Cosmos-146 (7K-L1 No. 2P) is the first launch of the Soyuz 7K-L1 P prototype of the lunar spacecraft. The design of the launched apparatus was simplified, since the main objective of the mission was to test Block D - the fourth stage of the UR-500 launch vehicle (Proton) . The spacecraft was put into the calculated orbit, and then into the flight path to the moon. Block D engine turned on twice during the flight. [2] Further flight control and ship return were not planned. This was the fourth successful launch of a Proton rocket out of five held at that time.
| Cosmos-146 | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Ship flight data | |
| Ship name | Cosmos-146 |
| Launch vehicle | UR-500K / Block D N10722701 |
| Launch pad |  Baikonur Sq. 81/23 |
| Launch | March 10, 1967 11:30: 32.8 [1] |
| Landing ship | March 22, 1967 (no search for the device) |
| Apogee | 296 km |
| Perigee | 177 km |
| Mood | 51.44 Β° |
| Circulation period | 89.20 minutes |
| Weight | 5017 kg |
| NSSDC ID | 1967-021A |
| SCN | 2705 |
| Crew flight data | |
| Crew members | unmanned |
| Associated Expeditions | |
From the diary of N.P. Kamanin on March 11, 1967:
Yesterday at 14:30 launched the first ship of the L-1 series (flyby of the Moon) towards the Moon. The ship is declared "Cosmos-146." From the Air Force at the launch were Marshal Rudenko and Colonel Vashchenko. The UR-500K missile and all its stages worked perfectly. The spacecraft was launched into orbit, accelerated to the second space velocity and directed to the moon. On this experiment ends. The plan provides for another such launch. This is the fifth launch for the UR-500K missile (out of five, one was unsuccessful). According to the program of flyby of the moon, this is the first launch.
Content
- 1 Alternative Mission Objectives
- 2 moon race
- 3 notes
- 4 References
Alternate Mission Objectives
There are alternative opinions about the goals and success of the Kosmos-146 and Kosmos-154 missions. Most sources report [3] that Cosmos-146 gained a second cosmic velocity. The purpose of Cosmos-146 could not be access to the trajectory to the Moon, since the time and place of launch did not allow to bring it to such a trajectory.
Block D engines were not started immediately, but only after about 8 turns, which is unusual. Perhaps Cosmos-146 worked out the delay in launching Block D to simulate the arrival of the crew on the Soyuz spacecraft. [3]
Lunar Race
By the time the spacecraft launched, the Americans had already launched their prototype of the lunar ship ( AS-201 , AS-202 , AS-203 ) into orbit three times. The United States could go on to launch manned prototypes of the lunar ships before the Soviet Union launched the first unmanned prototype, but two months before the launch of Cosmos-146, the Apollo 1 crew perished in a command module fire.
Notes
- β Kosmos 146 and Kosmos 154
- β Mir Hardware Heritage Archived on August 3, 2009. (eng.)
- β 1 2 Kosmos 146 and Kosmos 154