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Old 12-25-2021, 09:13 PM
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tdracer tdracer is offline
Scale Modeler Extrodinare
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Everett, WA
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As I've been working on my N1 model (pretty happy with the Koo Stuff kit BTW), I keep thinking back on something from many years ago.
I remember watching a program about the 1960's Space Race many, many years ago where they talked about the N1 program. I'm thinking this may have been long enough ago that it was pre-breakup of the Soviet Union (or at least soon enough after the breakup that not much information had come out).
Anyway - if I recall correctly - they talked about two N1 rockets. The first blew up shortly after launch - which is consistent with what we currently know. But it's the second N1 that has me intrigued. According to what I remember from the program, the second N1 blew up on the pad during launch prep - with dozens of people working on it at the time, many who were killed including some of the top Soviet rocket scientists. None of the current information on the N1 program makes reference to this alleged accident, which leaves me wondering:
Did anything like that really happen - perhaps to another Soviet rocket? Did the CIA completely botch the intelligence and nothing like that ever happened? Is my memory of the TV program completely wrong?

Does anyone out there know enough to shed some light on this mystery?
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