RLA Family, Big Lander, The Book

A variety of subjects for this edition.

Jul 07, 2023

RLA 120 / 150

I’ve been busy cleaning up the plans for Glushko’s RLA 120 and RLA 150 rockets. Here are the results. Private use only please.

RLA 120 Rocket Info, translated & cleaned by Nick Stevens

RLA 150 Rocket Info, translated & cleaned by Nick Stevens

This is the little known family of launchers Glushko designed after the N-1 was cancelled, and it evolved into the Vulkan project. Here’s a Russian language illustration, with several of the family.

The Book:

I’ve not mentioned it in so long that some of you will not even be aware that this Substack is in support of a book I am working on with Jeremy Stern, a professional historian. It will cover the crewed lunar spacecraft of the Soviet Union, including all the concepts that we are aware of. I’m doing the digging and pictures, and he will be doing the words.

It will NOT include much detail on the rockets, to keep the size manageable.

We are hoping to find a publisher for a print edition, but as this will likely be size-limited to control costs, an extended E-Book is highly likely.

Jeremy has been digging through ALL the key references, and I’ve been burrowing through the RGANTD archive, making CGI models where Soviet era material is not available. A LOT of new information has been released in the last year.

We are currently working on the structure, so that his high level descriptive approach can bridge to my big pile of bits and pieces that are little known, and put everything in context.

The Lunar Expeditionary Lander:

This is one of the better documented areas - but the bad news is that the references frequently directly contradict each other! The Expeditionary program was intended to be a huge leap beyond Apollo, with long term bases. It needed the Vulkan super heavy rocket to get all that mass up to the Moon, so it effectively died with the end of the Vulkan program.

There are 3 main references I’m using for the model, this diagram:

Just the one view, but at least it has dimensions! The tub labelled 2.4 is the airlock to exit to the Moon.

Then there’s this illustration by Galina Balashova:

Galina Balashova Illustration of the LEK

Some small differences, but it’s very similar.

Then there’s the model in the Kirov museum. It has the advantage of being 3 dimensional, and photos are from many angles. But it’s different - for example the airlock is missing, and there are no hold down jets.

But one view in particular is confusing - the underneath section:

That looks a LOT like a docking adaptor. I don’t see how the flaps would seal off the engine when closed, so I think it’s probably not a shield. What would a docking adaptor be doing there?

Thanks to Pjotr Druznin, I may have an answer. Here’s a diagram of a 2 launch mission to the Moon, I have translated the captions.

Note steps 9 and 10, where the lander docks with a huge braking stage! So it COULD be a docking adaptor, but not one people would move through. I find it astonishing that the braking stage is so large it needs an N-1 launch to itself! That really shows how massive the lander must be.

There’s just one problem - this is from Mishin’s book, “Why we did not go to the Moon.” The mission would use the N1 rocket, (an advanced version). But the expeditionary mission is usually described as being based on the Vulkan rocket.

At the moment I’m guessing, but I suspect a version of the same lander was planned for both, and perhaps with the Vulkan version only needing a single launch. I have yet to find a clear break between advanced lander programs like the LKM designs, (some of which are covered here: LKM info), and the Expeditionary Designs.

One last picture for you, this shows detail on the airlock of the lander, including how it folds down for launch back to Earth.

This is the current state of my CGI LEK:

This editions Cool Image:

This is the best image I have seen of the side of the “Grasshopper” transporter, as used for Buran and Energia. Restored and enlarged by me. I’ve no idea who the two gentlemen are posing in front of it!