Russian Soyuz spaceship blasts off for International Space Station

[Soleeedus]

[video=youtube;CbIZU8cQWXc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbIZU8cQWXc[/video]

[editline]15th May 2012[/editline]

NASA is far too underbudget to rely on themselves these days. Shame.

[Cheshire_cat]

SpaceX is pretty much dominating space in the U.S. at the moment. They managed the first ten [i]years[/i] of the company's life on little more than a billion, while NASA needs several billion just to come up with concept designs that are usually scrapped by Congress.

[Computermaster]

[QUOTE=MrEndangered;35964555]Did you watch Armageddon staring that guy from Die Hard and say 'Yep, this is real life'?[/QUOTE]

[video=youtube;EPF0533Dw3A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPF0533Dw3A[/video]

[Wingedwizard]

[QUOTE=OvB;35962982][img]http://i.imgur.com/JwaH9.jpg[/img]
That thing's ridiculous.

Russian lunar programs are such a fascinating thing.[/QUOTE]

Isn't the size because of where the launch is located? As in its much easier to enter orbit closer to the equator thus Russians have to adapt the design?

[Breen]

[QUOTE=Wingedwizard;35975026]Isn't the size because of where the launch is located? As in its much easier to enter orbit closer to the equator thus Russians have to adapt the design?[/QUOTE]

I'd like to think it was Sean Connery just saying "Make me on of them american rocketsch and put more rocketch in. That'll teacsh them" in a thick russian accent

[Apocalypsewaffle]

[QUOTE=LarparNar;35962920]That's funny because the largest explosion in rocket history is a Russian N-1.[/QUOTE]

Oh wow, I take back what I said

That thing exploded like a fuel air bomb

[st0rmforce]

[QUOTE=MendozaMan;35975635]Oh wow, I take back what I said

That thing exploded like a fuel air bomb[/QUOTE]

It's possible that it was the most powerful non-nuclear, man-made explosion in history. Oops.
Those loose bolts can be a bugger sometimes, especially if they get into a fuel pump.

[LooperNor]

[QUOTE=Wingedwizard;35975026]Isn't the size because of where the launch is located? As in its much easier to enter orbit closer to the equator thus Russians have to adapt the design?[/QUOTE]

Actually the Saturn V is both taller, and has more payload capability (the N-1 has more first stage thrust though), but the Soviet lander was much smaller and lighter.

[editline]16th May 2012[/editline]

It's correct that you need a more powerful rocket if you're further from the Equator though, but the difference it latitude from KSC and Baikonur Cosmodrome wouldn't give you a very significant difference. (Maybe something like 50-100m/s, wild guess).