Timeline for What kept the Soviets from going to the Moon (before the US)?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
5 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Nov 30, 2023 at 12:23 | comment | added | Cadence | @Mark The issue wasn't that they disagreed about the N-1 specifically, they had this argument about every big Soviet rocket, even before Sputnik. But eventually Glushko went behind Korolev's back to another rocket designer who would actually put nitric acid/UDMH engines in an ICBM and pitched it to the military (kerolox is great for space but bad for nuclear deterrent) and that led to tremendous friction between Korolev and Glushko, Korolev and Khrushchev, and Korolev and the military at a critical time in the space program's development. | |
| Nov 28, 2023 at 4:52 | comment | added | Mark | @Fred, Glushko winning the argument probably would have made the path to the Moon even harder -- hypergolics don't have the specific impulse needed for really large payloads. | |
| Nov 27, 2023 at 13:23 | comment | added | Graham | The TV series For All Mankind follows up on the second reason (with the general assumption that the Soviets could maintain their spending power). | |
| Nov 27, 2023 at 5:45 | comment | added | Fred | It also didn't help that the Soviet military didn't view the N1 as having military potential, so they weren't championing its development. There were also historical personal issues between Korolev & Glushko (Soviet chief rocket engine designer) & a difference of opinion between the two regarding what fuel the N1 should use. Glushko wanted hypergolic fuel. | |
| Nov 27, 2023 at 3:08 | history | answered | Mark Foskey | CC BY-SA 4.0 |