|
In
1956, in the course of the development of the first Soviet ICBM
R-7 led by Sergei Korolev, his old colleague
and rival Valentin Glushko, the head of OKB-456 engine-development
center, proposed a competing design.
On
August 22, 1956, Glushko sent an official technical proposal to
develop R-8, which would use engines with the thrust of 100 tons.
The engines would develop the total thrust of 1000 tons at the surface
of Earth. (84)
The
proposal was reportedly supported by Marshall Mitrofan Nedelin,
who oversaw the development of ICBM for the Soviet Ministry of Defense.
At the same time, OKB-1, the R-7 developer strongly opposed the
R-8 proposal. (74)
As
Korolev's leadership in rocket industry was largely uncontested
at the time, the R-8 never went beyond the paper stage.
R-8
at a glance:
|
Type
|
Multistage
ICBM with a single warhead
|
| Weight
at launch |
650
tons |
| The
propellants |
UDMH
(Unsymmetrical Dimethyl Hydrazine) |
| The
1st stage propulsion unit |
4
liquid-fuel engines |
| Thrust |
800-1000
tons |
|
