LK (spacecraft)

The LK (Lunny Korabl—"lunar ship") was a Soviet lunar lander and counterpart of the American Lunar Module (LM). The LK was to have landed up to two cosmonauts on the Moon. It completed development and was test flown successfully in Earth orbit, but never reached the Moon because development of the N1 rocket, required to take it to the Moon, was unsuccessful.

Korolev's N1-L3 plan

Korolev's final plan for a manned landing adopted the same method of lunar orbit rendezvous as Project Apollo. The Lunar expedition spacecraft L3 consist of LOK Lunniy Orbitalny Korabl (Soyuz 7K-L3) Command Ship (a variant of the Soyuz) and LK Lander. L3 would carry a two-man crew atop a single three-stage superheavy N-1 booster. A fourth stage, the Block D, would push toward the Moon the L3 (LOK+LK) as fifth stage.

Lunar orbiting

The Block D engine would also slow the L3 into lunar orbit. Following the coast to the Moon, one cosmonaut would spacewalk from the LOK to the LK (Lunniy Korabl) lander and enter it. He would then separate the Block D stage and the LK from the LOK before dropping toward the Moon using the Block D engine.

Lunar landing

An earlier unmanned probe of the Luna programme, a Lunokhod would be used to select a suitable area, and then act as a beacon for the LK. A backup LK would then be launched to the landing sight. The third step would see a manned LK landing with a single cosmonaut.

Earth return

After a day on the lunar surface the LK's engine would fire again, using its landing leg structure as a launch pad. To save weight, the engine used for landing would also blast the LK back to lunar orbit for an automated docking with the LOK. The cosmonaut would then spacewalk back to the LOK carrying the Moon rock samples, and the LK would then be cast off. After this, the LOK would fire its rocket for the return to Earth. The LK's docking port was a latticework of 96 hexagon-shaped holes arranged in an isometric grid, each as a potential docking port for the snare-shaped probe of the LOK to fit in without precise alignment of the two craft.^[1]

Testing

The LK was tested unmanned in Earth orbit three times, as Cosmos 379, Cosmos 398 and Cosmos 434. The first test was done on November 24, 1970, the second on February 26, 1971, and the third on August 12, 1971. All three LKs were launched with the Soyuz-L rocket. The first flight imitated the planned working cycle of the Block E rocket block. The second and third flights were intended to test the LK's behavior under several flight anomalies. All three flights went well, and the LK was considered ready for manned flight.^[1]

Cancellation

The success of Project Apollo in putting American astronauts on the Moon in 1969 meant that the United States won the Moon race, although plans were being drawn right up until the early 1970s. Four N1 launches were attempted but all were failures, despite engineering improvements after each failure. The second launch attempt on July 3, 1969, just 13 days prior to the launch of Apollo 11, was a catastrophic failure which destroyed both the rocket and the launch complex. Subsequently, the Soviets decided to concentrate on the development of space stations, achieving several firsts in the process, and also a long-term Mars program, which continues to the present day.^[2]

Lunniy Korabl compared to Lunar Module

Because the translunar payload capacity of the N1 rocket was only 70% that of the American Saturn V, the LK was created to be more efficient and less bulky than the Lunar Module (LM):

• It had a different landing profile
• It was lighter at only 1/3 the weight of the LM
• Initially the LK was to have carried a single cosmonaut. A later variant would have a two-man crew; the LM carried two
• It had no docking tunnel like the LM's; the cosmonaut would space walk from the LOK (Soyuz 7K-L3) Command Ship to the LK and back.
• To leave lunar orbit and begin descent, the LK used the same braking stage, the Blok D, which put the LK-Soyuz stack into lunar orbit; the LM used its landing stage engine (though later Apollo missions also used the SPS engine to help deorbit the LM)
• The final deceleration, from a velocity of 100 m/s at an altitude of 4 km above the lunar surface, was done with a Block E stage, capable of multiple restarts. This allowed the same Block to also serve as the ascent stage to return the LK to lunar orbit; the LM's landing stage had a dedicated engine for landing
• After landing the LK landing gear structure was designed to serve as a mini-launch complex for the upper stage's lift-off; the Apollo LM lifted off with a separate ascent engine.
• The LK Block E had both primary, and reserve engines allowing for optimal reassurance of ascent; the Apollo LM lifted off with a single ascent engine, and had no backup or reserve. A failure of the LM ascent engine would guarantee a critical mission failure. ^[1]

Current location

There are five remaining LK in various stages of completion. They are located at Moscow Aviation Institute, Orevo Research and Educational Facility of Bauman University at Moscow, at the RKK Energia plant at Korolev, Tambov Arsenal, and the A. F. Mozhayskogo Academy in St Petersburg. . The LK located at the Moscow Aviation Institute was temporarily displayed at Disneyland Paris.

Popular Culture

• The "Valiant 11" lunar lander found in a museum in the game Fallout 3 bears a very strong resemblance to the Soviet LK.

• Appearance in the movie Apollo 18

See also

• Moon
• N1 rocket
• Project Apollo
• Sergei Korolev
• Soviet Moonshot
• Soviet space program
• Soviet space program conspiracy accusations
• Zond program

References