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Rise of the N-2


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Russia announced in december last year that they were looking into a super heavy launcher to rival america's and accomplish their moon base goal (sounds like a similar situation don't you think). A few days ago it was announced that the project had been greenlighted and possibly funded, we don't what it will look like, how much it will carry or its name. But as the successor to the N-1, it would be "fitting" to name christen it the N-2! :cool:

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Now, if only we could make it a three-way.

Meanwhile in china...

http://www.examiner.com/article/chinese-engineers-propose-long-march-9-super-heavy-moon-rocket

- - - Updated - - -

They've announced this about four times already. In all likelihood no actual progress will occur until SLS flys, if then.

Not really, last time they attempted super heavy was energia.

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See now, the only problem is the U.S. seems to have completely abandoned the moon base idea. We've got Russia and China still wanting to go at it.

Instead of Space Race 2, could we call this the... Space Base Race?

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Meanwhile in china...

...a company waves about plans with no government backing. It doesn't exactly mean much.

Not really, last time they attempted super heavy was energia.

I mean this specific 'new' proposal. It's been public and part of official policy since 2012.

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...a company waves about plans with no government backing. It doesn't exactly mean much.

I mean this specific 'new' proposal. It's been public and part of official policy since 2012.

1. The LM9 idea has been around for years, I don't know if it will happen but if china wants a Super heavy they will go with LM9. (Also not just "a company" were talking about the national agency)

2. SLS has also been around for quite a few years...

Edited by xenomorph555
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1. The LM9 idea has been around for years, I don't know if it will happen but if china wants a Super heavy they will go with LM9. (Also not just "a company" were talking about the national agency)

It's a company. It's a proposal by CAST with no government support, same as the CZ-5 was for several years.

2. SLS has also been around for quite a few years...

SLS has an actual design, a schedule, and is actually being built. This thing has no actual design, is to take off from a launch site that's a hole in the ground, and there's no schedule more precise than 'first launch in the the 2020s'.

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Now, if only we could make it a three-way.

That's what she said! Giggity!

In all seriousness though, I doubt there'll be another space race. This is simply due to the fact that (For the most part) even though everything the Americans (I understand that there are people who do care and do understand, but they are the severe minority.) know and love is built upon space and the technology it has produced, they don't give a damn, and will tear away at the throat of a politician who even proposes such a thing. I think Russia still isn't in a position economically to attempt something of this magnitude, unless it has major military backing, and at that point the rest of the world will try to veto it because they don't want space turning into a battleground or a staging point for WWIII. If anything, Russia's plans are (Unfortunately) going to fall apart, China will soldier on, and America will act like neither of them really exist, and sit in the corner twiddling it's thumbs.

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YES! A new Space Race! Just what we need!

No.

A space race is not sustainable. Where have we gone since we beat the Soviets to the Moon? Nowhere but LEO, and the whole Orion/SLS program is going to do the same thing. We'll land on Mars, do some science, pose for some pictures, and then it'll all be forgotten for another fifty years.

What we need is something like the Nautilus-X. A multi-mission spacecraft that can carry people and cargo between planets and carry out designated missions. Let's stop trying to outrun the competition and start focusing on doing science for science's sake!

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for russia, there would have been Vulkan, an energia derived concept (8x zenit first stages around an energia core stage, with an energia M on top)

the only problem - Zenit is ukrainian. so i don't think russia would want to use parts made from other countries for a super heavy launcher (even without the current problems in Ukraine)

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No.

A space race is not sustainable. Where have we gone since we beat the Soviets to the Moon? Nowhere but LEO, and the whole Orion/SLS program is going to do the same thing. We'll land on Mars, do some science, pose for some pictures, and then it'll all be forgotten for another fifty years.

What we need is something like the Nautilus-X. A multi-mission spacecraft that can carry people and cargo between planets and carry out designated missions. Let's stop trying to outrun the competition and start focusing on doing science for science's sake!

Unfortunately, unless we can develop a device that will instill an AMBIENT interest in space into the entire population, "Showing other countries who's boss" is the only way to motivate enough people to get adequate funding.

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N-1 is not the name of the rocket ... It translates as "carrier 1", as I recall the N-1 was to get the official name of "Raskat".But the rocket did not fly. :-)

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Also I can say that today Russia is working on Angara "after a hard class of rocket refused," and over the PTK NP.Roscosmos has not even decided on the Rocket, and not to mention what that lunar bases...

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N-1 is not the name of the rocket ... It translates as "carrier 1", as I recall the N-1 was to get the official name of "Raskat".But the rocket did not fly. :-)

It did, 4 times in fact. Each does not last more than a few minutes, and destroys each test vehicle used.

One ended in a particularly big explosion that wrecked the launch pad, needing 18 months to repair.

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It did, 4 times in fact. Each does not last more than a few minutes, and destroys each test vehicle used.

One ended in a particularly big explosion that wrecked the launch pad, needing 18 months to repair.

As I understand Piwa meant that the N-1 rocket is a designation, not its name. Name N-2 can not be.

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eh, the first space race was about missiles and defense, i don't see the motivation nowadays

Well in some cases, rare earth metals = common moon metals. And given how a lot of our advanced technology relies on them, if we ever hit a serious shortage, the moon could get interesting, REALLY quick.

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Well in some cases, rare earth metals = common moon metals. And given how a lot of our advanced technology relies on them, if we ever hit a serious shortage, the moon could get interesting, REALLY quick.

The real-world solution seems to be to gain control of the economies of the african countries. At least that's what China seems to think... If you want the cold war back, that's one aspect of it that is much more likely to reappear than the next space race. As in the cold war, the casualties will go largely unnoticed in the "developed world".

As to Russia, I would really like to see them show more commitment to unmanned planetary exploration. They once were pretty good at that, see their Venera program, and they have accomplished exactly nothing in that field under Putin, not even tried, if I didn't miss anything.

Of course, that wouldn't let you get any political gains from the current nationalist fever, but then again, I'm quite sure this project will just go nowhere as they know just as well that the money is better invested in the economy and the military.

I think it's quite funny how posters here label any political opposition to manned space travel as populism by idiotic politicians, but applaud blatant nationalist propaganda paper projects if it seems to further their prefered pork subject, even there's no money put behind it. But hey, it's not my tax money going towards any of those projects, so feel free to show off, I will just sit by the sidelines, enjoy the show and laugh. The best space race is one where you just stand by the sidelines and enjoy the fireworks. I'd rather have the grand powers pour their money into those "crown juwels" than into tanks and fighter jets.

Edited by Lexif
typo
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