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Aviation History
1967
1967 - 0622.PDF
€08 FLIGHT International, 13 Spaceflight Soviet Space Boosters By J. A. PARFITT* THE SOVIET SPACE PROGRAMME, until the introduction of theProton booster, appears to have used two main types oflaunch vehicles, both of which have been modified for various missions by the use of additional upper stages. The first vehicle is the large first-generation ICBM developed in the early 1950s when nuclear warheads were large and cumbersome. The second vehicle is the orbital weapon known by its NATO code name as Scrag. The first-generation ICBM was probably the vehicle seen in the Soviet documentary film on Voskhod 2 shown at the International Astronautics Federation in September 1965. This vehicle, purportedly the Voskhod 2 launcher, had a fairing each side extending nearly one-third of the overall length. These fairings contained four rocket engines which are probably jet- tisoned as a unit, leaving a central sustainer engine in operation (similar to the US Atlas ICBM). The official Soviet description of the Voskhod launch vehicle stated that it was a multi-stage vehicle having seven engines producing a total thrust of 650,000kg. The possibility of the Voskhod booster having two upper stages, each with one engine, instead of two engines in a single upper stage, is considered unlikely for the following reasons: — (1) Photographs released of the Voskhod spacecraft include one which shows the mating of the protective shroud and final stage. This final stage has some external differences but is similar in size to the Vostok final stage. (2) The controllable escape stage used for lunar and inter- planetary probes is unlikely to be used as an additional stage, since evidence of repeated failures of this stage would preclude its use in manned missions. (3) The launch vehicle used for lunar and interplanetary mis- sions has sufficient power to orbit 6,483kg, assuming Sputnik 7 was an attempted probe launching. This weight includes the probe, fuelled escape stage and the control unit. The payload weight compares with the 5,320kg weight of the Voskhod spacecraft This suggests that the Voskhod spacecraft were launched by the same vehicle as the lunar and interplanetary probes without use of the escape stage. (4) It is unlikely that a new stage would be inserted between the Vostok-type final stage and the first stage, when the installation of two engines and an increase in fuel tank size of this stage would be more reliable. The official Soviet description of the Vostok booster stated that it was a multi-stage vehicle having six liquid-propellant rocket engines producing a total thrust of all stages of 600,000kg. It was also stated that this booster had a total thrust of 20 million h.p. The final stage of the Vostok booster had a single rocket engine. This indicates that the main difference between the Vostok and Voskhod boosters was in the final stage, although probably not all of the 50,000kg thrust difference was concentrated in the final stage of the Voskhod booster. The other difference between the two boosters was the size of the protective shroud, which was longer on the Voskhod than on the Vostok. It now appears that the tail annulus on the Vostok final stage and shroud assembly shown at Tushino in 1961 was merely to provide directional stability for this probable mock-up and in no way related to the launch vehicle. The first-generation ICBM was first used to launch satellites during 1957 and 1958 (with Sputniks 1 to 3) in H-stage form with the large sustainer stage going into orbit This is consistent with optical observations of the final stage in orbit indicating a length of between 18m and 28m. Pravda stated in December 1958 that this stage weighed more than 4 tonnes. The weight of the first three Sputniks ranged from 83.6kg for Sputnik 1 to * British Aircraft Corporation (Guided Weapons Division), Stevenage. 1,370kg for Sputnik 3. It is obvious that Sputniks 1 an< used only a part of the booster's maximum orbital payl capability. The three lunar probes launched during 1959 again used first-generation ICBM but with an upper stage added. ' empty weight of this upper stage was 1,110kg. The si resembles that which was used on the Vostok missions i weighed 1,440kg. The maximum payload launched toward Moon by this booster was 435kg in the form of Luna 3; instruments attached to the final stage. This does not reprei the maximum escape payload, as is evident from the fact 1 this booster was used to launch the Vostok spacecraft, vreigl 4,730kg, into close Earth orbit. The difference in weight beta that of the final stage used to launch the Luna spacecraft; that used to launch the Vostok spacecraft was probably to the payload adaptor used for the latter spacecraft. New Upper-stage Vehicles A new, more powerful, upper stage appears to have b introduced in February 1961 with the orbiting of Sputnii weighing 6,483kg without the weight of the last stage of carrier rocket The new upper stage probably had two eng and was later used in the Voskhod launches. The official So statement on Sputnik 7 described it as a vehicle for ched trajectory-measuring apparatus on board; it is more lik however, that it was a Venus probe launch failure. For Venus probe launch a week later, the new upper stage orb a heavy satellite from which a controllable rocket (with probe attached) was launched. The heavy satellite, probi weighing the same as Sputnik 7, is likely to have contained attitude control system for the precise aiming of the conl lable rocket. After launch and subsequent burnout of latter, the payload was separated. Subsequent interplane probes have used the same parking orbit launch techni Venus 1 weighed 643.5kg and subsequent interplanetary pn have weighed up to 963kg (Venus 2). This could indicate Venus 1 did not use the booster's maximum payload capabi or that some uprating has been carried out with the controE rocket since that launch. Since the launching of Luna 4 in April 1963 the same bw and parking orbit technique used for the interplanetary pr has been used to launch lunar probes. These lunar probes 1 weighed up to about 70 per cent more than those of the u planetary probes, their weights ranging from 1,422kg Luna 4 to 1,640kg for Luna 11. This increase in weight those of the interplanetary probes is due to the low trajectory used for the lunar missions. The second launch vehicle for satellites is probably base the three-stage orbital weapon, Scrag, first shown in the 1965 parade in Moscow. A Soviet announcement stated this missile can orbit nuclear warheads which can be relf on command. The size of this missile is comparable to of the US Titan 2 ICBM. It is believed that Scrag, or vet! of it, was tested in the Pacific rocket tests of 1961, alffiW may have been tested earlier during similar tests in i960' sequent Pacific tests have probably been of this is modified versions, to confirm its accuracy when ICBM. Scrag is probably used in two forms to launch \ first in its displayed three-stage configuration, the sea* two-stage form. The second stage of Scrag is appro*1 7.7m long by 2.7m diameter. This is consistent with the j observations of the final stages in orbit with ^^ Cosmos satellites, including those recoverable, ano Continued off
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