Angara: Triumph or Oblivion. 2 part
From Ukraine - back to the USSR
I must say that the Zenith launch vehicle was more fortunate in this regard. Yes, the space program "Energy-Buran" was closed, but we have "Zenith", which was the side unit of the first stage of the launch vehicle "Energy". Therefore, the "Energy-Buran" program can be reanimated relatively quickly and inexpensively And it is absolutely necessary to restore all this because in the 30 years the space design thought in the world has not advanced a single step. Judge for yourself: Von Braun’s “moon” rocket, the Saturn-5, turned out to be a “dead end dinosaur” of cosmic evolution, the absence of a modular production principle made it “inflexible” under the range of tasks set, add to this the unsuitability of increasing load capacity and, naturally, its astronomical expensive. True, at that time America did not pay attention to such “trifles”. After all, the prestige of the “free world civilization” was put on the line, and the dollars will still be printed.
Nevertheless, it is obvious that the Saturn-type rocket will never be produced anywhere, the “lunar euphoria” has disappeared, and the rocket has also disappeared. An even more terrible joke, “besmodulnost” made with the “Shuttle”: besides the fact that it turned out to be super-expensive, it also turned out to be extremely complicated and therefore unsafe.
On the example of "Energy-Buran" this can be explained as follows. Soviet designers initially "separated flies from cutlets." The rocket and the shuttle are two separate, self-sufficient structures. If there is a problem with the “Buran”, then “Energy” takes another ship or cargo (not necessarily a shuttle) and flies anywhere: if you want - to the Moon, and you want to go to Mars! After all, it all depends on the design of the ship and the layout of the modules on the carrier. Let me remind you that the cargo potential of these carriers is virtually limitless. For example, the layout of the "Volcano-Hercules" is able to take up to near-earth orbit up to 200 tons of cargo! Von Braun with his 140 t nervously smokes on the sidelines. As for the Energia launch vehicle, the principle is the same. If for any reason we do not need such a powerful rocket yet, then its component parts-modules fly into orbit, in this case the Zenith rocket. Amazing You are just amazed at the ingenious vision of the designers of the Soviet school!
As for the Shuttle, the American designers did not put the principle of self-sufficient modularity into it. They, in the literal sense of the word, did not know what to do with this “priceless treasure”. If one part of the indivisible System fails (I mean the death of 14 astronauts on the Challenger and Columbia), then the entire system is dumped into a landfill. And indeed, the fuel tank with solid-fuel boosters did not learn to fly independently into space, and it is almost impossible to hook the shuttle onto another rocket. Even if (theoretically, of course) this would have been done, the Shuttle would carry three heavy cruise engines into orbit and back with dead weight, which it could not use even during landing.
As you know, the shuttle was planning to land, not being able to go to the second round, which, of course, did not add security to the ship. If we touch on the topic of safety, it is enough to recall one fact: the pilots of the Shuttle, in contrast to the Buran, did not even have an ejection seat.
I must say that the Zenith launch vehicle was more fortunate in this regard. Yes, the space program "Energy-Buran" was closed, but we have "Zenith", which was the side unit of the first stage of the launch vehicle "Energy". Therefore, the "Energy-Buran" program can be reanimated relatively quickly and inexpensively And it is absolutely necessary to restore all this because in the 30 years the space design thought in the world has not advanced a single step. Judge for yourself: Von Braun’s “moon” rocket, the Saturn-5, turned out to be a “dead end dinosaur” of cosmic evolution, the absence of a modular production principle made it “inflexible” under the range of tasks set, add to this the unsuitability of increasing load capacity and, naturally, its astronomical expensive. True, at that time America did not pay attention to such “trifles”. After all, the prestige of the “free world civilization” was put on the line, and the dollars will still be printed.
Nevertheless, it is obvious that the Saturn-type rocket will never be produced anywhere, the “lunar euphoria” has disappeared, and the rocket has also disappeared. An even more terrible joke, “besmodulnost” made with the “Shuttle”: besides the fact that it turned out to be super-expensive, it also turned out to be extremely complicated and therefore unsafe.
On the example of "Energy-Buran" this can be explained as follows. Soviet designers initially "separated flies from cutlets." The rocket and the shuttle are two separate, self-sufficient structures. If there is a problem with the “Buran”, then “Energy” takes another ship or cargo (not necessarily a shuttle) and flies anywhere: if you want - to the Moon, and you want to go to Mars! After all, it all depends on the design of the ship and the layout of the modules on the carrier. Let me remind you that the cargo potential of these carriers is virtually limitless. For example, the layout of the "Volcano-Hercules" is able to take up to near-earth orbit up to 200 tons of cargo! Von Braun with his 140 t nervously smokes on the sidelines. As for the Energia launch vehicle, the principle is the same. If for any reason we do not need such a powerful rocket yet, then its component parts-modules fly into orbit, in this case the Zenith rocket. Amazing You are just amazed at the ingenious vision of the designers of the Soviet school!
As for the Shuttle, the American designers did not put the principle of self-sufficient modularity into it. They, in the literal sense of the word, did not know what to do with this “priceless treasure”. If one part of the indivisible System fails (I mean the death of 14 astronauts on the Challenger and Columbia), then the entire system is dumped into a landfill. And indeed, the fuel tank with solid-fuel boosters did not learn to fly independently into space, and it is almost impossible to hook the shuttle onto another rocket. Even if (theoretically, of course) this would have been done, the Shuttle would carry three heavy cruise engines into orbit and back with dead weight, which it could not use even during landing.
As you know, the shuttle was planning to land, not being able to go to the second round, which, of course, did not add security to the ship. If we touch on the topic of safety, it is enough to recall one fact: the pilots of the Shuttle, in contrast to the Buran, did not even have an ejection seat.
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