Author Topic: Forty-five years ago today the first N-1 launch ended in an explosion  (Read 19021 times)

Offline Blackstar

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http://www.russianspaceweb.com/n1_3l.html

Soviet Moon rocket plunges to the ground after a minute in flight


The USSR's first attempt to launch its giant N1 rocket in 1969 ends in a crash, but its creators do not give up hope just yet.

At the start of 1969, the undeclared Moon Race between the USSR and the US entered its final leg, as the American astronauts returned from a historic flight around the Moon previous December and were now preparing to fly two final "practice" missions before the ultimate lunar landing. In the meantime, behind veil of secrecy, their late-start Soviet rivals had never had a chance to catch up, yet they kept running as hard as they could. A single biggest hurdle on the Soviet road to the Moon at the turn of 1969 was the first flight of a giant, yet underpowered and untested N1 rocket, which was suppose to launch cosmonauts to the Moon.


Offline Archibald

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And boom goes the N-1... some kilotons of it, like a goddam nuclear bomb !
« Last Edit: 02/21/2014 05:18 pm by Archibald »
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Offline Dmitry_V_home

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And boom goes the N-1... some kilotons of it, like a goddam nuclear bomb !

About 0.5 kilotons

Offline mmd

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I searched for a while but could not find the documentary the above video is from. Does anybody know the title and whether its available on L2 or elsewhere? Thanks

EDIT: More footage from what looks like the same documentary:
« Last Edit: 05/03/2014 11:15 pm by mmd »
mmd

Offline the_other_Doug

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The Americans decided that transporting the assembled Saturn V to the pad in a horizontal position and using derricks to erect it once it got to the pad was very undesirable, quoting "bending effects" that would damage the rocket.

I note that the Soviets did use their tried-and-true method of transporting the N-1 to the pad in a mostly horizontal position (but due to the sheer size of the vehicle, it was towed by not one but two diesel locomotives, on two parallel sets of tracks) and then erected it on the pad.

Is there anything in the Soviet documentation of the N-1 program to indicate that they ever ran across any deleterious bending effects from their chosen mode of transport?  Or did the N-1 have more structural strength than the Saturn?  Or was NASA being overly cautious by eliminating the horizontal transport mode and doing so would not have really damaged the Saturn?

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Offline catdlr

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The Soviet Lunar Lander

Published on May 6, 2014
In our Season 2 Opening, we take a look at the amazing Soviet N-1 Moon Rocket & LK Lunar Lander, and show how the USSR came in Second Place, in The Space Race!

Written, Presented, Filmed, & Edited by: Brittan Kirk
Filmed with: Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC) on location at The Stafford Air & Space Museum.




Edit: Updated Video to latest version June 2, 2014
« Last Edit: 06/02/2014 07:12 pm by catdlr »
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Offline mvpel

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I always got a kick out of those latticework interstages when I was a kid. I'll have to see if my mom still has that Soyuz drawing I made when I was eight stashed somewhere.
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Offline Hoonte

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And boom goes the N-1... some kilotons of it, like a goddam nuclear bomb !

About 0.5 kilotons

The never wrong wiki says: 6.93 kt
On 3 July 1969, an N1 rocket in the Soviet Union exploded on the launch pad, after a loose bolt was ingested into a fuel pump. The entire rocket contained about 680,000 kg (680 t) of kerosene and 1,780,000 kg (1,780 t) of liquid oxygen.[27] Using a standard energy release of 43 MJ/kg of kerosene gives about 29 TJ for the energy of the explosion (about 6.93 kt TNT equivalent).

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Offline jtrame

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I always got a kick out of those latticework interstages when I was a kid. I'll have to see if my mom still has that Soyuz drawing I made when I was eight stashed somewhere.

And how about that LK lander?  Right out of Jules Verne!

Offline fatjohn1408

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And boom goes the N-1... some kilotons of it, like a goddam nuclear bomb !

About 0.5 kilotons

The never wrong wiki says: 6.93 kt
On 3 July 1969, an N1 rocket in the Soviet Union exploded on the launch pad, after a loose bolt was ingested into a fuel pump. The entire rocket contained about 680,000 kg (680 t) of kerosene and 1,780,000 kg (1,780 t) of liquid oxygen.[27] Using a standard energy release of 43 MJ/kg of kerosene gives about 29 TJ for the energy of the explosion (about 6.93 kt TNT equivalent).

Well didn't calculate. but if the N1 weighed about 3 kt. Then kerolox should have more than double the explosive power of TNT in order for that statement to be true. Doesn't seem very likely since I don't recall any bombs using kerolox as explosive.

Offline kevin-rf

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Usually Kero is mixed with ammonia nitrate instead of LOX. It is a very good medium speed explosive that packs a hard punch.  It is used heavily in the mining industry due to cost and punch. 
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Offline mvpel

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On 3 July 1969, an N1 rocket in the Soviet Union exploded on the launch pad, after a loose bolt was ingested into a fuel pump.

I spotted this "loose bolt" on the street in Nizhny Tagil, Russia. An engineering tradition?

Is that Bolt Important? by mvpel, on Flickr
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Offline M_Puckett

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And boom goes the N-1... some kilotons of it, like a goddam nuclear bomb !

About 0.5 kilotons

A nuclear bomb converts its fuel to energy in milliseconds.  And LOX/Kero delfagrates, not detonates, not to mention I doubt you have near optimum mixing of the Oxidizer and Propellant.  Much less violent that a N Bomb of the same size. 

Offline gwiz

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Well didn't calculate. but if the N1 weighed about 3 kt. Then kerolox should have more than double the explosive power of TNT in order for that statement to be true. Doesn't seem very likely since I don't recall any bombs using kerolox as explosive.
There is no reason why an explosive should have a higher energy content than kerosene, rather the reverse in fact.  What's important with an explosive is how fast it reacts.  What's important with a fuel is the energy content.

Offline Flying Spaghetti Monster

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I wish to begin by saying that the 6 kiloton figure is wholly incorrect.

I would like people to engage and do their "due diligence," and not depend on wikipedia for anything accurate.  There is historical research published about the Soviet space program, and one has to go looking for it.

I hereby provide a pathway to help answer this question under discussion in this thread about 5L.

There is indeed accurate information about this 5L explosion.  (The data comes from the NASIC boys.)

There is declassified documentation that talks to the power of the explosion of the N-1, and it is not 6 kilotons, or anywhere near it.  The NASIC report (title redacted, but issued 30 November 1971) has a table that talks to this 5L event, and it states unequivocally:  "1.2 kt explosion measured." 

Additionally, the table has measurements for:  "Explosion on Pad"; "Low Velocity Fallback"; and "High Velocity Fallback."

This table is reproduced in full in an article that appeared in the BIS (UK) periodical "Space Chronicle," appearing in the Autumn 2012 issue.  Here is the complete bibliograpihc citation:

The Ghosts of Tyuratam: Wright-Patterson, the “SL-X,” and What the US Intelligence Community Knew During the Moon Race. Space Chronicle 65 (JBIS Supplement 2): 71-90, 2012.

Offline catdlr

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The Soviet Lunar Lander

Published on May 6, 2014
In our Season 2 Opening, we take a look at the amazing Soviet N-1 Moon Rocket & LK Lunar Lander, and show how the USSR came in Second Place, in The Space Race!

Written, Presented, Filmed, & Edited by: Brittan Kirk
Filmed with: Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera (BMPCC) on location at The Stafford Air & Space Museum.






Video updated above to latest version, released on June 2, 2014
« Last Edit: 06/02/2014 07:13 pm by catdlr »
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Offline Targeteer

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There is indeed accurate information about this 5L explosion.  (The data comes from the NASIC boys.)

There is declassified documentation that talks to the power of the explosion of the N-1, and it is not 6 kilotons, or anywhere near it.  The NASIC report (title redacted, but issued 30 November 1971) has a table that talks to this 5L event, and it states unequivocally:  "1.2 kt explosion measured." 


It was the Foreign Technology Division (FTD) back then. Some of them are still around and would love for the current NASIC to return to those specific missions and leadership style.  BTW, there are boys AND GIRLS working there now--and maybe back then :)
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Offline Hog

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I wish to begin by saying that the 6 kiloton figure is wholly incorrect.

I would like people to engage and do their "due diligence," and not depend on wikipedia for anything accurate.  There is historical research published about the Soviet space program, and one has to go looking for it.

I hereby provide a pathway to help answer this question under discussion in this thread about 5L.

There is indeed accurate information about this 5L explosion.  (The data comes from the NASIC boys.)

There is declassified documentation that talks to the power of the explosion of the N-1, and it is not 6 kilotons, or anywhere near it.  The NASIC report (title redacted, but issued 30 November 1971) has a table that talks to this 5L event, and it states unequivocally:  "1.2 kt explosion measured." 

Additionally, the table has measurements for:  "Explosion on Pad"; "Low Velocity Fallback"; and "High Velocity Fallback."

This table is reproduced in full in an article that appeared in the BIS (UK) periodical "Space Chronicle," appearing in the Autumn 2012 issue.  Here is the complete bibliograpihc citation:

The Ghosts of Tyuratam: Wright-Patterson, the “SL-X,” and What the US Intelligence Community Knew During the Moon Race. Space Chronicle 65 (JBIS Supplement 2): 71-90, 2012.
Available to buy here: http://www.bis-space.com/products-page/magazines-and-journals/space-chronicle/space-chronicle-2012-supplement-2/

And here: http://www.bis-space.com/products-page/magazines-and-journals/space-chronicle/
Paul

Offline Boost

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Among the many videos of the N-1 rocket, one particular documentary seems to contain exclusive footage I have never seen anywhere else, including all the documentaries produced by Roscosmos since then.
I only have a short sample version on it downloaded from Youtube 9 years ago before the channel got closed, and where (for instance) there are the best shot's I've seen of the 5L failure... excepted from photos. Some videos of the early version of the LK are visible as well. One downside is... the BIG LOGO the guy has put in the middle of the screen.




Unfortunately I can find no trace of this documentary anymore. It was evidently broadcasted on "Discovery Turbo" before 2011 and... that's about all I can say.
Does anyone has any idea about what is this documentary ? It is not the famous "engines from the cold", but they apparently had access to even more historical video materials.
« Last Edit: 02/10/2019 09:42 pm by Boost »

Offline AS_501

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Maybe it was a good thing that N-1 failed.  Had it worked, the Soviets might have gotten a crew to the Moon, only to be lost of because of a not-unlikely (for them) system failure.  Having dead cosmonauts orbiting, crashed on or sitting on the Moon might have put a terrible stain on the entire Moon race, perhaps to the detriment of the Apollo program.
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