Hey Veeky Forums, tell me about the Russian space program

"Angara" is new to me. I don't see any radical advancements among the (few) concepts which have actually made it into hardware. Just the usual clustering of existing stages. No improvements in mass-ratio, Isp, or anything that'd really make a difference.
To tell the truth, I ALMOST stopped looking after the first few references to "Mass Effect"

"Vostochny" I knew. That's being built for political reasons, to have a spaceport within Russia itself. Nothing new there either.

Doesn't do any harm.
Cosmonauts (and the astronauts who ride Soyez) still stop to take one last piss before leaving Earth. Tradition dates back to Gagarin.

So in short, Russians have a new family of rockets, new launch site, they are also testing new human rated spacecraft called Federation, but you're still taking a piss, because they aren't trying stupid shit like self-parking stages or skyscraper-sized pipe dreams, like Mucus does.
Alright then.

Russia doesn't really have a "space program" any more.

The assets of the program were mostly privatized into space companies, working for profit -- their program now is largely supplying what a client needs in terms of hardware, cosmonauts and launch facilities.

Year 65 of upgrading the SS-6

I don't really think they will be updating Soyuz any further.

Didn't say anything about SpaceX.
But I didn't (and don't) see anything ground-breaking in what Russia is doing. (Correction: a lot of ground is being broken for their spaceport)
When they HAVE a human-rated spacecraft that's cheaper to run than current ones, we can open this discussion again.

I am very skeptical of Musk's planned Mars colony.
But he's correct in that space travel will always be just a stunt unless costs come down. And that means getting away from the paradigm of thinking of rockets as "ammunition", used once and thrown away. The Shuttle, which had that goal when it was proposed, was gradually watered-down until the parts which weren't outright discarded practically required a complete rebuild between flights. In aviation parlance, "Hanger Queens".

Shuttle was fundamentally flawed, the orbiter's engines should never be part of the launch.
Russians actually did it better with Buran-Energia.
Energia 2 was to have core stage and boosters that all landed on runways like aircraft, and Russians fully demonstrated they had automated tech to land a 40 ton drone in 1988 in strong crosswind (thing that was still wrecking comparatively tiny remotely piloted drones in 2000's) 30 feet from the target mark.

Sounds good.
What sort of thermal protection did shuttle and core stage have?
Was core booster supposed to have wings?

ayo hol up what project was this?

>What sort of thermal protection did shuttle and core stage have?
from original Energia-Buran, only orbiter was reusable, it had shielding from silica fibers, carbon and a bunch of other shit, go look it up, whole thing is online
Energia 2 (Uragan) would merge core stage and orbiter into one vehicle. Everything had wings, including boosters.
I don't particularly like this design because it goes to the main problem of American Shuttle - main engines on the most delicate part of the complex.
I would much rather give classic Energia boosters wings and kept the orbiter separate without main thrust engines.

Now that's a spaceship I wish tax dollars were spent on, beautiful.

Its better to use extra propellant and land than to bring wings with you.

falsesteps.wordpress.com/2016/09/24/m-19-gurkolyot-grab-the-problem-by-the-throat-not-the-tail/

I'm confident to bet real money that two deployable fiberglass sticks are more rudimentary and reliable tech and less weight than whatever variable burn fuckery is making SpaceX boosters land upright

>What are they doing and what are their future plans?
waste more paper and color

maybe more reliable but not lighter

they don't need to keep third of the fuel on the way down tho

You want beautiful (but probably impractical) spacecraft?
Visit conceptships.blogspot.com/

>>keep third of the fuel on the way down tho
On one hand you relay on gliding and atmospheric drag to lower your speed. Sure its simple but you need to account for thermal fatigue on a large area.
On the other hand you need 2-3 burns and the extra propellant. One burn to slow you down and the suicide burn. You fire 1-3 engines for extra min or two with less stress on the whole booster.

In no particular order
Keep getting NASA to bankroll the ISS
More incremental Soyuz and Progress upgrades.
Keep pretending that Angara will replace the rockets its meant to replace
Keep pretending that they'll ever develop a Soyuz capsule replacement.
Launch a token deep space probe every few years

>Keep getting NASA to bankroll the ISS
remind me again who owns half of the thing and has the only means to get people up there

Alright, Russian Space Nerd to the rescue.
>Short-term plan:
Keep churning out Protons and Soyuzes.
Perfect the Briz-M upper stage module.
Get Vostochny spaceport running properly, in case Kazakhs try to fuck us over (third launch from it was successful last week; also, personally am fucking psyched about the chance to see a rocket launch in only a single day of driving instead of going abroad after 6 days of overland travel or a long-haul flight).
Get Angara off the launch pad at least a couple of times.
Keep ISS up and running.
Couple of drone return missions to the Moon.
X-Ray and UV orbital telescopes
>Mid-term plan:
Test flight of the Federation (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_(spacecraft))
Development of Soyuz-5/7/Phoenix family of methane-based heavy and super-heavy rockets (probably will be scrapped, though. I honestly can't see it working).
Angara A7 maybe?
>Long-term plan
Picrelated: either NERVA or high-powered ion engine based orbital transport module with a 1 MW reactor. Was pretty hyped up a couple years ago, but there's been no decent info recently. Might be declared cancelled at any time.
Deep Space Gateway Moon orbital station cooperation

That's the extent of my knowledge to this point.

o7 CMDRs!

As I'm relaxing a bit after my first round of exams I'm thinking about finally going on a Thargoid hunt this evening or tomorrow. Haven't had a chance to make it out to the Pleidies sector for a while due to uni.

Russia, but just because they own the place doesn't mean NASA doesn't pay for upkeep. Each person NASA flies on a Soyuz pays for nearly the entire launch.

Hacчeт вoдки и тpoлингa нe знaю, нo пoпил бaблa пo любoмy ecть, кyдa бeз этoгo. Кaк бyдтo в CШA чинoвники нe pacхищaют
дeнeжныe cpeдcтвa?
Кcтaти a y вac вooбщe кocмичecкaя пpoгpaммa ecть? Ha мapc coбиpaeтecь лeтeть[spoiler]Или oпять cнимeть фильм в кaкoй-нибyдь пycтынe, чтo типa вoт мы выcaдилиcь нa мapc, кaк этo былo c Лyнoй[/spoiler]?

NASA is a majority contributor to ISS funding, I'm not stupid to deny that. Actually sorry for being a cunt. It's just that we know that Americans want to completely cut themselves off from this business and they will definitely take CSA, ESA and JAXA with them. Russia doesn't have infrastructure to operate ISS on its own, even if Roscosmos sucked everyone in Kremlin and Duma off and was allocated serious money for it.Soyuz taxi and RD-180 cashcows will more than likely dry up this next decade and without some new BIG source of money we're completely boned.

*because frankly, SpaceX is going to eat the commercial cargo sector even if they don't have a human rated rocket for next 15 years. Manned Soyuz launches won't pay for Russian Space program.

tfd.com/hangar

A вoт и /пo/paшник зaкyкapeкaл!

>What are they doing
Launching Soyuzes and Protons.

>what are their future plans?
There's the Angara rocket that's been in development for who knows how long, eating up more and more budget, but apparently it's going nowhere. They're also developing the """Soyuz""" """5""" rocket (that has nothing to do with either Soyuz rockets or the number 5, and is based on the Zenit rocket), and they have plans to fly it in 2020's somewhere, and also to make a heavy and super-heavy versions of it. The crewed ship Federation is in development, according to Roskosmos it should fly in 2022, but more realistically it will fly much later, if the project isn't scrapped altogether like the previous crewed ship project. They hope to be involved in some way in the Deep Space Gateway too.

Yeah, there are also plans for Lunar and Mars automatic missions, but they are always rescheduled further and further. Except the ExoMars that is a joint program with ESA, the first mission flew in 2016 and the second one will be launched in 2020. Other than that Russia (this Russia, not the Soviet Union) has never successfully flown anything to any celestial object.

suka blyad

Will do amazing things 15 years from now.

You, blyat, better be trolling. We will be lucky to survive next 20 years as a country and it would be like a fairy-tail if we could climb out of economic and demographical hellhole we are in now. What 'space program' except for Soviet leftovers are you talking about?

How much of this is photoshopped?
Are those Onion Domes atop the boosters and central core?

Mea culpa.

...

>thinking space exists
wew lad

>The M-19 would have had a nuclear rocket engine that would take over in turn once the scramjet pushed the plane to Mach 16
what was in this guy's vodka?

Ho дaвaй бyдeм cepьeзны, пocлe лyннoй гoнки, вceм cтpaн cтaлo кaк-тo пoхyй нa ocвoeниe кocмoca

Кpoмe paзвe чтo тeх cтpaн, y кoтopых кocмичecкaя пpoгpaммa нaчaлacь пocлe лyннoй гoнки. To ecть вceх cтpaн, кpoмe CCCP и CШA.

>CCCP
Pacпaлcя. Haвepнoe ты имeл в видy Paшкy и cтpaны CHГ и пpибaлтики (пepвoй пoхyй, втopыe ввидy нищeбpoтcвa нe пoтянyт и нaдopвyтcя)

yeah right, why even call it a 'space' when we cant even put anything into it

You ought to let someone who knows how to make real money make that bet.It seems to be working out.

Чтo? Heт, я имeл в видy cтpaны, кoтopыe в кocмoc cмoгли yжe пocлe тoгo, кaк coвoк и cшaшкa пoмepялиcь хyйцaми. Tы нaпиcaл, чтo пocлe лyннoй гoнки вceм cтaлo пoхyй нa кocмoc, хoтя кaк paз вce cтpaны, кpoмe CCCP, CШA и Фpaнции cмoгли в кocмoc yжe пocлe лyннoй гoнки.

...

Hallo Russian Space Nerd.
Will the Russian telescops engage in exoplanet research?
And how serious is Russia about the moon missions?

"TMA"?
Tycho Magnetic Anomaly?
Always thought that was dead black with relative dimensions of 1 by 4 by 9.

modified for human transport

...

>I'm thinking about finally going on a Thargoid hunt this evening or tomorrow.
Good shooting, commander!

>reactors with shields

huh, must be a first in Soviet nuclear tech

>cмoгли в кocмoc yжe пocлe лyннoй гoнки.
Hy яceнь хyй cмoгли, пocлe пepвoпpoхoдцeв, кyпив/cпиздив нapaбoтки и тeopeтичecкyю бaзy

Who told you they need to keep a third of the fuel? At most they're reserving 10%, at MOST. With no second stage to push that little bit of fuel turns into a lot of delta V for the stage.