Zeroing the space program, or All hope is now on the "Petrel"
The Burevestnik nuclear rocket dramatically expands Russia's space prospects. This opinion was expressed by one author. Quite a controversial opinion, and therefore, before arguing, I want to figure it out.
So the West is scared? Not. In the West, in general, they look very critically at Flying Chernobyl. However, there is an opinion that the developments that were implemented in the process of creating the "Petrel" will be able to return to Russia the lost leadership in space.
True, this opinion exists in the Russian environment. It is clear that today the situation in the space industry is such that you need to grab at any straw or the last hairs on your head, but pull the Russian cosmonautics out of the huge swamp.
For even though Rogozin blurted out that, they say, Russian cosmonauts are ready to fly on ships from Mask, but who else would have allowed them there. And if he did, then how much will it cost us? We beat the Americans in full. It is unlikely that they will start scattering discounts in response.
In any case, what Rogozin said is simply surrender. The age in which we were monopoly orbital cabbies is over. And how everything will turn out in the near future, it is still difficult to say.
And here is the business newspaper Vzglyad and Aleksandr Timokhin, well-known to readers of the Review, who claims that Burevestnik is a kind of breakthrough tomorrow for the Russian space industry, because ... Because ... In short, it is not entirely clear, but there is a change.
Nuclear rocket "Burevestnik" dramatically expands space prospects of Russia.
Further, there will be quotes in italics from Timokhin.
“However, the significance of this missile goes far beyond military scope. In the future, this development will be able to return Russia's leadership in space exploration. "
In the future, some weapon, about which little more than nothing is known, may return Russia's leadership in space exploration. Debatable, you know, but we will not rush.
“To begin with, let's make a reservation: the military significance of the Burevestnik is limited. As a weapon of retaliation, this missile makes no sense: if we do not miss the first strike from the Americans, then our retaliatory strike will wipe the United States off the face of the earth anyway. And if we oversleep such an attack, then a few "Petrel" who survive it will not change anything dramatically. "
I agree with every word. Very logical. Moreover, today it is generally too early to speak of this "Petrel" as a weapon. That's when he starts flying, then we'll talk. The accelerator start shown in the video is not a flight. It's just a start.
So far, to draw conclusions based on rumors and gossip, since all the works seem to be classified - well, that's just ridiculous. As well as unconditionally believe in the very existence of this missile, because Putin said so. You know, he talked about a lot. And not all of what he had promised came true.
So I completely agree with Timokhin in the sense that it is too early to consider the Burevestnik as a weapon. A nuclear-powered missile, subsonic, besides ... Doubtful. Yes, it will be able to hang out in the upper layers of the atmosphere for a very, very long time. There is no doubt about it. But it will be much easier to cope with the same NORAD system with a subsonic apparatus than with a hypersonic one.
But, in any case, we will be happy to talk about the combat capabilities of the Petrel when there are numbers and facts, and not bare words and staged videos. Not earlier.
Moving on.
"The fact is that, in any case, the program for the creation of the Burevestnik can yield many results, much more important than another type of missile in service."
And again ... I agree. When the Burevestnik will fly there normally, this is another question that will excite the minds for a long time. If it flies, it’s good, it won’t fly ... Timokhin believes that all the developments on the Burevestnik must be used in the peaceful exploration of space.
It's hard to disagree. Except for this phrase:
“Yes, the Burevestniki are still flying very close. But nobody has anything comparable today. "
Well, in fact, this is all very exaggerated. And then the author himself gives a wonderful historical an overview of nuclear-powered vehicles that were invented in the USA and the USSR. And from which, I note, they refused.
Timokhin issues a fair comment that none of the vehicles (NB-36N and Tu-119) ever flew in a nuclear reactor. More precisely, the planes flew with a working nuclear reactor on board, but on conventional engines. Both ours and American.
Nuclear bomber NB-36N
Tu-119 aircraft
Indeed, aircraft with a nuclear installation on board, how to put it mildly, assumed the use of disposable crews. Because, in fact, at the exit there were half-corpses with disabilities, affected by radiation.
Rockets with a ramjet engine, which had a small-sized nuclear reactor instead of burning fuel, suffered no less fiasco.
The work was carried out by both sides with approximately equal success. The Americans, perhaps, have gone further with their Pluto project, during which they have developed the SLAM intercontinental unmanned bomber, which is very similar in essence to this Petrel.
And here, by the way, it is worth reminding everyone why the Pluto project was not implemented, although the work on it actually reached the end.
A nuclear-powered rocket of a rather large size (they say, with a locomotive) was supposed to fly at an ultra-low altitude (12-15 meters) at a speed of Mach 3, scattering hydrogen bombs along the way. An additional factor of destruction was the shock wave from a supersonic flight at such an altitude and radioactive exhaust. Someone humorous among the designers had an idea that after the ammunition was dropped, the rocket would continue to cut circles over the territory of the USSR, contaminating the soil and water.
But then something came down to us from the Pluto project that allows us to think about the innovation of the Burevestnik.
To accelerate to the speed at which a nuclear ramjet engine would begin to operate, the flying nightmare SLAM used several conventional chemical accelerators, which were then undocked and dropped to the ground. After starting and leaving the populated areas, the rocket was supposed to turn on the nuclear engine and circle over the ocean (there was no need to worry about the fuel), waiting for an order to accelerate to the M3 combat speed and fly to the USSR.
The Petrel will be circling too. Either at a great height, or something else. And also contaminating everything with exhaust. But the principle was developed in the sixties of the last century, so it doesn't look very modern.
In general, nothing new is yet seen in Burevestnik. All this was invented in the USSR in the sixties of the last century, more than half a century ago. Apparently, the projects were pulled out of the archives and now, using new technologies, first of all, compacting the same reactors, we are trying to create something that can scare the whole world in general and our potential partners in particular.
But let's be serious. I don’t know when we will be able to bring the "Petrel" to mind and start churning it out in such quantities that it will actually pose a threat. Most likely never. Why? It's simple.
Conventional ICBMs and KRs fueled with chemical fuel were fired in such quantities that they can demolish all living things several times. I don’t understand what they will be able to add to this bacchanalia (I mean the last world war) a few puffs on nuclear reactors. And can they?
After the incident in Nyonoksa, there are a lot of doubts.
Space…
With space, everything is more complicated. Quote again.
“The fact is that no single-stage apparatus operating on chemical fuel could go into space then, and cannot now. Overcoming gravity is a huge energy cost. Huge energy consumption - these are engines with very powerful thrust, but they require a lot of fuel on board, and a lot of fuel is a large mass, which also requires a large aircraft structure, which together requires even more powerful engines that ... Exit none of these vicious circles. "
Well said. Physics will not be canceled even for Rogozin. Everything in this world, including space flights, takes place in accordance with the laws of physics. Alas.
Yes, a long time ago, in 1974, the idea was developed of a certain aircraft with a nuclear engine, capable of overcoming the force of gravity and going into space. In the USSR, there was a project of the Myasishchev Design Bureau called M-19.
Vladimir Mikhailovich Myasishchev with the layout of the M-19 rocket plane
In the work on this project, many options for nuclear jet engines were considered, but none of them went into work for various reasons. Although the M-19 considered various by-pass engines, that is, where the working fluid of the NRM does not come into contact with the outside world and does not cause environmental contamination.
But the M-19 project lost to the Buran-Energia system in all useful parameters, from cost to payload, and was forgotten.
And here is "Petrel", about which nothing really is known. From a few non-animated frames, we can conclude that the device is not hypersonic, and there is information that its engine is single-circuit. That is, the air, due to the release of which the reactive moment appears, will definitely be radioactive.
A step forward compared to the M-19? I wouldn't say so.
“Such an engine is quite suitable for weapons used in a nuclear war - nature will not be much worse from it. But apart from that, he is not suitable for anything. "
And again one cannot but agree with Timokhin. Moreover, the same question arises: how to carry out normal tests? That is, a question that the Americans could not answer in 1967 and therefore closed the Pluto project.
And it turns out that the release of radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere does not bother us at all? Interesting alignment, isn't it?
Considering that not everything is going smoothly with the Burevestnik (yes, Nenoksa, yes, the background increase from 0,11 μSv / h to 2 μSv / h), only the tests will bring us many surprises. Radioactive, as practice shows.
So what can you take from the Petrel, apart from radiation in the atmosphere and the rather illusory possibilities of striking the enemy?
And then the fun begins.
According to Timokhin, the development of a “new” and “advanced” compact engine will allow in the very near future to create a bypass engine that will not contaminate the air with its exhaust.
"Such an engine will automatically give Russia the opportunity to acquire aircraft with unlimited flight range, including manned aircraft."
This is where it becomes unbearably boring. And if you read this, then it's completely sad.
“And placing on such an aircraft either a nuclear jet engine (if it is possible to create protection of the working fluid from radiation), or at least some highly efficient liquid-jet engine with high thrust will already make it possible to launch such an aircraft into space. And then the long-term dreams of engineers about a transport system capable of delivering people and goods to the near-earth orbit without any detachable stages will become a reality. "
I wonder who will create this? Those engineers, designers, production specialists who have not been able to finish the "Science" module for 25 years? To make the launch vehicle to fly at least no worse and no more expensive than the Proton, which will soon be 60 years old? A manned ship that can replace the Soyuz, which is also about that?
Not funny.
In the state to which our former space industry has been brought, it is not worth talking about any of these projects. Simply because over the past 20 years there have been a lot of loud and beautiful words, but there were no deeds from the word "absolutely".
To other planets flew vehicles of any country, but not Russia. We didn't work on asteroids. We didn't photograph satellites and comets. Yes, we weren't everywhere. We only regularly carried food, water, fuel and crews to the ISS, which was also built mostly not by us. On ships and rockets sixty years ago.
This is what "we" can do. More precisely, “Roskosmos”, turned into a platform for money laundering.
“Of course, this is a long way off, even if the development of the project in this direction is given the green light, if funding is allocated. But in any case, Burevestnik is the first step in this direction. "
Oh yes, here Timokhin is right again. I can already hear how the saws howled, ready to work out and master the next budget billions. We can do that too.
They can beautifully tell tales about nuclear rocket planes, reusable polymer spacecraft, lunar stations ... Zipper, zip, zip ...
I understand that in our time there simply must be at least some kind of reversal. Well, at least a tiny one, the size of this "Petrel", which does not fly yet, but already fills in full on the pages of the media. Another scary tale for the whole world.
For the sake of fairness: this "Petrel" did not frighten the Americans at all. They understand that raising a crowd of F-16s and shooting down a subsonic apparatus with missiles is a trifling matter. More resentment is in Europe, over which these radioactive missiles can fly.
Even if something is feared overseas - it's quite a chemical ICBM and hypersonic missiles.
The fact that the old Soviet YARD project was removed from the archives and collected from new materials is not a step forward. This is two steps back. From impotence to do something really modern. We have neither personnel, nor technology, nor opportunities for this.
Alas, this is so. Hence "Poseidon" and "Petrel", to which there are so many questions that there is no one to answer them. Old Soviet developments, which were abandoned in the USSR due to their insolvency.
And now is this our perspective?
A sad prospect, I must say.
“Petrel may have even more ambitious prospects. We all just need to really want it, and everything will work out. "
Well yes. Bury in a hole, pour with water, salt and say the magic words "Crack, fex, pex." And wait for the magic tree to grow.
Alexander Timokhin wrote a very optimistic tale. Beautiful. For a minute, even allowing us to believe that the project sixty years ago will allow us to make some kind of leap forward and get ahead of everyone in space ...
But all the difference between a fairy tale and reality is that it is a fairy tale. And reality does not necessarily have a happy ending in the form of tricolor rocket planes with nuclear engines taking off from the Yuzhny cosmodrome and heading for Saturn.
Indeed, too much has been reset over the past two decades. And our space industry, from development to production, in accordance with a mathematical formula tends to zero.
And to hope that "Burevestnik" will be able to interrupt this process is somewhat ... presumptuous.
Although there is one option when "Petrel" can be useful. This is if you fuck them here:
And then, as we always had historically, roll up our sleeves and start again from the beginning. Then maybe something will work out.
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