear powered radar ocean reconnaissance satellite (RORSAT) that was launched by the Soviet Union on July 10, 1987. It was put into an orbit of about 800 km (500 mi). Its mission was to monitor the oceans for naval and merchant vessels, and had a mission life of about eleven months.

Description Kosmos 1867 was launched on July 10, 1987, on a Tsyklon-2 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It was put into an orbit about 800 km (500 mi) above the Earth's surface at an inclination of 65° and a period of 100.8 minutes. The satellite had a mission life of about 11 months. The satellite was powered by a TOPAZ 1 nuclear reactor. This reactor was cooled by liquid sodium-potassium (NaK) metal, and used a high-temperature moderator containing hydrogen and highly enriched fuel. The reactor produced electricity using a thermionic converter. The satellite used a Plazma-2 SPT Hall-effect thruster for propulsion. The mission of Kosmos 1867 was to search the oceans for naval and merchant vessels. Unlike earlier Soviet RORSAT satellites, Kosmos 1867 and its twin, Kosmos 1818, were launched into high orbits. This reduced the likelihood of mishaps resulting in uncontrolled re-entry of radioactive material, as had occurred with Kosmos 954 and Kosmos 1402, which showered the Earth with radioactive debris. In 1992, Kosmos 1867 had a visual magnitude of approximately 3.3. Kosmos 1867 had become damaged, resulting in several fragments of space debris. It is suspected that the coolant tube had leaked NaK metal, in a manner similar to Kosmos 1818 in 2008. On April 8, 2014, the US Space Surveillance Network reported that 11 new objects were detected, and 24 more objects were reported on April 15, 2014. The coolant tube of Kosmos 1867 may have cracked due to thermal stresses by repeated solar heating, or by an impact.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kosmos 1867

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kosmos 1867 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kosmos 1867 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kosmos 1867 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kosmos 1867

In research: Kosmos 1867 appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kosmos 1867 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kosmos 1867 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1987 in the Soviet Union, Kosmos satellites, Nuclear power in space, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kosmos 1867 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kosmos 1867 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kosmos 1867 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kosmos 1867 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kosmos 1867 in simple terms?

Why does Kosmos 1867 matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kosmos 1867?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kosmos 1867.