Soyuz 7K-L1
Encyclopedia
The Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft was designed to launch men from the Earth to circle the Moon without going into lunar orbit in the context of the Soviet manned moon-flyby program
in Moon race. It was based on the Soyuz 7K-OK
with several components stripped out to reduce the vehicle weight. The most notable modifications included the removal of the orbital module (providing extra space for living quarters or equipment) and a reserve parachute; and addition of the gyro platform and star navigation sensors for the far space navigation and the high-gain parabolic antenna. The spacecraft was capable of carrying 2 cosmonauts. In the beginning there were serious reliability problems with both the new Proton rocket and the similar new Soyuz spacecraft.
Soviet space program conspiracy accusations
suppose that Yuri Gagarin
, first cosmonaut (astronaut) and head of Soviet "moon" team of cosmonauts, died during the alleged unsuccessful first manned flight around Moon onboard Zond 4
at 2–7 March 1968, not in the officially announced air crash of 27 March 1968. But after 4 unsuccessful unmanned test starts (see below), at that time the L1 spacecraft was not ready for manned missions. The mission of 2–7 March really was the first flight of the L1 spacecraft under the open designation "Zond".
After the successful US Apollo 8
manned flight around Moon, the Soviet manned moon-flyby missions lost political motivation. The first manned flight of the L1/Zond spacecraft with Alexey Leonov and Valery Bykovsky planned for the end of 1968 into 1969 was cancelled.
All L1/Zond spacecraft made only unmanned automatic flights from 1967–1970, from (Zond 4
to Zond 8), and four of these five Zond flights suffered malfunctions that would have injured or killed any crew.
Test flights conducted around the Moon showed problems using their star sensors for navigation. These problems caused ballistic reentry due to the failed guidance. One direct descent re-entry was performed on a steep ballistic trajectory with deceleration of up to 20 Gs and splashed down in the Indian Ocean. Three others performed a maneuver known as "skip reentry
" to shed velocity. One of those also performed an unsafe (for humans) descent of up to 20 Gs of deceleration, the other suffered main parachute failure, and only one flight - Zond 7
- would have been safe for cosmonauts.
Instrumentation flown on these missions gathered data on micrometeor flux, solar and cosmic ray
s, magnetic field
s, radio emissions, and solar wind
. Many photographs were taken and biological payloads were also flown. Zond 5
was the first spacecraft to carry a group of terrestrial creatures (tortoises being the most complex) on a circumlunar flight and return relatively safely to Earth. Zond 5
splashed down in the Indian Ocean after descending steeply with a 20 G deceleration rate. Although unsafe for humans these high Gs apparently didn't affect the tortoises' health, and they were reportedly able to breed afterwards.
The information display systems
(IDS) on the L1 was called "Saturn" and featured some differences from the standard 7K-OK "Sirius-7K" IDS.
Along with the remaining 7K-L1s, the Soviet moon-flyby program was closed in 1970 without the achievement of its manned primary goal. The intended manned use of L1/Zond spacecraft was documented in official Soviet sources at first time but from 1968 until 1989 this and the moon-landing N1-L3 programs were classified and the Soviet government denied the existence of both.
Mission
In July 1968 it was proposed that L1 spacecraft would be launched every month, and the first manned mission would be in December 1968 or January 1969 after 3-4 successful unmanned flights. In December 1969 dates for three manned L1 missions were set to March, May, and July 1969. Finally, in September 1969 one manned L1 mission was formally set for April 1970.
Soviet Moonshot
The Soviet manned lunar programs were a series of programs pursued by the Soviet Union to land a man on the Moon in competition with the United States Apollo program to achieve the same goal set publicly by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961...
in Moon race. It was based on the Soyuz 7K-OK
Soyuz 7K-OK
The manned Soyuz spacecraft can be classified into design generations. Soyuz 1 through Soyuz 11 were first-generation vehicles, carrying a crew of up to three without spacesuits and distinguished from those following by their bent solar panels and their use of the Igla automatic docking navigation...
with several components stripped out to reduce the vehicle weight. The most notable modifications included the removal of the orbital module (providing extra space for living quarters or equipment) and a reserve parachute; and addition of the gyro platform and star navigation sensors for the far space navigation and the high-gain parabolic antenna. The spacecraft was capable of carrying 2 cosmonauts. In the beginning there were serious reliability problems with both the new Proton rocket and the similar new Soyuz spacecraft.
Soviet space program conspiracy accusations
Soviet space program conspiracy accusations
Lost Cosmonauts, or Phantom Cosmonauts, is a conspiracy theory alleging that cosmonauts entered outer space, but without their existence having been acknowledged by either the Soviet or Russian space authorities....
suppose that Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
, first cosmonaut (astronaut) and head of Soviet "moon" team of cosmonauts, died during the alleged unsuccessful first manned flight around Moon onboard Zond 4
Zond 4
Zond 4, a formal component of the Soviet Zond program and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned Moon-flyby spacecraft, was one of the first Soviet experiments towards manned circumlunar spaceflight. It was launched to test the spaceworthiness of the new capsule and to gather data about flights in...
at 2–7 March 1968, not in the officially announced air crash of 27 March 1968. But after 4 unsuccessful unmanned test starts (see below), at that time the L1 spacecraft was not ready for manned missions. The mission of 2–7 March really was the first flight of the L1 spacecraft under the open designation "Zond".
After the successful US Apollo 8
Apollo 8
Apollo 8, the second manned mission in the American Apollo space program, was the first human spaceflight to leave Earth orbit; the first to be captured by and escape from the gravitational field of another celestial body; and the first crewed voyage to return to Earth from another celestial...
manned flight around Moon, the Soviet manned moon-flyby missions lost political motivation. The first manned flight of the L1/Zond spacecraft with Alexey Leonov and Valery Bykovsky planned for the end of 1968 into 1969 was cancelled.
All L1/Zond spacecraft made only unmanned automatic flights from 1967–1970, from (Zond 4
Zond 4
Zond 4, a formal component of the Soviet Zond program and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned Moon-flyby spacecraft, was one of the first Soviet experiments towards manned circumlunar spaceflight. It was launched to test the spaceworthiness of the new capsule and to gather data about flights in...
to Zond 8), and four of these five Zond flights suffered malfunctions that would have injured or killed any crew.
Test flights conducted around the Moon showed problems using their star sensors for navigation. These problems caused ballistic reentry due to the failed guidance. One direct descent re-entry was performed on a steep ballistic trajectory with deceleration of up to 20 Gs and splashed down in the Indian Ocean. Three others performed a maneuver known as "skip reentry
Skip reentry
Skip reentry is a reentry technique involving one or more successive "skips" off the atmosphere to achieve greater entry range or to slow the spacecraft before final entry, which helps to dissipate the huge amount of heat that is usually generated on faster descents...
" to shed velocity. One of those also performed an unsafe (for humans) descent of up to 20 Gs of deceleration, the other suffered main parachute failure, and only one flight - Zond 7
Zond 7
This article was originally based on material from ...
- would have been safe for cosmonauts.
Instrumentation flown on these missions gathered data on micrometeor flux, solar and cosmic ray
Cosmic ray
Cosmic rays are energetic charged subatomic particles, originating from outer space. They may produce secondary particles that penetrate the Earth's atmosphere and surface. The term ray is historical as cosmic rays were thought to be electromagnetic radiation...
s, magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
s, radio emissions, and solar wind
Solar wind
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles ejected from the upper atmosphere of the Sun. It mostly consists of electrons and protons with energies usually between 1.5 and 10 keV. The stream of particles varies in temperature and speed over time...
. Many photographs were taken and biological payloads were also flown. Zond 5
Zond 5
Zond 5, a formal member of the Soviet Zond program and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned moon-flyby spacecraft, was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik in Earth parking orbit to make scientific studies during a lunar flyby and to return to Earth....
was the first spacecraft to carry a group of terrestrial creatures (tortoises being the most complex) on a circumlunar flight and return relatively safely to Earth. Zond 5
Zond 5
Zond 5, a formal member of the Soviet Zond program and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned moon-flyby spacecraft, was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik in Earth parking orbit to make scientific studies during a lunar flyby and to return to Earth....
splashed down in the Indian Ocean after descending steeply with a 20 G deceleration rate. Although unsafe for humans these high Gs apparently didn't affect the tortoises' health, and they were reportedly able to breed afterwards.
The information display systems
Information display systems
"Information display systems" is the general designation for the control panels and displays of Russian spacecraft. For example, the original Soyuz 7K-OK spacecraft used the "Sirius-7k" IDS.-See also:...
(IDS) on the L1 was called "Saturn" and featured some differences from the standard 7K-OK "Sirius-7K" IDS.
Along with the remaining 7K-L1s, the Soviet moon-flyby program was closed in 1970 without the achievement of its manned primary goal. The intended manned use of L1/Zond spacecraft was documented in official Soviet sources at first time but from 1968 until 1989 this and the moon-landing N1-L3 programs were classified and the Soviet government denied the existence of both.
Planned schedule
As of 1967, the Soyuz 7K-L1 launch schedule was:Mission
- 2P -Develop Block D stage -Feb or Mar 67
- 3P -same -Mar 67
- 4L -Unmanned lunar flyby -May 67 (actually launched on September 27, 1967, booster failure)
- 5L -Unmanned lunar flyby -Jun 67 (actually launched on November 22, 1967, booster failure)
- 6L -Manned lunar flyby -Jun or Jul 67
- 7L&8L -Manned lunar flybys -Aug 67 (7L actually launched on April 23, 1968 as Zond 1968A, booster failure; 8L actually launched on July 21, 1968, booster explosion)
- 9L&10L -Manned lunar flybys -Sep 67 (10L planned to launch as Zond 9, cancelled)
- 11L&12L -Manned lunar flybys -Oct 67
- 13L -Reserve spacecraft (actually launched on January 20, 1969 as Zond 1969A, booster failure;)
In July 1968 it was proposed that L1 spacecraft would be launched every month, and the first manned mission would be in December 1968 or January 1969 after 3-4 successful unmanned flights. In December 1969 dates for three manned L1 missions were set to March, May, and July 1969. Finally, in September 1969 one manned L1 mission was formally set for April 1970.
Built spacecraft
Fifteen Soyuz 7K-L1 were built.- s/n 1 - prototype not equipped with heat shield, intended to perfect orbital operation of the spacecraft without recovery of the capsule. Launched on 1967 March 10 as Cosmos 146
- s/n 2 - prototype not equipped with heat shield, intended to perfect orbital operation of the spacecraft without recovery of the capsule.
- s/n 3 - Launched on 1967 April 8 as Cosmos 154
- s/n 4 - launched on September 27, 1967 as Zond 1967AZond 1967ASoyuz 7K-L1 No.4L, sometimes identified by NASA as Zond 1967A, was a Soviet spacecraft which was launched in 1967 as part of the Zond programme. It was a Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft, the first of nine to be launched...
, booster failure - s/n 5 - launched on November 22, 1967 as Zond 1967BZond 1967BSoyuz 7K-L1 No.5L, sometimes identified by NASA as Zond 1967B, was a Soviet spacecraft which was launched in 1967 as part of the Zond programme. It was a Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft, the second of nine to be launched...
, booster failure - s/n 6 - launched on 1968 March 2 as Zond 4Zond 4Zond 4, a formal component of the Soviet Zond program and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned Moon-flyby spacecraft, was one of the first Soviet experiments towards manned circumlunar spaceflight. It was launched to test the spaceworthiness of the new capsule and to gather data about flights in...
- s/n 7 - launched on April 23, 1968 as Zond 1968A, destroyed
- s/n 8 - launched on July 21, 1968, destroyed
- s/n 9 - launched on 1968 September 14 as Zond 5Zond 5Zond 5, a formal member of the Soviet Zond program and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned moon-flyby spacecraft, was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik in Earth parking orbit to make scientific studies during a lunar flyby and to return to Earth....
. The return capsule is on display at the Energia Museum, in Russia. - s/n 10 - planned to launch as Zond 9, canceled
- s/n 11 - launched as Zond 7Zond 7This article was originally based on material from ...
. The return capsule is on display at Orevo, Russia. - s/n 12 - launched on November 10, 1968 as Zond 6Zond 6Zond 6, a formal member of the Soviet Zond program and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned moon-flyby spacecraft, was launched on a lunar flyby mission from a parent satellite in Earth parking orbit...
, returned to Earth on November 17, 1968 - s/n 13 - launched on January 20, 1969 as Zond 1969A, failure, capsule recovered.
- s/n 14 - launched on October 20, 1970 as Zond 8, returned to Earth on October 27, 1970
- s/n 15 - planned to launch as Zond 10, canceled
Test missions
- Cosmos 146 (Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 1)
- Launched March 10, 1967
- Prototype Soyuz 7K-L1P launched by Proton into planned highly elliptical earth orbit.
- Cosmos 154 (Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 3)
- Launched April 8, 1967
- Prototype Soyuz 7K-L1P launched by Proton and failed into planned translunar trajectory.
- Soyuz 7K-L1 No.4L (Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 4L)
- Launched September 27, 1967
- First stage -1 RD-253 failed, resulting at T+67 sec in deviation from flight path.
- Soyuz 7K-L1 No.5L (Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 5L)
- Launched November 22, 1967
- Second stage - 1 x RD-0210 failure, shutoff of stage 4 seconds after ignition. Launcher crashed downrange.
- Zond 4Zond 4Zond 4, a formal component of the Soviet Zond program and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned Moon-flyby spacecraft, was one of the first Soviet experiments towards manned circumlunar spaceflight. It was launched to test the spaceworthiness of the new capsule and to gather data about flights in...
(Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 6)- Launched March 2, 1968
- Study of remote regions of circumterrestrial space, development of new on-board systems and units of space stations.
- Returned to Earth March 7, 1968 - Self destruct system automatically blew up the capsule at 10 to 15 km altitude, 180–200 km off the African coast at Guinea.
- Zond 1968A (Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 7L)
- Launched April 23, 1968
- Second stage failed 260 seconds after launch.
- Attempted Lunar flyby
- Zond 1968B (Zond 7K-L1 s/n 8L)
- Launched July 21, 1968
- Block D stage exploded on pad, killing three people.
- Zond 5Zond 5Zond 5, a formal member of the Soviet Zond program and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned moon-flyby spacecraft, was launched from a Tyazheliy Sputnik in Earth parking orbit to make scientific studies during a lunar flyby and to return to Earth....
(Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 5)- Launched September 15, 1968
- Circumlunar September 18, 1968
- Returned to Earth September 21, 1968
- Zond 6Zond 6Zond 6, a formal member of the Soviet Zond program and unmanned version of Soyuz 7K-L1 manned moon-flyby spacecraft, was launched on a lunar flyby mission from a parent satellite in Earth parking orbit...
(Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 12)- Launched November 10, 1968
- Circumlunar November 14, 1968
- Returned to Earth November 17, 1968
- Zond 1969A (Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 13L)
- Launched January 20, 1969 (planned December 8, 1968)
- Stage two shutdown 25 seconds early. Automatic flight abort. Capsule was safely recovered.
- Attempted Lunar flyby (planned first manned flight to beat American)
- Zond L1S-1
- Launched February 21, 1969
- First stage failure. Capsule escape system fired 70 seconds after launch. Capsule was recovered.
- Attempted Lunar orbiter and N1 rocketN1 rocketN-1 was a heavy lift rocket intended to deliver payloads beyond low Earth orbit, acting as the Soviet counterpart to the NASA Saturn V rocket. This heavy lift booster had the capability of lifting very heavy loads into orbit, designed with manned extra-orbital travel in mind...
test
- Zond L1S-2
- Launched July 3, 1969
- First stage failure. Zond capsule was recovered.
- Attempted Lunar orbiter and N1 rocketN1 rocketN-1 was a heavy lift rocket intended to deliver payloads beyond low Earth orbit, acting as the Soviet counterpart to the NASA Saturn V rocket. This heavy lift booster had the capability of lifting very heavy loads into orbit, designed with manned extra-orbital travel in mind...
test
- Zond 7Zond 7This article was originally based on material from ...
(Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 11)- Launched August 7, 1969
- Lunar flyby August 11, 1969
- Returned to Earth August 14, 1969
- Zond 8 (Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 14)
- Launched October 20, 1970
- Lunar flyby October 24, 1970
- Returned to Earth October 27, 1970
- Zond 9 (Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 10L)
- Planned but canceled
- Zond 10 (Soyuz 7K-L1 s/n 15L)
- Planned but canceled