Did you know that Russia had a manned moon rocket at the same time as Apollo?

Question

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1883348.stm

It was a collosal failure Their N1 rocket had 30 engines The American Saturn V produced the same power with only 5 engines.

The need for all those engines was the Russians undoing as there was no way they could balance the power output with all those engines firing.

There was a catastrophic explosion that destroyed the whole of the launch complex, and that was the end of the Russian effort to put a man on the moon.

All those who disbelieve the American effort, for whatever ridiculous reason, go read the history.

Since Apollo was scrapped nobody has been beyond Earth’s orbit. It requires an extra large booster to get that final drive to achieve escape velocity. To get that power, the thing needs to carry thousands of tonnes of extra fuel.

The only rocket big enough to achieve this was the Saturn V, which was scrapped. That is why we have not been back to the moon.

In consideration of the Russian failure, don’t moon landing deniers think it strange that the Russians have never screamed “hoax” (or don’t these people think).

Those who deny the moon landings when they have no knowledge of the history, read and learn.

Answer 1

The N-1 was an amazing endeavour. The design of the N-1 was complex because they were trying to build a very large booster by using components that they already had due to budget constraints. All four N-1 tests were dismal failures. They probably could have gotten it to work, with more testing. But, they were in a race and pressed their luck a bit. All four N-1 tests were dismal failures and they just couldn't catch up.

Check the link below for the whole story.

Answer 2

Although my wife's father performed fuel calculations for the original Apollo landing, I'll spare you that speech. Instead, I will encourage you to watch two programs. The first show is called Conspiracy Moon Landing that it currently showing on the National Geographic Channel and it pretty much obliterates all of the popular conspiracy theories.

I would also encourage you to watch a movie called Capricorn One. Made it 1978, it is a fictional story about a fake mission to Mars. Although it is a science fiction story, it is a good example of how utterly impossible it would be to fake a moon landing for any length of time.

12 men walked on the moon from 1969 to 1972 and we have neither the resources nor the technology to pull off that big of a hoax for so long. Hundreds of thousands of people have worked on the space program. It would be far easier to put someone on the moon than to try and fake it and keep it secret for nearly 40 years.

The landings came at a time when our space program was ultra competitive with the former Soviet Union. Remember how big of a deal it was when Sputnik was put into orbit? They had the technology to monitor our moon shots and transmissions. Don't you think they would have called us out if they had evidence that it was all fake?

Perhaps the most definitive proof of our trip to the moon is what we left behind. For the last 35+ years, scientists have been beaming lasers to the moon and measuring the return times. How are they doing this? The beams are reflected back by equipment left on the moon on at 3 different locations.

Case closed.

Answer 3

Yes, and what a shame that the N1 rocket was the victim of political interference. After Sergei Korolev died in 1966, no one was able to manage the project and shield it from politics, and the whole plan fell flat.
If the Russians had kept the plan alive, the US would have had something to compete against, and would have most likely kept pushing the high frontier a lot further.

Answer 4

Yes, and in one of the early N-1 tests, there was a massive explosion on the pad that killed many of Russia's top rocket scientists.

After that, there was virtually no hope of them getting to the Moon first.

Answer 5

Yup, and even though they never did get the N-1 working, the soviet union did eventually land on the moon. No men, but they did land unmanned craft on the moon, including a small wheeled rover, and even managed to fire small samples of lunar regolith back to earth from them.

Answer 6

Of course we (and I) know.
I was at that launch pad and sat in that moon landing module.

I see question is another and it is political.
Fact USA was first who sent man to the moon FOR ME (and I do think it is personal opinion) absolutely does not counter the fact that USSR sent
- first artificial "moon"
- first man into space
- provided first docking in the space
- first woman into space
- finally, sent un-manned module to the moon first , too

I understand, you guys, need some compensation for loosing so MANY "firsts" ant is Ok to compensate all that by one flight to moon, but PERSONALLY
I do not think so mny FIRSTS compensated by one (great of course) FIRST man at moon.

Why you will ask ?

Cause Soyuz still flight, cause it saves astronauts even when Shuttle failed.
Cause space station is still needed - but after moon trip, noone ever needed to repeat it.

It was completely and absolutely POLITICAL.

But it is Ok if it helps yo to be less nervous.

Answer 7

Yes, I knew that.