N1 Rocket Failure 21 February 1969

The N1 was the Soviet counterpart to the US Saturn V Apollo program and was intended to enable crewed travel to Earth's Moon and beyond. All four attempts to launch an N1 failed, with the second attempt resulting in the vehicle crashing back onto its launch pad shortly after liftoff and causing one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in human history.

#Shorts

[mikearroyo]

This did happen, but this video is animated. It did not fall intact as this video suggests.

[sixstringedthing]

30 engines, all-analogue control, vacuum tube electronics. One could never suggest that Korolev was not ambitious. RIP.

[imconsequetau]

For those wondering about the lattice of [tilted] struts below and above the middle second stage, those open interstages allow the second and third stage engines to ignite *before* the previous stage completely shuts down.

This era in Soviet rocket science considered the open interstage system very reliable and simple; they *avoided* using small ullage rocket thrusters for the propellant tanks during staging.

However, the open lattice is heavier than ullage thrusters plus a closed corrugated sheet metal or fiber resin composite interstage.

[kurtu]

It was the plumbing that killed this beauty. Everything else about it was incredible. But back then, there was no way to properly compute fluid harmonics and that tore the plumbing apart and ended this work of art.

[jorgkirchhof]

What a pity that this impressive rocket was so unsuccessful

[A.R.]

I was waiting for Godzilla to be watching it from the hillside.

[zr_]

The crash from this resulted in the largest man-made, non-nuclear explosion in history. Miraculously, nobody was hurt.

[NOM-X]

The best renditioning I have ever seen! Great job!

[BillWhittleChannel]

I hate to nit pick on something this EPIC, but I think you need to blur the N1 a little. The film look and exhaust are perfect but the open stage-braces look a little too sharp compared to everything else. Again, it's just magnificent work.

[videowilliams]

"Our Germans are better zan zeir Germans."
~ Wernher von Braun in "The Right Stuff"

[michaeldeierhoi]

The N-1 was so ashamed of its underperformance that it went behind a ridge to blow up. When the starship was blowing up at least it blew up in full view so that's major progress. And the last test didn't result in an explosion.

Motto: Don't be afraid to fail in front of others because it doesn't have to define you if you don't let it!

[mydogbrian]

> What was sad is that in one try, it actually was just seconds away from staging to the much more reliable 2nd stage.

[August]

That moment when you see a video you have never seen before but due to circumstances should have seen over a dozen times.

[roadwarrior]

All the work that the second stage engineers put in was for nothing.

[lemontec]

That rocket was so massive it even accelerated the speed of sound

[rustyshackleford]

We’d probably have two moon bases on the moon right now if this badass rocket didn’t fail 😔😔😔

[darrenmcchesney]

Aren’t you supposed to keep your foot on the gas Until you’re in orbit

[richardc]

I first found Hazegreyart years ago while searching for a simulation of this famed rocket crash and have been instantly rapturously hooked ever since.

[stephenrayborn]

N1 failure term in turbine lingo is the first stage blades like the propellers on a turbo prop

[blainemartin]

Wow, that was one well built rocket to withstand the forces it must have encountered and still be intact all the way to the ground