Would it have been possible to launch the Zond with the orbital module attaches (partial compensation: launch escape system) and once crew transfer had been accomplished jettison it before trans lunar injection?This is speculation, of course.
If an orbital module is too heavy, how about a Voskhod-type inflatable airlock?Again, I'm just playing the game.
Mark Wade speculates on this: L1: The Podsadka Problem, but I've also heard people call this nonsense, so your mileage may vary.
That might work if it can be launched attached to the L-1: remember that the only attachment point will be the top hatch on the descent module - would it fit inside the inverted cone atop the DM?
But remember Leonov's problems getting back inside Voskhod 2? The L-1 crew would have the same problem.
Quote from: Phillip Clark on 03/17/2017 10:40 am But remember Leonov's problems getting back inside Voskhod 2? The L-1 crew would have the same problem.I don't think the problems with the Voskhod airlock were endemic to inflatable airlocks in general, just that particular rushed design.
Zond had a hatch in place of one of the Soyuz parachutes, and an additional cone section on top that was dropped before flight to the Moon, so I suppose those were the seeds of the idea?http://www.gctc.ru/print.php?id=232
The RKK Energia 1946-1996 history (published in 1996)
QuoteThe RKK Energia 1946-1996 history (published in 1996) Was the document ever translated in English ? where could I buy it ?
Is it the case that the "inverted cone" on the front of L1 was a duplicate of the bottom of the orbital module, so that the interface with the escape tower would be duplicated? Was this inverted cone jettisoned before lunar departure?
"Podsadka" (translates to "Transplanting")
Konarski's Russian-English Dictionary of Modern Terms in Aeronautics and Rocketry defines it as "landing," though a more everyday meaning is "boarding," which makes some sense in this context.