other units and elements. Strict requirements were made on the reliability of the lock system and its control; thus, it was necessary not only to insure that the joint would not fail and disengage, but also to guarantee flight safety. The joint also had to contain multi-contact electrical connectors to join a number of craft and station systems, as well as hydraulic connectors. The docking assemblies had to be equipped with hatches for the transition tunnel, with opening and closing mechanisms, as well as a pressurization system and a means of checking the hermeticity, in order to insure convenient and flexible use. Yet another important problem was solved in the planning of the new docking device. All of the elements in the joint of the frames of both assemblies, with the exclusion of the seal, were made completely identically (see section 2.4). As a result, in the development of the docking device of the Soyuz-Salyut complex the docking frames and the mechanisms installed on them were identical, that is, androgynous. Moreover, a general rule was found for insuring the androgyny of connected structures, which was widely used later in the creation of the APDA for the Apollo-Soyuz project. The docking device consisted of active and passive assemblies. The basis of each assembly is a hull with a docking frame, which forms the transition tunnel. The docking assembly is installed on the hatch of the tunnel of the active docking assembly with four pyrotechnic bolts. The receiving cone is the hatch of the passive assembly [3]. The transition from approach to docking was done in a method analogous to that described in section 1.5.1, according to signals from the contact and linkage sensors. The stopping of the docking mechanism drive is done by a signal from the joint closure sensors, which simultaneously switches on the drive of the locks of the docking frame. The operation of the locks is monitored by the seal compression sensors. After the locks of the docking frame are closed, operations are carried out to link the rods of the docking mechanism. First the drive of the docking mechanism is switched on for several seconds during the advance to remove the coupling forces. Simultaneously, the drive of the latches is switched on at the opening; it moves the screw supports, making it possible for the latches to “tumble” forward due to the springs. After the drive of the latches is stopped, the drive of the
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