Vostok Hunt

[MaxwellsDemon]

Fiddling around with Russian spacecraft history... was trying to come up with a list of all known Vostok (non-Zenit) spaceframes and what happened to them.  I'm coming up with two missing.

To summarize:

Firstly, there were two 1KP originally authorized, but Korolev elected not to build the second of these.  1KP(-1) was launched as Korabl-Sputnik 1 on 15 May 1960.

There were either four or six 1K craft authorized before moving on to the 3KA version (the man-rated Vostok).

1K-1, carrying dogs Lisichka and Chayka was lost in a launch failure on 28 Jul 1960.

1K-2, carrying dogs Strelka and Belka, flew as Korabl-Sputnik 2 on 20 Aug 1960.

1K-5, carrying dogs Pchelka and Mushka, was launched 1 Dec 1960 and announced as Korabl-Sputnik 3, but was lost upon reentry.

1K-6, carrying dogs Kometka and Shutka, failed to orbit on 22 Dec 1960 (the dogs survived).

Korabl-Sputniks 4 and 5, each carrying a mannequin and a dog (Chernushka and Zvezdochka, respectively) followed in early 1961, but these were Vostok 3KA craft.

In Chertok's memoirs, Volume 3, he clearly identifies the third and fourth 1K canine flights (1 Dec 60 and 22 Dec 60) as craft numbers 5 and 6.   So what happened to spaceframes 1K-3 and 1K-4?

If there were unreported launch failures in the September-October 1960 timeframe, that would be right for these two craft (I presume there's not time after the Nedelin disaster that temporarily halted operations, and that the next launch after that was 1K-5), but I haven't seen anything to indicate two failed launches from Baikonur in that timeframe.

I see this as leaving three possibilities:

1) There are two unreported launch failures between August and December 1960 that are unaccounted for;

or

2) The 1K-3 and 1K-4 craft were Zenit photoreconnaissance precursors and therefore "deeply" buried.  (They may not in fact have been launched, if there were technical difficulties, but they still may have been in the Zenit line of development.)

or

3) Chertok's numbers "5 and 6" include the two 1KPs (including the never-built one) in the count.

Any other possibilities?

Edited October 4, 2017 by MaxwellsDemon
addition

[Ultimate Steve]

I have absolutely no idea, but I do love a good mystery... I wish you luck! I'll be watching this!

[MaxwellsDemon]

Well, assuming case #3 from above... here's what I've got so far.   Hope this formats sensibly.

 

Spaceframe	Ordered	Launch	Landing	Mission	Notes
Vostok 1KP	4-Jun-60	15-May-60	--	Korabl-Sputnik 1 / Sputnik 4	Unmanned orbital test (reentered 5-Sep-62 or 15-Oct-65)
Vostok 1KP-2	4-Jun-60	--	--	--	(Not built.)
Vostok 1K-3	4-Jun-60	28-Jul-60	--	Korabl-Sputnik 2-1	Failed to reach orbit, dogs "Chayka" and "Lisichka" not recovered.  Unreported and missed by Western analysts.
Vostok 1K-4	4-Jun-60	19-Aug-60	19-Aug-60	Korabl-Sputnik 2 / Sputnik 5	Orbital test, dogs "Strelka" and "Belka" safely recovered.
Vostok 1K-5	4-Jun-60	1-Dec-60	--	Korabl-Sputnik 3 / Sputnik 6	Self-destruct on reentry, dogs "Pchelka" and "Mushka" lost.
Vostok 1K-6	4-Jun-60	22-Dec-60	--	Korabl-Sputnik 4-1 AKA 4A	Failed to reach orbit; dogs "Kometa" and "Shutka" recovered.
Vostok 3KA-1	4-Jun-60	9-Mar-61	9-Mar-61	Korabl-Sputnik 4 / Sputnik 9	Orbital test, mannequin and dog "Chernushka" recovered.
Vostok 3KA-2	4-Jun-60	25-Mar-61	25-Mar-61	Korabl-Sputnik 5 / Sputnik 10	Orbital test, mannequin and dog "Zvezdochka" recovered.
Vostok 3KA-3	4-Jun-60	12-Apr-61	12-Apr-61	Vostok 1	Orbital flight:  1 orbit.  First manned spaceflight.
Vostok 3KA-4		6-Aug-61	7-Aug-61	Vostok 2	Orbital flight:  17 orbits.
Vostok 3KA-5		11-Aug-62	14-Aug-62	Vostok 3	Orbital flight:  64 orbits.
Vostok 3KA-6		12-Aug-62	14-Aug-62	Vostok 4	Orbital flight:  48 orbits.
Vostok 3KA-7		14-Jun-63	18-Jun-63	Vostok 5	Orbital flight:  81 orbits.
Vostok 3KA-8		16-Jun-63	18-Jun-63	Vostok 6	Orbital flight:  48 orbits.
Vostok 3KA-9	Spring-63	(Winter-63)	--	(Vostok 7)	Flight cancelled.  Spaceframe converted to Voskhod 3KV-2.
Vostok 3KA-10	Spring-63	--	--	--	Spaceframe converted to Voskhod 3KV-3.
Vostok 3KA-11	Spring-63	--	--	--	Spaceframe converted to Voskhod (Vykhod) 3KD-1.
Vostok 3KA-12	Spring-63	--	--	--	Spaceframe converted to Voskhod (Vykhod) 3KD-4.
Vostok "Voskhod" 3KV-2	4-Feb-64	6-Oct-64	7-Oct-64	Kosmos 47	Unmanned Voskhod test, spacecraft recovered.
Vostok "Voskhod" 3KV-3	4-Feb-64	12-Oct-64	13-Oct-64	Voskhod 1	Orbital flight:  17 orbits.
Vostok "Vykhod" 3KD-1	4-Feb-64	22-Feb-65	--	Kosmos 57	Unmanned Voskhod + airlock test.  Entered wrong orbit and self-destructed.
Vostok "Vykhod" 3KD-4	4-Feb-64	18-Mar-65	19-Mar-65	Voskhod 2	Orbital flight:  18 orbits + EVA.
Vostok "Voskhod" 3KV-5	13-Apr-64	22-Feb-66	15-Mar-66	Kosmos 110	Endurance mission, dogs "Veterok" and "Ugolek" recovered.
Vostok "Voskhod" 3KV-6	13-Apr-64	(20-Mar-66)	(12-Apr-66)	(Voskhod 3)	Postponed to late April, then May 22, then July, then cancelled sometime after October.
Vostok "Voskhod" 3KV-7	13-Apr-64	--	--	(Voskhod 4)	Construction not completed.
Vostok "Vykhod" 3KD-8	13-Apr-64	--	--	(Voskhod 5)	(Not built.)
Vostok "Vykhod" 3KD-9	13-Apr-64	--	--	(Voskhod 6)	(Not built.)

Edited October 6, 2017 by MaxwellsDemon

[MaxwellsDemon]

Hm.  Just noticed that the table lists 1KP as launching before it was ordered... the "order dates" I'm using are those of the decrees (usually issued by the VPK, the Military-Industrial Commission)... obviously that one is retrospective.

Still a work in progress...