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Project N1 Lunar

I know I originally said this would be a conversion, but so far I've made everything completely new, and it looks like I'll have to do the others too (still hope some objects/textures will prove useful).
The LK is a very detailed, vey high poly model. And that's also the problem, most of the details need to be deleted and redrawn in textures, the rest still needs textures, is inaccurate, and needs extensive optimising.
It's actually easier to start a new, so I've begun to make one (have enough ref. material), it's a lot more work than I anticipated (as always!) and is a very complicated subject. Early Soviet space tech looks like it's been turned inside out- lots of wiring on the outside! I guess it's "bare bones" construction.
LKr.jpg
 
All 3d and no play is a little dull. The main motivation is to see it fly, in all of it's simulated glory! So a quick preview of the stack so far:
0682.jpg
Some progress on the LK, though this is a massive project in it's self. The LOK in comparison is relatively easy.
lkdemo.jpg

@Urwumpe I've found hand rails on both the LK and LOK for transfer AFTER docking but absolutely no sign or indication of any way to travel the length of the LOK!? Seems strange that this detail would be missing, not sure what to do with it?
 
Buck Rogers said:
@Urwumpe I've found hand rails on both the LK and LOK for transfer AFTER docking but absolutely no sign or indication of any way to travel the length of the LOK!? Seems strange that this detail would be missing, not sure what to do with it?
Click to expand...

Well, there is very little flight hardware around that we could use for reference for that part. Maybe the cosmonaut doesn't need much since there are enough protrusions to hold fast. But I doubt that works in practice. There must not be much, just some rails to secure the cosmonaut should do it. Also, since up is down in space there would not be much stuff needed on the surface of the fairing. Sadly we have no pictures of the complete L3 complex, only a "kitbashed" prototype showing some fairings and using a L1 Soyuz derived spacecraft, not the real L3 LOK. The pictures of the propulsion section of the LOK spacecraft show some mounting points on the lower side (were the IR horizon sensors are), that could have been used for installing EVA aids. But I can't tell you which kind of EVA aid was supposed to be mounted there. Likely something reused later on Salyut and Mir. The Soviet EVA technology wasn't as advanced as the american one for quite a while, which simply had more practical experience in that field.

Maybe more pictures are discovered later.
 
I think I may have found it, there appears to be an extendable rod just outside hatch which could just traverse the length of the LOK. I initially thought it was an instrument but on closer inspection I doubt it, so maybe problem solved :)

Sure wish @4throck was around, getting a bit of de-je-vu looking at the older thread:(
 
Buck Rogers said:
I think I may have found it, there appears to be an extendable rod just outside hatch which could just traverse the length of the LOK. I initially thought it was an instrument but on closer inspection I doubt it, so maybe problem solved :)

Sure wish @4throck was around, getting a bit of de-je-vu looking at the older thread:(
Click to expand...

Buck Rogers said:
Sure wish @4throck was around, getting a bit of de-je-vu looking at the older thread
Click to expand...

Yes 4throck was a super part of orbiter and a good friend for many years we all have missed his work here.. He did some really cool addons not only for me but all of us who fly these missions

I am sitting in a hotel down the road a little from the first time I down loaded orbiter and it has been quite the journey ever sence. I was in a hotel across from JSC at a computer station in the lobby and was trying to see orbiter and a guy walked by and ask if I would like to see this and he went to his room and brought down a thumb drive and I have been in orbit ever sence
 
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Gargantua2024 said:
Shouldn't the 7K–LOK be similar in controls to regular Soyuz capsules? Or there's a different flight profile to them not unlike the Zonds?
Click to expand...

On a very coarse level yes. The later Soyuz T at least reused many ideas from the LOK. But since its a completely different mission profile, it requires lots of unique controls, especially in comparison to contemporary Soyuz spacecraft, which were only designed for LEO/space station taxi duty and didn't have anything not required for this mission (and still were tight on mass budget)
 
Some progress, but nothing pretty to show, little time and I'm working on the rest in parralel, as it's all interconnected and so everything needs to line up, but getting a little closer to solving the LK fairing conundrum.

First of all the pole I mentioned (pic courtesy of turbo...)
pole.jpg
It looks like it extends 3x it's length, that would reach the end of the LOK, also note the hand rail leading underneath.
But it still looks very haphazard to me? If anybody knows exactly what it is and how it functions please tell.
pole1.jpg
On the LK fairing hatch it looks like there's enough room inside the fairing to use the hand rails on the LK, shortening the external eva distance. I would suggest placing a disposable hatch about where the "orange guy's" backpack is on the conical surface?
lkhatchtest.jpg
As for the cosmonaut this is what I've found so far (guessing it should be an (earlier?) Orlan?):
cosmotest.jpg
From left to right
1 Original mod, needs a lot of work, mesh not good, instrument panel might be useful?
2 Orlan from Max Grueter, nice low poly model, needs some fixing/updating, nice EVA pose, not good on ground.
3,4 are from the mir station addon, nice mesh (even has an emu!), needs some fixing, and the last one needs a bit more work.

@MaxBuzz can I use your meshes:)

Urwumpe said:
Does somebody know, if the payload fairing was dropped during third stage flight or already at the end of second stage flight?
Click to expand...
According to the 1965 preliminary design of the N1-L3 complex, if everything went well during the launch, the rocket tower of the escape system would separate from the ascending N1 rocket soon after the jettisoning of the first stage (Block A) and around 20 seconds into the operation of the second stage (Block B). The separation of the escape tower would probably be closely followed by the splitting and jettisoning of the main fairing protecting the L3 complex. From that point on in the ascent, the emergency escape would be performed by means of the LOK crew vehicle all the way until the Block V engine cutoff command at orbital insertion.
Click to expand...
https://www.russianspaceweb.com

After much deliberation I conclude it works as follows:

1 On LES/SAS activation the upper part of the L3 payload fairing seperates with the upper part of the LOK
2 LES seperation followed by 3 fairing sep
4 reentry capsule sep and parachute deploy
les.jpg
Nominal launch
1 LES sep
2 L3 fairing and block g fairing split into 2 halves each.
lesn.jpg
And those anyone know where they were going? Did they have a target landing location?
 
On Soyuz, the fairing is not separated from the capsule during an abort, the capsule simple falls out of the back while the smaller motors on the LES fire to pull the fairing away. I suspect it will be the same here.

The Nominal fairing separation looks right, I could imagine that the sequence is that it peels of like a (rigid) banana.
 
Urwumpe said:
On Soyuz, the fairing is not separated from the capsule during an abort, the capsule simple falls out of the back while the smaller motors on the LES fire to pull the fairing away. I suspect it will be the same here.
Click to expand...
judging by the diagram on the LOK page at https://www.russianspaceweb.com , it doesn't look like it'll fall out, there are braces holding it in place.
Urwumpe said:
The Nominal fairing separation looks right, I could imagine that the sequence is that it peels of like a (rigid) banana.
Click to expand...
Note, not depicted above, it looks like the block g fairing is offset 90° to the L3 fairing!
 
Buck Rogers said:
judging by the diagram on the LOK page at https://www.russianspaceweb.com , it doesn't look like it'll fall out, there are braces holding it in place.
Click to expand...

Those also exist on Soyuz. They attach to the capsule when an abort is triggered and pull the capsule with the fairing away from the rocket.

Just see here, the Soyuz spacecraft has them installed before getting placed in the fairing.


Buck Rogers said:
Note, not depicted above, it looks like the block g fairing is offset 90° to the L3 fairing!
Click to expand...

Well, a hyper-banana then, that exists in more than three dimensions.
 
Thanks, makes sense to be familiar with Soyuz, also noticed that there are 3 braces, time to fly some Soyuz missions!
Urwumpe said:
Well, a hyper-banana then, that exists in more than three dimensions.
Click to expand...
I imagine it looks quite impressive, can't wait to see:)
 
Buck Rogers said:
Thanks, makes sense to be familiar with Soyuz, also noticed that there are 3 braces, time to fly some Soyuz missions!
Click to expand...
Yeah, could help for the project. I should also have an old Soyuz-TM flight manual around on my HDD, but I'll leave this add-on to somebody with more free time and less children.
Buck Rogers said:
I imagine it looks quite impressive, can't wait to see:)
Click to expand...
I am pretty sure, its a sight nobody has ever seen before. :ROFLMAO: :cheers:
 
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