The N1 Rocket

[james]

I was wondering if any of you had any good links or photos or diagrams/blueprints of the N1 Rocket. Why I ask is because I'd like to try and make a 3d model of it. I like the design (aesthetically speaking), it has a rather unique look to it. I've collected a bunch of sites and I keep finding more, but I thought I'd ask and see if any of you have any good sites bookmarked, or images saved or whatever else that might be useful for re-creating it.

Speaking of images, that's one thing I need to find more of. It's hard to find a good collection of high res images. As well as blueprints. I found these and they look great, but the res is a bit to small. It would be nice to be able to see more detail and read the measurements on it.

Here are the sites I have so far:
www.astronautix.com/gallery/ln1.htm
www.myspacemuseum.com/n1.htm
www.buran.ru/htm/gud%2019.htm
www.boris-lux.de/04_types/61_sp/sp_ru/15_n1l/n1l3.php
www.russianspaceweb.com/n1.html
www.globalsecurity.org/space/world/russia/lunar.htm

My ultimate goal would be to make the Soyuz capsule and the LK lander as well, but we'll see how it goes. Anyway, any help is appreciated, thanks.

[Bob B.]

I don't have much on the N-1, but I know someone who may. Don Mitchell has been studying the Soviet space program and collecting research material. He has concentrated on Soviet planetary exploration, so he may not have anything on the N-1 but you can ask.

Don can be contacted at his own forum, Interplanetary Communication, or he also hangs out at The Space Race Forum. Many of the regulars at the Interplanetary Communication forum seem pretty knowledgeable about the Soviet program, so if Don can't help perhaps someone else there can.

[JayUtah]

There were some crude drawings at Astronautix, but that's all I know of right off the top of my head.

[PhantomWolf]

I have a couple on my site. Not sure if they would be helpful though.

[PhantomWolf]

here are the bigger versions

[james]

Great, thanks for the links guys. I'll check out that other forum as well.

[donnieb]

Why was there a kaboom? There wasn't supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom!

[Tanalia]

A couple good diagrams over here, go to the "Reference Photos & Drawings" link, then to "N1-L3 Technical drawings"
That page also includes links for a downloadable print-and-assemble N1 model (a few MB of zipped PDFs).

[PhantomWolf]

Why was there a kaboom? There wasn't supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom!

Not sure if you are being serious as to the "Why" so here's the answer.

Test 1) A pump to one of the main enigines lost a part which entered the engine causing it to explode and detonating the rocket.

Test 2) Instabilities in the main engines caused a shutdown on launch and the remaining engines didn't have enough thrust to lift it, resulting in the rocket falling back onto the pad and detonating.

Test 3) The rocket suffered instabilities in flight and started to roll uncontrollably causing the rangematser to destroy it.

Test 4) Suffered from extreme pogo effects which ruptured the rocket and caused it to explode in flight.

[Data Cable]

donnieb said:

Why was there a kaboom? There wasn't supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom!

Silly russians used illudium pew-36 as rocket fuel. Oh drat these rockets, they're so naughty and so complex. I could pinch them.

[james]

tanalia said:

A couple good diagrams over here, go to the "Reference Photos & Drawings" link, then to "N1-L3 Technical drawings"
That page also includes links for a downloadable print-and-assemble N1 model (a few MB of zipped PDFs).

Nice! those are really great, thank you.

[Jason]

Is the N1 supposed to be nearly exactly the same height as the Saturn V?

[james]

It's pretty close, the N1 is just a bit smaller, by about 5m or so.

[donnieb]

datacable said:

donnieb said:

Why was there a kaboom? There wasn't supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom!

Silly russians used illudium pew-36 as rocket fuel. Oh drat these rockets, they're so naughty and so complex. I could pinch them.

[Jason Thompson]

jason said:

Is the N1 supposed to be nearly exactly the same height as the Saturn V?

The N-1 was about the same height as the Saturn V, and it generated more thrust at liftoff (10,000,000lb compared to the Saturn V's 7,500,000lb), but due to its heavier construction it had a lower payload capacity. The N-1 would have sent a 2-man modified Soyuz to the Moon with a 1-man lunar lander. As it was no test launch ever got as far as first stage separation, and one of them didn't get much further than the top of the tower.

That was a hallmark of Russian rockets at the time: they were built so solidly that a greater proportion of their thrust was required to get the launch vehicle itself off the ground, thus reducing the payload compared to similar American rockets.