Excellent videos from SDO Yuzhnoye (�š�‘ �®�¶�½�¾�µ): ELVs, ICBMs, Engines

[1greywind]

I want to share my youtube find of videos from ÃšÑ îöýþõ - soviet rocket design company well known for it's ICBMs and current contributon into Zenit-3 and Antares projects:

Expendable launch vehicles (Kosmos, Tsyklon, Zenit):

This video shows how simple launch pad can be: in case of Tsyklon the pad it is a little more then just concrete platform with steel gas-deflector cone and some lighting-conductor towers around.

ICBMs (from SS-4 to SS-18 and ÑÖàÃÅ¡ version of SS-24):

This video is my faivorite - it features many unique footages most notable is SS-18 gas-generator separation on 2:59 and SS-24 splitted nose-cone (I belive to fit rocket into railroad car) on 4:00

Soviet moon lander (ÛÃÅ¡) engine assembly and testing:

They have few more videos on their youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzel1O5IQyOAxiBtMFX4HAw

[Camacha]

Great music too!

[rodion]

i never realized that the LK engine system development actually progressed to the point that they were doing live test-firings. makes me feel a little sentimental that all that technology never got to fulfill its intended mission.

[1greywind]

i never realized that the LK engine system development actually progressed to the point that they were doing live test-firings. makes me feel a little sentimental that all that technology never got to fulfill its intended mission.

Eh? LK was tested in orbit three times: in Kosmos 379, Kosmos 398, Kosmos 434 missions. It performed flawlessly.

[Kryten]

i never realized that the LK engine system development actually progressed to the point that they were doing live test-firings. makes me feel a little sentimental that all that technology never got to fulfill its intended mission.

Multiple complete LKs were built and tested in earth orbit, complete with full simulated landings worth of engine firings. Everything was ready except for N1.

EDIT: Is there a 'somebody has posted since you started writing, you may want to reconsider your post' function for this forum software? I've seen it elsewhere.

Edited November 20, 2014 by Kryten

[rodion]

thanks for the good responses, i was unaware of level of completeness of the LK system. in my mind i always thought of it as more of a happy idea (like many soviet manned systems of that period) than an actual nuts-and-bolts assembly for some reason, clearly it needs to go on my research list.

[Idobox]

Does anybody know why the older videos look so much like models/cheap special effects? I know they're real, but they give me this strong impression.

Is it just me? is it the 60s feel that reminds me of thunderbirds? is there something akin to tilt-shift involved?

Edited November 21, 2014 by Idobox
typo

[1greywind]

thanks for the good responses, i was unaware of level of completeness of the LK system. in my mind i always thought of it as more of a happy idea (like many soviet manned systems of that period) than an actual nuts-and-bolts assembly for some reason, clearly it needs to go on my research list.

Soviet moon landing and manned flyby legacy is still in use today: Soyuz was born as lunar orbital ship (ÛÞÃÅ¡) and most important part: block-D upper stage of N1 rocket gave soviet access to GEO in 1975 and improved version block DM-3 remains most powerful russian upper stage for nation's heavy launchers - Proton, Zenit and planned for use on Angara-5 from Vostochny cosmodrome.