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Soviets in space (7)
straight out of OTL (Siddqi) A Buran soviet space shuttle ? what is that ?
27 May 1972
TECHNICAL PROPOSALS FOR THE CREATION OF THE N1-L3M COMPLEX APPROVED.
The first N-1 places a large 24-tonne lunar lander descent stage, the GB-1, based on block D, in lunar orbit.
Independently, a second N-1 delivers a three-man lunar lander and return spacecraft, GB-2, to link up with the descent stage. Together they descend to the lunar surface.
Initially, three cosmonauts works on the moon for a full lunar day (14 Earth days) but this is later extended to be a month or longer.
Eventually, four cosmonauts live on the moon for a year at a time. The ascent stage has a mass of 19.5 tonnes on launch from the moon and 8.4 tonnes during trans-Earth coast.
Launch is direct back to Earth without any manoeuvres in lunar orbit. The lander incorporates Soyuz within a cocooned habitation block, or OB, a sort of hangar. The crew can climb out of Soyuz into the hangar, put on their spacesuits there and use the hangar as a pressurization chamber before their descent to the lunar surface.
A new engine and new fuel are developed for the N1-L3M lunar module by Valentin Glushko's OKB-486 design bureau.
The L3M RD-510 engine has 12 tonnes thrust. The fuel is hydrogen peroxide, also called High Test Peroxide (HTP).
Like Glushko's favourite fuel, nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide can be kept at room temperatures for long periods.
Hydrogen peroxide has one advantage over nitrogen-based fuels: it does not require the mixing of a fuel with a oxidizer.
It is a monopropellant, requiring one tank and a means of igniting the rocket (metallic filings are inserted). There is no need to mix in the product of two tanks in a very precise ratio to get the desired thrust. Nor is HTP toxic.
The Americans may have been first to the moon, but the Soviet Union will build the first moon base. The dual N-1 mission could take place in the late 1970s. We should consider turning the moon base into the first military headquarters off the planet.