If you could ask Sergei a question...

[xenomorph555]

Lets pretend that sergei korolev lived up until 1995 after the soviet union collapsed (he would be around 90), now imagine you were around at that time and could talk to him somehow, what question would you ask him?

[xcorps]

So how'd you like that whole comradely communism thing, there, Tovarich?

[rdfox]

Actually, one of the first things I'd ask him is what he thinks of the US's current workhorse expendable booster being powered by the RD-180...

After that, I'd ask about some of the things that still aren't clear about the Soviet program, like whether the N-1's first stage design was due to an inability to solve the combustion instability problems that plagued very large single-barrel engines (the Saturn V's F-1 engines blew up regularly on the test stand in the early part of development), limited test stand capacity for large engines, or an early attempt at creating the effect of a toroidal aerospike engine with the air venting through between the outer ring and central core of engines. It'd be nice to find out exactly *why*, in that example, they decided to go with thirty little engines instead of a smaller number of larger engines.

Beyond that, I'd also want to get his opinions on various rocket designs, ranging from real-world ones like the SpaceX Falcon series, to studied-but-never-built ones like the Saturn V derivatives proposed in the late 60s (including the S-ID "stage-and-a-half" version of the first stage, which would work like the Atlas booster and jettison the outboard engines once they were no longer strictly necessary, though unlike Atlas, the proposal was that this would allow recovery and reuse of the outboard engines), to even possible ways that he could have further developed the N-1 for the future, had it succeeded. (Again, my first thought on the N-1 is making it a stage-and-a-half first stage design, jettisoning either the outer ring of engines, or, if they were intended to act as a toroidal aerospike, jettisoning the *inner* core engines...)

[Motokid600]

The lack of larger engines was due to... Some kind of embargo I thought. They mention it in that documentary "Engines from the Cold". Because, yes that's what I'd ask as well. Why not fewer, larger engines on the N1.

[xenomorph555]

The lack of larger engines was due to... Some kind of embargo I thought. They mention it in that documentary "Engines from the Cold". Because, yes that's what I'd ask as well. Why not fewer, larger engines on the N1.

I can actually answer this one, Korolev went to glushko for big, powerful lox, rp1 engines but glushko would only give small, toxic propellent engines. So Sergei went to the ussr's best jet engine designer who created the nk-33's for the n-1 which would require 24, but they weren't ready so Mishin used the nk-15's (30 of them) to save time.

[Javster]

Bro, do you even space?

Nah, I'd ask something like "how would you get people interested in space again" or "what do you think is the future of spaceflight?"

[Kryten]

I can actually answer this one, Korolev went to glushko for big, powerful lox, rp1 engines but glushko would only give small, toxic propellent engines.

Toxic yes, small no. Glushko designed the F-1 scale RD-270 for UR-700, and got it to the testing phase.

[xenomorph555]

Toxic yes, small no. Glushko designed the F-1 scale RD-270 for UR-700, and got it to the testing phase.

That might have been after the f-1's started working without a problem, beforehand he was scared of combustion instability.

[Voidryder]

So we're back in 1995, right? Here's my questions:

1) Can I have your autograph, please?

2) How did it feel when your N-1 put the first man on the moon in '68? (Hey, if he lived, who's to say the USSR wouldn't have beaten the US?)

3) How do you feel about the current joint efforts of the USA and Russia to land a man on Mars before the year 2000?

(Went with the whole alternative history thing.)

[theend3r]

So we're back in 1995, right? Here's my questions:

1) Can I have your autograph, please?

2) How did it feel when your N-1 put the first man on the moon in '68? (Hey, if he lived, who's to say the USSR wouldn't have beaten the US?)

3) How do you feel about the current joint efforts of the USA and Russia to land a man on Mars before the year 2000?

(Went with the whole alternative history thing.)

I live in the wrong timeline