A video I did of the Soviet N1-3L at the launch tower, for the first edition of the book "N1 for the Moon and Mars"
The second edition is well underway, with a LOT more information, and many new high quality photographs.It will be extending to cover competing Soviet Moon rockets, and alternate lander designs.
The current very rough estimate is that we will have it written and ready for the Kickstarter about the end of March.
Relics of the N1 rotating launch tower, via "Novosti Kosmionavtiki"
One arm of the N-1's triple armed blast pits, and the deflector at the bottom centre of the system.
Remains of the central hub of the N1 rotating launch tower, via Novosti Kosmonavtiki
OK! I've put a very high resolution version of my N1 rocket and tower edge render and spin up on Vimeo.I'm not putting it on Twitter as I want to keep the quality up.
This is a simple spin of my mesh on the N1 rocket and it's launch tower / gantry.I've done this as flat shaded white, with black edges to bring out details.I'm getting ready for an upgrade to the models!
Did they have an escape tower to launch an escape tower??
OK, I think it is up and running, I have set up a newsletter for progress with the N1 for the Moon and Mars Book, 2nd edition. You can sign up here.https://www.getrevue.co/profile/N1-BookApologies for any mess while I get to grips with the system! I anticipate sending 1 out every week or 2.
Alright!The rungs have been added up one of the big struts.It's hard to tell how far up they went, as they don't show up clearly.You'd also hope that they were only for use in extreme emergencies - even the first level is 50m up.
One of the challenging parts of the N-1 launch tower is the crane on the top.I can't make it out clearly - can anyone help with pictures of something similar? It's different from cranes I know.
I mean, this is the model of the crane I used for the first edition book. Ugly or what?It really doesn't help that I know so little about cranes.Any pictures of cranes with a similar layout to help me make it credible are very much appreciated!
Best news yet on the N1 book.Alex Schliadinsky has good new info on the actual details of the rocket! He will consolidate them shortly, then I can work on bringing the models up to scratch.I don't have information yet on exactly what is improved.
For those who did not get the first book, Alex was the core of it, he personally visited crash sites and relics around Baikonur, and measured them accurately.For me he's the world authority, and he regularly works for museums.Here he is at work!
Test animation looking at the steps on the WIP N-1 launch tower.I think this works, I can get close enough to show human figures clearly.
N1 Book Project - Big News, new data!Nick Stevens@Nick_Stevens_GrA major new source of precision information!Alex Schliadinski has provided me with the first set of new N1 plans, so I can start getting serious about upgrading the main rocket itself.For those who do not know, and didn’t get the first edition, Alex has been researching the N1 since the communist era, and personally visited crash sites, and the Baikonur relics to measure them at high precision. He frequently works with major Russian space museums, and is the most meticulous person I know.In this case, he got access to a precision 1:5 scale model of the L3 fairings, made at the time. Every seam, opening, and rivet is in the exact correct place - the model was used for strength testing, so it had to be highly accurate. Alex had 2 days to carefully photograph and measure all the details.He then compiled these into detailed plans, which I will use to upgrade the CGI models.I’ve done an initial comparison of the old and new information, and there are something like 50 updates to be made to the L3 fairings. These include things like adjusting the position of hatches, hatch hinges on the wrong side, ribs that are not as symmetrical as shown in the first edition, and more.The basic dimensions from the previous edition are sound, so I don’t need to rebuild that fairings completely.Apart from that, work has continued on the base of the launch tower, but much of the information is contradictory, (they were continually changing it), and the best photos were taken decades afterwards, so it is challenging. It will be a lot better than the first edition though.As usual, follow me on twitter for blow-by-blow progress and sample images!@Nick_Stevens_GrNick
🔥 Hot off the press: “N1 Book Project - Issue #6” https://www.getrevue.co/profile/N1-Book/issues/n1-book-project-issue-6-715997 (via @revue)
🔥 Hot off the press: “N1 Book Project - We have a target date!” https://www.getrevue.co/profile/N1-Book/issues/n1-book-project-we-have-a-target-date-724371 (via @revue)
Sep 12, 2021N1 Book Project - We have a target date!Nick Stevens@Nick_Stevens_GrWe have been busy working on the book, and it is coming along nicely. Matt has been working on the layout of new sections, and I have finished the L3 fairings modelling, and have started some of the final renders.I attach two page samples from proposed new sections, one covering a brief history of Soviet rocketry, and one covering advanced N-1 versions using Fluorine and Hydrogen, along with their proposed payloads.Alex has confirmed we have all the data on the main rocket, so I can start the final modelling of the main stages.The L3 fairings were challenging to model, as there were many, many subtle changes to include, but the version is MUCH more accurate.Another picture is attached of those.As with these examples, many renderings will use edge effects, to make small details clear. Others will be photorealistic.Well, in the subject line, I promised you a target date - we are aiming to get it ready for launch before the end of the year, which is just over 3 months away as I write.Thank you for subscribing to the newsletter, and if you want more samples of what I am up to, you can follow me on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/Nick_Stevens_GrNick Stevens
Hello to our N1 Reference book subscribers!This is Matthew Johnson, Dayton Ohio, USA, letting you now that we are very, very close to publication on AMAZON. The new title of the 2nd Edition is:For the Moon and Mars- A Bold Vision: N1A Reference Guide to the Soviet Superbooster and its Reach Beyond the Moon… 1945-2040CEThis edition has been 26 months in development. It includes all of the materials presented in the original edition, with improvements made where applicable.It encapsulates the Soviet and Russian space effort from 1945 to 2040 CE, thanks to the RKK Energia Encyclopedia and Cosmonautica Vol. 1, with the monumental N1 program as its pole star. This work stands as a testament to the Cold War Era and the possible future that has now been terminated.There will be no new additions to this saga.Any future space faring events emanating from Russia will be in a completely different vein. NASA and ESA have already been cut off from RKK Energia. No more mining of NPO Energia files, no more umbilical’s to the N1.With current affairs as they are, this 2nd Edition of the N1 Reference book is a swansong, encased in ember, forever accessible to those seeking the influence and development of the N1 Superbooster.We have three dedicated members of a review board reading the 2nd Editon right now and, at this moment, Dr. Siddiqi is reviewing the manuscript and preparing a new 2022 Foreword.I will keep you advised.Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your continued interest and support.I hope you find the following preview pages intriguing.Matt 5-29-22
That is sad. I did note the TOC posted a few posts back was rather expansive. One of the main dangers for a writer, wanting to stuff in too much material discovered during research.
Matt JohnsonComing in November 2022!Just in time for Christmas!Absolute final stages of getting ready for AMAZON release.My Thanks to everyone who is patiently waiting!Matthew Johnson
N1 Book Project - Issue #18Matt JohnsonNI 2nd Edition Conundrum 10-11-2022As I had mentioned earlier, we were blessed with a fountain of information from the access to the RKK Encyclopedia, Pavell Subin and then the surprise addition of Charles P. Vick. The book was complete at the end of May 2022, but then we made fruitful contact with Charles Vick. I have completed the Charles Vick addendum.With all of this invaluable data, the book grew from 500 to 600 and then 700 pages. All of this new data represents one-hit- wonders and, I believe, will be lost to us for further access for at least two generations now that Russia has transformed into its new state. (In other words, the idea of editing out some of this information is abhorrent to me.)After working the numbers with AMAZON KND, my dear friends, as astute N1 followers, I must ask you if you would rather have a 700 page book that costs $99, or two 350 page volumes that would cost about $50 each? If I break the book into Vol 1 and Vol 2, they will both be out at the same time. The only reason for the split into volumes would be to get a lower purchase cost out there. I am personally leaning toward the $99 tome. The book will be on glossy color paper, and is set for 8 x10, due to page count.I look forward to your input.Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson2nd Edition is now available on AMAZON (US)!The desire for a hardcover edition forced the split into two parts on both the paperback and hardcover editions. This has been mentioned my those who want a good spine! So this should help. Thank you one and all for your interest and support. It has been a wild 32 months! The HC Part 2 ran into a slight glitch yesterday, so it may take another 24hrs to show up completely.Matt Johnson
The layout of the TOC is... chaotic.
I just had an email with a review of the 2nd edition of the N1 book.As bad as I had feared.
Sadly, your concerns about the project's direction were wholly justified. The books can only be described as a fiasco. The organization is pure chaos, the text (such as it is) is often unclear to the point of incoherence, there is no chronological logic, features and variants of the rocket and of other rockets/projects are barely explained.. some content even has no apparent connection to Soviet space program.To top it off, the formatting is dreadfully bad, with text overlapping other text, frequent erratic changes in font size, and even text that cuts off mid-sentence. There is no evidence that it was ever seriously proofread. The on-demand print quality is adequate, but only just.I'm certainly glad I bought the first edition when it first came out. Most if seems to hold up, even if it could now be supplemented.
The new expanded 2nd Edition of N1-For the Moon and Mars Reference Book is in the absolute final stages of editing and will be available on AMAZON next month. All things being relative, the paperback version will sell for @ $59 and the hard cover for @ $98. The original book was 200 pages long. The new expanded version is 630 pages. The expansion is the result of 26 months of research with the RKK Energia Encyclopedia and Cosmonautica Vol 1. The book covers the Soviet/Russian space effort from 1945 to 2040, with the N1 firmly at the center. All of the original material is in this edition. Once the N1 was buried by Glushko in 1974, its design plans for the future continued. Suddenly plans for Mars, Venus and Jupiter that were to have one N1 heavy booster launch were now only possible with two or three extant boosters. It was an interesting program to study space objects and how they affect the earth. When I was reading an essay on climate change https://studydriver.com/climate-change/ I found out that in parallel with this study, they also had to launch climate probes. Unfortunately, the program does not work and there is no understanding whether it will be continued in the future. But the author of the book hopes that the program for the study of space and climate will be resumed. That possible future is explored in detail. Frankly, with the war in Ukraine, access to this material is now lost for decades to come. This edition represents a treasure trove of information that encapsulates the Cold War of the past and the lost future that was planed in detail, with the N1 as its beating heart. -Matt Johnson Dayton June 2, 2022.