The history of the launch vehicle R-7

During World War II , some samples of a fundamentally new military equipment were created and tested: the Soviet Katyusha solid-fuel multiple launch rocket launchers, the A-4 German long-range liquid-controlled ballistic missiles (from German V-2 - Vergeltungswaffe-2 , FAA- 2), the American atomic bombs " Kid " and " Fat Man " ^[1] .

On August 20, 1945, by Decree No. 9887ss / op of the USSR State Defense Committee , a Special Committee on the Use of Atomic Energy was formed to supervise all work on the use of atomic energy and the production of atomic bombs. Under the technical guidance of Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov , work began on creating the Soviet atomic bomb and eliminating the backlog of the Soviet Union from a potential enemy. But to improve the quality of use of the new bombs, a reliable delivery system was not enough to overcome the air defense systems that existed at that time ^[2] .

On May 13, 1946, in accordance with Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 1017-419, a Special Committee on Jet Technology under the Council of Ministers of the USSR was created under the chairmanship of Georgy Maximilianovich Malenkov . This decision defined the tasks of all ministries and departments to ensure work on new reactive weapons ^[2] .

In May 1946, at the base of the artillery plant No. 88 in Podlipki near Moscow (now Korolev ), the State Scientific Research Institute ( NII-88 ) for missile armaments was created with its own design and production base ^[2] .

On August 9, 1946, Sergey Pavlovich Korolev was appointed the chief and chief designer of department No. 3 (the basis of the future OKB-1 ), where long-range ballistic missiles were to be created. At that time, S. P. Korolev was also deputy chief and chief engineer of the Nordhausen Institute for the study of the production of German A-4 ballistic missiles, led by Major General Lev Mikhailovich Gaidukov .

By the end of 1947, approximately 310 specialists worked in department No. 3, a special train and a newly organized experimental production were developed. Key managers: S. P. Korolyov, his deputy V. P. Mishin , head of the design bureau K. D. Bushuev, the head of the design bureau was V. S. Budnik, and the experimental workshop was G. Ya. Semenov. In parallel, a group of German specialists led by Dr. H. Gröttrup ( Eng. H. Gruttrup ) on the island of Gorodomlya (Lake Seliger ) is designing a more advanced G-11 missile based on the V-2 ^[3] .

At the same time, in the interests and with the participation of the USSR Academy of Sciences, a program of geophysical launches is being developed. On July 22, 1951, experimental animals, the dogs Desik and Gypsy, were first launched on the R-1B rocket. Pressurized cabins, high-altitude spacesuits, catapults, parachute rescue systems are being worked out. An active study of the upper atmosphere, the ionosphere, and experiments on the propagation of radio waves up to the ultra-long wavelength range are being carried out. The mass media publish the works of “open” Soviet ( A. A. Sternfeld , G. I. Pokrovsky , Yu. S. Khlebtsevich , F. Yu. Siegel , etc.) and foreign ( Werner von Braun , V. Ley, E Burgess, E. Senger, C. Gatland and others) specialists dedicated to hypothetical space projects ^[3] .

On December 10, 1948, with a launcher at the Kapustin Yar training ground, it successfully launched and, flying about 300 km, the P-1 long-range ballistic liquid missile (a modification of the V-2 missile), designed under the guidance of S. P. Korolyov, hit the target and soon in OKB-1 a variant of the R-1 rocket was developed , specially designed to launch along a vertical path for geophysical exploration and received the designation B-1A . The launch mass of the rocket was about 14 tons, the lifting height was up to 100 km ^[4] .

In 1950, in OKB-1, under the leadership of S.P. Korolyov, a single-stage ballistic missile R-2 with an aiming range of 600 km was created, which was adopted in 1951. In 1953, the first launches of the R-5 rocket with a flight range of 1200 km were carried out, and its modification, the R-5M, became the first nuclear-powered carrier rocket in the world, laid the foundation for the creation of the USSR nuclear missile shield. The regular launch of the R-5M took place on February 2, 1956, in the same year it was put into service ^[5] .

The primary reason for the creation of the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile was the military-political task of guaranteed prompt delivery of nuclear charge to the territory of the main potential enemy - the United States. And the primary basis of the design and layout of the R-7 rocket and the launch vehicle based on it was the research work of 1947-1948. groups of MK K. Tikhonravov at the NII-4 of the Academy of Artillery Sciences of the Ministry of Defense on the application of the "packet" scheme of the arrangement of missile stages ^[3] .

On July 14, 1948, at a scientific session of the Academy of Artillery Sciences, M. Tikhonravov made a presentation entitled “Ways of Implementing Long-Range Missile Firing”, where he proposed a packet scheme based on existing products, as well as a number of technical justifications for the possibility of implementing missile projects of unlimited flight range when using existing technologies ^[3] .

On December 4, 1950, a decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR set a comprehensive search and research work (R&D) on the topic "Study of the prospects for the development of long-range missiles (RDD) of various types with a flight range of 5000 - 10000 km with a warhead weight of 1 - 10 tons." On February 13, 1953, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to continue this topic with the research work “Theoretical and experimental research on the creation of a two-stage ballistic missile with a flight range of 7000 - 8000 km”. The purpose of the research work is to develop a draft design of a railway accident weighing up to 170 tons with a detachable warhead (GP) weighing up to 3 tons. In October 1953, on the instructions of the Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR V.A. Malyshev, the design assignment was changed: the mass of GP was increased to 5 , 5 t while maintaining the flight range ^[3] .

In December 1953, OKB-1 began work on the preparation of a draft resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers on the establishment of an ICBM 7R (later R-7). In his text, it was proposed to use the 7P rocket to launch artificial satellites of the Earth and spacecraft to other planets. On January 5 and 30, and also on February 2, 1954, meetings of the council of chief designers took place, at which the main technical requirements for the 7R ICBMs were formulated, as well as the main tactical and technical characteristics (TTX) and development stages were agreed. The “packet” scheme missile, consisting of a cylindrical central block in the second stage and four cylindrical side blocks, as the first stage, seemed optimal. On all blocks, it was supposed to use single-chamber engines with gas rudders, starting at the start. The warhead had a diameter smaller than that of the central unit, and was “sunk” into the upper adapter like a medium-range ballistic missile - R-5 (8A62) ^[3] .

On May 20, 1954, the CPSU Central Committee and the USSR Council of Ministers adopted Decree No. 956-408ss on the development of the R-7 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) (Strategic Missile Forces Index 8K71 ), in which OKB-1, under the leadership of Sergei Pavlovich Korolyov, was formally tasked creating a ballistic missile capable of carrying a thermonuclear charge with a range of up to 10 thousand kilometers ^[6] .

The theoretical foundations for the creation of rocket engines and power plants of rocket complexes were formed at NII-1 of the USSR NKAP under the leadership of Mstislav Vsevolodovich Keldysh ^[6] , and the design and layout of the rocket was developed in OKB-1 by engineers P. I. Ermolaev and E. F. Ryazanov ^[3] .

The direct design of the R-7 rocket began at OKB-1 in 1953 under the leadership of Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov, Dmitry Ilyich Kozlov was appointed the lead designer for the R-7, and Sergey Sergeyevich Kryukov headed the design department of the OKB-1 for R-7. New powerful engines for the R-7 were simultaneously developed at OKB-456 , under the direction of Valentin Petrovich Glushko ^{[6] [7]} .

The missile control system was designed at NII-885 (now FSUE NPTSAP ) under the leadership of Nikolai Alekseevich Pilyugin , and the manufacture was commissioned by the Kommunar Kharkov plant ^[8] .

At the Institute of Control Problems of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, under the leadership of Boris Nikolaevich Petrov , a tank emptying system and a synchronization system for rocket fuel consumption were developed. The development of a radio control system was carried out at NII-885 under the leadership of Mikhail Sergeyevich Ryazansky ^[9] .

In NII-944 (now Federal State Unitary Enterprise "NPTSAP"), under the guidance of Viktor Ivanovich Kuznetsov , gyroscopic instruments for the control system were designed, Boris Yevseyevich Chertok was designed in OKB-1, and the telemetry system was designed by Alexei Fedorovich Bogomolov at OKB MPEI ^[9] .

Simultaneously with the start of the development of the new ICBM, a commission was created, headed by Lieutenant General Vasily Ivanovich Voznyuk , which considered the construction of a special testing ground. ^[6] The launch complex was developed at Spetsmash State Design Bureau under the direction of Vladimir Pavlovich Barmin ^[9] .

In February 1955, to develop the tactical and technical characteristics of a promising ICBM under the command of General Georgy Maksimovich Shubnikov , a new Research Testing Ground No. 5 of the USSR Ministry of Defense ( NIIP-5 ) was created, which later became the Baikonur Cosmodrome . The construction site is Kazakhstan , the railway station Tyura-Tam , Kzyl-Orda region ^{[6] [7]} .

To solve the main tactical and technical problems of creating ICBMs, S. P. Korolev created a complex scientific and technical body of a new type - the Council of Chief Designers. The council included the main developers of the rocket and its systems: S. P. Korolev (chairman of the council), V. P. Glushko , N. A. Pilyugin, M. S. Ryazansky, V. I. Kuznetsov, V. P. Barmin A.F. Bogomolov. The Secretary of the Council during the creation of the R-5 and R-7 missiles was the leading designer of missiles of this type - D. I. Kozlov ^[10] .

The design council had to solve a number of complex problems related to the problem of separation of stages, the solution of the problems of low-frequency oscillations of the rocket body, the creation of steering rocket engines, and the protection of the tail compartments from the powerful heat exposure of a simultaneously working engine package. In addition, it was necessary to develop a new design of the warhead, which could enter the atmosphere at speeds close to the first space one. The task of ensuring synchronization and simultaneous emptying of the tanks of various missile blocks turned out to be rather complicated ^[11] .

Draft design of the future R-7 rocket

The preliminary design of R-7 was ready at OKB-1 on July 24, 1954. For the first time in the history of the development of outline design of the company of Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov , a volume was created that received the number of volume No. 14 . This volume was developed under the direction of Arkady Ilyich Ostashev and is dedicated to the organization of rocket tests. According to the ICBM project, with a launch mass of 280 tons, a thrust at the ground of 404 ton-force and a length of 34.2 m, it was supposed to deliver a warhead (GP) with a mass of 5.4 tons to a distance of 8240 km ^[12] . In August, after consideration and approval of the preliminary design, the interdepartmental expert commission issued technical tasks to related organizations (more than 200 research institutes, design bureaus and factories of 25 ministries and various departments). According to the project, the new ICBM was to be a two-stage “packet” missile with a height of not more than 33.66 m and consisted of five blocks: a central “A” 26.5 m long and four cylindrical side (“B”, “B”) , “G” and “D”) with a length of 20.92 m. All blocks were to be equipped with oxygen-kerosene liquid rocket engines ( LRE ) ^[12] .

According to the preliminary design, it was supposed to install ICBMs on four launchers, which complicated the launcher circuit. After an active analysis of technical proposals, it was decided to abandon the launch pad complex and give the side blocks a cone shape, and the rocket itself was supposed to be suspended in the launch device by the power frame of the central unit, to which the side blocks of the first stage were attached ^[12] .

In connection with this technical solution, the total length of the rocket was reduced by 1.3 m. The suspension of the rocket by the center block frame above the center of gravity of the packet supported by four support arrows ensured its retention and release when the engine thrust exceeded the weight of the rocket itself . In the design of the launcher, special devices were provided: a truss with an upper supporting sector and metal balances at the bottom of each truss. The retention of the retention system at the time of the launch of the rocket was carried out due to the severity of the counterweights and other structural elements of the system ^[12] .

To ensure the declared characteristics of the R-7 rocket, powerful rocket engines were required. The propulsion system of the side block was supposed to develop traction on Earth of 74 tf, and the central one - 69 tf (90 tf in vacuum ). In 1954, in OKB-456, under the leadership of V.P. Glushko, work was launched to create a liquid-propellant rocket engine according to the open RD-107 scheme (index - 8D74) for the side blocks and RD-108 (index - 8D75) for the central block. In order to accelerate the development process, OKB-456 decided to manufacture both liquid-propellant rocket engines in the form of the same four-chamber assemblies ^[12] . In July 1955, the first fire bench tests (AIS) of single chambers were carried out, then two-chamber assemblies, and in January 1956, the first AIS of four-chamber assemblies ^[13] .

In the technical design of the new liquid-propellant rocket engines for the implementation of flight control of the 1st stage, gas-driven rudders were laid, which should have been located in the nozzles of the RD-107, and four steering engines in the project of the 2nd stage. The control system (SU) R-7 was developed at NII-885. The project included as many as two control systems: the main - inertial, developed by N. A. Pilyugin and the radio control system, developed by M. S. Ryazansky. The radio control system was supposed to provide control of lateral deviation and range in the final thrust mode of the 2nd stage, which determined the accuracy of pointing the warhead. To ensure radio control, two radio correction points (RUPs) were built on both sides of the route 276 km from it. Inertial control units were located in the inter-tank compartment of unit “A”, and the radio system was located in its upper part ^[13] .

К середине 1956 года проект МБР Р-7 был изменён, а именно — масса МБР увеличилась до 273,5 т, масса топлива увеличилась на 10 т, а стартовая тяга двигательных установок — на 38 тс. Также была изменена схема сборки ракеты, а также схема пусковой установки. Согласно нового проекта ракета Р-7 должна была собираться в горизонтальном положении в монтажно-испытательном корпусе (МИК) вместо вертикальной на пусковом устройстве. Газоструйные рули были заменены рулевыми камерами, введена система синхронного опорожнения баков (СОБ) ^[13] .

В варианте МБР ракета несла моноблочную ядерную, отделяемую в полёте, головную часть, созданную в КБ-11 (Арзамас-16, ныне — РФЯЦ-ВНИИЭФ ) под руководством С. Г. Кочарянца. Изготовление первых ракет велось на Опытном заводе № 88 в Подлипках (ныне г. Королёв Московской области). Серийное производство было развернуто в 1958 году на куйбышевском авиазаводе № 1 им. И. В. Сталина. Производство маршевых двигателей первой и второй ступеней осуществлялось также в городе Куйбышеве (ныне — Самара) на моторостроительном заводе № 24 им. М. В. Фрунзе.

В апреле—июле 1956 года на заводе № 88 было изготовлено три макетных изделия Р-7 (М1-1С, М1-2СН и М1-ЗС) для наземной отработки основных узлов и систем, а в декабре 1956 года было изготовлено первое лётное изделие 8К71 (№ М1-4СЛ) для заводских испытаний ^[13] .

31 августа 1956 года была образована Государственная комиссия по проведению лётных испытаний МБР Р-7 в составе: В. М. Рябиков (председатель), М. И. Неделин (заместитель председателя), С. П. Королёв (технический руководитель испытаний), его заместители на время испытаний В. П. Глушко, Н. А. Пилюгин, М. С. Рязанский, В. П. Бармин, В. И. Кузнецов, члены комиссии И. Т. Пересыпкин, А. Г. Мрыкин , С. М. Владимирский, Г. Р. Ударов, А. И. Нестеренко , Г. Н. Пашков.

Первый этап испытаний ракеты Р-7

Первая лётная версия ракеты Р-7, под номером № 5Л в измерительном варианте, была доставлена на испытательный полигон Тюратам 3 марта 1957 года, а развёрнута на пусковой установке — 5 мая 1957 года. Первые шесть лётных версий новых МБР предназначались для лётно-конструкторских испытаний (ЛКИ) основных узлов. Основные характеристики изготовленных ракет были изменены — тяга ДУ уменьшена на 6 тс, запас топлива — на 2 т ^[13] . Стоит также отметить, что кроме ЛКИ были проведены стендовые испытания четырёх ракет, включая два прожига «пакета» 20 февраля и 30 марта 1957 года.

Кроме этого в декабре 1956 года на полигон прибыло «примерочное» изделие Р-7 (8К71СН). Ракету доставил по железной дороге спецпоезд из семи вагонов, замаскированных под пассажирские с непрозрачными стеклами. Для перегрузочных работ и сборки ракеты использовался монтажно-испытательный корпус (МИК) с уникальным мостовым краном с точностью подачи до нескольких миллиметров. Испытания проводились с использованием пультов и стендов, находившихся в комнатах лабораторного корпуса, часть пультов размещалась в монтажном зале рядом с ракетой.

На момент создания первого измерительного варианта ракеты Р-7, двигатели РД-107 и РД-108 находились ещё в стадии доработки, их тяга и удельный импульс были ниже расчётных. ^[14] . Кроме того к началу ЛКИ на измерительном пункте (ИП-1) полигона были развернуты:

• аппаратура службы единого времени (СЕВ) «Бамбук»;
• фазометрическая радиоугломерная станция «Иртыш»;
• два радиодальномера «Бинокль»;
• кинотеодолиты KTh-41;
• кинотелескоп КТ-50;
• восемь телеметрических станций измерения медленно меняющихся параметров «Трал»;
• шесть телеметрических станций измерения быстро меняющихся параметров РТС-5.

МБР Р-7 № 5Л несла дополнительно около 1,88 т измерительной аппаратуры на центральном блоке и, примерно, 1 т — на боковых блоках. В результате перегруза потеря дальности полёта составляла почти 1700 км. Стартовая масса РН 8К71 № 5Л была не более, чем 274,2 т, а полная длина составляла — 34,22 м ^[14] .

Стоит также отметить, что в ходе I этапа лётно-конструкторских испытаний ракеты Р-7 в полёте планировалось измерять до 700 параметров. Для этого на ракете были установлены системы телеметрических траекторных измерений и регистрации, с соответствующими источниками питания и кабельными проводками, в том числе:

• три комплекта системы «Трал» на блоках «В», «А» и ГЧ соответственно;
• два комплекта системы РТС-5 на блоке «А» и ГЧ;
• по одному комплекту систем «Факел» и АРГ-1 на ГЧ;
• датчики давлений, температур, вибраций, перегрузок и прочие.

30 апреля 1957 года был закончен чистовой цикл испытаний отдельных блоков «пакета» на технической позиции. 5 мая МБР 8К71 № 5Л с ГЧ М1—5 вывезли на старт. Первый пуск в рамках ЛКИ первого этапа состоялся 15 мая 1957 года в 19:00 по местному времени. Кнопку «Пуск» нажал инженер-подполковник Е. И. Осташев. Ракета ушла со старта нормально. Управляемый полёт продолжался до 98-й секунды. Затем тяга двигательной установки (ДУ) блока «Д» резко упала, и последний без команды отделился от ракеты. На 103-й секунде из-за превышения допустимого коридора отклонения углов от программных прошла команда аварийного выключения двигателей. Ракета упала, пролетев около 300 км.

Вторая попытка пуска МБР Р-7 также была аварийной — трижды в период с 10 по 11 июня давали команду «Пуск», но ракета Р-7 № 6Л с ГЧ М1—6 так и не оторвалась от стартового устройства. 12 июля состоялся пуск ракеты Р-7 № 7Л с ГЧ Ml—7, который закончился аварией.

Перед запуском Р-7 № 7Л просмотровая и репортажная группы со станции «Трал» полигона ИП-1 выявили нештатную особенность бортовой батареи. Была объявлена 30-минутная задержка, после которой было принято решение о продолжении испытаний. В полёте ракета стала вращаться вокруг продольной оси, превысив разрешенный допуск в 7°. Автоматика произвела аварийное выключение двигателей. На 32,9 сек «пакет» разрушился. Блоки упали примерно в 7 км от старта и взорвались. Третий пуск был также неудачным.

Частично успешным был пуск 21 августа 1957 года в 15:25, в результате которого ракета 8К71 № 8Л с ГЧ Ml-9 была запущена на дальность 6314 км. Ракета штатно отработала активный участок траектории. ГЧ отделилась и достигла расчётного района падения в районе испытательного полигона « Кура » на Камчатке , вошла в атмосферу и на высоте 10 км разрушилась от термодинамических нагрузок, не долетев до поверхности. 27 августа появилось сообщение ТАСС о создании в Советском Союзе сверхдальней многоступенчатой МБР. ^[fourteen]

7 сентября 1957 года состоялся последний пуск ракеты Р-7 в ходе программы ЛКИ первого этапа. Пуск ракеты 8К71 № 9 с ГЧ Ml-10 был неудачным, головная часть при этом также разрушилась в атмосфере. В результате испытаний был выявлен ряд недостатков как самой ракеты, так и конструкции её головной части ^[14] .

Запуск первого в мире искусственного спутника Земли

22 сентября 1957 на испытательный полигон была доставлена ракета-носитель 8К71ПС со спутником MI-ПС, и началась подготовка к запуску первого ИСЗ. Ракета-носитель 8К71ПС представляла собой значительно облегченную модификацию раннего варианта опытной МБР Р-7. Макетная ГЧ вместе с измерительными системами была снята и заменена коническим переходником «под спутник». С центрального блока сняли радиоотсек с системой радиоуправления общей массой — 300 кг. Также были демонтированы соответствующие кабельные проводки, часть аккумуляторных батарей, радиотелеметрическую систему РТС-5. В верхней части бака окислителя центрального блока было сделано противосопло для торможения блока и увода его в сторону после сброса головного обтекателя и ИСЗ ^[3] .

4 октября в 22:28:34 1957 года по московскому времени был осуществлен запуск первого в мире искусственного спутника Земли — ПС-1 первой космической ракетой-носителем Р-7(изделие 8К71ПС). Это был третий успешный (а всего седьмой) пуск ракеты Р-7 ^[3] .

Второй этап испытаний ракеты Р-7

В результате первого этапа испытаний, для избежания атмосферного разрушения ГЧ в аэродинамическую компоновку её конструкции были внесены следующие изменения ^[14] :

• длина наконечника ГЧ была уменьшена на 0,9 м, радиус притупления увеличен до 0,3 м;
• диаметр стабилизирующей юбки был уменьшен с 2,59 м до 2,42 м;
• общая длина ГЧ была уменьшена на 1,7 м, за счёт дополнительного уменьшения длины стабилизирующей юбки;
• на ГЧ было установлено новое антенно-фидерное устройство .

The second R-7 rocket became shorter - its total length was reduced to 32,995 m. Due to the reduction in the diameter of the warhead, the diameter of the upper frame of the radio compartment on block "A" to which it was attached was also reduced. To prevent the collision of the warhead with the design of the central unit, it was decided to finalize the separation system, by increasing the number of explosive pushers to three, instead of one. Also, part of the target equipment was removed from the outer side of the R-7 rocket, due to which the stock of portable fuel was increased. The design of the launcher was also finalized - it appeared a system for creating a water curtain at startup ^[14] .

As part of the second phase of testing the R-7 rocket, six launches were carried out. The first launch took place on January 30, 1958, and the last - July 10, 1958, which ended in a fire and a rocket explosion during the launch. It is worth noting that the first fully successful launch took place on March 29, 1958, during which the MS reached the ground for the first time without destruction. The record time for preparing ICBMs for launch was reached at launch on May 24, 1958 and amounted to 21 hours ^[14] .

It is also worth noting that despite the accidents during the testing of the new ICBM, the development of the first artificial Earth satellite was also carried out in parallel with the missile refinement work, the possibility of launching which with the help of a two-stage rocket was calculated at the end of 1953, by a special group of designers at NII-4 , under the leadership of Mikhail Klavdievich Tikhonravov ^[14] .

R-7 missile test phase

The third stage of the LCI was held from December 24, 1958 to November 27, 1959. Specially for testing, 16 missiles were manufactured, eight of which were manufactured at State Plant No. 1 in Kuibyshev, and eight - at Plant No. 88 in Podlipki. Five missiles of this series were equipped with special equipment to assess the influence of flight factors on the thermonuclear “stuffing” of the warhead ^[15] .

By the end of 1958, about 97 changes were made to the design of the R-7. As part of the third phase of flight tests, the design of the rocket underwent the following changes ^[15] :

• in the inter-tank compartment of block “A” the instrument compartment was eliminated;
• inertial control equipment was transferred to the instrument compartment at the top of the central unit;
• FSS was supplemented by a synchronization system for emptying tanks of different blocks and became a VOLUME system;
• by reducing the boost pressure of the side blocks, the flow rate of liquid nitrogen decreased by 15%;

During the third stage of testing the 8K71 rocket, propulsion systems were finalized. In August 1958, tests of the main improvements were tested. Major changes:

• to drive TNA of propulsion systems, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide was increased to 82%;
• due to the modification of the nozzle heads of the RD-108 engine, the fuel consumption for the thermal curtain of the combustion chambers was reduced by 35%;
• new steering units were created on the engines, created specifically in OKB-456, which had enhanced performance and simplified automation.

The whole range of improvements allowed to increase the specific impulse and reliability of the rocket engine. As part of the third stage of the LCI, the first missile launches took place at the full estimated flight range of 8,000 km in the Pacific Ocean ^[16] .

Adoption

To base these missiles, in 1958, it was decided to build a combat launch station ( Angara facility ) in the vicinity of the village of Plesetsk (Arkhangelsk Region). As a result of lengthy improvements to the launch complex and its high cost, the official adoption of the missile into service was greatly delayed. On January 1, 1960, she was ready, and on July 16, for the first time in the Armed Forces, she independently conducted two combat training launches from a starting position. Before launch, the rocket was delivered from a technical position on a railway transport and installation carriage and mounted on a massive launching device. The whole prelaunch process lasted more than two hours.

The missile system turned out to be bulky, vulnerable, very expensive and difficult to operate. In addition, the rocket could be in the charged state for no more than 30 days. To create and replenish the necessary supply of oxygen for deployed missiles, a whole plant was needed. The complex had low combat readiness. The accuracy was also insufficient. A missile of this type was not suitable for mass deployment. A total of four launch facilities were built.

By resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 192-20 of January 20, 1960, the R-7 ICBM was adopted. In total, 30 R-7 rocket launches were made, of which 20 were successful ^[16] .

September 12, 1960 was adopted by the ICBM R-7A. It had a slightly larger second stage, which allowed to increase the firing range by 500 km, a new warhead and a simplified radio control system. But to achieve a noticeable improvement in combat and operational characteristics failed. It quickly became clear that the R-7 and its modification could not be put on combat duty in large numbers. By the time of the Caribbean crisis, the Strategic Missile Forces had only a few dozen R-7 and R-7A missiles, and by the end of 1968 both of these missiles had been removed from service.

Creating Industrial Infrastructure

Along with the adoption of R-7 missiles in service, the industry faced a difficult task: to provide the necessary ammunition for the newly created missile forces and training ranges under construction. The OKB-1 pilot plant did not have sufficient production capacities for mass production of R-7 missiles ^[17] .

Therefore, on January 2, 1958, a resolution of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 2-1ss / OV ^[18] was adopted, in which the Kuibyshev State Aviation Plant No. 1 named after Osoaviahim (GAZ No. 1, Plant " Progress ") of the Ministry of Aviation Industry was not prescribed stopping the production of Tu-16 aircraft, reconstruct the production and master the production of the R-7 ICBM, index 8K71 , with the release of three flight products in the fourth quarter of 1958 ^{[17] [19] [20]} .

In Kuibyshev , to develop production, Korolev sends a team of engineers led by Dmitry Ilyich Kozlov ^[17] . The timeframe for which this task should be completed was extremely short, but the plant’s team, led by plant director Viktor Yakovlevich Litvinov and lead designer Dmitry Ilyich Kozlov, coped with the task ^[17] .

The development of the rocket at the factory No. 1 was successful and already at the end of 1958 the first three rockets were manufactured and delivered to customers, and on February 17, 1959, the first serial R-7 rocket was successfully launched from the Baikonur training ground ^{[17] [20]} .

For direct design support and modernization of the rockets manufactured by the plant, in the territory of the plant No. 1, S.P. Korolev, by order of OKB-1 No. 74 of July 25, 1959, he created a special design department No. 25 OKB-1, which, in accordance with the resolution The Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 715-296 of June 23, 1960 ^[21] , was transformed into Branch No. 3 with a deployment in the city of Kuibyshev . Subsequently, in 1974, the Design Bureau was renamed the Central Design Bureau ^[22] .

At plant No. 1, on the basis of the aircraft assembly workshop No. 12 and the aerodrome equipment workshop No. 17, a new assembly and testing workshop No. 15 (now workshop No. 2212) is being created. Mikhail Grigoryevich Perchenok is appointed the first head of the workshop, previously - the head of the flight test station of Tu-16 aircraft, his deputy is Afanasy Yakovlevich Lenkov, who previously worked as the head of the assembly workshop of Tu-16 aircraft. In the workshop, assembly sections of the central block, side blocks, and tail compartments were formed, the first heads of which were Anatoly Ivanovich Kiselev, Evgeny Grigoryevich Gryzlov. It is also worth noting that a test and test bench (CIS) is being created in workshop No. 15, whose head was Evgeny Nikolaevich Odinokov ^[23] .

Among the first test engineers at KIS were Alexander Mikhailovich Soldatenkov , Georgy Evgenievich Fomin, and Nikolai Stepanovich Shurakov. Among the assembly workers and testers of the first set were Vasily Prokopyevich Malina, Sergey Ivanovich Kuznetsov, who later was awarded the title Heroes of Socialist Labor. To successfully complete the task, the management of the enterprise decided to parallelly carry out general assembly in workshop No. 15 and manufacture of parts, assemblies, assemblies in other workshops ^[23] .

The remaining workshops of the plant, especially workshops No. 3, 11, 23, 12, 31, 39, and 55, were completely modernized, the old technological equipment was completely removed from them, and after putting the premises themselves in an exemplary form, a new one was installed ^[24] .

Create a test site

The R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile demanded the creation of a new testing ground (earlier tests of Soviet missiles were carried out at the Kapustin Yar training ground in the Astrakhan region ). Simultaneously with the start of the development of the new ICBM, a commission was created, headed by Lieutenant General Vasily Ivanovich Voznyuk , which considered the construction of a special testing ground ^[6] . The launch complex was developed at State Special Design Bureau "Spetsmash" under the leadership of Vladimir Pavlovich Barmin ^[9] .

Several options for the possible dislocation of the landfill were considered: the Mari ASSR , Dagestan (the western coast of the Caspian Sea ), the Astrakhan region (near the city of Kharabali ) and the Kzyl-Orda region . There was another important factor: the first modifications of the R-7 rocket were equipped with a radio control system. For its functioning, it was necessary to have three ground-based points for supplying radio commands: two symmetrical on both sides of the launch site at a distance of 150-250 km, the third - 300-500 km away from the start along the flight path. This factor ultimately became decisive: the Kzyl-Orda region was chosen, since in the Mari version the radio control points would be in impenetrable forests and swamps, in the Dagestan one - in hard-to-reach mountainous areas, in Astrakhan - one of the points would have to be located in the Caspian the sea .

Thus, a desert was chosen for the landfill in Kazakhstan east of the Aral Sea , near one of the largest Central Asian rivers of the Syr Darya and the Moscow – Tashkent railway ^[25] . Also, the advantages of a place as a launching site were more than three hundred sunny days a year and relative proximity to the equator . The area of ​​the formation of the landfill in the first half of 1955 had the code name "Taiga".

On February 12, 1955, the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR by joint decree No. 292–181ss approved the creation of the Scientific Testing Ground No. 5 of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR (NIIP No. 5 of the USSR Ministry of Defense), intended for testing rocketry . Major General G. M. Shubnikov, the builder, was appointed construction manager. The first detachment of military builders arrived at Tyura-Tam station on January 12, 1955 .

Construction work at the landfill began in the second half of the winter of 1955. Initially, military builders lived in tents , in the spring the first dugouts appeared on the banks of the Syr Darya, and on May 5, 1955, the first capital (wooden) building of a residential town was laid. On the same day , May 5, 1957, a special commission adopted the first launch site of the test site, and on May 6, the first R-7 rocket was already installed on this site.

The cosmodrome’s official birthday is June 2, 1955 , when the staff of the Fifth Research and Testing Ground was approved by directive of the General Staff and the headquarters of the training ground was created - military unit 11284. By the beginning of testing and launches, there were 527 engineers and 237 technicians at the training ground, and the total number of military personnel was 3600 people.

Launching ICBM launch infrastructure

On January 11, 1957, when the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was adopted on the creation of a military facility with the code name "Angara", located 180 kilometers south of Arkhangelsk near the Plesetskaya railway station of the Northern Railway . The cosmodrome was created as the first military missile force in the USSR, armed with the R-7 and R-7A intercontinental ballistic missiles .

The formation of the compound began July 15, 1957 . On this day, the first commander of the Angara, Colonel Grigoryev M. G. , signed order No. 1 on his assumption of office. The choice of location of the positional region was largely determined by the tactical and technical characteristics of the R-7 ICBMs. First of all, we took into account:

• reach of territories of probable adversaries;
• the ability to conduct and control test launches in the Kamchatka region;
• the need for special secrecy and secrecy.

From 1957 to 1964, in the north, launch and technical positions were erected as soon as possible and missile systems with intercontinental ballistic missiles were put on alert. In February 1959, the Angara facility was renamed the 3rd Training Artillery Range. Until the end of 1964, four R- 7A missile launchers, three R-9A missile launchers, and seven R-16 U missile launchers were built, commissioned, and put on combat duty. In the early 1960s, the need to expand the space activities of the USSR .

Features of launch infrastructure

Especially for the R-7 rocket, a unique launch system was developed. According to the project, the rocket did not lean on the launch pad with its tail, but was suspended by the “pockets” of the side blocks on special trusses with the upper sector. When the rocket moved up, the farms left their pockets and were thrown by counterweights to the sides. All this was placed on a turntable to guide the rocket in azimuth. There were two lower and one upper cable masts for supplying communications.

The turntable with a diameter of 18 m was located at the “−2 m” mark on a powerful riveted bridge structure (“collar”) with a round opening in which the rocket hung. The foundation of the structure is a monolithic reinforced concrete skeleton consisting of a foundation slab, four pylons for supporting the upper part of the structure and an inclined curved reflective tray covered with cast-iron plates 1 × 1 × 0.2 m. Inside the bridge structure, in two ring-shaped rooms - a “tetrahedron” and “Hexagon” - located power and control cables, compressed gas pipelines and other equipment.

The pre-launch operations and missile launch control center was located in an underground bunker at a depth of about 8 m and 200 m from the launch point. In the largest of the five rooms, equipped with two marine periscopes , along the walls were installed control panels for side and central units, control and charging integrators, fire extinguishing, and later a satellite remote control. The second large room was intended for members of the state testing commissions of the R-7 ICBMs, guests of honor and chief designers. It also had two periscopes. In the remaining rooms of the bunker, control equipment for telemetry systems, gas station control, starting mechanisms, auxiliary rooms for signalmen and security were located. From the bunker, commands were issued for the readiness for a testing ground complex, fall bases and other means involved in the work. From the measuring point IP-1 to the bunker there was a telemetric report on the pre-launch state of the on-board systems, launch and flight of missiles.

The success and, as a consequence, the reliability of the design and the very large power for ICBMs made it possible to use the R-7 as a launch vehicle. В процессе эксплуатации Р-7 в качестве РН выявлялись недостатки и производилась её модернизация для повышения выводимой полезной нагрузки, надёжности, увеличения спектра решаемых ею задач, что привело к появлению целого семейства ракет-носителей.

Ракеты-носители именно данного семейства открыли человеку космическую эру , ими, среди всего прочего, были осуществлены:

• Вывод на орбиту Земли первого искусственного спутника .
• Вывод на орбиту Земли первого спутника с живым существом на борту.
• Вывод на орбиту Земли первого пилотируемого человеком корабля.
• Вывод станции Луна-9 , выполнившей первую мягкую посадку на Луну ^[26] .

По состоянию на 2013 год все пилотируемые запуски СССР и России осуществлены ракетами данного семейства.

• Р-7 (семейство ракет-носителей)

• Афанасьев И. , Лавренов А. Россия, Спутник! // Большой космический клуб . — М. : РТСофт, 2006. — 256 с. - 1000 copies. — ISBN 5-9334500-6-5 .
• Каманин Н. П. . Скрытый космос: 1 книга . — М. : Инфортекст-ИФ, 1995. — 400 с. — (Скрытый космос). - 5,000 copies.
• Каманин Н. П. . Скрытый космос: 2 книга . — М. : Инфортекст-ИФ, 1997. — 448 с. — (Скрытый космос). - 1000 copies.
• Каманин Н. П. . Скрытый космос: 3-я книга . — М. : ООО ИИД «Новости космонавтики», 1999. — 352 с. — (Скрытый космос). - 1000 copies. — ISBN 5-93345-001-4 .
• Каманин Н. П. . Скрытый космос: 4-я книга . — М. : ООО ИИД «Новости космонавтики», 1999. — 352 с. — (Скрытый космос). - 1000 copies. — ISBN 5-93345-001-4 .
• Судаков BC Избранные работы академика В. П. Глушко. — Химки: ОАО «НПО Энергомаш им.академика В.П. Глушко», 2008. — Т. 3. — 139 с.
• Ракетно-космическая корпорация "Энергия" 1946-1996. — М. : РКК «Энергия», 1996. — 671 с.
• Глушко В. П. . Развитие ракетостроения и космонавтики в СССР. — М. : Машиностроение , 1987. — 304 с.
• Кирилин А. Н. , Ахметов Р. Н. , Тюлевин С. В. , Ткаченко С. И. Самарские ступени «Семёрки» . — Самара : Агни, 2011. — 256 с. - 2000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-89850-163-1 .
• «Ракеты и люди» — Б. Е. Черток , М: «Машиностроение» , 1999г, — ISBN 5-217-02942-0 ;
• «Испытание ракетно-космической техники — дело моей жизни» События и факты — А. И. Осташев , Королёв , 2001 г. [1] ;
• Павутницкий Ю. В. , Мазарченков В. А. , Шиленков М. В., Герасимов А. Б. Отечественные ракеты-носители. - SPb. : Изд. центр «СПбГМТУ», 1996. — 178 с.
• Осипов С. О. Ракеты-носители. — М. : Воениздат , 1981. — 315 с.
• Кобелев В. Н. , Милованов А. Г. Ракеты-носители: Учеб.пособие. — М. : ФГБОУ ВПО «МАТИ» , 1993. — 165 с. — ISBN 5-230-21066-4 .
• Иванов С. Н. Лекции по истории развития баллистических ракет и ракет-носителей. Часть I. Ракетные комплексы РВСН . — Долгопрудный: МФТИ , 1999. — 112 с.
• Гудилин В. Е. , Слабкий Л. И. . Ракетный комплекс Р-7 // Ракетно-космические системы (История. Развитие. Перспективы) . — М. , 1996. — 326 с.
• Задача особой государственной важности. Из истории создания ракетно-ядерного оружия и Ракетных войск стратегического назначения (1945—1959 гг.): сб. док / сост.: В. И. Ивкин , Г. А. Сухина . — М. : Российская политическая энциклопедия (РОССПЭН), 2010. — 1207 с. — 800 экз. — ISBN 978-5-8243-1430-4 .
• Советская космическая инициатива в государственных документах (1946—1964 гг.) / под ред.: Ю. М. Батурина . — М. : РТСофт, 2008. — 417 с. - 2000 copies. — ISBN 978-5-9900271-9-0 .

• Варфоломеев Т. Первая межконтинентальная: рождение «семерки» // Новости космонавтики . — М. . — № 7, 2007 .
• Варфоломеев Т. , Лебедев В. «Семерка» для третьего спутника // Новости космонавтики . — М. . — № 10, 2008 .
• Полетаева В. Главная ракета XX века // Промышленность и бизнес : Газета. — Самара . Архивировано 1 ноября 2011 года.

Русскоязычные ресурсы

• «Семёрка» (неопр.) . Дата обращения 5 мая 2013. Архивировано 17 мая 2013 года.
• Полетаева В. . Как прятали «семёрку» (неопр.) . Дата обращения 5 мая 2013. Архивировано 1 сентября 2013 года.
• Ракеты-носители семейства Р-7 (неопр.) . astro.websib.ru. Дата обращения 5 мая 2013. Архивировано 17 мая 2013 года.
• Фомин Г. Е. ; Козлов Д. И. . История создания и развития ракеты Р-7, послужившей основой освоения космического пространства (неопр.) . — Доклад на конференции «Королёвские чтения». Дата обращения 5 мая 2013. Архивировано 17 мая 2013 года.
• Железняков А. . Хроника освоения космоса (неопр.) . Энциклопедия «Космонавтика». Дата обращения 3 мая 2013. Архивировано 17 мая 2013 года.
• Максименко А. В. . Ракеты-носители семейства Р-7 (неопр.) . Дата обращения 3 мая 2013. Архивировано 17 мая 2013 года.
• Ракеты-носители созданные в КБ Королева (неопр.) . Rocketpolk44. Дата обращения 3 мая 2013. Архивировано 17 мая 2013 года.
• Старт номер сто. Документальный фильм (неопр.) . Телестудия Роскосмоса . Дата обращения 5 мая 2013. Архивировано 1 сентября 2013 года.
• Аркадий Найшуль. Как мы выбирали расположение космодрома Байконур (неопр.) . Полит.ру. Дата обращения 5 мая 2013.
• Аркадий Найшуль. Автоматическая станция "Луна-9" (неопр.) (недоступная ссылка) . НПО им. Лавочкина. Дата обращения 5 мая 2013. Архивировано 12 февраля 2010 года.
• Об испытаниях ракеты Р-7 вспоминает известный испытатель фирмы С. П. Королёва, Лауреат Ленинской и Государственной премий Аркадий Ильич Осташев // Социально-просветительный портал «Труженики космоса»

Иностранные ресурсы

• Rockets: R-7 family (англ.) . Russian Space Web. Дата обращения 3 мая 2013. Архивировано 17 мая 2013 года.
• R-7 (Semyorka) Based Launch Vehicle Flight History by Variant/Year (1957-Present) (англ.) . Space Launch Report. Дата обращения 3 мая 2013. Архивировано 17 мая 2013 года.