How Korolev stole a rocket from the Germans: sofa experts against a scientist

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Sometimes on the Internet there are views that Soviet space exploration is just technology stolen from the Germans. Like, after the war, the USSR brought many V-2 ballistic missiles from Germany, twisted it a little, pulled it up and let the legacy of the Third Reich in the form of the R-7 rocket be launched into space. But is it true or not?

Otto von Korolev

If we are talking about the Soviet space program, no further than the tenth commentary, there will certainly be a specialist who will immediately lay out the main trump card: "Korolev stole his rocket from the Germans, which is something to be proud of, all the credit belongs to German designers and engineers."

And so it seems: at night Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, having overcome several cordons of the Peenemünde guard, steals a V-2 rocket from the launch pad

Then he loads it into the back of a lorry and rushes through the night and roadblocks towards the Soviet Union. Alas, even Max Otto von Stirlitz could not cope with such work.

Case No. …

According to the prosecution, Sergei Korolev is not an inventor and designer of rocketry. He is just a compiler that has successfully used the experience of German specialists. Moreover, the R-7 rocket is just a converted V-2, assembled in a package of five pieces.

V-2 and R-7 at the start

Investigation. Part 1. Germany

The battles for Berlin ended only the day before yesterday, but several specialists have already traveled to Germany, who carefully looked out for what and where to borrow for the benefit of Soviet science and future astronautics. In those years, in matters of creating missiles, the Germans were ahead of the rest. Therefore, both the Americans and Soviet specialists tried to learn as much experience as possible. It will come in handy.

“On May 9, all armies solemnly celebrated their victory. The war was won. Now we had to win the world,”- Boris Chertok, Soviet designer.

The Americans are in luck. In the spring of 1945, realizing that the Third Reich was coming to an inglorious end, Werner von Braun (chief designer) assembled a development team and proposed to decide who to surrender to. They chose the Americans. Alas, history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood.

American soldiers inspecting the V-2

Another thing is worse. After the division of areas of responsibility, many scientific institutes and factories could find themselves on the "American" territory and become inaccessible for study.

Realizing that at least something needed to be done, the Soviet leadership went to extreme measures

Sergei Korolev and Valentin Glushko were released from the NKVD special prison (sharashka) and sent to Berlin.

On the basis of the "remaining" German specialists who went over to the Russian side, a scientific institute "Nordhausen" was hastily created to study and launch German missiles. It included three rocket factories, a computing center based on the Rabe Institute and a bench base for testing engines. Sergey Korolev became the chief engineer, and Valentin Glushko became the head of the engine research department. All possible trophies were described, numbered and sent to the Soviet Union. The same thing happened with documents and drawings.

A group of Soviet military specialists in Germany: first from the left - S. P. Korolev

Yes, we must admit: both Soviet and American astronautics began with launches of trophy (later modified) V-2 rockets. It could not be otherwise, at that time the Germans were far ahead of the whole world in the development and creation of ballistic and anti-aircraft missiles. V-2s had already crossed the Karman Line and were climbing into outer space.

So what is it? The investigation is over, are the "experts" right? Can the case be closed and the sentencing proceeded?

Investigation. Part 2. Soviet Union

Let's try to figure out how great the role the Germans played in the first Soviet space victories. And is it true that the royal pride - P-7 - is nothing more than a slightly modified German V-2?

Let's compare the rockets.

V-2

One step, 14 meters in height, 12,500 kilograms of launch weight. She could throw up to 1000 kilograms at a distance of 320 kilometers. Fuel - an aqueous solution of ethyl alcohol (75 percent, by the way), one engine. The flight was controlled using graphite rudders installed in a jet of reactive gases. Thrust 270 kilonewtons.

V-2

At that time, two projects were fighting for the reserves of graphite in Germany: the creation of V-2 missiles and Wasserfall anti-aircraft missiles, as well as the Uranium Project, a German program for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Ballistic and anti-aircraft missiles received graphite, which greatly slowed down the work with the atomic bomb. However, experts agree that even with a different solution, the Germans had almost no chance of successfully completing the nuclear project on time.

P-7

Two steps, 33 meters high, 265,000 kilograms of launch weight. She could throw more than 3700 kilograms at a distance of 8000 kilometers. The fuel is kerosene, five sets of RD-107 and RD-108 engines in the first stage and one RD-108 engine in the second (32 combustion chambers worked simultaneously in the first stage). In this case, the control was carried out by special steering units. This is a completely different, more complex level of technology. The starting thrust of the engines is more than 4000 kilonewtons.

It is impossible to say that the R-7 is a converted German ballistic missile

These are completely different products. Yes, Korolev studied the German experience very carefully, but the American side did it just as carefully, and together with Werner von Braun himself.

However, the first two stages of the space race remained with the Russians. The first satellite and the first man in space are excellent indicators of the genius of the R-7 rocket and the Soyuz that grew out of it.

P-7

Of course, the Nordhausen Institute at the initial stage greatly helped the Soviet cosmonautics. Consider one special train, with the help of which Soviet specialists worked on Tyura-tam (a station on the Orenburg-Tashkent line, which received significant development with the beginning of the creation of the Baikonur test site) for the first few years. But it should not be overestimated either, because Russian engineering and design ideas quickly went ahead.

It is completely wrong to think that even now astronauts are sent into space on rockets created sixty years ago. Between the modern Soyuz launch vehicles and the creation of Korolev, there is an abyss of improvements and new technologies. Remained, perhaps, only the ideas and form embedded in the rocket: simple and endlessly striving for the ideal, almost like a dream about the stars.

So to think that the R-7 is just a converted German ballistic missile is simply stupid. “Steal like an artist,” says one famous expression. That is, take the best and create something new, hitherto unseen.

This is exactly what Sergei Korolev did.