Lunodromes in the USSR in the 1960s: projects and reality

The article describes the evolution of the idea of designing and constructing polygons, simulating the lunar surface within the framework of the Soviet lunar program in the second half of the 1960s. There are no special works on the history of such polygons-lunodromes yet, there are only brief mentions in the literature. The research was conducted on the basis of declassified documents on the history of cosmonautics of the Russian State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation (RGANTD). The construction of lunar-landing cabins, lunar self-moving mechanisms and the training of cosmonaut crews who were to land on the Moon depended on the availability lunodromes, therefore their appearance was important, both at industrial enterprises and at the Cosmonaut Training Center. The text pays attention to the problem of imitation of the lunar soil: an attempt is made to convey the conditions in which scientists and designers found themselves, forced to look for answers to questions about the nature of the lunar soil, its imitation, with a lack of knowledge about its real characteristics. This episode reveals how much impetus was given to the development of world science and technology thanks to the results of the work of the automatic interplanetary station «Luna-9» in 1966. Before this, all knowledge about the surface of the moon was based on observations from the Earth. For comparison, the author gives an example of Americans who have equipped at the Langley Research Center the necessary facilities to test mechanisms and train astronauts, including in conditions close to lunar gravity, and the rest of the tests were carried out on several natural objects simulating the Moon’s surface. For a comprehensive study of all components of the manned lunar landing program and the program of work of automatic mechanisms on the Moon, in the USSR a project of the large lunodrome was developed, at which it was even planned to use the technology for the construction of lunar bases. But the primacy of Americans in the lunar race for the Soviet space program turned into a change of priorities from manned flight to the development and launches of self-moving mechanisms to the natural satellite of the Earth. For the project of the large lunodrome, this meant that it was impossible to implement it, given the high cost of construction and equipment according to all requirements. Since astronauts who were trained under the lunar program, were transferred to other programs, the Cosmonaut Training Center was left without a polygon. In turn, a small lunodrome was hastily equipped in Crimea, where the crews of drivers learned how to control lunokhod. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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