Скачать или смотреть N1-L3 Soviet Manned Lunar Landing - An Orbiter Film by Timm Humphreys

In the 1960's, the massive N1 rocket booster was the Soviet Union's answer to America's Saturn 5. Plans were made for both circumlunar missions as well as lunar landing missions, but with the United States about to begin the Apollo missions, it was decided to focus on the lunar landing, in hopes of possibly beating the Americans to the moon. It wasn't to be of course.

Between February 21, 1969 and November 23, 1972, four test flights of the N1 booster took place, all of them ending in catastrophic failures. The soviet plan would only fly two cosmonauts to the moon, with only one crewman actually landing. One major difference between the N1 and Apollo designs was the need for the lone lander pilot to conduct an EVA in lunar orbit both to and from the landing craft. American engineers had been able to design a docking mechanism that doubled as a hatch, which the soviet spacecraft lacked.

Problems with the massive first stage (30 engines? REALLY??) were never resolved, and the program was finally cancelled in 1974.

This film is my simulation of the proposed N1-L3 manned landing mission which could have taken place in 1973, had the design problems been solved.

Thanks to Richard Croy and Manuel Amorim for the N1 add-on as well as the talented Orbiter add-on developers, the entire Orbiter Community, and special thanks to Dr. Martin Schweiger for Orbiter.
Since 2002 your beautiful creations have made my dreams come true.

To watch more of my spaceflight films (Russian Buran Space Shuttle, Apollo 16 Lunar Mission, American Shuttle Tribute, Soyuz Tribute, Project Gemini Tribute, and more...) visit http://timmhumphreys.vidmeup.com