Winston
Lorenzo von Matterhorn
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2009
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Did The Soviets Build A Better Space Shuttle? The Buran Story
Energia-Buran - Rollout / Erection / Launch / Onboard in Orbit / Onboard and Exterior Landing
ENERGIA - First Flight with Polyus Military Prototype (1987/05/15)
Energia First Launch, Baikonur Cosmodrome, May 15, 1987
This Immense Russian Rocket Was Abandoned For Decades
The Energia M was developed in the 1980s, but never launched
6 Jul 2015
https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a16319/abandoned-russian-rocket-baikonur/
MANY great photos of the abandoned Energia M in higher resolution at the photographer's web site:
https://ralphmirebs.livejournal.com/220278.html
Polyus (spacecraft)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyus_(spacecraft)
The Polyus spacecraft (Russian: Полюс, pole), also known as Polus, Skif-DM, GRAU index 17F19DM, was a prototype orbital weapons platform designed to destroy Strategic Defense Initiative satellites with a megawatt carbon-dioxide laser. It had a Functional Cargo Block derived from a TKS spacecraft to control its orbit and it could launch test targets to demonstrate the fire control system.
The Polyus spacecraft was launched 15 May 1987 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 250 as part of the first flight of the Energia system, but failed to reach orbit.
According to Yuri Kornilov, Chief Designer of the Salyut Design Bureau, shortly before Polyus' launch, Mikhail Gorbachev visited the Baikonur Cosmodrome and expressly forbade the in-orbit testing of its capabilities. Kornilov claims that Gorbachev was worried that it would be possible for Western governments to view this activity as an attempt to create a weapon in space and that such an attempt would contradict the country's previous statements on the USSR's peaceful intent.
For technical reasons, the payload was launched upside down. It was designed to separate from the Energia, rotate 180 degrees in yaw, then 90 degrees in roll and then fire its engine to complete its boost to orbit. The Energia functioned perfectly. However, after separation from Energia, the Polyus spun a full 360 degrees instead of the planned 180 degrees. When the engine fired, it slowed and burned up in the atmosphere over the south Pacific Ocean. This failure was attributed to a faulty inertial guidance system that had not been rigorously tested due to the rushed production schedule.
Soviet Polyus - space based 1MW CO2 laser
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/soviet-polyus-space-based-1mw-co2-laser.141138/
Energia-Buran - Rollout / Erection / Launch / Onboard in Orbit / Onboard and Exterior Landing
ENERGIA - First Flight with Polyus Military Prototype (1987/05/15)
Energia First Launch, Baikonur Cosmodrome, May 15, 1987
This Immense Russian Rocket Was Abandoned For Decades
The Energia M was developed in the 1980s, but never launched
6 Jul 2015
https://www.popularmechanics.com/space/rockets/a16319/abandoned-russian-rocket-baikonur/
MANY great photos of the abandoned Energia M in higher resolution at the photographer's web site:
https://ralphmirebs.livejournal.com/220278.html
Polyus (spacecraft)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyus_(spacecraft)
The Polyus spacecraft (Russian: Полюс, pole), also known as Polus, Skif-DM, GRAU index 17F19DM, was a prototype orbital weapons platform designed to destroy Strategic Defense Initiative satellites with a megawatt carbon-dioxide laser. It had a Functional Cargo Block derived from a TKS spacecraft to control its orbit and it could launch test targets to demonstrate the fire control system.
The Polyus spacecraft was launched 15 May 1987 from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 250 as part of the first flight of the Energia system, but failed to reach orbit.
According to Yuri Kornilov, Chief Designer of the Salyut Design Bureau, shortly before Polyus' launch, Mikhail Gorbachev visited the Baikonur Cosmodrome and expressly forbade the in-orbit testing of its capabilities. Kornilov claims that Gorbachev was worried that it would be possible for Western governments to view this activity as an attempt to create a weapon in space and that such an attempt would contradict the country's previous statements on the USSR's peaceful intent.
For technical reasons, the payload was launched upside down. It was designed to separate from the Energia, rotate 180 degrees in yaw, then 90 degrees in roll and then fire its engine to complete its boost to orbit. The Energia functioned perfectly. However, after separation from Energia, the Polyus spun a full 360 degrees instead of the planned 180 degrees. When the engine fired, it slowed and burned up in the atmosphere over the south Pacific Ocean. This failure was attributed to a faulty inertial guidance system that had not been rigorously tested due to the rushed production schedule.
Soviet Polyus - space based 1MW CO2 laser
https://www.rocketryforum.com/threads/soviet-polyus-space-based-1mw-co2-laser.141138/
