Rebuild swords to fly or how war missiles became peaceful

There is some irony in the story that the launch vehicles that move humanity into space have grown out of intercontinental ballistic missiles. And during the Caribbean crisis in 1962 at Baikonur, the Gagarinsky launch was removed from a rocket for launch on Mars and the R-7A was put in its place. The fighting "sevens" stood in the assembly and test complexes on the siding until the second half of the 60s. And today, some launch vehicles are direct or indirect descendants of combat missiles, and test launches of new launch vehicles raise questions about the possibility of their combat use. The more interesting, I think, will be to read about the history of "appeasement" of combat missiles and find out the answer to the question - is it worth it to put a thermonuclear warhead on the "Angara"?

Higher and higher

Historical justice is necessary to start with geophysical launches. Moreover, this is the first notable example of the conversion of military rockets into peaceful ones. After the end of World War II, the USSR and the USA received German V-2 ballistic missiles as trophies. The Americans got more missiles and spare parts, so after the test launches, the remaining V-2s were used as geophysical rockets. Instead of a warhead, scientific instruments were placed, and the rocket itself was directed not along a ballistic trajectory, but vertically upwards. In this case, the V-2 could rise above 150 km and be in space for a few minutes. The stock of captured materials was enough for 75 rockets, so the launches of the geophysical V-2 were conducted quite regularly in the late 40s and early 50s. Eight rockets were added to the second stage by the rocket “Corporal”, which allowed to rise vertically to 393 km.


On the left, the “usual” geophysical V-2, on the right, the two-stage RTV-G-4 Bumper
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There is a film about these tests (in English). At 1:00 a relatively young and little-known then in the USA Werner von Braun is visible.


In the USSR, modifications of the R-1 rocket (adaptations of the V-2 for Soviet industry) have become geophysical. Several modifications were created - P-1A, B, E (sometimes the P-index changed to B-). Missiles were equipped with additional blocks of scientific instruments (placed on the sides). It was on the geophysical R-1B in 1951 that the first mammals, the Dezik and Gypsy dogs, visited space:



The program of suborbital dog launches in the USSR was quite large-scale and successful . As the P-1 was replaced with more advanced P-2 and, then, P-5, geophysical variants of these rockets also appeared:



In the USSR in the 1970s-80s there was the Vertical program , which used conversion variants of the R-5 and R-14 missiles. More powerful rockets made it possible to lift scientific instruments hundreds and even thousands of kilometers. Until today, geophysical launches are conducted quite actively and complement the orbital. But now specially designed geophysical rockets are being used. Solid rocket fuel has become affordable, and now it is easier and cheaper to make a simple solid-fuel geophysical rocket than to try to adapt military projects.

First orbital

It's funny that a mistake in designing a warhead accelerated the launch of the first artificial satellite of the Earth into orbit. Tests of the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile 8K71 (also known as R-7) revealed that the thermal protection of the warhead is insufficient - it collapsed upon entering the dense layers of the atmosphere. Korolev had “extra” missiles that were made for testing, but it didn’t make sense to launch them according to the military program until a new version of the head part appeared. So, these missiles could be used to launch a satellite. Politicians and the military agreed on the importance of possible success, and the entire sixth launch of the Seven became the first space launch. Alterations of the missile were minimal - just the head part was replaced with a satellite with a fairing. When launching the second satellite with Laika on board, the standard equipment “Tral” was used to transmit telemetry - in fact, the entire regular second stage became the satellite.


On the left - an early version of the combat ICBM, in the center - a rocket with Sputnik-1, on the right - with Sputnik-3



And the enormous importance of the first satellite led to the fact that the military test sites and the positional areas of the ICBM Baikonur and Plesetsk became space centers. And even once a secret film about the procedure for preparing, testing and launching a combat ICBM ends with pompous words about “conquering outer space”:


The modern Soyuz carrier rocket carries the legacy of two whole combat missiles - the first and second stages are the multiple modernized units of the R-7 ICBM, and the third stage uses the engine, the first version of which was mounted on the R-9 MBR.

Another irony of history is that, like the ICBM, the R-7 is very quickly outdated. Launch facilities have become too large and vulnerable, and the preparation time for launch is unacceptably long. But as a carrier rocket, the “seven” will work for many more years, and, for certain, it will celebrate not only the sixtieth anniversary.

The answer is overseas

If the first US attempt to launch a satellite into orbit were successful, then the first US launch vehicle would be the Vanguard PH, which was not a conversion of combat missiles, but a combination of geophysical ones - a military Viking and civilian Aerobee . But, alas, the launch attempt ended with a beautiful broadsword , and had to use proven military technology to save the US prestige. On the Juno I RN, the direct descendant of the V-2, the Redstone rocket, stood as the first stage, and the second, third, and fourth stages were the units of twin fuel engines from the Sergeant combat rocket:


Redstone combat left, Juno I / Jupiter-C in the center, missile for Mercury-Redstone manned suborbital launches to the right

All potentially suitable medium-range ballistic missiles - Thor and Jupiter were thrown into the “space race”. The medium-range ballistic missile did not have enough power to carry any serious payloads into orbit, but the United States simply didn’t have anything better at the beginning of the race, and over time the missiles began to be improved for space use. Top steps were added to Thor MRSD, so Thor-Able appeared first, then Thor-Delta, from which the modern family Delta RN grew, which, however, for many years kept the original name only:


From left to right: Delta (modified Thor-Able), Delta-M, Delta II, Delta IV Heavy

BRSM Jupiter was briefly used as the first stage of the Juno II PH, and its fuel tank got into the American lunar program as part of the first stage of the Saturn-I / IB PH. In turn, the first-stage engine Saturn I fell into the PH Delta family - just a triumph of reuse.

Atlant launched engines

Atlas became the first American ICBM and, in parallel with setting on combat duty, it was immediately attracted to the space service as the most powerful and payload available missile. It was Atlas that put the first American into orbit. And after increasing the load capacity by adding Agena and Centaur blocks as the top step, it became one of the “workhorses” of the American space program:


From left to right: a test launch of one of the first versions of the SM-65A, a later version of the Atlas E ICBM, a piloted version of Mercury-Atlas, Atlas-Agena, Atlas-Centaur

Atlas very successfully served as a combat rocket. Simple starting structures, compared to the R-7, made it possible to place it first in a partially fortified bunker:



And then - and in a fully fortified mine:



The number of missiles deployed in the United States at some point reached 129. But, like the R-7, the Atlanta’s combat life was short - with the advent of solid-fuel ICBM Minuteman, it became obsolete. Military rockets were converted into space rockets and were actively used - the last conversion rocket started already in 2004! In the 90s, Russian RD-180 engines became available, which were much better than the original ones, and, starting with the Atlas 3 version, only the name remained from the original ICBM.

Titan, which is no more

The next American ICBM was Titan . It was originally developed as a possible Atlas replacement, in case of delay or development problems. Titan I was the last oxygen-kerosene ICBM and quickly left the stage. But the “omnivorous nature” of its engines made it possible to transfer them to high-boiling heptyl / amyl and, as a result, a very successful heavy ICBM Titan II was obtained. They were removed from combat duty only since 1982, and the last combat missile was dismantled in 1987. In the space version, "Titan" was equipped with Centaur accelerating blocks and side solid fuel boosters, making it the only heavy US carrier rocket from the 1970s to the beginning of the zero. He launched many famous missions - "Vikings" to Mars, "Voyagers" to Jupiter and further, "Cassini-Huygens" to Saturn.


From left to right: Titan I, Titan II, piloted by Gemini-Titan, Titan-IIIC, Titan-IIIE launches Voyager 2, Titan-IV launches Cassini-Huygens

Titan Short Film (in English):



Unfortunately, in the 90s and zero years, Titan began to lose competition - it was relatively expensive, toxic components of fuel caused inconvenience, it became cheaper to launch some payloads on Proton, and besides, it had a direct competitor - Delta IV Heavy. In 2005, the last launch of the launch vehicle of the Titan family took place, and now these glorious rockets are in history.

"Proton" was also fighting

Now it is slowly forgotten that our "Proton" has a military history. At the beginning there was a great idea of ​​a family of universal rockets: light UR-100, medium UR-200, heavy UR-500 and super heavy UR-700. The UR-100 was successfully created and began to take its place in the mines, but things did not go well beyond that. The UR-200 lost political rivalry with the P-36 and was closed. UR-500 at first they wanted to do on the basis of four UR-200, but it turned out to be ugly and inefficient. The UR-700 was supposed to compete with the N-1, but thoughts about the possibility of a missile crash with several thousand tons of extremely toxic heptyl / amil made her position very shaky. As a result, only the UR-100 and the converted and lost the unification of the UR-500 remained from the whole family. However, despite all the problems, the family turned out to be successful. UR-100 for years was on duty. The UR-500 wanted to make an ICBM for a 150 megaton super-power warhead and use it in anti-missile defense (the Taran project - a super-power warhead that explodes over the North Pole, destroying dozens of American ICBMs that must fly through a relatively small area), but these ideas were not implemented . But in the peaceful version, the UR-500 became the only heavy launch vehicle of the USSR / Russia, successfully surviving the potential competition of the N-11 and Energia-M. The UR-500 (also known as Proton) participated in the Soviet lunar program, outputting Salyut, Mir, and ISS units, and is now working, putting many commercial satellites into geostationary orbit. Despite the fact that in the medium term, it will be replaced with Angara missiles, by 2020 Proton will survive for sure.


From left to right: UR-500 in a two-step version, in one photo UR-200, UR-500K (Proton-K), the original project UR-500, Proton-K for a manned flyby of the Moon, Proton-K displays module MKS "Star"

The film about the rocket "Proton":

Universal "Cosmos"

Soviet MRBMs did not stay away from the space service. In addition to the P-5, about which it was already mentioned, on the basis of MRSD P-12 and R-14, the ROS Kosmos family was created. After the second stage was added to them, they produced good light-class LVs, which were used from 1961 to 2010. It is curious that the Cosmos-2 rocket was filled with as many as six liquids - the first and second stages used different components of the fuel. Also, a rather rare fuel pair, heptyl / oxygen, was used. Despite these features, the family turned out quite successful.


On the left is the "Cosmos-2" of the Intercosmos program, on the right is the "Cosmos-3M"

Heavy ICBMs and PH Legs

Today, there are combat ICBMs that are used with minimal changes - the UR-100N UTTH in the Rokot and Strela variants and the P-36M2 in the Dnipro variant. The reason is that these ICBMs are removed from combat duty, but it is more profitable to use them for launching something useful, rather than simply disposing. Already in the 1960s, the warheads became fairly light, so conversion ICBMs can only be used as light-class launchers. Conversion origin means that they will leave the stage after exhaustion of the stock of basic ICBMs, it is economically unprofitable to produce them specifically for space launches.


Left "Rokot", right "Dnepr"

The test launch of ICBM R-36M2 "Voevoda", the base for the "Dnepr":

A small FAQ to conclude

1. Is it possible to make a space rocket based on a combat ICBM?
Yes, you can, the entire publication about it. That is why the space programs of Iran or North Korea cause some concern, because it is their ICBMs that are the basis for space rockets. Developed countries have no problems with civilian launch vehicles, so the use of individual stages or ICBMs is not entirely common, and is justified mainly by economic reasons.

2. Is it possible to assemble an ICBM based on a space rocket?
In theory, yes, but as a rule, it does not make sense. Combat ICBMs of developed countries differ from space launch vehicles. The modern ICBM of the Russian Federation or the USA should stand for years in full combat readiness and be able to start seconds after the command. A space launch vehicle usually prepares for launch for several days and does not meet the requirements of modern nuclear war, even for delivering a first strike. Also, some launch vehicles were specially designed so that it was not possible to develop ballistic missiles on their base. For example, the Japanese Lambda rocket had an intentionally extremely simplified control system so that it could not be used for military purposes. If the LV was developed on the basis of an ICBM, then the producing country already has an ICBM, and this action also does not make sense. The variant, when a third world country receives space rocket drawings and makes its ICBM based on them is theoretically possible, but extremely unlikely. To create an ICBM, one must have developed industry and technology. The same North Korea, which has advanced the furthest along this path, has been moving for several decades, and the MRBM of the R-11 and R-17 families, known as the Scuds, have become the base for their missiles. Already, South Korea will not be able to make an ICBM from KSLV-1 simply because it bought the finished first stage as a “black box”.

3. The launch of the light Angara was suborbital to the Russian ICBM test site in Kamchatka. It is not for nothing!
The Angara-1.2PP launch combined testing of the light version of the Angara launch vehicle and the URM-2 for the heavy Angara. There was no need to put a payload into orbit. A landfill suitable for recording flight parameters. In theory, of course, you can load a nuclear warhead onto a civilian launch vehicle (Saturn-1 loaded 90 tons of water two times, so this will not be the strangest payload), but start a nuclear war with a single launch for the Russian Federation or the United States - the height of stupidity. Regardless of the success of this launch, the redundant command systems (the domestic Perimeter system or the US air command posts) will be able to provide guaranteed mutual destruction. For the same reason, the combat use scenarios of the Space Shuttle with the discharge of a hydrogen bomb on Moscow, which is now sometimes remembered, were also unfounded.

If you want to read something else on the subject of military space, you can re-read last year's publication "Military Space . "

All those concerned - Happy Defender of the Fatherland Day!