The experts at OKB-1, pioneers behind the Soyuz capsule, were decidedly unimpressed with the winged design of the US shuttle. Their extensive aerodynamic studies, painstakingly conducted during the Soyuz development, revealed daunting weight penalties and troublesome thermal control issues inherent to any winged craft.
source.image: Hazegrayart
Instead, their research illuminated a compelling alternative: a lifting body shape capable of executing high angles of bank at hypersonic speeds, which could almost rival winged designs in terms of cross range efficiency. They firmly believed that the parachute and retrorocket landing techniques perfected for Soyuz could be effectively scaled up for a larger spacecraft.
Consequently, the preferred design emerging in 1974 took the form of an unwinged spacecraft. This innovative vehicle featured a conical crew cabin at the forefront, a cylindrical payload section in the middle, and a rear cylindrical section housing the engines necessary for orbital maneuvers. The MTKVA was set to be launched into the cosmos by the Vulkan rocket, and after fulfilling its mission, it would embark on a meticulously controlled re-entry. Utilizing a hypersonic lift-to-drag ratio of 1.0, it could perform expansive cross-range maneuvers, enabling recovery on Soviet territory from nearly any orbit.
Advertisement
As it approached its landing zone, the MTKVA would glide gracefully at low subsonic speeds. The final descent would leverage parachutes for initial deceleration, transitioning to a soft vertical landing facilitated by retrorockets and skid gear. The fusion of these innovative designs and techniques promised a new era of space exploration—one that would challenge conventional wisdom and reshape the future of spacecraft design.
