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newtons (SI abbreviation)
N.
N
N Block V.
Alternate designation for N-111-Ab rocket stage.
N D Kuznetsov.
First Owner of Kuznetsov
n.d..
No date
N1.
The N1 launch vehicle, developed by Russia in the 1960's, was to be the Soviet Union's counterpart to the Saturn V. The largest of a family of launch vehicles that were to replace the ICBM-derived launchers then in use, the N series was to launch Soviet cosmonauts to the moon, Mars, and huge space stations into orbit. In comparison to Saturn, the project was started late, starved of funds and priority, and dogged by political and technical struggles between the chief designers Korolev, Glushko, and Chelomei. The end result was four launch failures and cancellation of the project five years after Apollo landed on the moon. Not only did a Soviet cosmonaut never land on the moon, but the Soviet Union even denied that the huge project ever existed.
N1.
The N1 launch vehicle, developed by Russia in the 1960's, was to be the Soviet Union's counterpart to the Saturn V. The largest of a family of launch vehicles that were to replace the ICBM-derived launchers then in use, the N series was to launch Soviet cosmonauts to the moon, Mars, and huge space stations into orbit. In comparison to Saturn, the project was started late, starved of funds and priority, and dogged by political and technical struggles between the chief designers Korolev, Glushko, and Chelomei. The end result was four launch failures and cancellation of the project five years after Apollo landed on the moon. Not only did a Soviet cosmonaut never land on the moon, but the Soviet Union even denied that the huge project ever existed.
N-1.
Manufacturer's designation for N1 heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle.
N-1 11A52.
Alternate designation for N1 heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Final configuration of the N1 at the time of development go-ahead in 1962. The 75 tonne payload was to consist of the Raskat dispenser, which would have delivered 17 multi-megaton nuclear warheads, essentially destroying the United States in a single launch. The design also supported the OS-1 heavy space station and TMK manned Mars flyby requirements - as opposed to any manned lunar landing project.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,384,000/117,000 kg. Thrust 39,420.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 331 seconds. Earlier design for the Block A. Includes 14,000 kg for Stage 1-2 interstage and payload fairing. Compared to total fuelled mass excludes 15,000 kg propellant expended in thrust build-up and boil-off prior to liftoff. Values as in draft project as defended on 2-16 July 1962.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 506,000/50,000 kg. Thrust 13,778.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 347 seconds. Includes 3500 kg Stage 2-Stage 3 interstage. Compared to total fuelled mass excludes 1,000 kg in propellants lost to boil-off prior to stage ignition. Values as in draft project as defended on 2-16 July 1962.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 193,000/16,000 kg. Thrust 1,560.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 347 seconds. Compared to total fuelled mass excludes 1,000 kg in propellants lost to boil-off prior to stage ignition. Values as in draft project as defended on 2-16 July 1962.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The N1 launch vehicle for the N1-L3 lunar landing mission as described in the draft project of 1964. Design requirement for the single-launch lunar-orbit-rendezvous lunar landing was 2750 tonnes liftoff mass and 95 tonnes low earth orbit payload. The actual N1 that flew in 1969 to 1972 had lighter first and third stages, but never demonstrated a full fuel load using superchilled propellants as planned in the draft project..
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,942,000/192,000 kg. Thrust 49,420.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 331 seconds. First stage of the N1 superbooster. As per draft project for N1-L3, 1964. Block A modified with six additional engines and propellant increased by 550 tonnes by using chilled propellants.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 506,000/50,000 kg. Thrust 13,700.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 346 seconds. Second stage of the N1 superbooster. As per draft project for N1-L3, 1964. Specific impulse estimate down one second from 1962 draft project. Thrust said to be increased 2% but not reflected in figures given.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 193,000/16,000 kg. Thrust 1,560.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 347 seconds. As per draft project for N1-L3, 1964. Thrust said to be increased 2% but not reflected in figures given.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The N1 launch vehicle, developed by Russia in the 1960's, was to be the Soviet Union's counterpart to the Saturn V. The largest of a family of launch vehicles that were to replace the ICBM-derived launchers then in use, the N series was to launch Soviet cosmonauts to the moon, Mars, and huge space stations into orbit. In comparison to Saturn, the project was started late, starved of funds and priority, and dogged by political and technical struggles between the chief designers Korolev, Glushko, and Chelomei. The end result was four launch failures and cancellation of the project five years after Apollo landed on the moon. Not only did a Soviet cosmonaut never land on the moon, but the Soviet Union even denied that the huge project ever existed.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,880,000/130,000 kg. Thrust 50,300.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 330 seconds. Includes 14,000 kg for Stage 1-2 interstage and payload fairing. Compared to total fuelled mass excludes 15,000 kg propellant expended in thrust build-up and boil-off prior to liftoff. Values as in draft project as defended on 2-16 July 1962.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 560,700/55,700 kg. Thrust 14,039.98 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 346 seconds. Includes 3500 kg Stage 2-Stage 3 interstage. Compared to total fuelled mass excludes 1,000 kg in propellants lost to boil-off prior to stage ignition. Values as in draft project as defended on 2-16 July 1962.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 18,200/3,500 kg. Thrust 83.30 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 349 seconds. Block D as originally designed as a lunar crasher stage
Russian space tug. 4 launches, 1969 to 1972. Upper stage / space tug - out of production. Block D adapted as lunar crasher stage
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 61,800/6,000 kg. Thrust 446.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 353 seconds. Empty mass estimated.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 23,000/4,300 kg. Thrust 73.50 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 440 seconds. Designed 1965-1971 as replacement for N-1 Blok D. Cancelled 1971 in favor of Blok Sr; revived and developed in 1974-1976. First static test Oct 12 1976. Two stages tested 1976-1977. Strangely never replaced Blok D on Proton.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 58,000/8,000 kg. Thrust 392.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 440 seconds. Designed 1965-1971 as replacement for N-1 Blok G. Cancelled in 1971 in favor of development of single stage, Block Sr.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 77,900/11,500 kg. Thrust 147.88 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 441 seconds. Upper stage developed 1971-1974 to support manned lunar expedition. Replaced Blok R/Blok S previously under development. Capable of five restarts and 11 days of flight. Could insert 24 tonnes into lunar orbit or 20 tonnes into geosynch orbit.
Russian space tug. Study 1971. Upper stage / space tug - developed 1971-1974 to support manned lunar expedition. Replaced Blok R/Blok S previously under development.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 188,700/13,700 kg. Thrust 1,608.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 353 seconds. As flown.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 805,000/115,000 kg. Thrust 7,840.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 440 seconds. N1 improvement study, 1965. Lox/LH2 replacement for Block B second stage.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 325,000/35,000 kg. Thrust 2,350.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 440 seconds. N1 improvement study, 1965. Lox/LH2 replacement for Block V third stage. Pursued into 1966 and later, but later efforts concentrated on Block S, R, and SR cryogenic stages.
Licensed version of Delta built in Japan using both US and Japanese components. 4 stage vehicle.
Russian nuclear orbital launch vehicle. A version of the N1 with a nuclear upper stage was studied by Korolev in 1963. It was concluded that the optimum design would allow a single N1 to launch a direct manned lunar landing and return. However for manned Mars missions, a nuclear electric engine was found to be much more efficient. This essentially killed further consideration of thermal nuclear upper stages within the bureau.
Nuclear/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 700,000/250,000 kg. Thrust 6,860.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 900 seconds. N1 nuclear upper stage study, 1963. Figures calculated based on given total stage thrust, specific impulse, engine mass.
Russian nuclear orbital launch vehicle. A variant of the first alternative considered in the 1963 nuclear N1 study. This was a 'high thrust' version of the Type A engine - apparently with higher propellant rate, lower specific impulse, and lower engine weight. Due to the very low density of the enormous liquid hydrogen upper stages, these immense vehicles would have been very ungainly (and had interesting stress problems during ascent!)
Nuclear/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 800,000/150,000 kg. Thrust 7,840.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 810 seconds. N1 nuclear upper stage study, 1963. Figures calculated based on given total stage thrust, specific impulse, engine mass.
Nuclear/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,500,000/500,000 kg. Thrust 14,700.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 900 seconds. N1 nuclear upper stage study, 1963. Figures calculated based on given total stage thrust, specific impulse, engine mass.
Russian nuclear orbital launch vehicle. Second primary alternative considered for the 1963 nuclear N1 study. The immense liquid hydrogen tank of the second nuclear stage would have dwarfed the N1 first stage mounted below it in the shadows. The extremely poor thrust to weight ratio of the Type V engine design compared to that of the Type A remains unexplained.
Russian nuclear orbital launch vehicle. N1 with nuclear upper stage. This variant of the Type V nuclear engine used a very heavy radiation shield to protect the crew of any manned spacecraft payload.
Nuclear/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 2,000,000/650,000 kg. Thrust 19,600.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 900 seconds. N1 nuclear upper stage study, 1963. Figures calculated based on given total stage thrust, specific impulse, engine mass.
N11.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. It was originally planned the N1 would form the basis of a family of launch vehicles that could replace existing ICBM-derived boosters. The N11 would use the second, third, and fourth stages of the N1. This would give it a lift-off mass of 700 tonnes and a 20 tonne payload into low earth orbit. It could replace Chelomei's Proton launch vehicle in the medium-lift role.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. A military variant of the N-11 which would use a powerful third stage, probably derived from the first stage of the 8K713 GR-1, to put up to 24 tonnes in low earth orbit. This was a competitor with Chelomei's UR-500K, which was selected instead for the heavy military payload mission.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 70,000/6,000 kg. Thrust 784.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 347 seconds. Conjectural stage derived from GR-1 stage 1 to match total mass given of launch vehicle.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 485,000/47,000 kg. Thrust 11,960.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 330 seconds. Derived from N1 Block B, with large number of engines and expansion ratio adjusted for sea level operation. Includes 3500 kg Stage 2-Stage 3 interstage.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 192,000/18,000 kg. Thrust 1,560.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 347 seconds. Derived from N1 Block V.
N111.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. It was originally planned the N1 would form the basis of a family of launch vehicles that could replace existing ICBM-derived boosters. The N111 would use the third and fourth stages of the N1, and the second stage of Korolev's R-9 ICBM. This would result in a lift-off mass of 200 tonnes and a five tonne payload. It could replace the R-7 derived boosters (Vostok and Soyuz) in this payload category.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 192,000/20,000 kg. Thrust 2,540.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 331 seconds. Variant of N1 Block V for first stage use. Number of engines would have to be increased and reduced expansion ratio nozzles fitted for sea level use. Least attractive of N1 variants and seems not to have been pursued after draft project.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 150,000/10,000 kg. Thrust 2,694.37 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 336 seconds. Alternate weight breakdown.
Russian orbital missile. This 1962 project was designed by Korolev's OKB as a competitor to Chelomei's UR-500 against the military GR-2 (Global Rocket 2) requirement. The N-11GR was an adaptation of the basic N-11, derived from the second and third stages of the N1 heavy booster. The GR-2 was to be a kind of enormous multiple-warhead FOBS (fractional orbit bombing system). Surrounding the top of the second stage of the rocket, like bullets in an enormous revolver, were six final stages derived from the 8K713 GR-1 last stage. Each stage had a 1,500 kg nuclear warhead.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 8,200/1,700 kg. Thrust 88.20 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 346 seconds. Orbital MIRV stage. Six of these stages clustered around Block B; each stage would have had a 1500 kg nuclear warhead.
N1F.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The N1F would have been the definitive flight version of the N1, incorporating all changes resulting from the four flight tests of the vehicle, including the new Kuznetsov engines and 10% greater liftoff mass by using superchilled propellants in all stages. N1 8L would have been the first N1F configuration flight, with launch planned in the third quarter of 1975 at the time the project was cancelled.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,940,000/200,000 kg. Thrust 57,560.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 331 seconds. As per N1 improvement study, 1965. Block A engine thrust increased but little additional propellant.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 590,000/60,000 kg. Thrust 15,600.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 346 seconds. As per N1 improvement study, 1965. Engine thrust increased from 150 t each to 200 t and stretched propellant tanks.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 300,000/20,000 kg. Thrust 2,450.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 347 seconds. As per N1 improvement study, 1965. Engine thrust increased and stretched propellant tanks with almost 50% increase.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 2,070,000/126,230 kg. Thrust 49,675.50 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 331 seconds. Includes 14,000 kg for Stage 1-2 interstage.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 620,000/55,700 kg. Thrust 14,040.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 346 seconds. Includes 3,500 kg for Stage 2-3 interstage.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 210,000/13,700 kg. Thrust 1,608.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 353 seconds.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The final more modest version of the N1F replaced the fourth and fifth stages of the N1 with the single liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen Block Sr stage. Development of the Sr stage was from May 1971 until cancellation of the N1 project in May 1974.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The N1M was found to be too ambitious. The N1F of 1968 was instead pencilled in to be the first Soviet launch vehicle to use liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen high energy cyrogenic propellants. The N1F would have only used the Block S and Block R fourth and fifth stages in place of the N1's Block G and Block D.
N1M.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The N1M was to be the first Soviet launch vehicle to use liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen high energy cyrogenic propellants. It was designed to launch payloads in support of the LEK lunar expeditions (two cosmonauts on the surface), the DLB (long-duration lunar base), and heavy unmanned satellites into geosynchronous and interplanetary trajectories. As originally conceived, the advanced propellants would be used in all upper stages. However due to delays in Kuznetsov development of a 200 tonne thrust Lox/LH2 engine, the final version used an N1 first stage, with a Block V-III second stage, and Blocks S and R third and fourth stages.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 3,800,000/375,000 kg. Thrust 85,300.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 330 seconds. As per N1 improvement study, 1965. Huge modification of Block A, almost double propellant capacity, engines increased from 175 tonnes thrust to 250 tonnes.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 620,000/75,000 kg. Thrust 21,960.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 346 seconds. As per N1 improvement study, 1965. Further stretch of Block B and thrust increased again to 280 tonnes per engine.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 355,000/20,000 kg. Thrust 2,940.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 347 seconds. As per N1 improvement study, 1965. Further stretch of Block V.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Ultimate derivative of N1. Single-stage-to-orbit vehicle based on N1 Block A. Propellants changed to LH2/LOX, 16 x modified NK-33 engines + 4 Liquid Air Cycle Engine Liquid Air/LH2 boosters. All figures estimated based on tank volume of Block A and delivery of 90,000 kg payload to 450 km / 97.5 degree MKBS orbit. Briefly described in RKK Energia official history and in some detail in Peter James'
Air/Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,200,000/300,000 kg. Thrust 15,600.00 kN. Specific impulse 430 seconds. Ultimate derivative of N1 Block A: Propellants changed to LH2/LOX, 16 x modified NK-33 engines + 4 Liquid Air Cycle Engine Liquid Air/LH2 boosters. All figures estimated based on tank volume of Block A and delivery of 90,000 kg payload to 400 kg MKBS orb
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,934,000/195,000 kg. Thrust 49,420.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 331 seconds. As per N1 improvement study, 1965. Primarily improved reliability and produceability compared to first model.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 506,000/50,000 kg. Thrust 13,700.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 346 seconds. As per N1 improvement study, 1965. Primarily improved reliability and produceability compared to first model.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 193,000/15,000 kg. Thrust 1,560.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 347 seconds. As per N1 improvement study, 1965. Primarily improved reliability and produceability compared to first model.
N-2.
Licensed version of Delta built in Japan using both US and Japanese components. 4 stage vehicle.
American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage version consisting of 9 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor N + 1 x AJ10-118FJ
N2O.
Liquid nitrous oxide (N2O / dinitrogen monoxide / 'laughing gas') is the oxidiser of choice for hybrid rocket motors because it is benign, storable, and self-pressurising to 48 atmospheres at 17 deg C.
Liquid nitrous oxide (N2O / dinitrogen monoxide / 'laughing gas') is the oxidiser of choice for hybrid rocket motors because it is benign, storable, and self-pressurising to 48 atmospheres at 17 deg C.
Liquid nitrous oxide (N2O / dinitrogen monoxide / 'laughing gas') is the oxidiser of choice for hybrid rocket motors because it is benign, storable, and self-pressurising to 48 atmospheres at 17 deg C. Solid propellants have the fuel and oxidiser embedded in a rubbery matrix. They were developed to a high degree of perfection in the United States in the 1950's and 1960's. In Russia, development was slower, due to a lack of technical leadership in the area and rail handling problems.
N2O4.
Nitrogen tetroxide became the storable liquid propellant of choice from the late 1950's.
Nitrogen tetroxide became the storable liquid propellant of choice from the late 1950's. Aerozine was a 50-50 mixture of hydrazine and UDMH developed for use in the Titan 2 missile. Copied in one Russian missile but otherwise straight UDMH used more commonly. Higher boiling point than UDMH.
Nitrogen tetroxide became the storable liquid propellant of choice from the late 1950's. Alumizine was a mixture of 43% aluminum powder suspended in anhydrous hydrazine with a gelling agent. The idea was to increase the heat of combustion due to the high enthalpy of formation of aluminum oxide as a combustion product, similar to the metallized kerosene ("Kerosol") tested by Saenger in the 30's. Alumizine was never flown and was only tested in static ground tests. A drum of alumizine exploded in California when it was not disposed of safely. The fuel was proposed for some pressure-fed 'big dumb booster' designs of the late 1960's.
Nitrogen tetroxide became the storable liquid propellant of choice from the late 1950's. Hydrazine (N2H4) found early use as a fuel, but it was quickly replaced by UDMH. It is still used as a monopropellant for satellite station-keeping motors.
Nitrogen tetroxide became the storable liquid propellant of choice from the late 1950's. Hydyne was a propellant blend pushed rather vigorously by the Redstone arsenal in the late 1950's, but it found little application. Hydyne, which is also known as MAF-4, is a 60 per cent, by weight, mixture of UDMH and 40 weight percent diethyltrianine (DETA).
Nitrogen tetroxide became the storable liquid propellant of choice from the late 1950's. Rocket propellant RP-1, or its foreign equivalents, is a straight-run kerosene fraction, which is subjected to further treatment, i.e., acid washing, sulphur dioxide extraction. Thus, unsaturated substances which polymerise in storage are removed, as are sulphur-containing hydrocarbons.
Nitrogen tetroxide became the storable liquid propellant of choice from the late 1950's. Monomethylhydrazine (CH3NHNH2) is a storable liquid fuel that found favour in the United States for use in orbital spacecraft engines. Its advantages in comparison to UDMH are higher density and slightly higher performance.
Nitrogen tetroxide became the storable liquid propellant of choice from the late 1950's. Pentaborane (B5H9) was considered as a high performance fuel in the US in the 1950's. Its development was pursued with some vigour by Glushko in Russia during the 1960's. But like the other fluorine and boron motors of the time, it presented too many handling and safety problems to be adopted as a flight engine.
Nitrogen tetroxide became the storable liquid propellant of choice from the late 1950's. Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine ((CH3)2NNH2) became the storable liquid fuel of choice by the mid-1950's. Development of UDMH in the Soviet Union began in 1949. It is used in virtually all storable liquid rocket engines except for some orbital manoeuvring engines in the United States, where MMH has been preferred due to a slightly higher density and performance.
N-4.
Russian cosmic ray astronomy satellite. 4 launches, 1965.07.16 (Proton 1) to 1966.07.06 (Proton 3). Physics experiments. Space station "Proton 1". Investigation of ultra-high-energy cosmic particles.
N-6.
Russian cosmic ray astronomy satellite. One launch, 1968.11.16, Proton 4. Cosmic ray measurements. Study of the nature of high and ultra-high energy cosmic rays and their interaction with atomic nuclei. Mass announced at time of launch 17,000 kg.
NA.
Not available
SEREB N2O4/UDMH rocket engine. 120 kN.
SEREB N2O4/UDMH rocket engine. 156 kN.
NA-704.
Manufacturer's designation for Navaho SSM-A-2 intermediate range cruise missile.
NA-704 Mark II.
Manufacturer's designation of LR41 rocket engine.
NA-704 Mark III.
Manufacturer's designation of XLR43-NA-1 Lox-Alcohol rocket engine.
NA801.
Manufacturer's designation of Mammouth rocket engine.
NA802.
Manufacturer's designation of Soleil rocket engine.
NA803.
Manufacturer's designation of Soleil NA803 rocket engine.
NAA 75-110.
Manufacturer's designation of A-6 Lox-Alcohol rocket engine.
North American's HATV proposal was an ogival single-stage-to-orbit vehicle, with tanks made from 18-8 stainless steel. In common with other HATV designs, the tanks had to be pressurized to maintain rigidity.
NAA Manned Bombardment and Control Vehicle.
American manned combat spacecraft. Study 1963. In the early 1960's, one configuration studied by North American Aviation for the USAF space bomber study was this 12-m-diameter flying saucer design.
American manned spaceplane. Study 1963. North American Aviation's Reusable Ten Ton Orbital Carrier Vehicle design of 1963 had as a standard payload a lenticular 12-man orbital transfer vehicle spaceplane for space station logistics and crew transfer.
NASA awarded a "Reusable Ten Ton Orbital Carrier Vehicle" contract worth $342,000 to North American Aviation. The final concept from 1963 was quite similar to Lockheed's System III design. The launch capability was 11,340 kg (25,000 lb) and the standard payload would have consisted of a small lenticular 12-man orbital transfer vehicle spaceplane for space station logistics and crew transfer.
NACA.
National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (later became NASA)
NADC.
American manufacturer. NADC, USA.
Ukrainian navigation satellite. 10 launches, 1982.06.29 (Cosmos 1383) to 2002.09.26 (Nadezhda-M).
The direction vertically downward (opposite to zenith)
Russian manufacturer. Nadiradize Design Bureau, Russia.
Russian manufacturer of rocket engines and rockets. Nadiradze, Russia.
Nadiradze, Aleksandr Davidovich (1914-1987) Russian chief designer. Director and Chief Designer of the Moscow Institute for Thermal Technology 1961-1987. Pioneering developer of Soviet solid propellant missiles.
Nagel, Steven Ray (1946-) American test pilot astronaut. Flew on STS-51-G, STS-61-A, STS-37, STS-55. Was married to astronaut Linda Godwin.
Nagel Dr German Physician. Captain, Military, German expert in biological warfare during World War II.
Geosynchronous satellite network..
Nahuelsat, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Argentina
Nahuelsat (1993).
Second Owner of ArSat
NAIC.
National Air Intelligence Center
Nair.
Nair, Paramaswaren Radhakrishnan (1943-) Indian physicist payload specialist astronaut, 1985-1986.
NAL.
Japanese test vehicle. Single stage vehicles.
NAL.
Japanese agency. National Aerospace Laboratory, Japan.
Japanese test vehicle. Single stage vehicle.
Mitsubishi solid rocket engine. 10 kN.
Solid rocket stage. 10.00 kN (2,248 lbf) thrust. Mass 100 kg (220 lb).
Japanese test vehicle. Single stage vehicle.
Mitsubishi solid rocket engine.
Solid rocket stage.
Japanese test vehicle. Single stage vehicle.
Mitsubishi solid rocket engine.
Solid rocket stage.
Japanese test vehicle.
NASDA solid rocket engine. 250 kN.
Solid propellant rocket stage. Loaded mass 4,700 kg. Thrust 250.00 kN.
The NATO Missile Firing Installation is NATO's main Firing Range. It is located on the island of Crete, outside the town of Chania.
Norwegian manufacturer of rocket engines and rockets. Nammo Raufoss AS, Norway.
American technology satellite. Launched 2008.08.03,
Spanish technology satellite. One launch, 2004.12.18. Experimental nanosat built by the Spanish space agency (INTA).
American low cost orbital launch vehicle. Two-stage, reusable, liquid oxygen/ethane propellant launch vehicle using aerospike engine technology and capable of delivering 10 kilograms to a 250-kilometer polar orbit. The NLV would provide low-cost, dedicated launch services to universities and other research organizations that traditionally depend on secondary payload opportunities to access space
Nanosat SSTL.
Manufacturer's designation for SNAP technology satellite.
Russian technology satellite. One launch, 2005.02.28. Nanosatellite delivered by Progress M-52 to the International Space Station. 30 cm long, it was released from during a spacewalk on 28 March 2005.
F2H aircraft flying from this Naval Air Station launched Rockair sounding rockets in 1955, known to have been used for 5 launches, reaching up to 55 kilometers altitude.
NAR.
National Association of Rocketry
Narimanov, Georgiy Stepanovich (1922-1983) Russian engineer. Major-General, doctor of physics and mathematics, deputy chief of 4 NII-MO for scientific research (1959-1965).
Egyptian agency. NARSSS, Egypt.
Naryad.
Code name for IS-MU military anti-satellite system.
NASA.
First name of NASA Langley
NASA.
First name of NASA Cleveland
NASA.
First name of JPL
NASA.
First name of Wallops
NASA.
First name of Clemson
NASA.
First name of NASA Houston
NASA.
American agency overseeing development of rockets and spacecraft. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA, USA.
Turbofan-powered rocket stage carrier aircraft. Loaded/empty mass 276,364/177,000 kg. Thrust 835.23 kN. Specific impulse 10939 seconds. Boeing swept wing airliner, modified to carry shuttle on its back. Also considered as launch aircraft for Manned Sortie Vehicle and air-launched Minuteman and Peacekeeper. Release conditions: Piggy-back, 109,000 kg payload, 37.2 m length x 24.0 m span at 538 kph at 5183 m.
American manned spaceplane. Study 1986. The early Space Station proposals assumed the facility would be equipped with a 'safe haven' where the crew would wait for a rescue Shuttle in case of emergency.
American agency overseeing development of rockets and spacecraft. Ames, USA.
NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, USA.
NASA Goddard.
First Owner of NASA Greenbelt
American agency overseeing development of spacecraft. Greenbelt, USA.
Requirement: six pilots for the single-crew Mercury manned spacecraft. Originally a wide pool of candidates was going to be considered, but in December 1958 President Eisenhower ruled that military test pilots would form the candidate pool. Nickname: The Original Seven
Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Nickname: The Maggots. Named by Bill Shepherd, who dubbed them in their earliest group training in aircraft survival school, a term familiar to graduates of USMC boot camp.
Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights.
Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Nickname: The Gaffers (acronym for 'George Abbey Final Fifteen' - the last group selected with George Abbey as Director of Flight Crew Operations). The class motto: 'What's the rush?' since there was expected to be along wait for flights after the Challenger disaste
Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Nickname: The Hairballs. As the 13th astronaut group, the 'unlucky' theme was discussed in designing an emblem for the group. A black cat was used on an early patch design rejected by NASA. This reminded some of hairballs and the group members adopted this as a nickname.
Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Nickname: The Hogs.
Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Nickname: The Flying Escargot. Originally dubbed the 'snails' by the Hogs, because they were supposed to be the class of 1994, but the announcement was delayed a year;. They renamed themselves with the better-sounding French equivalent.
Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Nickname: The Sardines (named because that's how packed they were; at 44 this was the largest ASCAN class of all time)
Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Nickname: The Penguins. Originally called the Dodos by the Sardines, after an extinct flightless bird; they renamed themselves after a flightless bird that eats fish...
Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Nickname: The Bugs.
Requirement: pilot and mission specialists for post-ISS spaceflights to the moon and beyond
Requirement: pilots for the Gemini program and early Apollo missions. Nickname: The Next Nine
Requirement: pilot and mission specialists for post-ISS spaceflights to the moon and beyond. Nickname: The Chumps (unexplained; originally the Chimps, but perhaps the Chumps based on the unlikelihood they will ever fly in space).
Requirement: crew members for planned Apollo missions (then planned as 4 Saturn I missions in 1965, 2-4 Saturn IB missions in 1966, 6 Saturn V missions from 1967). Nickname: The Fourteen.
Requirement: scientist-astronauts for Apollo lunar landing and Apollo applications earth-orbit space station missions. Nickname: The Scientists.
Requirement: pilot-astronauts for the Apollo Applications Program (then planned as 10 lunar landings after Apollo 11 and 30 Apollo flights to earth-orbit space stations). Nickname: The Original Nineteen
Requirement: additional scientist-astronauts for Apollo lunar landing and earth-orbit space station missions. Nickname: The Excess Eleven.
NASA was forced to take on seven pilot-astronauts from the cancelled USAF MOL military space station program. All of these men would have to wait to the shuttle era for space missions, but they all would eventually fly.
Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Recruit women and minorities to introduce diversity into the astronaut corps. Nickname: TFNG - Thirty-Five New Guys, also an obscene military phrase.
Requirement: pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Nickname: 19+80 - The two European astronauts in the group were not considered by the Americans to be part of the 'official' group. This led to a scene at graduation.
American agency overseeing development of rockets and spacecraft. Houston, Houston, USA.
Army Ballistic Missile Agency, USA.
American agency.
American agency overseeing development of rockets and spacecraft. Langley, USA.
NASA's Ames Research Center and Langley had promoted the idea of 'lifting bodies', rounded half-cones, for use as manned recoverable spacecraft. These provided lift for maneuver and recovery at an airfield after re-entry from orbit.
American space suit, tested 1992. The NASA Mark III was an advanced NASA space suit design of the 1990's.
American manned Mars expedition. Study 1971. Final NASA Mars expedition before the 1980's. The spacecraft would use shuttle hardware, including SSME engines in the rocket stages.
American manned Mars flyby. Study 1965. Mars flyby mission designed by NASA Huntsville in 1965 to use existing Apollo hardware, allowing a manned flyby of Mars by 1975.
NASA Marshall.
Second Owner of NASA Huntsville
NASA PARD.
First Owner of NASA Wallops
Shuttle astronauts traveled into space on government orders reading "ITINERARY: FROM HOUSTON, TX TO EARTH ORBIT". They received a per diem of only a few dollars a day - $30 to $50 extra on top of their base salary for a flight - since NASA was providing all "meals, transportation, and lodging".
American agency. Wallops Flight Facility (NASA), Wallops, USA.
NASA WFC.
Second Owner of Wallops
NASA Cleveland electric rocket engine. Two-Stage Hybrid Hall/Ion Thruster
NASA Cleveland electric/krypton rocket engine. 1 N. Isp=4000s. Developed to investigate high-power, high specific impulse Hall thruster operation in 2004.
NASA Cleveland electric/xenon rocket engine. Isp=2326s. 50 kW Hall thruster developed 2001-on.
NASA-LANL Manned Mars Mission 1985.
American manned Mars flyby. Study 1985. Joint Los Alamos/NASA design for a quick Mars flyby mission using hardware planned for development by NASA in the 1990's.
Norwegian manufacturer. NASAMS, Norway.
NASC.
American manufacturer. NASC, USA.
Japanese agency overseeing development of rockets, spacecraft, and rocket engines. National Space Development Agency, Japan.
Requirement: Japanese astronauts for flights aboard Shuttle, ISS.
Requirement: Japanese astronauts for flights aboard Shuttle, ISS.
Requirement: Japanese astronauts for flights aboard Shuttle, ISS.
NASDA Japanese Experiment Module.
Japanese manned space station module. Launched to ISS in three sections, 2008-2009. The Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) has been a rare island of stability in the often tumultuous Space Station program.
Nash.
Nash, J S American test pilot. Flew the X-4 # 2.
NASM.
National Air and Space Museum
NASP.
National AeroSpace Plane
NASP (National Aerospace Plane); Orient Express.
Alternate designation for X-30 rocket stage.
Sounding rocket launch location known to have been used for 233 launches from 1965 to 2007, reaching up to 1100 kilometers altitude.
Skylark launch complex. MAN site
National Aerospace Plane.
Popular Name of X-30 ssto winged orbital launch vehicle.
National Launch System.
As part of its effort to develop what started out as an American version of the A9 boost-glide rocket, North American Aviation built seven Nativ subscale technology demonstrators.
Rocket stage used on Nativ test vehicle.
NATO.
Military communications satellite network.
NATO.
NATO
NATO.
European agency overseeing development of spacecraft. North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Europe.
British military communications satellite. 4 launches, 1969.11.22 (Skynet 1A) to 1971.02.03 (NATO 2). Military communications.
British military communications satellite. 4 launches, 1976.04.22 (NATO 3A) to 1984.11.14 (NATO 3D). Military communications.
Naugle, John E (1923-1993) American physicist, at NASA 1959-1981, developed projects to study the magnetosphere.
Russian earth magnetosphere satellite. 45 launches, 1968.03.21 (Nauka) to 1979.08.17 (Cosmos 1122 Nauka). The Nauka containers were flown as piggy-back payloads aboard Zenit reconnaissance satellites. They served a dual purpose.
American manned space station module. Study 2013. Inflatable pressurized habitat module for use in manned space stations, lunar, or interplanetary spacecraft or bases. Developed by Bigelow Aerospace using private funds.
The Navaho intercontinental cruise missile project was begun just after World War II, at a time when the US Army Air Force considered ballistic missiles to be technically impractical. The Navaho required a large liquid propellant rocket engine to get its Mach 3 ramjet up to ignition speed. This engine, derived with German assistance from that of the V-2, provided the basis for the rockets that would later take Americans into space.
The Navaho intercontinental cruise missile project was begun just after World War II, at a time when the US Army Air Force considered ballistic missiles to be technically impractical. The Navaho required a large liquid propellant rocket engine to get its Mach 3 ramjet up to ignition speed. This engine, derived with German assistance from that of the V-2, provided the basis for the rockets that would later take Americans into space.
It turned out that mastering the guidance and materials technology needed for a Mach 3 cruise air vehicle was actually more difficult than for a Mach 22 ballistic missile. In the end, the Redstone, Thor, Jupiter, and Atlas rockets were flying before their equivalent-range Navaho counterparts. However the Navaho program provided the engine technology that allowed the US to develop these ballistic missiles rapidly and catch up with the Russians. Navaho also developed chem-milling fuel tank fabrication techniques, inertial and stellar navigation, and a host of other technologies used in later space vehicles. It put North American Aviation, and its Rocketdyne Division, in a leading position that allowed them to capture the prime contracts for the X-15, Apollo, and Space Shuttle projects, thereby dominating American manned spaceflight for the next seventy years.
The Navaho intercontinental cruise missile project was begun just after World War II, at a time when the US Army Air Force considered ballistic missiles to be technically impractical. The Navaho required a large liquid propellant rocket engine to get its Mach 3 ramjet up to ignition speed. This engine, derived with German assistance from that of the V-2, provided the basis for the rockets that would later take Americans into space.
American intermediate range cruise missile. The Navaho G-26 was a 2/3 scale test version of the operational Navaho G-38. The Navaho program was cancelled on 13 July 1957, but already-built G-26 test missiles were flown to the end of 1958.
Mach 3 ramjet test vehicle. Loaded/empty mass 29,478/9,977 kg. Thrust 66.70 kN. Specific impulse 1200 seconds. Separates from booster at 14,600 m, Mach 3. Mach 2.75 cruise, 5,600 km range, payload 2500 kg in 2.59 m x 1.50 m compartment.
American intercontinental cruise missile. The intercontinental-range Navaho G-38 was the ultimate development of the German A-9/A-10 concept. At the time the Navaho program was cancelled on 13 July 1957 missiles were in fabrication with first flight test planned by the end of 1958.
Ramjet-powered missile stage. Loaded/empty mass 54,648/14,512 kg. Thrust 89.26 kN. Specific impulse 1200 seconds. Separates from booster at 21,600 m, Mach 3. Mach 3.25 cruise, 10,200 km range, payload 4545 kg in 3.76 m x 1.78 m weapons bay. Empty mass estimated.
Navaho I.
Popular Name of Navaho SSM-A-2 intermediate range cruise missile.
Navaho II.
Popular Name of Navaho G-26 intermediate range cruise missile.
Navaho II SM-64.
Alternate designation for Navaho G-26 intermediate range cruise missile.
Navaho III.
Popular Name of Navaho G-38 intercontinental cruise missile.
American intermediate range cruise missile. The first version of the Navaho developed in 1946-1950 was a Mach-3 ramjet vehicle with an integral rocket booster. Completion of the vehicle was cancelled in 1950 but the engine was used to power the Redstone ballistic missile.
American intermediate range cruise missile. Reusable, conventional airfield takeoff-and-landing aerodynamic test vehicle for Navaho missile.
Air/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 19,183/11,700 kg. Thrust 96.95 kN. Specific impulse 1800 seconds. Aerodynamic test vehicle for Navaho missile; Max speed Mach 2.08; range 1320 km.
North American proposed several methods of taking the X-15 spaceplane to higher velocities and altitudes. One of these involved the use of one to three Navaho booster rockets, which could even place the X-15 into orbit. This incremental approach to manned spaceflight was not pursued - the Mercury and X-20 Dynasoar programs were favored instead.
American manufacturer. Naval Ordnance Lab, USA.
Naval Ordnance Test Station.
Alternate name for China Lake launch site.
American manufacturer of rocket engines. Naval Propellant Plant, USA.
Category of spacecraft.
Naval Weapons Center.
Second Owner of NAWC
Navesnoy otsek.
Alternate designation for Zarya NO manned spacecraft module.
Category of spacecraft.
Navigation technology satellite.
Category of spacecraft.
Category of persons.
American outer planets probe. Study 1962. 1962 JPL concept for a dedicated spacecraft to be launched by a Saturn C-2 or RIFT booster on missions to Mercury and Jupiter. Never went beyond preliminary study stage.
Satellite bus developed by Lavochkin 2000-2010 for use by a variety of earth-resource and scientific satellites. Dry mass 850 kg, propellant up to 540 kg, and payload up to 2600 kg. Solar panels provided 600-1100 watts maximum over a five-year designed operational life. Stabilized to within 2.5 deg by a hydrazine monopropellant system.
Category of spacecraft.
Navstar.
Code name for GPS Block 1 navigation satellite.
The Navstar GPS (Global Positioning System) program was a joint service effort directed by the United States Department of Defence. Navstar GPS is a space-based radio-positioning system nominally consisting of a 24-satellite constellation that provides navigation and timing information to military and civilian users worldwide. In addition to the satellites, the system consists of a worldwide satellite control network and GPS receiver units that acquire the satellite's signals and translate them into position information. Originally envisioned as primarily a military system, GPS was found to have a wide variety of civilian applications, many of them never conceived by the original system's designers.
American manned lunar lander. Study 1961. The spacecraft for a US Navy lunar landing program that was to place a naval aviator on the moon by 1967.
Navy pilots received by far the larger share of shuttle commander assignments throughout the program - why?
NAWC.
American manufacturer of rocket engines and rockets. Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division (formerly called Naval Weapons Center), USA.
Russian space emergency kit, operational 1968. The NAZ-3 emergency-landing kit was used in cosmonaut training in all seasons and extremes of temperature, and on all manner of terrain: mountains, steppes, tundra, desert, taiga, and in water.
Subsonic rocket launch aircraft. Loaded/empty mass 177,273/70,545 kg. Thrust 430.47 kN. Specific impulse 5142 seconds. Boeing Bomber-swept wing. Maximum release conditions: Wing mounted, 25,000 kg (19.1 m length x 6.7 m span) at 880 kph at 11,448 m altitude
NBC.
National Broadcasting Corporation; or Nuclear-biological-chemical
NBS.
National Bureau of Standards (now NIST)
NC.
Nitrocellulose
NCAR.
American agency.
NCS.
Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd, Nigeria.
NCST.
Algerian agency. NCST, Algeria.
NDRE.
Norwegian Defense Research Establishment, Norway.
NDV.
NASP Derived Vehicle
NE.
Northeast
NEAP.
American asteroid probe. Study 2002. Near Earth Asteroid Prospector (NEAP) was SpaceDev's first conceived commercial deep-space mission. The mission was planned as the first deep-space mission defined and executed by a non-governmental entity.
NEAR.
American asteroid probe. One launch, 1996.02.17. NEAR (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) was the first spacecraft ever to orbit and then (improvisationally) land on an asteroid.
Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous.
Alternate designation for NEAR asteroid probe.
Nebel, Rudolf (1894-1978) German rocket enthusiast. Worked for Oberth; helped found VfR; built largest prewar German test rockets. Work shut down by government in 1934. Did not work on rockets during WW2. Promoted civilian rebirth of German rocketry in 1950's.
German manufacturer of rockets. Nebel, Germany.
NEC.
Japanese manufacturer of spacecraft. Nippon Electric Corporation, Japan.
Nedaivoda, Anatoliy Konstantinovich (1938-) Russian engineer. Deputy General Director, Khrunichev State Scientific Industrial Research Centre. Worked at Khrunichev from 1965 on Proton launch vehicle and Salyut series of space stations. Manager and General Manager KB Salyut from 1994.
Nedelin, Mitrofan Ivanovich (1902-1960) Russian officer. Deputy Minister of Defence 1955-1959. First Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces 1959-1964. Died in the Nedelin catastrophe.
Military testing range, known to have been used for 3 launches from 1990 to 2000, reaching up to 100 kilometers altitude.
Israeli manned spacecraft. Study 2004. X-Prize suborbital balloon-launched ballistic spacecraft concept of IL Aerospace Technologies (ILAT), Israel.
Nehlsen, Gerhard German expert in guided missiles during World War II. As of January 1947, working at c/o Klinger, British Zone.
Nehrkorn, Horst (1920-) German ballistics expert; worked in the Soviet Union after WW2. One of the group that fired V-2 rockets at Kapustin Yar in 1946.
NEK.
Scientific-Experimental Complex (Russian abbreviation)
Nelson, Dr George Driver 'Pinky' (1950-) American astronomer mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-41-C, STS-61-C, STS-26.
Nelson, Anthony 'Tony' American fictitious astronaut, featured in I Dream of Jeannie television program.
Nelson, Clarens William Jr 'Bill' (1942-) American congressman payload specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-61-C.
Nelyubov, Grigori Grigoyevich (1934-1966) Russian pilot cosmonaut, 1960-1963. Discharged with Anikeyev and Filatuev after alcohol incident. Returned to Air Force duties in Siberia, underwent increasing depression, killed in 1966 when hit by a train.
Neman.
Alternate designation for Yantar-4KS1 military surveillance satellite.
Nenashev, Mikhail Ivanovich (1918-1994) Russian officer. Lieutenant-General, Chief of the Fourth Chief Directorate of the Ministry of Defence (1964-1987). Managed anti-missile and anti-satellite forces of the PVO.
Primary missile testing range of the Russian Navy. Known to have been used for 22 launches from 1965 to 1997, reaching up to 1000 kilometers altitude, but the number of actual missile tests was in the hundreds.
Nepobedimiy, Sergei Pavlovich Russian Chief Designer of the Kolomna Mechanical Engineering Design Bureau.1965-1989, specialised in surface-to-air, tactical ballistic, and anti-tank missiles. Designed the world's only air-augmented ICBM, the Gnom, in the early 1960's.
American manned space station. Study 2018. A unique aspect of the Neptune stage-and-a-half commercial launch vehicle concept was that the main rocket structure, once in orbit, could act as a small space station.
American sea-launched orbital launch vehicle. Sea-launched stage-and-a-half liquid oxygen / liquid natural gas orbital launch vehicle for passengers or payloads of up to 4.5 tonnes.
ONERA solid rocket engine. 20 kN.
Headquarters of an RVSN Division, 1961-1965. Moved to Drovyanaya.. Base for units deployed with 12 R-14 and perhaps R-12 missiles.
Neri Vela, Rodolfo (1952-) Mexican engineer payload specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-61-B. First Mexican astronaut.
NERV.
Nuclear Emulsion Recovery Vehicle (high-altitude radiation experiment)
DoE nuclear/lh2 rocket engine family family developed in the 1960's up to flight article test before cancellation.
Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application. NASA/AEC Project of the 1960's to develop Nuclear Thermal Propulsion.
American space tug. Study 1980. Upper stage / space tug - Development 1971.
DoE nuclear/lh2 rocket engine. 266 kN. Study 1968. Early version of Nerva engine proposed for use in Saturn and RIFT configurations in 1961. Isp=800s.
Nuclear/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 178,321/34,019 kg. Thrust 867.41 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 825 seconds.
Notional nuclear/lh2 rocket engine. Study 1959. Used on Hyperion launch vehicle.
Notional nuclear/lh2 rocket engine. 8963 kN. DAC Helios, DAC Helios ISI studies 1963. Isp=850s.
American nuclear-powered orbital launch vehicle. Version of 1960's nuclear fission engine proposed in 1990's.
DoE nuclear/lh2 rocket engine. 867.4 kN. Developed 1950-74. Isp=825s.
Nuclear/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 158,400/27,000 kg. Thrust 333.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 925 seconds. Design as revised in detail in 2005.
American space tug. Study 2005. Upper stage / space tug - study completed 1991. Late 1980's update of 1960's Nerva design.
Nuclear/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 17,783/4,969 kg. Thrust 71.70 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 860 seconds. Nuclear stage designed to fit into the space shuttle payload bay. Additional propellant modules could be added in orbit. Such propellant modules would have a mass of 23,181 kg, including 21,265 kg of usable propellant. Given goahead in 1972, it would have been flight tested by 1982.
DoE nuclear/lh2 rocket engine. 71.7 kN. Study 1972. The final Nerva Alpha flight engine reference configuration as documented at the end of its development. Isp=860s.
Nuclear/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 18,643/5,829 kg. Thrust 81.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 975 seconds. Improved version of the Alpha nuclear stage designed to fit into the space shuttle payload bay. Additional propellant modules could be added in orbit. Such propellant modules would have a mass of 23,181 kg, including 21,265 kg of usable propellant. Given an Alpha engine development program, it would have been flight tested by 1984. In addition to propulsion, it would provide 10 to 25 MWe power for missions of two to five years duration.
DoE nuclear/lh2 rocket engine. 81 kN. Study 1972. Isp=975s. The final Nerva Gamma flight engine was an improved version of the Alpha, a small engine that could be launched together with its stage and a payload in a single space shuttle launch.
DoE nuclear/lh2 rocket engine. 333.4 kN. Study 1991. Late 1980's update of 1960's Nerva design. Isp=925s.
Notional nuclear/lh2 rocket engine. 24,126 kN. Study 1963. Isp=810s. Used on RITA C launch vehicle.
Nesmeyanov, Aleksandr Nikolayevich (1899-1980) Russian scientist. President of the Academy of Sciences 1951-1961. Approved the first satellite project.
Nespoli, Paolo Alberto (1957-) Italian engineer mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-120, ISS EO-26.
Nesterenko, Aleksei Ivanovich (1908-1995) Russian officer. First Director of Nll-4 1946-1950. First Commander of Baikonur 1955-1958.
Netherlands
Nettersheim German rocket engineer in WW2; later worked in France at LRBA from 1947 to 1957 in the ground support equipment group. Remained in France thereafter.
US base in the 1980's for 43 Pershing 2 IRBM's. The launchers and missiles were withdrawn and destroyed under the INF Treaty with the Soviet Union.
Neubauer, Karl German expert in rocket designer during World War II. As of January 1947, living c/o Apel, Johnke in Judenbach B/Stunneberg/Thuer.
Neubeck, Francis Gregory (1932-) American pilot astronaut, 1965-1969.
Neubert, Erich Walter (1910-1999) German engineer in WW2, member of the Rocket Team in the United States thereafter.
Neuhoefer, Kurt Kunibert Karlmann (1903-1973) Austrian-German engineer in WW2, member of the Rocket Team in the United States thereafter.
Neumeister, Lisa (1920-) Wife of a German engineer in WW2, member of the Rocket Team in the Soviet Union, worked as a translator for rocket engine developers in Glushko's design bureau from 1947 to 1952.
Nuclear test site. Sounding rockets and test vehicles have been launched in support of US nuclear weapons development from the site since the 1950's.
Castor-Orbus launch complex. Sounding rocket launcher
The world is facing a minimum five year period, beginning in 2011, when the venerable Russian Soyuz spacecraft will provide the only means of ferrying crews to the International Space Station. America's new Orion spacecraft, beset by delays, is unlikely to be arriving at the ISS until 2018 at the earliest - which was NASA's original date for retirement of the ISS. China has its slow-motion Shenzhou manned program, but so far they have shown no interest in involvement in the ISS program, or in sharing their hard-won independent space technology with outsiders.
American outer planets probe. One launch, 2006.01.19. New Horizons was the first spacecraft targeted on Pluto, the last unvisited body of the nine original planets known at the beginning of the space age. Pluto Flyby.
New Launch System.
New Mexico State University, USA.
American manned spacecraft. Flight tests begun 2006. Vertical takeoff/vertical landing suborbital tourist spacecraft being developed by Blue Origin and scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2010.
American VTOVL test vehicle.
Dutch agency. New Skies, Netherlands.
With governmental manned space programs flagging, it seemed by the 21st Century that only civilian investors, building systems for toursim, might keep manned spaceflight alive...
New Zealand
Newell, Homer E (1915-1983) American physicist, at NRL 1944-1958, NASA 1958-1973. Leading advocate of use of sounding rockets for atmospheric and space research.
Newman, Dr James Hansen 'Jim' (1956-) American physicist mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-51, STS-69, STS-88, STS-109.
Newton, Isaac (1642-1727) British scientist, single-handedly developed the principles and mathematical basis of physics. His work established the calculations necessary for celestial mechanics, the rocket engine, and other essential elements of space exploration.
British gun-launched orbital launch vehicle. Isaac Newton discussed the use of a cannon to attain orbit in 1687 in his Principia Mathematica - the very book that defined classical physics and provided the theoretical basis for space travel and rocketry. Newton used the following 'thought experiment' to explain the principle of orbits around the earth (see illustration):
Imagine a mountain so high that its peak is above the atmosphere of the earth. Imagine on top of that mountain a cannon, that fires horizontally. As more and more charge is used with each shot, the speed of the cannonball will be grater, and the projectile will impact the ground farther and farther from the mountain. Finally, at a certain speed, the cannonball will not hit the ground at all. It will fall toward the circular earth just as fast as the earth curves away from it. In the absence of drag from the atmosphere, it will continue forever in an orbit around the earth.
NEXT.
NEXT.
UM-NASA electric/xenon rocket engine. 237 mN. Isp=4100s. NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster, 40 cm diameter ion engine, double the beam extraction area of the NSTAR engine. Developed 1998-2003.
Next Generation Space Telescope.
Manufacturer's designation for WST visible astronomy satellite.
American orbital launch vehicle. Conceptual next generation Delta booster beyond Delta IV Heavy, equalling Saturn V of the 1960's in payload capability. The booster would use two parallel 7-m-diameter booster stages, a notional RS-XXX Lox/LH2 rocket motor, and a 7 m diameter upper stage and fairing. Payload fairings of 7 m diameter could be accomodated. Introduction would require new launch pads and booster assembly infrastructure, and a new factory to handle the larger-diameter tooling.
American SSTO VTOVL orbital launch vehicle. Early 1960's recoverable launch vehicle proposed by Krafft Ehricke at General Dynamics. Perhaps the largest conventionally-powered launch vehicle ever conceived, it was designed to deliver 900 tonnes to low earth orbit.
American manned rocketplane. Study 1959. The NF-104 aerospace trainer was a modified F-104A fighter, incorporating an LR-121 liquid fuel rocket engine in addition to the conventional J-79 turbojet engine.
NG.
Nitroglycerin
NGC.
New General Catalog
NGD.
Nitroguanidine
NGST.
Code name for WST visible astronomy satellite.
NHK.
Japanese agency. Nippon Hoso Kyokai, Japan, Japan.
Nichols, Kenneth D (1907-2000) American manager, involved in directing the guided missile research and development effort for the Secretary of Defense in the early 1950's.
Near Infrared Camera / Multi Object Spectrometer (HST upgrade)
Nicollier, Claude (1944-) Swiss test pilot mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-46, STS-61, STS-75, STS-103. First Swiss astronaut.
NIE.
National Intelligence Estimate
Nie Haisheng (1964-) Chinese pilot taikonaut. Flew on Shenzhou 6.
Scientific-Research and Experimental Institute of the Parachute Landing Service (Russian abbreviation)
NIEMI.
Second Owner of Efremov
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The N-IF would be the first follow-on version with increased performance. The first stage engines would be increased in thrust from an average of 150 tonnes to 175 tonnes, and those in the second stage from 150 tonnes to 200 tonnes. The second and third stages would be substantially enlarged.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Then N-IFV-III would add the Block V-III cryogenic third stage to the first and second stages of the N-IF.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. N-IFV-II, III would use only the first stage from the N-1F, and use new cryogenic second and third stages. This cryogenic second stage seems not to have been pursued beyond the study phase.
Nigeria
Bristol Aerospace solid rocket engine. 50.5 kN. Upper stages. Out of production. Isp=284s. Used on Black Brant 10 launch vehicle. First flight 1981.
NII.
Scientific-Research Institute (Russian abbreviation)
NII Mash N2O4/UDMH rocket engine. 6 kN. experimental 612.25 kgf / 0.071 tf / 0.031tf. Developed. Experimental thruster, 3 thrust levels by 4 valves: 6000 N, 0.7 N, 0.3 N. Specific impulse 326 - 286 sec. Isp=286s.
Russian manufacturer of spacecraft. NII KP, Russia.
Russian manufacturer of rocket engines. NII Mash, Russia.
NII Mashinostroyeniyanii.
First name of NII Mash
NII Mashinostroyeniyanii.
Second name of NII Mash
Scientific-Research Institute for Rubber Industry (Russian abbreviation)
Scientific-Research Institute for Thermal Processes, Moskva., Russia (Russian abbreviation); or Scientific-Research Institute for Precision Instruments (Russian abbreviation)
NII-1.
First name of Dushkin
NII-1.
Second name of Polyarniy
NII-10.
First Owner of Altair
NII-111 MSM.
Standard warhead of Variant S submarine-launched ballistic missile.
Ukrainian manufacturer of rocket engines. NII-125, Ukraine.
NII-20 GKRE.
First Owner of Efremov
NII-627.
First Owner of VNIIEM
NII-88.
First Owner of Korolev
Scientific-Research Institute for Automation and Instrument Building (Russian abbreviation)
Scientific-Research Institute for Aviation Equipment (Russian abbreviation)
Scientific-Research Institute for Measurement Technology (Russian abbreviation)
Sounding rocket and test vehicle launch site, known to have been used for 18 launches from 1963 to 1965, reaching up to 150 kilometers altitude.
NIIP.
Scientific-Research and Test Range; or Scientific-Research Institute for Instrument Building (Russian abbreviations)
NIIP Dolgoprudneisk NPP.
Third Owner of Tikhomirov
NIIP Priborostroeniya named for V V Tikhomirov.
Second Owner of Tikhomirov
Scientific-Research Institute for Applied Mechanics (Russian abbreviation)
NII-TT, Russia, Russia
NII-TT.
Third Owner of Nadiradze
NIJ.
Russian materials science satellite. Study 1998. By the late 1990's the Foton Design Bureau anticipated testing a much more capable microgravity spacecraft as a follow-on to the successful Foton program.
Nike.
Single stage vehicles consisting first of just the Nike booster were initially fired in the course of development of the Nike-Ajax surface-to-air missile. Later it was used occasionally as a sounding rocket, but much more often as the boost stage of a multi-stage sounding rocket.
Nike.
American sounding rocket. Single stage vehicles consisting first of just the Nike booster were initially fired in the course of development of the Nike-Ajax surface-to-air missile. Later it was used occasionally as a sounding rocket, but much more often as the boost stage of a multi-stage sounding rocket.
American surface-to-air missile. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Ajax
Solid rocket stage. 11.60 kN (2,608 lbf) thrust. Mass 500 kg (1,102 lb).
American sounding rocket. The most popular sounding rocket introduced during the early 1960's was this two-stage, solid-propellant vehicle consisting of a Nike booster and Apache upper stage.
American sounding rocket. Rail-launched vehicle consisting of an Asp plus a Nike booster. This product of the Cooper Development Corporation was designed to lift 27 kg to 260 km. An improved version, the Aspan 300, was also developed.The Nike-Asp was sometimes ship-launched.
American sounding rocket. Two stage vehicle sounding rocket consisting of a Nike booster together with a Cajun upper stage. Aside from the Soviet MMR-06, the Nike-Cajun was the most often launched sounding rocket. The Cajun motor was developed for NASA in the 1950's by Thiokol, providing a more modern but still affordable replacement for the World War II-era Deacon.
American test vehicle. Two-stage rocket using surplus Nike boosters and Deacon sounding rocket upper stage. The combination was much cheaper than Aerobee, and unlike Rockoon could be launched from fixed launchers in two and a half hours. It was used for 'falling sphere' air density studies, atmospheric soundings, and for heat transfer studies launched from NACA Wallops Island.
American sounding rocket. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Hawk
Solid propellant rocket stage. Loaded mass 600 kg. Thrust 13.00 kN.
Nike Hercules.
Popular Name of MIM-14A surface-to-air missile.
Two stage surface-to-air missile, replaced Nike Ajax, operational with the US and allied armies. Rocket stages later used in sounding rockets.
American surface-to-air missile. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Hercules Booster + 1 x TX-30
Solid propellant rocket stage. Loaded mass 2,400 kg. Thrust 772.00 kN.
American sounding rocket. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Hydac
American sounding rocket. Aerojet developed the Nike-Iroquois (also called Niro) to fulfill a US Air Force requirement for a low-cost sounding rocket with roll control and high structural strength.
Solid rocket stage. 24.40 kN (5,485 lbf) thrust. Mass 100 kg (220 lb).
American sounding rocket. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Javelin
American sounding rocket. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Javelin 3
American sounding rocket. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Malemute
American sounding rocket. 2-4 stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Nike + upper stages.
American sounding rocket.
Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Nike + 1 x Deacon
American test vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Nike + 1 x HPAG
Solid rocket stage. 12.50 kN (2,810 lbf) thrust. Mass 30 kg (66 lb).
American test vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Nike + 1 x T-40
American test vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Nike + 3 x Deacon + 1 x T-40
American sounding rocket. Two stage vehicle. Payload 68 kg to 190 km or 204 kg to 90 km. The Nike motor had three equally spaced unmodified Ajax fins, and the Orion motor had four fins on the aft end arranged in a cruciform configuration to provide stability. The first stage Nike booster had an action time of 3.2 seconds. The second stage ignited 9 seconds after liftoff and had an action time of 32 seconds. Capability 68 kg payload to 190 kilometers or a 204 kg payload to 90 kilometers when launched from sea level at an 85 degree launch angle.
American sounding rocket.
American test vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Recruit
American sounding rocket.
American test vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x T-40 + 1 x T-55
Four stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Nike + 1 x T-40 + 1 x T-55
American sounding rocket. Two stage vehicle consisting of a Nike booster and Tomahawk upper stage. Payload 45 kg to 370 km or 115 kg to 215 km.
American sounding rocket. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Nike + 1 x Viper I
Solid rocket stage. 24.00 kN (5,395 lbf) thrust. Mass 90 kg (198 lb).
American sounding rocket.
Solid rocket stage. 75.00 kN (16,861 lbf) thrust. Mass 200 kg (441 lb).
American anti-ballistic missile. First anti-ballistic missile tested by US. Protoypes were deployed operationally from the mid-Pacific test base as nuclear-tipped ASAT missiles. Cancelled 1966; replaced by the Spartan missile.
First anti-ballistic missile tested by US. Protoypes were deployed operationally from the mid-Pacific test base as nuclear-tipped ASAT missiles. Follow-on Spartan system deployed very briefly in 1970's.
American anti-ballistic missile. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x TX-135 + 1 x TX-238 + 1 x TX-239
Solid rocket stage.
American anti-ballistic missile. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x TX-135 + 1 x Zeus A
Solid rocket stage.
Solid propellant rocket stage. Loaded mass 5,000 kg. Thrust 2,000.00 kN.
Solid propellant rocket stage. Loaded mass 3,000 kg.
Nike-Black Brant.
Alternate Designation of Black Brant 8 sounding rocket.
Nike-Zeus.
Popular Name of Nike Zeus anti-ballistic missile.
Nikitsky, Vladimir Prtrovich (1939-) Russian engineer cosmonaut candidate, 1967.
Nikolaenok, Vladimir Adamovich (1923-) Russian officer. Colonel, Deputy Chief of 5 NIIP MO for space themes 1969-1976.
Nikolayev, Andrian Grigoryevich (1929-2004) Chuvash-Russian pilot cosmonaut. Flew on Vostok 3, Soyuz 9. First person to fly more than one day in space. Married Valentina Tereshkova, and fathered first child born to parents that had both flown in space.
Egypt's first communications satellite.
Egyptian agency. Nilesat SA, Egypt.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The N-IM would mark an tremendous increase in vehicle size and was the ultimate pure liquid oxygen/kerosene version considered. The first stage engines would be increased to 250 tonnes thrust, without reducing reliability, through use of higher engine chamber pressure. Propellant load in the first stage would be almost doubled. Second stage engine thrust would increase to 280 tonnes each and the second and third stages again enlarged.
American earth weather satellite. 8 launches, 1964.08.28 (Nimbus 1) to 1978.10.13 (Nimbus 7).
NIMS.
Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (on Galileo)
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Then N-IMV-III would add the Block V-III cryogenic third stage to the first and second stages of the N-IM. This provided the second-highest performance of the variations considered and would certainly have been cheaper than the N-IFV-II, III.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. N-IMV-II, III was the ultimate conventionally-powered N1 ever considered. It paired the monster N-1M first stage with new cryogenic second and third stages. Both liftoff thrust and payload of this vehicle would have been double that of the American Saturn V.
NIP.
Scientific-Measurement Point (Russian abbreviation)
NIPR.
Japanese agency. National Institute of Polar Research, Japan.
NIR.
Near InfraRed
Sounding rocket launch location known to have been used for 4 launches in 1966, reaching up to 140 kilometers altitude.
Japanese manufacturer of rocket engines and rockets. Nissan, Japan.
NIST.
National Institute of Standards and Technology.
NIST.
National Institute for Standards and Technology (was NBS)
NITI.
Scientific-Research and Technical Institute (Russian abbreviation)
Nitochkin, Aleksei Alekseyevich Russian officer. Engineer at TsPI-31. Designed Baikonur launch range.
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960.
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960. Early storable rocket systems sought to improve ignition characteristics and perforamance by eliminating the kerosene portion of the fuel. An amine is an organic compound produced when one or more hydrogen atoms of ammonia is replaced with organic groups. Mixed amine fuels were first developed by the Germans in World War II. TONKA-250, developed for the Wasserfall rocket, was used by the Russians after the war in various engines under the specification TG-02.
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960. Ammonia (NH3) is a colourless gas and liquid with a strong irritating characteristic odour.
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960. Gasoline of various grades were used as fuel in the earliest rocket engines of Goddard and others. Once appropriate blends of kerosene were developed in the United States and Soviet Union, that became the hydrocarbon fuel of choice.
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960. Hydrazine (N2H4) found early use as a fuel, but it was quickly replaced by UDMH. It is still used as a monopropellant for satellite station-keeping motors.
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960. Hydyne was a propellant blend pushed rather vigorously by the Redstone arsenal in the late 1950's, but it found little application. Hydyne, which is also known as MAF-4, is a 60 per cent, by weight, mixture of UDMH and 40 weight percent diethyltrianine (DETA).
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960. The addition of approximately 40 per cent of UDMH to JP-4 resulted in a formulation (JP-X) which solved both the combustion and the ignition difficulties experienced with WFNA/ JP-4 and IRFNA/JP-4.
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960. Rocket propellant RP-1, or its foreign equivalents, is a straight-run kerosene fraction, which is subjected to further treatment, i.e., acid washing, sulphur dioxide extraction. Thus, unsaturated substances which polymerise in storage are removed, as are sulphur-containing hydrocarbons.
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960. Monomethylhydrazine (CH3NHNH2) is a storable liquid fuel that found favour in the United States for use in orbital spacecraft engines. Its advantages in comparison to UDMH are higher density and slightly higher performance.
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960. Solid propellants have the fuel and oxidiser embedded in a rubbery matrix. They were developed to a high degree of perfection in the United States in the 1950's and 1960's. In Russia, development was slower, due to a lack of technical leadership in the area and rail handling problems.
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960.
Drawing on the German World War II Wasserfall rocket, nitric acid (HNO3) became the early storable oxidiser of choice for missiles and upper stages of the 1950's. To overcome various problems with its use, it was necessary to combine the nitric acid with N2O4 and passivation compounds. These formulae were considered extremely secret at the time. By the late 1950's it was apparent that N2O4 by itself was a better oxidiser. Therefore nitric acid was almost entirely replaced by pure N2O4 in storable liquid fuel rocket engines developed after 1960. Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine ((CH3)2NNH2) became the storable liquid fuel of choice by the mid-1950's. Development of UDMH in the Soviet Union began in 1949. It is used in virtually all storable liquid rocket engines except for some orbital manoeuvring engines in the United States, where MMH has been preferred due to a slightly higher density and performance.
Inert cold gas held under pressure and released by valves to create thrust.
Inert cold gases held under pressure and released by valves to create thrust. Inert cold gases held under pressure and released by valves to create thrust.
Inert cold gases held under pressure and released by valves to create thrust.
Inert cold gases held under pressure and released by valves to create thrust. Inert cold gases held under pressure and released by valves to create thrust.
Nitrous oxide has advantages as a rocket engine oxidizer in that it is non-toxic, stable at room temperature, easy to store and relatively safe to carry on a flight. Its disadvantage is that it must be stored as a gas, which make it more bulky than liquid oxidizers. Early storable rocket systems sought to improve ignition characteristics and perforamance by eliminating the kerosene portion of the fuel. Alcohol (C2H5OH) was the fuel used for the German V-2 rocket, and the first derivative rocket engines in the United States, Soviet Union, and China used it as well. Better performance was achieved by increasing the alcohol concentration in the post-war engines. But after better-performance rocket-grade kerosene was developed by Rocketdyne in the REAP program of 1953, use of alcohol was abandoned.
Nitrous oxide has advantages as a rocket engine oxidizer in that it is non-toxic, stable at room temperature, easy to store and relatively safe to carry on a flight. Its disadvantage is that it must be stored as a gas, which make it more bulky than liquid oxidizers. Early storable rocket systems sought to improve ignition characteristics and perforamance by eliminating the kerosene portion of the fuel. An amine is an organic compound produced when one or more hydrogen atoms of ammonia is replaced with organic groups. Mixed amine fuels were first developed by the Germans in World War II. TONKA-250, developed for the Wasserfall rocket, was used by the Russians after the war in various engines under the specification TG-02.
Nitze, Paul H (1907-2004) American manager, director of the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey, 1944-1946, senior defense department positions 1961-1969.
N-IU.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The N-IU would be the initial production version of the N1 following the mad rush to make the lunar landings. It would have essentially the same payload but would be substantially re-engineered for sharply improved reliability, most notably with autonomously operating engines. It is interesting to note that four years before the disastorous first flight Korolev already foresaw the potential engine problems that would be the downfall of the project.
Russian heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The N-IUV-III would replace the N-IU's conventional third stage with a LOX/LH2 cryogenic third stage. This was seen at the time as the first step in exploitation of cryogenic technology in Russia. Although pursued for some time, this large stage never went into development. The more modestly-sized Block R, Block S, and Block SR instead were put into development in the early 1970's.
NIVR.
Dutch manufacturer of spacecraft. NIVR, Netherlands.
Nixon, Richard M (1913-1994) American politician, President of the US 1969-1974; allowed the Apollo and Skylab programs to complete, but denied NASA funds for its enormous post-Apollo program. He set budget limitations resulting in a partially-reusable shuttle design.
Headquarters of an RVSN Division, 1961-present. Base for units deployed with R-16 ICBM, much later 45 RT-2PM mobile missiles.
NK-.
Kuznetsov engine (designation numbering series) (Russian abbreviation)
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine family developed for the N-1 launcher.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. 1544 kN. N-1 stage 1 (block A). Development ended 1964. On the basis of NK-9 the NK-15 was developed for the N-1 launcher. 30 were used on the Block A (Stage 1) of the N-1. Isp=318s. First flight 1969.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. 2180 kN. Development 1966-1972. Isp=350s. Engine had only a very short nozzle, the 24 engines around the periphery were to expand along a common central plug on the first stage of a studied N1 variant.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. 1648 kN. Development ended 1964. Isp=325s. Developed from the NK-9. 8 engines, featuring high-expansion nozzles, used on N1 Stage 2. First flight 1969.
Kuznetsov lox/lh2 rocket engine. 1960 kN. N-1 stage 2 (block B) replacement. Design 1972. Derivative of NK-15 with kerosene replaced by hydrogen. Canceled before hot-tests.
NK-19.
Alternate designation for NK-9V-11D54 Lox-Kerosene rocket engine.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. N-1 stage 4. Development ended 1964. Based on NK-9 engine. Originally developed for the modernized second stage of the R-9 (abandoned). Also to have been used on GR-1 / 8K713 Stage 2. First flight 1969.
NK-19, NK-21.
Alternate designation for NK-9V rocket engine.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine family for the N-1 stage 3 application.
NK-21.
Alternate designation for NK-9V-11D53 Lox-Kerosene rocket engine.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. N-1 stage 3 (block V). Out of production. Based on NK-9 engine. Propellants kerosene T-1 / LOX. 4 engines used in N-1 stage 3 (block V). Isp=318s. Used on N1 launch vehicle. First flight 1969.
Kuznetsov turbofan engine. 226.5 kN. Tu-160. Development ended 1992. Turbofan engine used in Tu-160. Thrust is maximum sea level thrust; specific impulse is sea level value at that thrust. Isp=1980s.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. 402 kN. Isp=353s. Upgraded version of engines for N-1 stage 4, with multiple ignition capability and increased operational lifetime. Mothballed in 1974. Proposed for Black Colt launch vehicle in 1993.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine family. Never flown and mothballed after the cancellation of the N1.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. 1638 kN. N-1F, Kistler stage 1, Taurus II stage 1. Isp=331s. Modified version of original engine with multiple ignition capability. Never flown and mothballed in 1975 after the cancellation of the N1. Resurrected for Kistler, then for Taurus.
NK-33 LH2 Mod.
Manufacturer's designation of NK-33 LH2 Mod + 4 x LACE Air-Lox-LH2 rocket engine.
Kuznetsov air augmented rocket engine. 980.7 kN. N1-MOK. Study 1974. Isp=430s. Ultimate derivative of NK-9. Propellants changed to LH2/LOX, 16 x modified NK-33 engines + 4 Liquid Air Cycle Engine Liquid Air/LH2 boosters.
NK-35.
Alternate designation for NK-15VM Lox-LH2 rocket engine.
Kuznetsov lox/lh2 rocket engine. 1960 kN. Design 1972. Derivative of the NK-15 with kerosene replaced by hydrogen. The engine was canceled before hot-tests. Proposed for the UR-700M Mars booster in 1972, but this was not approved either.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. 402 kN. N-1F stage 3. Development ended 1971. Isp=352s. Modified version of original engine with multiple ignition capability. Never flown and mothballed after the cancellation of the N1.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. 1755 kN. N-1F, Kistler stage 2. Design 1975. Isp=346s. Modified version of original engine with multiple ignition capability. Never flown and mothballed after the cancellation of the N1. Resurrected for Kistler.
NK-9.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine family. Reached phase of stand testing in 1965, but then RD-111 selected. Later planned for 1st Stage of GR-1, but that rocket also cancelled.
NK-9.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. 441.3 kN. R-9, GR-1 stage 1. Isp=327s. Reached phase of stand testing in 1965, but then RD-111 selected. Later planned for 1st Stage of GR-1, but that rocket also cancelled.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. 441.3 kN. N-1 stage 2 / N-1 stage 3 / R-9 Stage 2. Developed for 2nd stage of the R-9 ICBM (alternative to RD-111 engine by OKB-456). NK-9 with increased expansion ratio. Isp=340s. First flight 1965.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. 449 kN. N-1 stage 3 (block V). Out of Production. Modification of NK-9 engine for the N-1 lunar rocket. May be identical to NK-21 (stage 3). Isp=340s.
Kuznetsov Lox/Kerosene rocket engine. 392 kN. N-1 stage 4 (block G). Out of Production. Modification of NK-9 engine for the N-1 lunar rocket. May be identical to NK-19 (stage 4). Isp=340s.
NKAU.
Ukrainian agency. National Space agency overseeing development of Ukraine, Ukraine.
NKVD.
People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (Russian abbreviation)
NLDP.
National Launch Development Program
NLS.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. New (or National) Launch System (NLS) joint NASA/USAF studies began in 1989, following the demise of the ALS. They proposed development of a family of launch vehicles using a new STME engine to replace the existing ‘high cost' boosters derived from 1950's missile designs. The $12 billion nonrecurring cost was nearly that estimated for ALS, and this cost could not be recouped at projected launch rates. NLS was terminated in 1991.
NLS.
New (or National) Launch System (NLS) joint NASA/USAF studies began in 1989, following the demise of the ALS. They proposed development of a family of launch vehicles using a new STME engine to replace the existing ‘high cost' boosters derived from 1950's missile designs. The $12 billion nonrecurring cost was nearly that estimated for ALS, and this cost could not be recouped at projected launch rates. NLS was terminated in 1991.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 815,732/44,757 kg. Thrust 7,150.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 430 seconds.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. NLS Heavy Lift Version. Lower cost expendable launch vehicle studied by NASA/USAF in late 1980's.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 833,732/62,757 kg. Thrust 14,310.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 425 seconds.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 36,000/36,000 kg. Thrust 14,310.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 425 seconds.
nm.
nautical mile(s)
NMC.
American agency. Naval Missile Center, Point Mugu, CA, USA.
NO.
Rendezvous electronics module (Russian abbreviation)
NOAA.
American agency overseeing development of spacecraft. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA.
NOAA KLM.
Alternate designation for Advanced Tiros N earth weather satellite.
NOAO.
National Optical Astronomy Observatories
North Korean intermediate range ballistic missile. Single stage vehicle, basis for Iranian Shahab 3 and Pakistani Ghauri.
North Korean Nitric acid/UDMH rocket engine. 144 kN. In production. Isp=255s. Used in North Korean missiles and Taepodong 1 satellite launcher. Derived from Isayev designs developed for Scud missiles and SLBM's of the Makeyev bureau. First flight 1998.
Nitric acid/UDMH rocket stage. 255.00 kN (57,326 lbf) thrust. Mass 15,100 kg (33,290 lb).
Noeggerath, Wolfgang O German expert in rocket fuel during World War II. As of January 1947, working at Wright Field, Ohio.
Noguchi, Soichi (1965-) Japanese engineer mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-114, ISS EO-22.
The level of any undesired disturbance within a useful frequency band.
NOL.
Naval Ordnance Laboratory
Nomad.
Government designation of G-1 LF2-Hydrazine rocket engine.
American earth rover. Study 1998. NOMAD was an unmanned rover developed by the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University to evaluate and demonstrate a robot capable of long distance and long duration planetary exploration.
Occurring or performing as intended in pre-mission planning.
National Operational Meteorological Satellite System .
None.
Indicates that the stage shown is a propellant tank. The engine on another stage is drawing propellants from this tank. Performance shown is for that of the engine on the other stage. First flight 1964.
British manned spaceplane. Study 1951. The Nonweiler Waverider of the 1950`s was the original caret wing waverider concept. Developed by Professor Terence R F Nonweiler, of Queen's University, Belfast.
Slovenian manned space station. Study 1928. Hermann Noordung (pseudonym for Capt. Potocnik of the Austrian Imperial Army) expanded the ideas of Hermann Oberth on space flight in a detailed description of an orbiting space observatory.
Noordung, Herman (1892-1929) Slovenian Austrian Army Scientist. Wrote an early seminal book, Problem of Space Travel, focused on the engineering aspects of space stations.
North American Air Defence Command
Nord.
Russian communications satellite. Study 1992. The Lavochkin NPO proposed the Nord highly elliptical communications systems in 1992. Nord was described as a 4-satellite network of 2,300-kg spacecraft launched by the Rus booster.
Nord.
French manufacturer of rockets, spacecraft, and rocket engines. Nord Aviation, France.
Nord Aviation.
First Owner of Nord
Nordsieck, Dr Kenneth Hugh (1946-) American physicist payload specialist astronaut, 1984-1990.
Noriega, Carlos Ismael (1959-) Hispanic-American computer scientist mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-84, STS-97. Grew up in Santa Clara, California.
Chinese manufacturer. NORINCO, China.
Russian winged orbital launch vehicle. Semi-reusable vertically launched two-stage-to-orbit vehicle. The flight profile featured a reusable flyback booster launched from a modular launch platform, an expendable second stage with a reusable orbiter that would have landed vertically. Development cost estimated at $13 billion.
Norwegian agency. Norsk Romsenter, Norway.
North, Warren J (1922-) American engineer, at NASA 1947-1985. Oversaw training of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and shuttle astronauts.
North American.
First name of Seal Beach
American manufacturer of rockets, spacecraft, and rocket engines. North American, Palmdale, El Segundo. Downey, CA, USA
North American Air Augmented VTOVL.
North American Aviation's air-augmented vertical takeoff & landing single-stage-to-orbit RLV from 1963 would have used external burning ramjets which, according to preliminary studies would reduce the gross liftoff mass of a VTVL SSTO by up to 30%.
North American Aviation (1944).
First Owner of Rocketdyne
Launch area used for Hound Dog missile tests.
North Pole
Nike-Hydac launch site located at North Truro Air Force Station on Cape Cod, used 1969-1970.
American manufacturer of rockets and spacecraft. Northrop, USA.
American manned lunar rover. Study 1964. Northrop completed Molab Studies under a Apollo Logistic Support Systems contract in March 1964.
Northrop Grumman.
Second name of Grumman
Northrop Grumman.
First name of Northrop
Northrop Grumman Space Technology.
Second Owner of TRW
American manned rescue spacecraft. Study 1976. Northrop, building on its work on the HL-10 and M2-F3 lifting bodies, proposed a lifting body three-crew lifeboat. The piloted spacecraft would use a parasail for recovery.
Northrop LSS Lunar Rover RV-1.
American lunar rover. Study 1963. The Northrop Lunar Logistic System RV-1 unmanned lunar rover design of January 1963 had 3 wheels, rigidly mounted, and a range of 80 km.
Northrop LSS Lunar Rover RV-1A.
American manned lunar rover. Study 1963. The Northrop Lunar Logistic System RV-1A crewed rover of January 1963 had 4 tracks and a range of 2900 km on a 27 day traverse.
Northrop LSS Lunar Rover RV3 RV4.
American lunar rover. Study 1963. The unmanned portion of the January 1963 Northrop Lunar Logistic System had 4 articulated wheels and a range of 240 km.
American manned lunar rover. Study 1963. This Northrop Lunar Logistic System design of January 1963 was a 3 wheel open cart and had a range of 30 km with a crew of 2. It could also tow the RV6 50 kg, 2 to 4 wheeled dolly or trailer.
American manned lunar rover. Study 1963. The Northrop Lunar Logistic System RV7 was a lunar rover design of January 1963. The one-crew vehicle was designed for scooping and dozing operations.
American manned lunar rover. Study 1963. The Northrop Lunar Logistic System RV8 was a lunar rover design of January 1963. Dual single-crew vehicles were designed to be operated separately or together as a system.
American manned lunar rover. Study 1964. The Northrop Molab lunar rover design of March 1964 had 4 wheels, each a flexible torus or controlled flexible disc. It could accommodate a crew of 2 on a 14 day traverse.
American manned spacecraft. Study 1958. Northrop's proposal for the Air Force initial manned space project was a boost-glide vehicle based on work done for the Dynasoar project.
Northrop sled 4000 Ibf thrust.
Aerojet rocket engine. Northrop sled. Launch thrust 17.6 kN. Development begun 1948.
Norway
American re-entry vehicle technology satellite. Suborbital.
Nosov, Aleksandr Ivanovich (1913-1960) Russian officer. Chief of launch command of Baikonur 1955-1958. Died in the Nedelin catastrophe.
NOSS.
American military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. 22 launches, 1971.12.14 (OPS 7898 P/L 1) to 1993.08.02 (TLD). Ocean surveillance; aka White Cloud type spacecraft; Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite; PARCAE.
American military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. 5 launches, 1990.06.08 (USA 59) to 1996.05.12 (USA 122). New generation of NOSS naval reconnaissance satellites.
American military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. 6 launches, 1990.06.08 (USA 60) to 1991.11.08 (USA 77).
American military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Operational, first launch 2001.09.08.
American military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. 27 launches, 1976.04.30 (SSU 1 (NOSS 1)) to 1996.05.12 (USA 121). Detected the location of naval vessels using radio interferometry.
NOTS.
American manufacturer of rocket engines and rockets. Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake, CA, USA.
NOTS solid rocket engine. Used on Blue Scout Junior launch vehicle. First flight 1960.
NOTS solid rocket engine.
NOTS solid rocket engine. 0.700 kN.
NOTS solid rocket engine.
Solid rocket stage.
American test vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x NOTS 401A + 1 x Sandhawk
NOTS solid rocket engine. 5.1 kN.
NOTS solid rocket engine.
Solid propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,033/194 kg. Thrust 53.36 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 204 seconds.
NOTS solid rocket engine. 53.4 kN. Out of production. Isp=204s. Used on Caleb launch vehicle. First flight 1960.
NOTS solid rocket engine. 2.260 kN. Out of production. Isp=250s. Used on Caleb launch vehicle. First flight 1960.
NOTS solid rocket engine. 0.700 kN. Out of production. Isp=250s. Used on Caleb launch vehicle. First flight 1960.
Sounding rocket launch location known to have been used for 1 launch in 1973, reaching up to 180 kilometers altitude.
Nova.
Code name for TIP navigation satellite.
Nova.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Nova was NASA's ultimate launch vehicle, studied intently from 1959 to 1962. Originally conceived to allow a direct manned landing on the moon, in its final iteration it was to put a million-pound payload into low earth orbit to support manned Mars expeditions. It was abandoned in NASA advanced mission planning thereafter in favor of growth versions of the Saturn V.
Nova.
Nova was NASA's ultimate launch vehicle, studied intently from 1959 to 1962. Originally conceived to allow a direct manned landing on the moon, in its final iteration it was to put a million-pound payload into low earth orbit to support manned Mars expeditions. It was abandoned in NASA advanced mission planning thereafter in favor of growth versions of the Saturn V.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,134,000/77,000 kg. Thrust 15,121.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 304 seconds. Short Nova building block. Four used in stage 1, one in stage 2.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 771,000/63,000 kg. Thrust 3,559.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 420 seconds. Nova third stage.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Earliest NASA Nova design, using only 4 F-1's, capability less than later Saturn designs.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. NASA Nova design using a cluster of 4 x 240 inch solid motors used as first stage; upper stages as Nova 7S and 8L.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 2,177,000/136,000 kg. Thrust 38,697.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 295 seconds. Empty Mass Estimated
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 590,000/45,000 kg. Thrust 7,560.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 310 seconds. Empty Mass Estimated
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 168,000/18,000 kg. Thrust 1,421.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 420 seconds. Empty Mass Estimated
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 68,000/9,000 kg. Thrust 353.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 420 seconds. Empty Mass Estimated
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. NASA Nova design using segmented solid motors in first and second stages. Five six segment motors in first stage; four four segment motors in second stage, equivalent to 9 x F-1 first stage and 4 x F-1 second stage.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 3,628,000/227,000 kg. Thrust 61,928.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 304 seconds. Mass estimated based on total LV weight.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 680,000/54,000 kg. Thrust 10,669.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 428 seconds. Mass estimated based on total LV weight. J-2-powered version of this stage also proposed.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 227,000/23,000 kg. Thrust 892.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 425 seconds. Mass estimated based on total LV weight.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. NASA Nova design using a cluster of 7 x 160 inch solid motors used as first stage; upper stages as Nova 4S and 8L.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Most capable NASA Nova design, studied in June 1960 just prior to selection of Saturn for moon landing. Used a three stage configuration of eight F-1 engines in stage 1, two M-1 engines in stage 2, and one J-2 engine in stage 3. Similar to the Saturn C-8 except in the use of M-1 engines. Unlike other modular Nova designs of the time, this one had the unitary stage construction of Saturn.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. NASA Nova concept where first two stages use short Nova building blocks with 2 F-1's in each block. Four used in stage 1, one in stage 2. Typical of early Nova designs with F-1's in both first and second stages.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. NASA Nova design using clustered small diameter tanks; 9 x F-1 first stage and 4 x F-1 second stage; compared with solid Nova using five six segment solid motors in first stage and four four segment motors in second stage.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 2,721,000/181,000 kg. Thrust 68,048.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 304 seconds. Masses estimated based on total vehicle thrust, performance, and stage volumes.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,814,000/125,000 kg. Thrust 30,243.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 304 seconds. Masses estimated based on total vehicle thrust, performance, and stage volumes.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 363,000/36,000 kg. Thrust 5,334.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 420 seconds. Masses estimated based on total vehicle thrust, performance, and stage volumes.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 118,000/14,000 kg. Thrust 1,775.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 420 seconds. Masses estimated based on total vehicle thrust, performance, and stage volumes.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Convair/Ehricke Nova design using standard tank/engine modules of 4.9 m diameter in both first and second stages; 4 F-1 engine/modules in first stage, 4 J-2 engine/modules in second stage.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,342,000/73,000 kg. Thrust 30,616.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 304 seconds.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 403,000/29,000 kg. Thrust 5,334.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 420 seconds.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 40,000/4,000 kg. Thrust 313.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 427 seconds.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Convair/Ehricke Nova design using standard tank/engine modules of 4.9 m diameter in both first and second stages; 6 F-1 engine/modules in first stage, 6 J-2 engine/modules in second stage.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,995,000/100,000 kg. Thrust 45,914.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 304 seconds.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 614,000/38,000 kg. Thrust 10,228.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 420 seconds.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 63,000/5,000 kg. Thrust 451.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 427 seconds.
American nuclear orbital launch vehicle. General Dynamics Nova vehicle using Nova A as first two stages, nuclear spacecraft with jettisonable tanks as upper stage.
Nuclear/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 61,000/9,000 kg. Thrust 264.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 830 seconds.
American nuclear orbital launch vehicle. General Dynamics Nova vehicle using Nova B as first two stages, nuclear spacecraft with jettisonable tanks as upper stage.
Nuclear/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 96,000/12,000 kg. Thrust 264.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 830 seconds.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 4,943,000/311,000 kg. Thrust 102,293.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 410 seconds. Operational date would have been July 1977. Recoverable stage. 10% plug nozzle.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,633,000/113,000 kg. Thrust 13,346.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 426 seconds. Operational date would have been July 1977. Recoverable stage.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Douglas/Bono design for Nova using LH2/Lox in both stages. Improved Specific Impulse chemical stage uses many engines feeding into single large nozzle.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 3,084,000/142,000 kg. Thrust 70,146.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 350 seconds. Operational date would have been July 1977. Recoverable stage. 10% plug nozzle.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,696,000/107,000 kg. Thrust 33,754.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 455 seconds. Operational date would have been July 1977. Recoverable stage.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 4,213,000/194,000 kg. Thrust 97,840.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 299 seconds. Operational date would have been July 1977. Recoverable stage. 10% plug nozzle.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 2,268,000/143,000 kg. Thrust 26,683.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 426 seconds. Operational date would have been July 1977. Recoverable stage.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. General Dynamics Nova design using existing engines. Recoverable engine package; separation at 3,398 m/s at 76,200 m altitude; splashdown using retrorockets under 7 30 m diameter parachutes 1300 km downrange. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 9,070,000/635,000 kg. Thrust 142,451.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 310 seconds. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions. Recoverable engine package; separation at 3,398 m/s at 76,200 m altitude; splashdown using retrorockets under 7 30 m diameter parachutes 1300 km downrange.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 998,000/75,000 kg. Thrust 10,669.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 428 seconds. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. General Dynamics Nova design using 325 inch solid motors as first stage, M-1 engines in second stage. Recoverable solid motors, separation at 1,972 m/s at 53,000 m altitude; splashdown using retrorockets under 3 61 m diameter parachutes 610 km downrange. Recovery of solid motors forshadowed same approach on shuttle 15 years later. Masses estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 4,535,000/363,000 kg. Thrust 26,683.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 428 seconds. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. General Dynamics Nova design using new 3.5 million kgf Lox/Kerosene engines in first stage. Recoverable stage; separation at 3,365 m/s at 89,300 m altitude; splashdown using retrorockets under 8 46 m diameter parachutes 1300 km downrange. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 9,977,000/680,000 kg. Thrust 148,031.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 335 seconds. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions. Recoverable stage; separation at 3,365 m/s at 89,300 m altitude; splashdown using retrorockets under 8 46 m diameter parachutes 1300 km downrange.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,497,000/91,000 kg. Thrust 13,346.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 428 seconds. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. General Dynamics Nova design using 1 1/2 stage arrangement and new 2.4 million kgf Lox/LH2 engines. Recoverable booster 4 engine package would separate at 2,980 m/s at 87,800 m altitude; splashdown under 4 46 m diameter parachutes 1,000 km downrange. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 295,000/295,000 kg. Thrust 109,402.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 410 seconds. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions. Recoverable booster engine package 'half stage' of a 1 1/2 stage arrangement. Separation at 2,980 m/s at 87,800 m altitude; splashdown under 4 46 m diameter parachutes 1,000 km downrange.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 8,526,000/172,000 kg. Thrust 30,685.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 428 seconds.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. General Dynamics Nova design using recoverable Lox/RP-1 stage of ballistic shape with 3 million kgf engines; separation at 3,420 m/s at 93,900 m altitude; splashdown using retrorockets under 7 parachutes 1340 km downrange. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 8,617,000/680,000 kg. Thrust 124,044.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 330 seconds. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions. Recoverable stage of ballistic shape; separation at 3,420 m/s at 93,900 m altitude; splashdown using retrorockets under 7 parachutes 1340 km downrange.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,270,000/91,000 kg. Thrust 13,346.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 428 seconds. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions.
Solid propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 3,628,000/454,000 kg. Thrust 69,048.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 263 seconds. Massed estimated based on tank volumes, total thrust, and first stage burnout conditions. Recoverable stage; separation at 1,972 m/s at 53,000 m altitude; splashdown using retrorockets under 3 61 m diameter parachutes 610 km downrange.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Nova design using 4 300 inch solids as first stage, 5 M-1 in second stage. Operational date would have been April 1973
Solid propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 2,847,000/170,000 kg. Thrust 63,596.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 263 seconds. Operational date would have been April 1973
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 3,401,000/295,000 kg. Thrust 33,352.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 428 seconds. Operational date would have been April 1973
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Nova design using 4 280 inch solids as first stage, 4 M-1 in second stage. Operational date would have been February 1973
Solid propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 2,271,000/141,000 kg. Thrust 46,208.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 265 seconds. Operational date would have been February 1973
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 2,721,000/245,000 kg. Thrust 26,683.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 428 seconds. Operational date would have been February 1973
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Nova design using existing engines; 14 F-1A in the first stage, 2 M-1 in the second. Operational date would have been December 1972
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 7,430,000/454,000 kg. Thrust 125,770.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 304 seconds. Operational date would have been December 1972
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,361,000/122,000 kg. Thrust 13,346.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 428 seconds. Operational date would have been February 1973
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Nova design using existing engines; 18 F-1A in the first stage, 3 M-1 in the second. Operational date would have been February 1973
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 8,943,000/590,000 kg. Thrust 161,710.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 304 seconds. Operational date would have been February 1973
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 2,041,000/163,000 kg. Thrust 20,015.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 428 seconds. Operational date would have been February 1973
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Nova design using new high pressure LH2/Lox engines; 18 in the first stage in a plug nozzle arrangement, 2 in the second. Operational date would have been December 1974.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,043,000/136,000 kg. Thrust 10,228.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 451 seconds. Operational date would have been December 1974.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Nova single stage to orbit design with 24 new high pressure LH2/Lox engines in the first stage in a plug nozzle arrangement. Operational date would have been April 1975.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 10,489,000/626,000 kg. Thrust 156,876.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 443 seconds. Operational date would have been April 1975. SSTO - payload 1,042,000 lbs.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Nova 1 1/2 stage design with 4 new 3 million kgf LH2/Lox engines in the jettisonable booster section and a single 3 million kgf sustainer. Operational date would have been June 1976.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 227,000/227,000 kg. Thrust 122,749.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 439 seconds. Operational date would have been June 1976. Booster stage (engines only).
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 10,126,000/544,000 kg. Thrust 30,685.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 439 seconds. Operational date would have been June 1976. Sustainer stage (required 4-engine booster stage).
Air/Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 8,474,000/1,188,000 kg. Thrust 140,539.00 kN. Specific impulse 620 seconds. Operational date would have been October 1980. Expendable stage. Air-augmented plug nozzle.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Expendable version of most exotic Martin Nova vairant; single stage to orbit, 30 cd module air augmented engines in annular shroud. Operational date would have been October 1980.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Reusable version of most exotic Martin Nova vairant; single stage to orbit, 30 cd module air augmented engines in annular shroud. Operational date would have been October 1980.
Air/Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 8,647,000/1,361,000 kg. Thrust 140,539.00 kN. Specific impulse 620 seconds. Operational date would have been October 1980. Recoverable stage. Air-augmented plug nozzle.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Expendable single stage to orbit Nova using cylindrical shape, 24 CD module engines in zero-length plug nozzle. Operational date would have been October 1977.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 10,317,000/635,000 kg. Thrust 160,672.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 454 seconds. Operational date would have been October 1977. SSTO; expendable.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Expendable single stage to orbit Nova using conical shape, 30 CD module engines in zero-length plug nozzle. Operational date would have been November 1977.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 10,302,000/639,000 kg. Thrust 160,672.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 454 seconds. Operational date would have been November 1977. SSTO; expendable; payload 1,283,000 lbs.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Reusable single stage to orbit Nova using cylindrical shape, 24 CD module engines in zero-length plug nozzle. Operational date would have been June 1978.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 10,470,000/816,000 kg. Thrust 160,672.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 454 seconds. Operational date would have been June 1978. SSTO; recoverable.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 10,502,000/839,000 kg. Thrust 160,672.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 454 seconds. Operational date would have been July 1978. SSTO; recoverable; payload 842,000 lbs.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Reusable single stage to orbit Nova using conical shape, 30 CD module engines in zero-length plug nozzle. Operational date would have been July 1978.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Two stage Nova using CD modules; expendable first stage with 18 modules exhausting to a 10% length plug nozzle; expendable second stage with 2 CD module engines. Operational date would have been November 1976.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 4,944,000/317,000 kg. Thrust 96,379.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 454 seconds. Operational date would have been November 1976. Expendable stage.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,125,000/136,000 kg. Thrust 11,032.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 454 seconds. Operational date would have been November 1976. Expendable stage.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Two stage Nova using CD modules; reusable first stage with 18 modules exhausting to a 10% length plug nozzle; expendable second stage with 2 CD module engines. Operational date would have been January 1977.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 4,979,000/454,000 kg. Thrust 96,379.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 454 seconds. Operational date would have been January 1977. Recoverable stage.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Two stage Nova using CD modules; reusable first stage with 24 modules exhausting to a zero length plug nozzle; reusable second stage with a toroidal plug nozzle engine. Operational date would have been December 1976.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 9,089,000/680,000 kg. Thrust 176,686.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 304 seconds. Operational date would have been December 1976. Recoverable stage.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 2,041,000/181,000 kg. Thrust 20,015.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 455 seconds. Operational date would have been December 1976. Recoverable stage.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Two stage Nova using CD modules; reusable first stage with 18 modules exhausting to a 10% length plug nozzle; reusable second stage with 2 CD module engines. Operational date would have been July 1977.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 5,517,000/680,000 kg. Thrust 109,000.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 454 seconds. Operational date would have been July 1977. Recoverable stage. 10% plug nozzle.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,229,000/136,000 kg. Thrust 12,052.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 454 seconds. Operational date would have been July 1977. Recoverable stage.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 5,040,000/317,000 kg. Thrust 95,261.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 451 seconds. Operational date would have been December 1974.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. The Nova vehicle most often illustrated in the popular press and histories. As in other early concepts, this NASA design of 1959/1960 used F-1 engine in both first and second stages. Resulting performance and total liftoff mass was equivalent to later Saturn V.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 2,268,000/113,000 kg. Thrust 45,914.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 296 seconds.
Lox/Kerosene propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 499,000/35,000 kg. Thrust 7,640.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 304 seconds.
Lox/LH2 propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 227,000/21,000 kg. Thrust 2,667.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 420 seconds.
Solid propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 816,000/102,000 kg. Thrust 11,120.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 285 seconds. Conceptual motor to be used as first stage of a solid Nova design. 4 used as first stage of solid Nova design. Extended high-expansion nozzles. Masses estimated based on total vehicle thrust, performance, and stage volumes.
Solid propellant rocket stage. Loaded/empty mass 1,224,000/153,000 kg. Thrust 28,017.00 kN. Vacuum specific impulse 263 seconds. 5 used as first stage of solid Nova design. Masses estimated based on total vehicle thrust, performance, and stage volumes.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Douglas/Bono design for Nova using Lox/RP-1 in first stage, existing engines.
American heavy-lift orbital launch vehicle. Douglas/Bono design for Nova using LH2/Lox in both stages.
Russian manufacturer of rocket engines and rockets. Novator NPO, Russia.
Sounding rocket launch location known to have been used for 2 launches in 1961, reaching up to 100 kilometers altitude.
Novitskiy, Oleg Viktorovich (1971-) Russian pilot cosmonaut, 2006-on. Lieutenant Colonel, VVS and PVO 4th Army
Base for units deployed with twelve R-12 missile launchers.
Headquarters of an RVSN Division from 1961. Base for units deployed with R-16 ICBM launchers. Later operated 64 heavy ICBM (R-36M) silos.
Poem: here, no angels sing, nor winged cherubim, nor seraphim that hover over a god's throne...
Nowak, Lisa Marie Caputo (1963-) American test pilot mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-121. US Navy test pilot.
Nowak, Max Ernst (1908-1998) German engineer in WW2, member of the Rocket Team in the United States thereafter.
Japanese Mars orbiter. One launch, 1998.07.03.
NP.
Nitronium perchlorate
NPG.
Russian manned space station. Cancelled 1986. A later version of the 37K design for military experiments, the NPG Retained Payload, would be mounted in the payload bay of Buran and connected to the orbiter's cockpit area by an access tunnel.
NPO.
Scientific-Production Association (Russian abbreviation)
NPO Energia.
Fourth Owner of Korolev
NPO Energomash imeni V P Glushko.
Third Owner of Glushko
NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
Third Owner of Chelomei
NPO PM.
Third Owner of Reshetnev
NPO Saturn.
Third Owner of Lyulka
NPO Yuzhnoye.
Third Owner of Yuzhnoye
NPOE.
NPO Energia (Energia Scientific/Production Organization), Russia
NPO Mashinostroenie, Russia (Russian abbreviation)
Rocketdyne nuclear/lh2 rocket engine. Nuclear Deep Space. Nuclear. Liquid hydrogen turbopumps, feed systems, and nozzles developed for KIWI-A, KIWI-B, Nerva, Pheobus IA, MFS-1, MFS-2, MFS-3, and Rover nuclear development systems.
NR-.
Nudelmann gun (designation numbering series) (Russian abbreviation)
NRAO.
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
NRCC.
Canadian agency. National Research Council Canada, Canada.
NRL.
American manufacturer of rockets and spacecraft. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, USA.
American military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. 6 launches, 1962.12.13 (Black Sphere) to 1969.09.30 (Surcal). NRL ELINT satellite.
Martin Lox/Alcohol rocket engine. 93 kN.
NRO.
American agency overseeing development of spacecraft. National Reconnaissance Office, USA.
NS.
Normal stabilization (Russian abbreviation); or Neutron Star
NS20.
Alternate Designation of Pluton short range ballistic missile.
NSA.
American agency. National Security Agency (Ft. Meade, MD), Fort Meade, MD, USA
NSAB.
Swedish agency. Nordiska Satellit AB, Stockholm, Sweden.
NSC.
National Security Council
NSF.
American agency overseeing development of spacecraft. National Science Foundation, USA.
NSO.
National Solar Observatory
NSPO.
Taiwanese manufacturer of rockets and spacecraft. National Space Program Office, Taiwan.
Taiwan-NSPO solid rocket engine.
Taiwan-NSPO solid rocket engine.
Nigerian agency. National Space R&D agency overseeing development of Nigeria, Nigeria.
NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract
National Space Science Data Center
NASA Cleveland electric/xenon rocket engine. 92 mN. Isp=3100s. Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Application Readiness program developed this 2.3 kW ion engine as primary propulsion for the Deep Space 1 comet and asteroid rendezvous probe, flew 1998.
Communications satellite network.
NTIS.
National Technical Information Service, Department of Commerce
NTK.
Scientific-Technical Committee (Russian abbreviation)
NTNF.
Norwegian agency. Royal Norwegian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Norway.
NTR.
Nuclear Thermal Rocket(ry)
NTS.
Scientific-Technical Council (Russian abbreviation)
NTS.
American navigation technology satellite. 2 launches, 1974.07.14 (NTS 1) and 1977.06.23 (NTS 2). Demonstrated navigation technologies.
NTT.
Japanese agency. Nippon Telephone and Telegraph, Japan.
NU.
Nitrourethane
Category of engines.
Nuclear thermal engines use the heat of a nuclear reactor to heat a propellant. Although early Russian designs used ammonia or alcohol as propellant, the ideal working fluid for space applications is the liquid form of the lightest element, hydrogen. Nuclear engines would have twice the performance of conventional chemical rocket engines. Although successfully ground-tested in both Russia and America, they have never been flown due primarily to environmental and safety concerns. For operations in the atmosphere, some aircraft and missile designs of the 1950's would use the heat of the reactor to directly warm ambient air, resulting in an unlimited source of fuel and virtually unlimited range for the aircraft.
Notional nuclear/lh2 rocket engine. 2892 kN. Helios A, Helios C study 1960. Nuclear second stage. Isp=830s.
Notional nuclear/lh2 rocket engine. 3334 kN. Study 1960. Nuclear second stage Isp=830s. Used on Helios B launch vehicle.
Nuclear detection surveillance satellite.
Category of spacecraft.
Category of engines.
Nuclear thermal engines use the heat of a nuclear reactor to heat a propellant. For operations in the atmosphere, some aircraft and missile designs of the 1950's would use the heat of the reactor to directly warm ambient air, resulting in virtually unlimited range for the aircraft. Environmental contamination problems could not be solved and these projects were abandoned in both the USA and USSR in the 1960's.
Nuclear thermal engines use the heat of a nuclear reactor to heat a propellant. Although early Russian designs used ammonia or an ammonia/alcohol mixture as propellant, the ideal working fluid for space applications is the liquid form of the lightest element, hydrogen. Although successfully ground-tested in both Russia, they have never been flown due primarily to environmental and safety concerns.
Nuclear thermal engines use the heat of a nuclear reactor to heat a propellant. Although early Russian designs used ammonia or an ammonia/alcohol mixture as propellant, the ideal working fluid for space applications is the liquid form of the lightest element, hydrogen. Although successfully ground-tested in both Russia, they have never been flown due primarily to environmental and safety concerns.
Nuclear thermal engines use the heat of a nuclear reactor to heat a propellant. Although early Russian designs used ammonia or alcohol as propellant, the ideal working fluid for space applications is the liquid form of the lightest element, hydrogen. Nuclear engines would have twice the performance of conventional chemical rocket engines. Although successfully ground-tested in both Russia and America, they have never been flown due primarily to environmental and safety concerns. Liquid hydrogen was identified by all the leading rocket visionaries as the theoretically ideal rocket fuel. It had big drawbacks, however - it was highly cryogenic, and it had a very low density, making for large tanks. The United States mastered hydrogen technology for the highly classified Lockheed CL-400 Suntan reconnaissance aircraft in the mid-1950's. The technology was transferred to the Centaur rocket stage program, and by the mid-1960's the United States was flying the Centaur and Saturn upper stages using the fuel. It was adopted for the core of the space shuttle, and Centaur stages still fly today.
Category of engines.
Russian manufacturer. Precision Engineering Design Bureau, Moscow, Russia.
Nudelman, Aleksandr Emmanuelovich (1912-1996) Russian engineer. Chief Designer 1965-1987 of OKB8-16. Pre-eminent designer of aircraft guns in the Soviet Union. Adapted his aircraft designs for self-defence space guns for Kozlov's Soyuz VI and Chelomei's Almaz spacecraft.
NUDT Changsha.
American military target satellite. One launch, 1985.04.29. Air traffic control radar calibration.
Nyberg, Karen Lujean (1969-) American scientist mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-124. Engineer.