Inside the Soviets' Secret Failed Moon Program

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.

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.

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Considering the constant debate over the US's space program, we tend to forget what the Russians were doing at the same time. I find it interesting how the Soviet design for the lunar lander is much more efficient than the US model. I'll admit that this isn't really my area of study, so I'll leave it up to you guys to lead the discussion.

Please check link: Already posted, 2 days ago;

www.abovetopsecret.com...

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

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