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Studies on extraterrestrial civilisations in Russia date back to the end of the 19th century. The modern period of SETI studies began in the USSR in the early 1960s. The first edition of the I.S. Shklovsky's book Universe, Life, Intelligence published in 1962 was a founding stone of SETI research in the USSR. A number of observational projects in radio and optical domains were conducted in the 1960s–1990s. Theoretical studies focused on defining optimal spectral domains for search of artificial electromagnetic signals, selection of celestial targets in search for ETI, optimal methods for encoding and decoding of interstellar messages, estimating the magnitude of astro-engineering activity of ETI, and developing philosophical background of the SETI problem. Later, in the 1990s and in the first two decades of the 21st century, in spite of acute underfunding and other problems facing the scientific community in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union, SETI-oriented research continued. In particular, SETI collaborations conducted a number of surveys of Sun-like stars in the Milky Way, searched for Dyson spheres and artificial optical signals. Several space broadcasting programs were conducted too, including a radio transmission toward selected stars. Serious rethinking was given to incentives for passive and active participation of space civilisations in SETI and CETI. This paper gives an overview of past SETI activities. It also gives a comprehensive list of publications by authors from Russia, the Soviet Union and the post-Soviet space, as well as some SETI publications by other authors. The rich heritage of SETI research presented in the paper might offer a potentially useful background and starting point for developing strategy and specific research programs of the near future. • Search for extraterrestrial intelligence as a multi-disciplinary science topic. • A century-long history of studies on cosmic civilisations in Russia and USSR. • A comprehensive list of references on search of extraterrestrial intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Electric Propulsion (EP) on satellites for commercial, defense, and space science missions has been increasing in recent decades, from the first successful operation in 1964 aboard the Zond-2 spacecraft to the present day. This paper provides an overview of the technological and commercial development of EP systems that have been deployed. A review of the early years of EP application ends in 1980, when the first geostationary commercial satellite using EP, Intelsat-V, was launched. Beyond 1980, all EP-based spacecraft deployment data through 2018 are presented, divided by spacecraft type: GEO-synchronous satellite, LEO satellites, deep-space missions and small satellites. To date, a total of 587 spacecraft have been launched with some variant of electric propulsion. During the 1960s and 1970s, all 48 spacecraft using EP were government missions, with the US and USSR leading in the development, production, and flight of these systems. These first platforms included a variety of pulsed plasma thrusters, resistojets, arcjets, ion thrusters and Hall thrusters. The number of GEO satellites with electric propulsion systems has increased significantly since 1981, from an average of less than 5 satellites per year during the 1980s to over 15 in recent years. The corresponding annual fraction of EP based GEO satellite launches, compared to all GEO satellite launches, has increased from 20% during the 1980s to over 40% in recent years. For LEO applications, a gradual increase in the utilization of EP has been realized. Of the 167 EP-based LEO platforms deployed, resistojets were the most prolific legacy thruster type (124 S/C) with Hall thrusters gaining traction in recent years (25 S/C), appearing on 19 of 45 satellite missions in the past decade. Of all EP-based LEO missions, approximately half served as testbeds for new technologies. Through 2018, eight deep space spacecraft with EP have been launched, with the US, Japan, and the European Union leading these efforts. Small satellites are also benefiting from this technology, with 24 EP-based small satellites launched to date. Nearly half of these were launched between 2016 and 2018, demonstrating accelerated growth and a large potential for the future of this spacecraft class. • Overview of all electric propulsion missions, divided into mission classes. • For each mission type statistics are presented on the different thruster subclasses. • Arguments are given for the historical trends of the use of electric propulsion subclasses. • Current trends, for the growth/use of classes of electric propulsion, are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first Earth-circling artificial satellite and the United States responded by taking numerous actions aimed at “remediating” a Cold War crisis. This included the establishment of a separate civilian space agency charged with the conduct of an official program of scientific and technological space exploration, consolidation of Department of Defense space activities, the passage of the National Defense Education Act, the creation of a Presidential Science Advisor, and a host of lesser actions. The politics of these changes is fascinating, and has been interpreted as an appropriate political response to a unique crisis situation. Interest groups, all for differing reasons, prodded national leaders to undertake large-scale efforts, something the president thought unnecessarily expensive and once set in place impossible to dismantle. But was the Sputnik crisis truly a crisis in any real sense? Was it made into one by interest groups who used it for their own ends? This paper will trace briefly some of the major themes associated with the IGY and Sputnik and describe the political construction of the crisis as it emerged in 1957–1958. It will also discuss something about the transformation of federal science and technology that took place in response to this “crisis” and how it set in train a series of processes and policies that did not unravel until the end of the Cold War. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A new population of objects with high area-to-mass ratios (AMR) in the geostationary orbit (GEO) has been identified recently. The first observations of this new type of objects were acquired in the framework of the European Space Agency''s (ESA) search for space debris in the GEO and the geostationary transfer orbit using ESA''s 1-m telescope on Tenerife (ESASDT). Since 2005 some of the newly detected objects with high AMR have been maintained in a catalogue. In addition to the ESASDT, the 1-m telescope of the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern (AIUB) in Zimmerwald and several instruments located in the region of the former Soviet Union have been used to acquire the observations needed to maintain the orbital elements of these objects. The data from the latter telescopes is provided to AIUB by the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics (KIAM) in the framework of a collaboration. Observation arcs of up to more than three years are currently available for some objects with high AMR. These long observation arcs are used to study the quality of the orbit determination and in particular of the AMR estimation. The results are presented in this paper. Furthermore, the challenges to maintain these orbits, e.g., to recover the objects after several days or weeks, are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The onboard space navigation system “Alpha” for the USSR Project “L-1” of the manned fly by the Moon is described in the Paper. The system was developed by the Institute of Applied Mathematics of USSR Academy of Sciences and by the Central Design Bureau for Experimental Machine-Building in the years 1966–1968. A sextant was used to obtain the onboard measuring information; it allowed cosmonauts manual receiving the optical measurements of the angular elevations of the known stars above the horizons of Earth and Moon. The principal properties of the ballistic navigation algorithm are presented. This algorithm provided determination of the spacecraft orbit and correction velocity impulses for all the flight stages to ensure the safe spacecraft re-entry into Earth''s atmosphere. The problems that were connected with implementing the algorithm in the onboard computer are shown. This autonomous navigation system was successfully tested at the ground test complex for the flyby of the Moon with the unmanned variant of flight (spacecrafts “Zond 5–Zond 8”) from 1968 till 1970. The tests have shown that this onboard navigation system has met all the time and accuracy conditions in determination of the orbit parameters and correction velocity impulses. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The report opens little-known page of a history of the space technology, connected with launching of the first Soviet satellite. In the USSR practically ready and spare variant of launch by rocket R12 Kosmos of DB Pivdenne was. This development, became a push for a space direction in Dnipropetrovsk. The idea of creation of the satellite launcher on basis of combat missile was extremely fruitful. Terms and the cost of development were essentially reduced and operation of a space rocket complex became simpler. Paper is describing about the unknown events connected to development of rocket R-12 which on March, 16, 1962 has defined the beginning of the Ukrainian space age after launching of satellite “Kosmos” and about M.K. Tihonravov who has proved a reality of launching of the satellite in the USSR. Since October, 14, 1969 satellite launcher 63C1 started to place in orbit the international satellites of series Interkosmos. For 15 years of its operation, 165 launches have been made of them 143 was successful. Spacecraft under the name Kosmos1 placed in orbit became the founder of huge family of the diverse space vehicles of SDB 586 which number has come nearer to figure 400. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]