Lunar Module (LK)

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Lunar program guide:

Program chronology

Chronology of the Moon Race

Soviet plans for lunar base

The Lunar Lander, or LK, was developed as a part of the L3 lunar expeditionary complex carried aloft by the N1 rocket. The LK was designed to deliver a single cosmonaut onto the lunar surface, after its separation from the lunar orbital spacecraft, in orbit around the Moon. After a successful "moonwalk," the cosmonaut would blast off from the lunar surface onboard the LK and link up with the LOK. After successful docking and transfer from the LK to the LOK, both cosmonauts would jettison the LK and depart toward Earth onboard the LOK.

Technical description

Structurally, the LK spacecraft consisted of a lunar module itself and the Block E propulsion system.

The lunar module carried following major components:

Pressurized cosmonaut compartment;
Flight control avionics;
Life-support system;
Attitude control systems;
Lunar landing device, or LPU, with four landing legs;
Power supply system, consisting of chemical batteries attached to LPU;

Block E was attached to the bottom of the cosmonaut compartment, while the LPU landing device was attached to Block E with a set of pyrotechnic devices.

The flight control system, featured an onboard computer and enabled the cosmonaut to select final landing site and conduct approach and touchdown manually. (202)

Height	5.2 meters
Maximum landing gear span	5.4 meters
Total mass before descent on the lunar surface including Block E propulsion system	5,560 kilograms 2,950 kilograms
Liftoff mass on the surface of the Moon	3,800 kilograms

Block E technical description

Block E, developed by the collective of I.I. Ivanov from OKB-586 in Dnepropetrovsk, was one of the most critical systems onboard the N1-L3 complex. Unlike any other phase of the lunar expedition, a failure of Block E during the takeoff from the surface of the Moon would inevitably result in the loss of a cosmonaut.

To improve the reliability of Block E, a one-chamber 11D411 engine had a backup 11D412 engine with two combustion chambers. Combined, two engines would create a propulsion system designated 11D410. Both were burning a mix of unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide.

Four vernier engines were also clustered around main and backup nozzles of the LK, as evident from published Russian drawings and surviving hardware.

The main engine was designed for two firings - one during the final phase of the landing on the Moon and the second for the takeoff from the surface. The backup engine was designed for a single ignition, however it could be fired during either a descent or an ascent phase of the flight. (98)

Live test firings of the 11D410 engine were conducted at Facility No. 5 in NII-229 (NIIKhIMMash) in Zagorsk (today Sergeiv Posad). By 1972, a total of 250 firings had been conducted. (129)

Development

During its development, the LK lander went through several reincarnations, which becomes apparent when one compares different versions of the spacecraft preserved in various locations around the USSR.

MULTIMEDIA GALLERY

Lunar Lander animation

A virtual copy of the the Soviet LK lander recreates key stages of the Soviet lunar expedition, as it was envisioned by its designers in the 1960s, but never took place. The historic hardware, which served as a model for this animation is shown below.

Attention editors: To order full-length high-resolution versions of this animation or other 3D renderings contact Anatoly Zak.

The LK lander descends on the surface of the Moon: Click to play: (VERY LARGE!) 8 MB QuickTime / 16 sec.

The ascent stage of the LK lander blasts off from the surface of the Moon: Click to play: 1.2 MB QuickTime / 7 sec.