DOSAAF

DOSAAF (Russian: ДОСААФ), full name Volunteer Society for Cooperation with the Army, Aviation, and Fleet (Russian: Добровольное Общество Содействия Армии, Авиации и Флоту), was a paramilitary sport organization in the Soviet Union, concerned mainly with weapons, automobiles and aviation. The society was established in 1927 as OSOAVIAKhIM and from 1951 to 1991 carried the name of DOSAAF.

The society was preserved in some post-Soviet Republics, e.g. Russia and Belarus, although these may use a different name. In Ukraine, for example, the counterpart is "Society of Assistance to Defense of Ukraine". In Russia it was reformed in December 1991 as the Russian Defence Sports-Technical Organization ROSTO (Russian: Российская оборонная спортивно-техническая организация – РОСТО). In December 2009, RОSТО was renamed DOSAAF Russia. For Belarus, see DOSAAF (Belarus).

The stated goal of the society was "patriotic upbringing of the population and preparation of it to the defense of the Motherland". Among the means to achieve this was the development of paramilitary sports. Initially, an important goal was financial support of the Soviet military (by membership fees, subscriptions, lotteries and donations). At the same time, ordinary sports were supported within the framework of DOSAAF facilities: sports halls, stadiums, swimming pools.

Osoaviakhim-1

Osoaviakhim-1 was a record-setting, hydrogen-filled Soviet high-altitude balloon designed to seat a crew of three and perform scientific studies of the Earth's stratosphere. On January 30, 1934, on its maiden flight which lasted over 7 hours, the balloon reached an altitude of 22,000 metres (72,000 ft). During the descent the balloon lost its buoyancy and plunged into an uncontrolled fall, disintegrating in the lower atmosphere. The three crew members, probably incapacitated by high g-forces in a rapidly rotating gondola, failed to bail out and were killed by a high-speed ground impact.

According to public investigation reports, the crash was ultimately caused by a prolonged stay at record altitudes exceeding maximum design limits. The balloon, overheated by sunlight, lost too much lifting gas in the upper atmosphere. As it descended past the 12,000 metres (39,000 ft) mark, cooling down to ambient air temperature, quick loss of buoyancy caused downward acceleration that triggered structural failure of the suspension cables. The aircraft design was marked by numerous engineering flaws, notably insufficient ballast weight and faulty gondola suspension design, which all contributed to the loss of life.