As an American, i have nothing but respect for what the Soviets did back then. Having us working together on the iss shows common ground for the future of space exploration
They made lots of technological achievements. Their research into long term life support systems and nuclear rockets (they've flown one in space) are some of the reasons why NASA is including them in their Mars program.
Actually, the NERVA program got quite far along in the nuclear thermal rocket thing. What was the Soviet nuclear rocket that actually made it to space? I can find no mention of it anywhere.
@Jov Ven That is pretty unfair to american engineers. If you gonna hate the us, for which you have every reason you need, then do it properly. The US is responsible for unimaginable amounts of war crimes during and after the second world war. They started wars just out of interest in profit. They see themselves as to be above every other country and if a country acts in a legitimate way that doesn't please the US, they just force them to behave in the way they want. They see themselves as the best democracy and the best country generally in the world, even though their democracy and voting system is outdated and not democratic. Donald Trump didn't get the most total votes, he just got the most delegates. It's just ridiculous. They drown in student loan debt. They don't even have public healthcare. The american dream is great. But only if you are white and you can afford learning and not dying. They accept Kids shooting their mother at age 3 and having to live with that for their entire life just because using a firearm is fun. The quality of the education they receive highly depends on the state they live in. They're told how great america is and always has been from a young age on. Ya know… because otherwise they notice that their country kinda sucks. If u gonna criticize the USA then do it properly.
@@balthasa_r A lot of what you said is true but it's unfortunatelly how the world works. Every country look for their own interests only. Stronger can force weaker to do what they want. The sad part is in all cases real decisions, which have impact on millions, are made by small elite group of people.
@@balthasa_r Jesus fucking christ. You people need to lay off the news, but either way some of you're complaints are just a European point of view anyway. It''s good that we stay separate with these beliefs, such as firearms ownership.
Korolev wasn't opposed to hypergolics because they were explosive. He was opposed to them because they were horribly toxic, with N2O4 being able to kill a human at more than 3 parts per million if my memory serves me correctly, and hydrazine being carcinogenic.
Not only that but Korolev saw the future of potential use for other rocket fuels like Liquid Oxygen and Liquid Hydrogen. While unpredictable compared to alcohol fuel, Oxygen and Hydrogen offered in return more thrust to power weight ratio, making the need to use big engines more practical than using many but smaller engines for the same thrust to power weight ratio. The problem at the time was that Valentin Glushko held total control of rocketry engine for the Soviet Union, and Glushko was an adamant believer that alcohol, not liquid oxygen or hydrogen, was the future for rocketry engines.
Well, we used hypergolics on Gemini without issue. I'll bet if Korolev had allowed Glushko to use his UDMH engines on one of the moon rockets, Leonov may very well have taken the glory from Neil and Buzz. Korolev was brilliant, no doubt, but he was too hard-headed and inflexible. Besides, it's not like the Politburo really gave a damn about the environment.
I don't care what anyone says, the Buran and Energia rocket were sooooo much cooler than the Space Shuttle and its solid rocket boosters. The Energia itself is a technological marvel of heavy lift rockets that I hope is replicated in some form in the near future.
Deter Pinklage : The RD-180 engine used in the Atlas 5 is basically half of an RD-170 as used in the Energia side boosters. The Zenit booster is just one of the RD-170 powered side boosters from Energia, but the program has faltered due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Buran was a master piece, a vehicle which has gotten to orbit, reentered and landed without any crew is is impressive even more impressive was that they have done it in 1988. If the USA would have used somehow the buran after the collapse of the soviet union, maybe it wouldn't have been such a money pit.
+Cyka CheekiBreeki I think it would've been a money pit either way because they didn't have the level of microelectronics we have now, making diagnostics and analysis of structural damage a nightmare.
Sergey Korolev was a genius, no doubt.... his R-7 rocket in service for more than 60 years (!!!!).... without any failures at all. Classic brilliant design of R-7
The R-7 has had many launch failures. The Soviets tended to keep their failures secret, so the west had an unrealistic idea of R-7 performance. For instance, of the 9 initial Luna rockets (an early R-7 derivative), 5 exploded during launch, one failed to reach orbit due to upper stage failure, and another one missed the moon, its intended target, due to upper stage malfunction. Only 2 of the 9 Luna rockets built were fully successful. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_programme for Luna, and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-7_(rocket_family) for an overall view on R-7 performance.
+ConsciousAtoms Really ? One time in the history In September 1983 Launch escape system (LES) was fired at the launch site. It were mistakes in assembly production of R-7 (many metal shavings in the engine), not mistakes in design. You know more than that? Look at that : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_7K-ST_No._16L
+ ConsciousAtoms You made the mistake. For you R-7 rocket & so-called "accelerating stages" or ("разгонная ступень" in Russian) is the "same R-7", but it's NOT. "Accelerating stages" were specific for sattelites series & the "accelerating stages" accelarated payload from low Earth orbit to escape trajectory or to high Earth orbit.
MaxGogleMogle Please read the wikipedia pages I linked to. Your statement that the R-7 rocket, not counting upper stages, has never failed is simply not true. If you look at the Luna rocket you will find that the R-7 part of it (specifically, either the blok A core or one of the side boosters, which are designated blok B, V, G, and D) failed on 5 out of 9 launches. To be specific, here's a list of Luna launch failures involving the R-7 core: Luna E-1 No1: 23 september 1958: failure of blok D engine at liftoff: blok D exploded, rest of the vehicle crashed near the launch pad Luna E-1 No2: 11 october 1958: launch vehicle disintegrates at T+104 seconds due to longitudinal oscillations in the boosters Luna E-1 No3: 4 december 1958: engine failure in the blok A at T+245 seconds due to loss of lubrication in the turbopump Luna E-1a No 1: 18 juni 1959: loss of control at T+153 seconds due to malfunctioning gyroscope; flight terminated by ground control Luna E-3 No2: 16 april 1960: engine failure in blok B booster at liftoff. Bok B broke away from the rocket at launch, the rest of the rocket reached 200m altitude and came apart, with parts scattering in random directions. (source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_programme, which has links to the wikipedia pages about the individual missions) Also, one other Luna rocket failed to reach orbit: Luna E-3 No1: 15 april 1960: early engine cutoff in blok E upper stage due to insufficient fuel; payload failed to reach low earth orbit I mention this one as I am not sure if the blok E upper stage engine qualifies as an "accelerating stage" in your terminology. In your previous post you write that these accelerating stages are used to boost payloads in low earth orbit into higher orbits or escape trajectory. However, the Luna E-3 No2 blok E failed before reaching low earth orbit. Can you please clarify?
Stalin, not Soviets. The whole prison-gulag thing happened in a relatively short period of time when that cunt was consolidating power. So the effect of it wasn't THAT huge probably.
Actually the Soviet’s did quite well for their economy/population size. With no free economy the state can funnel most of the brain power & resources toward the space program.
Valentin Glushko is without question the best engine designer the world has ever known. He was running full flow in the '60's on the RD-270 with hypergolics (and almost had it flight qualified) when the US was still fartin' around with old gas generators or peroxide driven pumps. Plus, he headed the design of a Shuttle Carrier rocket that was superior to ours in every measurable way.
If you want more info on this and any other space history in podcast form I highly recommend Michael Annis' Space Rocket History Podcast. Its been going for almost 5 years with weekly episodes and is incredibly thorough.
Chelomay's main achievement is not the Proton, but SS−11 (UR-100) that became the backbone of soviet land-based ICBM systems. He solved successfully a number of challenges in creating liquid fueled ICBM with 3 minute start-up time (limited by the time it took the gyros to spin up to the required speed). The problem with liquid fueled ICBM with hypergolic fuels is that they needed to be fueled before the start, but he managed to store the fuel inside for the 10 years without a need to refuel them.
That "most expensive man in USSR" sounds weird. Thing is, while "дорогой" _does_ mean "expensive", "valuable", it also means "dear". And the pronunciation of "Челомей"... Well, it's more like "Che-low-may". Anyway, I live in a 3 min walk from the house where Friedrich Zander lived here in Riga (two storey wooden frame building on a small hill near Zasulauks railway station), he supposedly came up with the idea of space-plane - a shuttle.
I'd say Zenit is also Yangel's brainchild. They erroneously say that it's made as a part of Energia, but it was conceived about 5 years prior Energia program even started.
I knew a Boeing engineer who worked on the Launch Umbilical Tower (LUT) and the level of control and coordination was incredible. It took 3 men, 1 from the design contractor, 1 from NASA and 1 from the actual construction contractor to access the filing cabinets that held the blueprints. Each had a required key to the drawers. This was to assure that no changes were made without all related parties being in the loop.
Always really enjoy your immaculately researched videos, concisely / scientifically narrated and all done in an incredibly interesting way. Thank you Curious Droid!
All of this is just so fascinating. I’m having a brain overload just watching and listening to this. The Cold War and the space race where my favourite subjects in school
Great video as always. Any particular reason why Mikhail Yangel isn't mentioned at all in this video? As head of OKB 586, present day Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, he closely collaborated with other prominent soviet scientists, was pioneer in storeable hypergolic fuels and soviet most prominent ballistic missile scientist. Surely a man worth mentioning.
It seems Russians just deleted Yuzhnoye from official history (they mention it only when related to Nedelin disaster, as if it stopped existing then). All English books are based on Russian interpretation, that's why world does not seem to know for Yangel and his design bureau.
Despite their absence in the records, German rocket scientists had a lasting imprint on Soviet rocketry. The work of captured German scientists enabled the Soviet Union to rapidly catch up to, and briefly surpass, the United States in rocket technology. Without German contributions, both the space race and the nuclear arms race would have looked vastly different. A conscious effort was made to only give Soviet scientists credit for all of the rocket developments throughout the Soviet space race.
Yes they made captured nazi scientists work on their space program, but most of the work was done by soviet scientists, and furthermore, many Soviet scientists inspired werner van Braun
Wow, what a fascinating story! I've never heard any of it before. With all the names and politics this is a little harder to follow than a typical Curious Droid video (which is usually about more straightforward subjects like engineering), so I think I'll watch it again. Really interesting stuff!
Awesome. Very nicely researched mini-documentary. Thank you for sharing and entertaining. Like if you agree that the Proton-M is the most elegant Medium Lift Rocket solution. Especially its First-Stage and Second-Stage Start-up 'Halo'. Thankyou.
Yes, i know I had a bit of a brain blank there but I was primarily thinking of the corporations, though in the early days NASA did a lot of the design work with people like Maxime Faget.
You provided very good info. I'm surprised they've already built 12 of 165 foot Mangustas, and now I know there is only one Walypower 118 in the world. I was lucky enough once back in 2011 to drink a cuple of beers (on my small RIB) while watching it anchor in a beautiful quiet bay of island of Žut which belongs to one of the most beautiful achipelagos of the Adriatic sea, the Kornati archipelago. I remember saying to myself I've seen the one of the most beautiful things made by humans in one of the most beautiful natural environments.
Hi "Droid"! I believe the biggest mastermind behind the US space program was Robert Gilruth. He was a behind-the-scenes kinda guy and was unfortunately plagued by dementia in his later years. Therefore he didn't get around to doing a bio, so there is not a lot of info on him. But he basically ran things from the early Space Task Group, throughout NACA, then NASA and on past the first moon landings. Perhaps an idea for a video? Thanx for your awesome work!
This channel is so damn interesting! The perfect channel for a science geek like myself - gonna have to go through and watch every single video. Also, the shirts man, the shirts!
Interesting video, and bad ass shirt. Imagine what the soviets could have done if they didn't, you know, imprison their chief designers. They wouldn't even trust our own people; meanwhile we accepted the whole "I don't really actually want to work for the Nazis" from Von Braun, and came out way ahead. I think both Korelev and Von Braun were men loyal to their science and work. It was right to trust Von Braun because we gave him the best opportunity to advance his work, and the soviets should never have mistrusted Korelev because why would he go against those supporting his work?
Not sure the N-1 was something to showcase when introducing Korolev in this clip. When it came to animals in space, its my impression that Strelka and Belka were on the really worthwhile and successful mission of sending animals into orbit. (while Laika's mission was a stunt that ended up a disappointment with her premature death).
Just to add that in early 1930th, Soviet and Germans were on same stage of development of liquid rocket engine. Bat Fon Braun got Hitler and funding, and Koroliev got Stalin and Gulag.
It's amazing what the Soviets were able to accomplish. We often forget that before the Revolution, Russia was part of the third world, poor, uneducated & unindustrialized.
Whaaaa . . . ? I was looking forward to know who was sponsoring/provided this video's shirt . . . sadly I saw nothing in the intro credits. Le Sigh. P.S: After watching the whole video, magnificent job telling a great story(applause sounds).
Korolev, Glushko and Chelemei paved the way in making low cost strong efficient rockets that Russia and US currently use now so that the space exploration would continue despite lesser funding support from public and govt
09:18 there's something to be said about the no fuggs giveness of a man who walks around with such a bold uni-brow. I applaud you Mr. Unibrowoskiev AKA Mr. Brezhnev.
My impression from the museum in Baikonur cosmodrome: engineers were much more important (famous) then in US (at the same level of cosmonauts). And credits were done to 4 peoples (not just Koronev): rocket, engines (with highlight the control of attitude, not just power), launch complex (Baikonur is very interesting about solution [e.g. pure mechanics keep rocket on ground]), and the 4th person I do not remember (I think control system). But there were a lot of drama (as you described), and so splitting space rocket with ICBM to keep top engineering not to step over other feet. Again: cosmonauts were not so important (compared US).
When talking about the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, the video shows the launch of Yuri Gagarin. The videoes are great, clear and some I have never seen (wow!). Vasiloff Mishin once stated that a major reason the Soviets did not beat the US was the amount of money spent on the lunar mission (4 billion dollars as opposed to 25 billion dollars for the US).
Why, when talking of Soviet rocketry, you always omit OKB-586 (Yuzhnoye design bureau) and it's genius founder Mikhail Yangel?! Soviet space program would be impossible without Yangel's know-how. Some of modern technologies originate from there: load-baring fuel and oxygen tanks, trussed interstage connections, wide use of polymers, automated pre-launch procedures. Look it up! Zenit rocket is admired by Elon Musk himself. And R-36m (NATO: SS-18 mod 2 and 3) was capable of flying through nuclear blast. Guys, those marvels should not be forgotten!
Thank you for your diligence and your interest in the topic of Soviet cosmonautics. I want to correct your pronunciation: not GlUshko, but GluskO. Forgive me my English (this is from Google).
Excellent video, briefly summarising history everybody should read about. However, there is an error following 14:20 , because Glushko was widely publicised and lauded as early as 1975. Sometime before late 1977, there was an exhibition of Soviet space achievements in Vancouver, BC, and I picked up a booklet called "Rocket Engines GDL-OKB", ostensibly by V.P.Glushko himself, dated 1975, translated into good English and giving a lot of historical detail and photographs. The booklet is quite beautiful, in the rough and ready Soviet way (some parts bound upside down ;-), but I think some of the many names in it may be fake (I haven't bothered to research that). However, Glushko promotes himself pretty strongly! The cover is a fine impression of the R-7, looking up from the business end of course.
Excellent video. It really highlights the technical achievements of the Soviet Union, as well as its contradictions and tragedy. It was particularly interesting to hear how production was organised and “negotiated” between the design bureaus. I’m impressed you showed and named Tuchachevsky. I think you should have given some context to the purges, even if briefly. Tuchachevsky had spent the 1930s working for the modernisation of the Red Army and warning of the threat of a war with Nazi Germany but was convicted of false charges of being in a plot with those Nazis. The Stalinists killed to 40,000 officers of the Red Army, including most of its central command, then did a deal with the Nazis and created conditions for the near success of Operation Barbarossa. Just as in the space race it was despite he Stalinist bureaucracy, not because of them, that the Soviet Union succeeded. Suggestion: I would be interested to see the relationship between ICBM development and the non-military rockets. While they were not identical there is, AFAIK, a significant overlap. Perhaps it’s outside the remit of your channel.
Great video as always. My only nit pick is your pronunciation of Korolev who you keep calling Koreliov. It's only an issue due to the sheer number of times you have to say the name in this video.
Your following an abridged script from an old History Channel documentary, but your leaving out all the nationalistic jingoism. Great video, thanks for recognizing some exceptionally talented people that rose above their struggles.
The Russians started their first steps with a V2 rocket back in the late 40's. Dismantled V2 parts and engines where carefully inspected by Korolev and Glusko. They learned their stuff from Werhner Von Braun's rocketry technology! The first U.S. satellite as the rocket Jupiter was Von Braun's ! The first American in space was flown by Redstone rocket which was Von Braun's as was the Redstone rocket Industries in Huntsville Alabama. The Saturn family of rockets was his design ( Saturn 1, Saturn 1B, and the mighty Saturn V which took Americans to the moon) The first U.S. space station Skylab was his idea and put in orbit by his Saturn V rocket. Even the Shuttle was his idea from 1960's...a special spacecraft with wings to glide back to earth and land although he opted to be fitted on top of a big rocket and not strapped around boosters and a fuel tank because of higher risk if the boosters failed would destroy the space shuttle. Even missions to Mars where his idea since he was 19 years old. Of course he couldn't built these by his own and U.S. private and government aeronautics companies as North American, Rocketdyne, Grouman, Douglas, Boeing, etc. took in charge the built projects of NASA. In other wards.... He is the creator of the 1st rocket ever the A2 ROCKET (unfortunately it was known as the V2 war rocket). And few people know that he was ready to put a satellite in orbit before Sputnik was launched in 1957 but he was working under the U.S. Army division and the Congress gave that task to the U.S. NAVY which failed with an enormous fail launch and explosion on the launch pad. He even wanted to put a satellite in orbit without an official congress permission, but before his test launch some government officials verified that on the top of his Jupiter C rocket he had nothing as cargo! He was even planning to built a family of big rockets and big engines for a moon trip in late 1950's... so he was the MAN of the American space program!
Love your channel but you really screwed the pouch on the - no one springs to mind as the person behind the US space program. Wernher von Braun, Wernher von Braun, Wernher von Braun. Without him there would have been no Saturn V - the greatest engineering feat of all time. But he had the misfortune of being associated with Hitler, and born a Prussian Junker (aristocrat) as well. Sorry Wernher, you will never get your proper due.
Sadly, but properly, true. The top 100 or more Peenemunde engineers followed von Braun into American captivity, while rather less prominent ones went with the Russians. In the end, the Russian did not use "their" Germans very much and sent them home, while the Americans' Germans ended up pretty much running the Army and NASA rocket programs. Von Braun and his crew had made a Faustian bargain, and perhaps "damnatio memoriae" is a fitting end. In any case, Korolev's contributions have lived on while von Braun's died out, to be supplanted by Elon Musk's.
It is hard to know von Braun's true political beliefs during the war; he may well have been a willing Nazi, or he might have been unwilling. There is objective evidence that he was distrusted and disliked by high ranking Nazis - they imprisoned him for a time. The Nazis used slave labor for many projects, I know a guy who was born while his parents were just such laborers. I don't believe that von Braun was involved in V2 production, but someone as smart as him must have known how the rockets were being built. Some people say that by convincing Hitler to spend so much on a militarily useless weapon that he hurt the war effort more than he helped it. Still, his number one goal always seems to have been space flight. He was a tireless advocate of space exploration. Just look at his book the Mars Project first published in German in the 1950s. So, I agree entirely with your excellent last sentence summing up this complex, fascinating, and frightening colossus!
