nóvember 22, 2003
Mars Express
Any mission to mars is going to require 6-12 launches of some very very large rockets, the likes of which have not been seen for a long long time. In the 60s, whilst the US was developing the iconic Saturn V, the Russians were rolling out:
These:
Bad:
Boys:
Ladies and Gentlemen, a concise history of the N1.
Despite the first stage being just about the most powerful booster ever, the payload to orbit (and more importantly, lunar orbit), was far less than the Saturn V, so much so that the Soviet lander had but one Cosmonaut. Between that and some catastrophic launchpad explosions, the program was cancelled and the remaining N1s were converted into livestock sheds and gazebos for the cosmodrome workers.
A sad end for the "Russian Saturn". I know what rocket I would prefer in a drag...
Wait, a happy ending:
In 1993, some US scientists were making inquiries into the NK33 engine (30 of which graced the first N1 stage), and were shown to a bunker containing 30 mothballed engines, saved despited Moscows orders to erase anything to do with the N1. Modernised as the RD-180, a single engine replaced 5 others on the US Atlas launchers, the workhorse satellite launcher, running 30% cheaper in fuel costs alone.
The RD series is also the basis of a number of private ventures on the horizon. Efficient (as rocket engines go), throttleable (smoother ride than yo caddy), and reuseable. I'm popping out to get my hands on one now...