Best Soviet program?(poll)

[xenomorph555]

Since one was done for NASA I thought I would create one for the soviets.

My personal favourite is the buran program, very hard to choose since all the programs were epic.

[AletzN1]

Where's the poll?

Anyway, I'll say Soyus. Just... Sounds cool.

[xenomorph555]

Sorry about that, bit of a delay...

[jwenting]

define "best". As usual, such "polls" are utterly worthless as there's no criteria defined to make that decision.

[Kryten]

Polyus. Why? Giant space laser, that's why.

[astropapi1]

Best at what?

[Motokid600]

"Your favorite Soviet program" be more according. But I had to pick the N1.

[NASAFanboy]

Polyus.

Shame it fell into the ocean. I would've been so proud of Russia.

[Kavaeric]

Venera, because of the photos it sent back from Venus. As in, the surface. Of Venus. And it's every ounce of fear-quaking acid-raining pressure-crushing fear you've heard condensed into a couple photographs.

Ho-ly crap that is terrifying.

[Chadster]

I chose Soyuz. Yes, it's undergone some redesign since its first launch in the mid-'60s, but by and large, they've been using the same craft for almost 50 years. It's a workhorse.

Though I do give them a tip of the hat for their space station projects, though. Easily my "runner-up" choice.

[GJS]

Between the "Vostok" and "Mir", I do not even know what's best. Thanks Vostok mission we climbed above the heavens, thanks to the experience of creating station Mir we all worlds built ISS.

Vote for Mir ;-)

[Winter Man]

I like their mind control program, and that'y MY OWN OPINION. But the Soyuz is pretty nice too.

[sgt_flyer]

if the russians had develloped it, the UR-700 rocket

http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/ur700.htm

now, that's the kerbal way ! fuel crossfeed boosters, moon landing & return with the CSM

[Faark]

Uhm, largest conventional/non-nuclear explosion ever created by mankind?* Definitively N1!

[xenomorph555]

If only the 5th launch of the n-1 was allowed and showed that it worked, I read the russians wanted to do a manned mars and venus flyby with it.

[PDCWolf]

Voted Buran. I would have voted salyut/mir, for they "accidentally" Salyut-7 all over Argentina, but ended up voting Buran.

[xenomorph555]

Buran was cool, more cargo, more people, ejection seats (well Baikal anyway), automatic landing, maybe auto docking, cool booster.

[GJS]

If only the 5th launch of the n-1 was allowed and showed that it worked, I read the russians wanted to do a manned mars and venus flyby with it.

Moreover N-1 was designed for a flight to Mars, not the moon

[NASAFanboy]

If only the 5th launch of the n-1 was allowed and showed that it worked, I read the russians wanted to do a manned mars and venus flyby with it.

No offense to any Americans, but I kind of wish that the Ruskies beat us to the Moon.

The public pressure and the propaganda would've likely forced Nixon to follow up with an manned mission to Mars, and with Russian technology on the Moon, both sides would've started building small lunar outposts. Once with a manned mission to Mars, the Ruskies would've kept upgrading their space hardware to compete with the USA, which would lead back to an more advanced ISS and other things.

Even if they landed on the Moon late, it probably would've brought us small lunar outposts and would be enough for the Reagan to convince NASA that what they needed was a moonbase, not the ISS.

Only if

[Nibb31]

Moreover N-1 was designed for a flight to Mars, not the moon

I don't think so. It was barely capable of getting a single man on the Moon and back, and it cut a lot of corners to get there (no proper docking, EVA to transfer to the LK, no living space...). The Soviet lunar program was a bit of a desperate stunt with much tighter margins and less capability than Apollo.

Edited April 2, 2014 by Nibb31

[NASAFanboy]

The N1 was less capable than the Saturn V, and it's contractors were unreliable.

The contractor who built the N1 engines was an jet engine company, and had no experience whatsoever with large engines, and thus, the 30 engines on the first stage.

The N1 also suffered from heavy structural issues from the storage of parts and transportation, plus political infighting that took its toll on the space program.

I'm surprised the rocket got off the ground at all.

[xenomorph555]

The N1 was less capable than the Saturn V, and it's contractors were unreliable.

The contractor who built the N1 engines was an jet engine company, and had no experience whatsoever with large engines, and thus, the 30 engines on the first stage.

The N1 also suffered from heavy structural issues from the storage of parts and transportation, plus political infighting that took its toll on the space program.

I'm surprised the rocket got off the ground at all.

I think the development of the nk's and closed cycle engines in general was worth it. Although korolov could have gone with glushko and his toxic engines, but umm... nedelin anyone?

[Motokid600]

Venera, because of the photos it sent back from Venus. As in, the surface. Of Venus. And it's every ounce of fear-quaking acid-raining pressure-crushing fear you've heard condensed into a couple photographs.

http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/1.jpg

Ho-ly crap that is terrifying.

That's amazing! I've never seen that picture before. I thought all the Venus lander photos were grainy, black and white shots of the ground. That color is added in isnt?

[rkman]

I give Russia credit for Sputnik, Venera and closed cycle rocket engines.

[Kryten]

That's amazing! I've never seen that picture before. I thought all the Venus lander photos were grainy, black and white shots of the ground. That color is added in isnt?

It's real colour. In some of the photos you can see the colour calibration thingy.