Inside the Soviets’ Secret Failed Moon Program: (great pics & story)

The Soviet lunar program was covered up, forgotten after failing to put a man on the moon. These rare photos from a lab inside the Moscow Aviation Institute show a junkyard of rarely-seen spacecraft, including a never-to-be-used Soviet lunar lander.

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Lunar Craft lander

Soviet scientists were well ahead of their American counterparts in moon exploration before President John F. Kennedy pronounced the U.S. would put a man there first. The Soviets had already landed the probe Luna 2 on the surface of the moon in 1959 and had an orbiting satellite in 1966.

The Soviets developed a similar multi-step approach to NASA, involving a module used to orbit the moon and one for landing. Their version was decidedly less complex and lighter to account for inferior rockets. These photos show the LK “Lunar Craft” lander, which has a similar pod-over-landing gear structure but numerous key differences.

All the activities done by two astronauts is done by one. To make the craft lighter, the LK only fits the one cosmonaut, who was supposed to peer through a tiny window on the side of the craft to land it. After landing the vehicle the pod separates from the landing gear, as with the Apollo Lunar Module, but uses the same engine for landing as it does for take off as another weight savings.

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Lunar satellite
They had the equipment, but they didn’t have the rockets

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Soyuz parachute container
Source: www.wired.com...

I just love this stuff that comes out about the Space Programs of the past/actually the begining.....

The Soviets/Russians have come a long way since the days of the equipment in these photos (there are 11 photos total-check out the source link story). Instread of not having the rockets back then, they have made up for that and now produce the best rockets for getting into space. Even NASA prefers them.

SO far in fact that they now LEAD the world in any Space race of the past. Just took time (and a President like Obama didn't hurt them either).

Sad to think that our Space programs now depend on the Russian to get us up there. They must laugh thier butts off behind closed doors-seriously.

Anyway, looking at the old space vehicles and other equipment of the Russian Space Program is just fun and interesting in itself as you will see when you gander at the photos. Would any of you go up in something like this?

Have a great day!!!

Star and Flag!

I love the look of the Soviet space tech. There's something really quirky about it. Like it is straight out of the science fiction genre!

Great photos.

Last week I watched something about the Soviet moon missions. They never mentioned that it (manned mission) went this far, just that they realised the US was going to win so they gave up to concentrate on another lunar program.

Cant recall the programs name, but the Soviets were the 1st to control a rover from earth. They landed 2 on the moon, had trouble with the first one as they mounted the cameras too high & the drivers (who, with the delay had to anticipate their moves) couldnt see where they were going.

They ran it into a ditch but reversed out. They had solar panels that could be folded away, soil sampling devices etc. I cant remember how long they operated for but it was interesting, it had footage of all the testing different ideas, the driver training. They had one of the (well aged) scientists in the US helping/observing with rover experiments in the desert somewhere.

reply to post by Big Raging Loner


That's a great way of putting it about thie Russian stuff.

I am sure there is some of our members that will chime in with some more detailed or expert info.

reply to post by anon72


Thanks for the alert on the story -- I had missed it!

The 'back story' is how THIS kind of story ever came out out all, from behind multiple walls of Soviet secrecy and smarmy Euro-yankeebashing. In the years immediately after the Apollo landing, the world (or at least the world lefty intelligentsia and news media) had decided since the Soviets hadn't WON the moon race, they obviously had never bothered to try.

In 1981 my book 'Red Star in Orbit' came out, and the verdict began to shift... Now, it's all 'common knowledge' and these pictures prove it (the same hardware was shown in private photos from an MIT visitor there, in 1989, in the NY Times).

Sleuthing Soviet space secrets was an olympic sport back in those days. Now the challenge is shoveling off space myths and misinformation from enthusiasts. Accurate history's work is never done!

reply to post by JimOberg


Im sorry I missed you posting.

Did you say: When your book came out? Please explain.

I would like to hear more if you got info to share!!!

I find the Russian/USSR program facinating. And I have just begun to scratch the surface. I think those folks were a little more braver to have climbed into those early USSR space vehicles and headed off into space.

Originally posted by Big Raging Loner
Star and Flag!

I love the look of the Soviet space tech. There's something really quirky about it. Like it is straight out of the science fiction genre!

A star and flag to the OP and one to you BRL.

I was just thinking the same thing and that's when I read your posting. What would've been cool is if they filmed a fake moon-landing like NASA did.

Hey, before I get flamed, I'm just joking. I believe we went to the moon. But seriously, these do look like something that came off the set of "Lost in Space" or the "Outer Limits."

Originally posted by anon72
reply to post by JimOberg

 

Im sorry I missed you posting.

Did you say: When your book came out? Please explain.

I would like to hear more if you got info to share!!!

I find the Russian/USSR program facinating. And I have just begun to scratch the surface. I think those folks were a little more braver to have climbed into those early USSR space vehicles and headed off into space.

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1287511714&sr=1-5

I have a copy. excellent book on the Soviet space program, including reports on accidents and disasters never released to the western press.

Originally posted by anon72
Instread of not having the rockets back then, they have made up for that and now produce the best rockets for getting into space. Even NASA prefers them.

Sad to think that our Space programs now depend on the Russian to get us up there. They must laugh thier butts off behind closed doors-seriously.

They had rockets like the N1 but they never solved all the technical issues. I read it was underfunded and maybe that was part of the problem. When I finally got a close-up look at the Saturn V five F-1 engines, I was surprised how complicated the plumbing was with only 5 engines, so it's hard to imagine how complicated the plumbing must have been on the N1 with 30 engines. The Saturn V development had issues too but it had funding.

But yes, it's embarrassing to have to rely on Russian rockets now to launch US astronauts.

Anyway, looking at the old space vehicles and other equipment of the Russian Space Program is just fun and interesting in itself as you will see when you gander at the photos. Would any of you go up in something like this?

Yes these photos are great, thanks for posting them.

Well if we were Russian and the only way we could get to the moon was in this contraption, what choice would we have? It was either try to ride in this or not go at all. The US lunar lander was very successful but even that thing seems a little scary, I wonder if it would be considered safe enough by today's safety standards (computer advancements aside)?