July 3, 1969, Baikonur Cosmodrome. In the foreground is the Soviet lunar rocket N-1 (product No. 5L). In the background is a fitting rocket for testing ground launch systems (note that there is no emergency rescue system on the fitting rocket).

The closure of the Soviet manned program of flights to the moon occurred in June 1974, at the same time the entire cosmonaut detachment was disbanded. The following month, rockets ready for launch were cut into pieces. The destruction of the technological backlog led to a 15-year lag in the development of astronautics. What is to blame? Why did they stop trying to get to the moon?

It is often said that the industry of the USSR could not create a spacecraft for flying to the Moon, that there was no appropriate technological base. They also say that it was simply impossible to compete with the United States. But the main reason for the failure of the project, which cost 4 billion rubles at 1974 prices. rub., was the inability of various departments to agree among themselves and the personal aspirations of some leaders.

The US started the lunar program with the sole purpose of surpassing the USSR after the Russians launched the world's first satellite, obtained images of the far side of the moon, and launched the first man into space. Landing a man on the moon was the last chance. To achieve this goal, the best representatives of science were gathered, orders were given to the most suitable corporations in the absence of competition. The USSR usually followed this path.

The Soviet lunar program was just a response to the United States. The Moon itself was not of interest to the leaders of OKB-1 Korolev. But the United States challenged and the USSR accepted it. The N-1 rocket project was a continuation of the existing project, which was developed as a means of delivering a hydrogen bomb and launching large complexes into orbit, many times larger than the later Soyuz, Salyut and Mir.

The implementation of the lunar program was not economically feasible. But the Central Committee of the CPSU did not refuse it. According to the Decree of the Government, issued in 1960, it was supposed to create a new rocket system for launching into orbit a heavy spacecraft weighing up to 60-80 tons, the creation of new rocket engines, control systems and space radio communications. In 1964, a new goal was set - a manned flight to the moon and landing on its surface before the Americans.

The L-1 lunar project became the cause of a fierce struggle between the design bureaus of Korolev and Chelomey. The existing Proton launch vehicle could theoretically make a manned flight around the Moon, but the memories of the participants in the events indicate that Korolev refused to put astronauts on a poisonous rocket. The fact is that heptyl served as fuel for the Proton, and nitric acid served as an oxidizer. In Kazakhstan, many poisonings were recorded among local residents who used the first stages of Protons in their household. Official information claimed that the use of the Proton was abandoned due to too high overloads that the astronauts could not withstand.

A difficult test for the project was the conflict between Korolev and Glushko, as a result of which the latter abandoned the development of an engine for a rocket. The work was transferred to the Kuznetsov design bureau.

It was planned that two astronauts would participate in the lunar project, and only one would descend to the surface of the moon, while the second was supposed to remain in orbit. A.A. was supposed to be the first person to walk on the moon. Leonov, Yu.A. was supposed to act as an understudy. Gagarin. The N-1 launch vehicle was designed to deliver the Soyuz spacecraft with a manned lunar module into the lunar orbit.

So why didn't it happen? One of the reasons was austerity. Four H-1 launches were unsuccessful due to the first stage for which no testbed was built. Since all the first stage engines were tested separately, it was impossible to determine the cause of the stage failure.

When it became known that the Americans were about to go to the moon, Leonov was eager to fly, but they did not let him in, which saved his life. H-1 launched on February 21, 1969 without a crew, six months before the launch of Apollo 11. The rocket exploded shortly after the start of the flight. The second attempt was made on July 3, 1969. The rocket exploded right on the launch pad, almost completely destroying the launch complex. Even then it became clear that we would not be the first to get to the moon.

Korolev and Gagarin pass away. These two deaths were tantamount to the death of Russian astronautics. And it's not that there were no other talented designers and trained cosmonauts. Korolev and Gagarin were well received in the Kremlin, their opinion was listened to. Korolev not only argued with anyone, regardless of rank, he knew how to present his project in such a way that the military advocated the need for its implementation. The first satellite was a beacon for ballistic missiles. He also convinced the military that the construction of a base on the moon would allow the whole world to be held at gunpoint. He kept silent about the practically unbearable cost of the project for the country. The military seized on the idea. In addition, the N-1 rocket could launch stations weighing over 100 tons into orbit, such as the Zvezda station, which was conceived for military purposes.

Korolev knew how to use the needs and desires of the military for his own purposes, knocking out funds for the implementation of his projects. For Korolev himself, the flight to the Moon was only the first step towards a flight to Mars.

The change of leadership in the design office did not bring anything good. Funding decreased significantly, the test bench was not built. The launch complex was restored, but the next attempts to launch the rocket were not successful due to the same reason for the failure of the first stage. And the Americans have already accepted congratulations on the successful landing on the moon. The Soviet lunar program was curtailed, Mars was also forgotten.

However, another attempt was made. The hopes of the domestic cosmonautics were associated with the Energia rocket. The tests were successful. But the rocket was buried under the collapsed roof of the assembly and test building at Baikonur. This put the final end to Russia's plans. The United States has become a leader in space exploration. There is no point in trying to compete with them by spending hundreds of billions on flights.

Russia's leadership in space is a thing of the past due to the curtailment of the lunar program and a change in leadership in astronautics. Today's undisputed leader is the United States. But if the country's leadership had not forgotten Tsiolkovsky's words that he who conquered space would own the world, the situation could have turned out differently.

Who can become the leader tomorrow? Most likely China. Its space program is quite fantastic, the moon landing project should be completed with the construction of a lunar base by 2021. Many do not believe in the feasibility of this project, but China has already proved that it is capable of very unexpected things, at least the super-fast growth of its economy speaks of this.

Photo of the secret lunar program of the USSR

These photographic materials are one of the remaining evidence to date that the USSR also tried to land a man on the moon - obviously, after they could not, or, more precisely, did not have time to do it, they forgot about the program.

However, fortunately, little disappears forever and without a trace. The images we can see show one of the laboratories of the Moscow Aviation Institute, as well as aerospace equipment, including a spacecraft and a lunar lander.

The history of the Moon Race is well known to many contemporaries: before US President John F. Kennedy initiated the launch of the Apollo program, the Soviet Union was noticeably ahead of the United States in matters of lunar exploration. In particular, in 1959 the Luna-2 automatic interplanetary station was delivered to the surface of the Moon, and in 1966 a Soviet satellite entered its orbit.

Like the Americans, Soviet scientists developed a multi-step approach to the task at hand. They also had two separate modules for orbiting and landing.

While the Apollo 11 crew included three members, the entire burden of the Soviet lunar program had to lie on the shoulders of one cosmonaut - thus, the weight of the equipment was significantly reduced. In addition, there were other differences that made the Soviet apparatus lighter. First of all, these include the relative simplicity of the design, the use of the same engine for landing and takeoff, as well as the lack of a direct connection between the orbital and lunar module. This meant that the astronaut would need to go into space to move into the lander before landing and, later, to climb back into the orbiter after returning from the moon. After that, the lunar module was disconnected, and the spacecraft went to Earth without it.

The main reason that prevented the Soviet side from landing a man on the moon was the failures with launch vehicles. Despite the fact that the first two test launches were successful, the rocket crashed during the third. In the fourth test, conducted in 1971, a test spacecraft returned to Earth along an incorrect trajectory, hitting Australian airspace, as a result of which an international scandal could arise: Soviet diplomats allegedly had to convince Australians that the object falling on them was a test spacecraft. Kosmos-434 module, not a nuclear warhead.

After several failures, the program became too expensive, and after the Americans presented the world with documentary evidence of the success of the Apollo 11 mission, it completely lost its meaning. As a result, space equipment has become something of a museum piece.

There is an opinion that the Apollo 11 astronauts were the first to study the surface of the Moon in detail and obtained valuable scientific data. However, this is not the case. Long before the landing of American astronauts on the surface of the Earth's satellite, Soviet scientists did the impossible - on September 12, 1959, a spacecraft was launched with the Luna-2 interplanetary station, which was destined to become a pioneer in the study of the Moon.

Lunar Rocket Sonata

On July 21, 1969, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon for the first time. The importance of this achievement is difficult to overestimate - a colossal breakthrough, the triumph of engineering and science contributed to the delivery of a person to the surface of another celestial body. Behind the triumph of the American nation, there was one small but very important circumstance - the Americans were never pioneers in the study of the moon. Long before the landing of the lunar module, the Soviet automatic interplanetary stations “Luna” were the first to study the features of the Earth’s satellite. But for a real flight, Soviet scientists had much more guesses than calculated and confirmed data. Soviet science faced several extremely complex tasks at once, because the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite in 1957 was an event, although planned, but for the most part experimental. The throw to the Moon, in turn, assumed not only the launch of the spacecraft into the Earth's orbit, but also a sprint for 380 thousand kilometers in a completely unfamiliar direction.

Despite the complexity of the task being performed, the principles of the Soviet lunar program, the patriarchs of Russian science Sergei Pavlovich Korolev and Academician Mstislav Vsevolodovich Keldysh, formulated quite simply: to be on the surface of the Moon, study its features and obtain detailed photographs. To implement the flight, Korolev almost immediately proposed a scheme using a three-stage rocket. True, the first launches of the "royal" R-7, upgraded to work in outer space and a special payload, were unsuccessful in 1958 - due to design flaws, the launch vehicle exploded two to three minutes after taking off from the launch pad.

“Seven is still a military product, and adaptation in those conditions for scientific projects required significant changes. The point was not so much in the amount of work, but in the complexity of the auxiliary equipment. Well, plus everything - this is still the first experience of Soviet rocket scientists in creating equipment of this type. With all the ensuing consequences and difficulties, ”explained Oleg Kulikov, candidate of technical sciences, rocket engineer, in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel.

However, in the competition for the right to be the first to be on the moon, the Americans did not perform well either. The talented emigrant rocket builder Wernher Von Braun could not ensure American leadership in the lunar race - the Pioneer-1, Pioneer-2 and Pioneer-3 spacecraft died one after another during the explosion of the launch vehicle, or were not taken out of orbit of the Earth due to the failure of the engines of one of the stages.

The price of success

Exhausting and painstaking work on control systems and on-board electronics allowed Soviet scientists on January 4, 1959 to carry out the first flyby in the history of mankind in the immediate vicinity of the Moon. 34 hours after the launch, the Luna-1 interplanetary station turned out to be at a distance of 6 thousand kilometers from the surface of the Moon, securing the title of the first space power for the Soviet Union. data for future flights far beyond the home planet. It was possible with a high degree of accuracy to form an idea of ​​the boundaries of the inner and outer radiation belts of the Earth, to obtain the first data on the solar wind and to strengthen the opinion that the Moon has almost no magnetic field.

Almost simultaneously with the Soviet specialists, American scientists did not stop making their attempts to “get to the moon”. The most successful was the launch of the Pioneer-4 apparatus in March 1959. Despite the fact that specialists from the United States did not achieve the initial goal - to be the first to reach the surface of the Moon, the device passed at a distance of 60 thousand kilometers from the Moon and practically repeated the success of the Soviet interplanetary station "Luna-1", successfully "riding" the circumsolar orbit.
Nevertheless, the Soviet Luna-2 spacecraft, designed by the legendary OKB-1, was the first to land on the lunar surface. Launched on September 12, a science module with a Soviet pennant inside a small cargo container made a hard landing on the surface of the Moon and forever staked out the championship for the USSR in the development of objects outside the Earth. In addition to the very fact of the delivery of the spacecraft to the moon, other scientific hypotheses were also confirmed.

Now, with almost absolute accuracy, it could be argued that the Moon does not have its own radiation belts, similar in nature, structure and effects to the earth's, and there is accurate evidence that the artificial satellite of the Earth does not have its own magnetic field. The mission, historical in its significance, was completed, however, the "royalties" did not think to stop there. The only mystery, both for Korolev personally and for all the specialists involved in the work on lunar projects, remained the density and features of the lunar soil, which in most cases seemed to scientists in the form of fine dust. In order to more thoroughly study the lunar soil and the surface as a whole, it was decided to make a series of launches of spacecraft with powerful photographic equipment on board. The moon is solid The most important stage of Korolev's plan was to transmit to Earth images of the far, dark, side of the Moon. For these purposes, taking into account all the accumulated experience, in October 1959, a month after the triumph of the Soviet space industry and the “hit” on the moon, the Luna-3 spacecraft was launched, almost entirely consisting of equipment for photography, developing and scanning right on board. On October 7, three days after launch, the spacecraft for the first time in history passed over the dark side of the Moon at a distance of about 65,000 kilometers. Even though only 17 of the 29 images taken were taken, it was a colossal success for scientists and industry. For the first time, Soviet scientists had at their disposal unique photographs of the surface of the moon, which no one else had. The Americans were still unlucky in the “shooting towards the moon” exercise. From 1959 to 1962, NASA specialists failed six times when trying to "throw" their own "Rangers" and "Pioneers" on the surface of the Earth's satellite, and in 1960, Soviet specialists were not lucky twice with launches. However, small failures were overshadowed by another, historical and not subject to the slightest doubt, an achievement - the first manned flight of the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961, which almost put an end to the American lunar program. However, the next five years were not the easiest for Soviet science. American specialists noticeably increased the pace - they actively modified spacecraft, improved launch vehicles, and in 1962 received the first, similar to Soviet, results of delivering a spacecraft to the surface of the moon. However, there was still no clear and unambiguous answer about the nature of the lunar surface. The situation was absolutely stalemate - in order to land on the moon, it is necessary to know the parameters of the soil, and neither Soviet specialists nor their American colleagues had such data. Based on the deadlines and complexity of the task, Korolev takes into account the recommendations and calculations of the Soviet radio physicist Vsevolod Troitsky, which, with the help of the most difficult experiment from a scientific point of view, derives some of the parameters necessary for landing a spacecraft. Based on Troitsky's calculations, Korolev would later hand-write a certificate that actually gave the Soviet Union the Moon.

“The landing of a lunar spacecraft should be expected to be on fairly hard ground such as pumice,” Korolev writes.

“For such calculations, structures that were completely unique from a technical point of view were used, which were called only “artificial moon”. With the help of a radio telescope, a team of researchers, led by Troitsky, calculated the approximate parameters of the lunar surface - its density, temperature and ... chemical composition. The last two parameters were especially interesting. The researchers calculated that the lunar soil has an extremely low thermal conductivity, and may be almost 60% composed of quartz - silicon oxide. These calculations, together with other data, formed the basis of the conclusion about the density of the soil, ”explained cosmonautics historian, rocket engineer Boris Kochergin in an interview with the Zvezda TV channel. Based on certain parameters, Soviet specialists designed the Luna automatic interplanetary station fundamentally different from others -9", which was equipped to create the history of Soviet cosmonautics on board the Molniya-M launch vehicle on January 31, 1966. Already on February 3, 1966, the MPS made a successful soft landing on the lunar surface in the region of the Ocean of Storms, and four minutes later radio contact was established with the apparatus. The value of the data obtained from all interplanetary stations "Luna" is unlikely to ever be measured in money, because, in addition to the first circular photo panorama of the Moon in history, the process of detailed study of the lunar soil, including frankly small ones (up to 1 cm in size) was also established for the first time. ) objects directly on the surface. The triumph of science was overshadowed only by the death of a key figure in the history of Soviet cosmonautics. Not having lived just a couple of weeks before the launch of Luna-9, Sergey Pavlovich Korolev, a man who fought desperately for Soviet cosmonautics, died. The patriarch of Russian rocket science and the person responsible for all the achievements of Soviet space science never found out that both phases of his lunar adventure were realized exactly as planned.

Space exploration in the middle of the last century was of paramount importance for world powers, because it directly testified to their strength and power. The priority of developments in the space industry was not only not hidden from citizens, but, on the contrary, was emphasized in every possible way, instilling a sense of respect and pride for their country.

Despite the desire of many countries to take part in this difficult and interesting business, the main serious struggle unfolded between the two superpowers - the Soviet Union and the United States of America.

The first victories in the space race were for the USSR

The series of successes of the Soviet cosmonautics became an open challenge to the United States, forcing America to speed up work in the field of space exploration and find a way to beat its main competitor - the USSR.

• the first artificial satellite of the earth - the Soviet Sputnik-1 (October 4, 1957) of the USSR;
• the first space flights of animals - the astronaut dog Laika, the first animal put into Earth orbit! (1954 - November 3, 1957) USSR;
• the first manned flight into space - Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (April 12, 1961).

And yet, the competition for space continued!

First people on the moon

Today, almost everyone knows that America managed to seize the initiative in the space race by launching its astronauts on. The first manned spacecraft to successfully land on the moon back in 1969 was the American spacecraft Apollo 11, with a crew of astronauts on board - Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin.

Many of you remember the photo of Armstrong proudly planting the US flag on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969. The American government triumphed that it had managed to overtake the Soviet pioneers of space in the conquest of the moon. But history is full of conjectures and assumptions, and some facts haunt critics and scientific minds so far. To this day, the question is being discussed that the American ship, in all likelihood, reached the moon, took it, but did the astronauts actually descend on its surface? There is a whole caste of skeptics and critics who do not believe in the landing of Americans on the moon, however, let's leave this skepticism on their conscience.

However, for the first time the Soviet spacecraft "Luna-2" reached the Moon on September 13, 1959, that is, the Soviet spacecraft ended up on the Moon 10 years before the landing of American cosmonauts on the Earth's satellite. And therefore, it is especially insulting that few people know about the role of Soviet designers, physicists, and cosmonauts in the exploration of the Moon.

But the work was done enormously, and the results were achieved much earlier than Armstrong's victorious march. The pennant of the USSR was delivered to the surface of the moon a decade earlier than a human foot set foot on its surface. On September 13, 1959, the Luna 2 space station reached the planet it was named after. The world's first spacecraft to reach the Moon (space station Luna-2) landed on the surface of the Moon in the area of ​​the Sea of ​​Rains near the craters Aristillus, Archimedes and Autolycus.

A completely logical question arises: if the Luna-2 station reached the Earth’s satellite, then there should have been Luna-1 too? There was, but its launch, performed a little earlier, turned out to be not so successful and, flying past the Moon ... But even with this outcome, very significant scientific results were obtained during the flight of the Luna-1 station:

• Using ion traps and particle counters, the first direct measurements of solar wind parameters were made.
• The Earth's outer radiation belt was recorded for the first time using an onboard magnetometer.
• It was established that the Moon has no significant magnetic field.
• AMS "Luna-1" became the first spacecraft in the world to reach the second space velocity.

The launch participants were awarded the Lenin Prize, the people did not know their heroes by name, but the common cause - the honor of the country - was a priority.

The US landed the first people on the moon

What about the USA? The flight of Yuri Gagarin into space was a serious blow to America, and in order not to remain forever in the shadow of the Russians, the goal was set - and although the Americans lost the race to land the first spacecraft on the moon, they had a chance to be the first to land cosmonauts on the Earth's satellite ! Work on the improvement of the spacecraft, spacesuits and the necessary equipment went by leaps and bounds, the American government attracted the entire intellectual and technical potential of the country, and, without stint, spent billions of dollars on development. All NASA resources were mobilized and thrown into the furnace of science for a great cause.

The step of an American citizen to the moon is the only way to get out of the shadows, to equal the Soviet Union in this race. It is possible that America would not have been able to realize its ambitious plans, but at that time there was a change in the party leader in the USSR, and the leading designers, Korolev and Chelomey, could not come to a common opinion. Korolev, being an innovator by nature, was inclined to use the latest engine developments, and his colleague stood up for the old, but proven Proton. Thus, the initiative was lost and the first to officially set foot on the surface of the moon were American astronauts.

Did the USSR give up in the lunar race?

Despite the fact that Soviet cosmonauts never managed to land on the moon in the 20th century, the USSR did not give up in the race to explore the moon. So already in 1970, the automatic interplanetary station "Luna-17" carried on its board the world's first, unparalleled, planetary rover capable of fully operating under the conditions of a different gravity of the moon. It was named "Lunokhod-1" and was intended to study the surface, properties and composition of the soil, radioactive and X-ray radiation of the Moon. Work on it was carried out at the Khimki Machine-Building Plant. S.A. Lavochkin, led by Babakin Nikolai Grigorievich. The sketch was ready in 1966, and all design documentation was completed by the end of the following year.

"Lunokhod-1" was delivered to the surface of the Earth's satellite in November 1970. The control center was located in Simferopol, in the Space Communications Center and included the control panel of the crew commander, the driver of the lunar rover, the antenna operator, the navigator, and the operational information processing room. The main problem was the time delay of the signal, which prevented full control. Lunokhod worked there for almost a year, until September 14, on that day the last successful communication session took place.

Lunokhod did a great job of studying the planet entrusted to it, having worked much longer than planned. A huge number of photographs, lunar panoramas, were transmitted to Earth. Years later, in 2012, the International Astronomical Union gave names to all twelve craters encountered on the path of Lunokhod-1 - they received male names.

By the way, in 1993 Lunokhod-1 was put up for auction by Sotheby's, the declared price was five thousand dollars. Bidding ended for a much higher amount - sixty-eight and a half thousand US dollars, the son of one of the American astronauts became the buyer. It is characteristic that the precious lot rests on the territory of the Moon; in 2013, it was discovered in images taken by the American orbital probe.

Summing up, it can be noted that the first people to land on the moon (1969) were the Americans, here is a list of US astronauts who landed: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin , John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt. Neil Armstrong lived a long life and died on August 25, 2012 at the age of 82, retaining the title of the first man to walk on the moon...

But the first spacecraft that conquered the Moon (1959) were Soviet, here the primacy undoubtedly belongs to the Soviet Union and Russian designers and engineers.

The moon was destined to become that celestial body, which is associated with perhaps the most effective and impressive successes of mankind outside the Earth. The direct study of the natural satellite of our planet began with the start of the Soviet lunar program. On January 2, 1959, the Luna-1 automatic station for the first time in history carried out a flight to the Moon.

The first launch of a satellite to the Moon (Luna-1) was a huge breakthrough in space exploration, but the main goal, the flight from one celestial body to another, was never achieved. The launch of Luna-1 gave a lot of scientific and practical information in the field of space flights to other celestial bodies. During the flight of "Luna-1" the second cosmic velocity was achieved for the first time and information was obtained about the Earth's radiation belt and outer space. In the world press, the Luna-1 spacecraft was called Mechta.

All this was taken into account when launching the next Luna-2 satellite. In principle, Luna-2 almost completely repeated its predecessor Luna-1, the same scientific instruments and equipment made it possible to fill in data on interplanetary space and correct the data obtained by Luna-1. For the Launch, the RN 8K72 Luna with the "E" block was also used. On September 12, 1959, at 06:39, AMS Luna-2 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by RN Luna. And already on September 14 at 00:02:24 Moscow time, Luna-2 reached the surface of the Moon, making the first ever flight from the Earth to the Moon.

The automatic interplanetary vehicle reached the surface of the Moon east of the "Sea of ​​Clarity", near the craters Aristilus, Archimedes and Autolycus (selenographic latitude +30°, longitude 0°). As the processing of data on the orbit parameters shows, the last stage of the rocket also reached the surface of the Moon. Three symbolic pennants were placed on board Luna-2: two in the automatic interplanetary vehicle and one in the last stage of the rocket with the inscription "USSR September 1959". Inside Luna-2 there was a metal ball consisting of pentagonal pennants, and when it hit the lunar surface, the ball shattered into dozens of pennants.

Dimensions: Total length was 5.2 meters. The diameter of the satellite itself is 2.4 meters.

RN: Luna (modification R-7)

Weight: 390.2 kg.

Tasks: Reaching the surface of the Moon (completed). Achievement of the second cosmic velocity (completed). Overcome the gravity of the planet Earth (completed). Delivery of pennants "USSR" to the surface of the moon (completed).

JOURNEY TO SPACE

"Luna" is the name of the Soviet lunar exploration program and a series of spacecraft launched in the USSR to the Moon since 1959.

Spacecraft of the first generation ("Luna-1" - "Luna-3") made a flight from the Earth to the Moon without first launching an artificial Earth satellite into orbit, making corrections on the Earth-Moon trajectory and braking near the Moon. The devices carried out the flyby of the Moon ("Luna-1"), reaching the Moon ("Luna-2"), flying around it and photographing it ("Luna-3").

Spacecraft of the second generation ("Luna-4" - "Luna-14") were launched using more advanced methods: preliminary insertion of an artificial Earth satellite into orbit, then launch to the Moon, trajectory corrections and braking in circumlunar space. During the launches, the flight to the Moon and landing on its surface ("Luna-4" - "Luna-8"), soft landing ("Luna-9" and "Luna-13") and the transfer of an artificial satellite of the Moon into orbit ("Luna -10", "Luna-11", "Luna-12", "Luna-14").

More advanced and heavier spacecraft of the third generation ("Luna-15" - "Luna-24") carried out a flight to the Moon according to the scheme used by the second generation vehicles; at the same time, to increase the accuracy of landing on the moon, it is possible to carry out several corrections on the flight trajectory from the Earth to the Moon and in the orbit of the artificial satellite of the Moon. The Luna spacecraft provided the first scientific data on the Moon, the development of a soft landing on the Moon, the creation of artificial satellites of the Moon, the taking and delivery of soil samples to the Earth, and the transportation of lunar self-propelled vehicles to the surface of the Moon. The creation and launch of various automatic lunar vehicles is a feature of the Soviet lunar exploration program.

MOON RACE

The USSR started the “game” by launching the first artificial satellite in 1957. The United States immediately joined in it. In 1958, the Americans hastily developed and launched their satellite, and at the same time formed "for the benefit of all" - this is the motto of the organization - NASA. But by that time, the Soviets had overtaken their rivals even more - they sent the dog Laika into space, which, although it did not return, but by its own heroic example proved the possibility of surviving in orbit.

It took almost two years to develop a descent module capable of delivering a living organism back to Earth. It was necessary to refine the structures so that they could withstand two “journeys through the atmosphere” already, to create a high-quality sealed and high-temperature-resistant skin. And most importantly, it was necessary to calculate the trajectory and design engines that would protect the astronaut from overloads.

When all this was done, Belka and Strelka got the opportunity to show their heroic canine nature. They coped with their task - they returned alive. Less than a year later, Gagarin flew in their wake - and also returned alive. In that 1961, the Americans sent only Ham the chimpanzee into the airless space. True, on May 5 of the same year, Alan Shepard made a suborbital flight, but this achievement was not recognized by the international community as a space flight. The first "real" American astronaut - John Glenn - was in space only in February of the 62nd.

It would seem that the United States is hopelessly behind the "boys from the neighboring continent." The triumphs of the USSR followed one after another: the first group flight, the first man in outer space, the first woman in space ... And even the Soviet Lunas were the first to reach the natural satellite of the Earth, laying the foundations for the gravitational maneuvering technique so important for current research programs and photographing the reverse side night light.

But it was possible to win in such a game only by destroying the opposing team, physically or mentally. The Americans were not going to be destroyed. On the contrary, back in 1961, immediately after the flight of Yuri Gagarin, NASA, with the blessing of the newly elected Kennedy, headed for the moon.

The decision was risky - the USSR achieved its goal step by step, systematically and consistently, and still not without failures. And the US space agency decided to jump over a step, if not a whole flight of stairs. But America compensated for its, in a certain sense, arrogance with a thorough study of the lunar program. The Apollos were tested on Earth and in orbit, while the launch vehicles and lunar modules of the USSR were "tested in combat" - and did not withstand the tests. As a result, the US tactics proved to be more effective.

But the key factor that weakened the Union in the lunar race was the split within the "team from the Soviet court." Korolev, on whose will and enthusiasm cosmonautics rested, at first, after his victory over the skeptics, lost his monopoly on decision-making. Design bureaus sprouted like mushrooms after the rain on the black soil unspoiled by agricultural cultivation. The distribution of tasks began, and each leader, both scientific and party, considered himself the most competent. At first, the very approval of the lunar program was belated - politicians distracted by Titov, Leonov and Tereshkova took up it only in 1964, when the Americans had been thinking about their Apollos for three years already. And then the attitude to flights to the Moon turned out to be not serious enough - they did not have such military prospects as the launches of the Earth's satellites and orbital stations, and they required much more funding.

Problems with money, as is usually the case, "finished off" grandiose lunar projects. From the very start of the program, Korolev was advised to underestimate the numbers before the word "rubles", because no one would approve the real amounts. If the developments were as successful as the previous ones, this approach would justify itself. The party leadership was still able to calculate and would not close a promising business in which too much has already been invested. But, coupled with a messy division of labor, the lack of funds led to catastrophic delays in schedules and savings on testing.

Perhaps later the situation could be rectified. The astronauts were burning with enthusiasm, even asking to be sent to the Moon on ships that could not withstand the test flights. Design bureaus, with the exception of OKB-1, which was under the leadership of Korolev, demonstrated the inconsistency of their projects and quietly left the stage of their own accord. The stable economy of the USSR in the 70s made it possible to allocate additional funds for the refinement of missiles, especially if the military would join the cause. However, in 1968, an American crew circled the Moon, and in 1969, Neil Armstrong took his small winning step in the space race. The Soviet lunar program for politicians has lost its meaning.

In a previous article about the film "Apollo 18" the Soviet lunar module "Progress" was mentioned. According to the description of the film, it was on it that the only Soviet cosmonaut arrived on the moon before the Americans (or a little later) and died heroically, fighting for his life with an alien threat.

In fact, the Soviet module is almost an exact copy of the L3 project, which has been developed since 1963, and the name “Progress” was then given not to it, but to the new rocket launcher. In principle, in the context of the film, such details do not matter and we must pay tribute to our American film colleagues - L3 was performed simply “excellently”. And therefore, it is necessary to tell about this design in more detail.

So, as mentioned earlier, the development of the L3 lunar lander began in 1963, almost simultaneously with the deployment of the Soyuz program. It was they who were supposed to deliver the Soviet cosmonauts to the moon, but they failed to complete this work. As a result, Soyuz became famous as a means of delivering cosmonauts from various countries into near-Earth orbit. As for the L3 lunar lander, its fate was as follows.

Due to the lack of a suitable power carrier, engineers had to limit themselves to a layout scheme designed for only one astronaut. Compare the sizes of the Soviet and American lunar modules (figure).

Structurally, L3 (also called LK - lunar ship), consisted of two sections:

- lunar cabin: the astronaut's chair was located at the rear wall, controls were placed on the right and left, a large round porthole was made in the center;
- instrument module: it had a disk-shaped form, it housed the control system, radio engineering, power management system and equipment for docking.

The bottleneck of the LK, not counting its modest dimensions, was the impossibility of a direct transition of the astronaut from the LOK (the lunar orbital ship that was supposed to deliver the expedition). In other words, the scheme of actions after entering the near-Earth orbit was presented as follows.

The cosmonauts put on space suits of various types (the pilot of the LOK is “Orlan”, the pilot of the LK is “Krechet-94”) and go to the domestic compartment, which is later used as an airlock.

Further, the LK pilot, using the handrails, moves along the outer surface of the LK to his ship. For greater convenience, both hatches were placed opposite each other. After that, the LC separates from the LOC and descends to the surface of the Moon.

At an altitude of 16 km, the brake engines are turned on, and at an altitude of 3-4 km, the booster block “D” is separated from the module, after which the LC performs a “dead loop”.

Such tricks were necessary so that the landing radar of the lunar spacecraft would not take the detached block “D” for the lunar surface and the automatic activation of the rocket block “E” would not work ahead of time. The landing itself was carried out by the LK pilot himself, who had to use both automatic and manual control systems.

After resting and checking the operation of the equipment, the astronaut went to the lunar surface to collect samples. The suit "Krechet-94" was designed for 4 hours of autonomous stay on the Moon. During this time, the cosmonaut had to install scientific instruments and the state flag of the USSR on the Moon, collect samples of lunar soil, conduct a television report, photograph and film the landing area.

After spending no more than 24 hours on the Moon, the astronaut had to leave the planet. At launch, both engines of block “E” were turned on, and in the case of regular operation, one of them was subsequently turned off. Then the LK entered the lunar orbit and, with the help of the “Contact” system, docked with the LOK. Further, all the actions of the astronaut were carried out in the reverse order, as before the descent to the moon. The return trip to Earth was supposed to take no more than 3.5 days, and the total duration of the expedition was calculated at 11-12 days.

As we can see, the American filmmakers turned out to be right in many respects. The LK module landed in a crater on the sunny side, and the Soviet cosmonaut, apparently, completed the main part of the program of stay on the lunar surface. By the way, not only the LK itself was successfully reproduced, but also the Krechet-94 spacesuit.

For a more detailed study of this topic, there is a separate article “Space suits for the Soviet lunar program” (PDF format). Now from this epochal program there are only modules for bench tests and one of the samples of the Krechet-94 spacesuit. The latter, moreover, is a museum exhibit, which cannot be said about the LK module.

At the end of the story about the Soviet lunar module LK - a few shots from the film "Apollo 18". Watch, rate, enjoy...