Disaster at Leninsk
By: Merlyn
In the fall of 1960 the cold war was well established. President Khrushchev was in America meeting with the President of the United States trying to smooth things out. And the world was tense and wary.
While talks were progressing the Russian Army was preparing to test a new rocket, their most powerful ICBM to date, the R-16.
The R-16 was the brainchild of Mikhail Yangel and designed to deliver a 10 Mega-ton warhead a distance of over 10,000 miles. Capable of reaching the East Coast of America with ease. The cold war was about to take a step up in intensity.
The oddesy of the R-16 had begun in September of the same year with the approval of the rocket to proceed with testing.
Yangel's group had encountered many diverse problems while building the rocket and after solving the majority of them, Yangel authorized the delivery of the first rocket, LD1-3T to NIIP-5 test range in Tyuratam. Testing was set to begin on September 26th 1960.
After experiencing technical problems with the flight control system, the testing was declared complete on October 20th. Authority for launching on the 23rd of October was given.
The rocket was moved to site number 41 and set up on the "left" launch pad and a series of systems checks began. The rocket was pronounced ready for flight and early on the morning of the 23rd of October the fueling began.
Present for the test flight of R-16 was Marshall of Artillery Mitrofan Nedelin the military head of the project, along with Yangel and others of his scientific group.
Contrary to standard safety precautions, Nedelin and Yangel ignored the order to leave the area. Standard practice was that when fuel was being placed into any rocket all non-essential personal were removed to a safe distance. Following the example of their illustrious leaders some 150 people of varying ranks and employment remained as well.
When fueling was completed a technician noticed that the rocket had developed a fuel leak on the primary stage. The rate of flow of the leak was reported as 142-145 drops-per-minute, a rather significant leak.
Nedelin and Yangel were now faced with a quandary. Standard procedure stated that the rocket must be emptied of fuel before any repairs were to be attempted. Also once the rocket was emptied of fuel it would no longer be serviceable for launching, as the corrosive nature of the fuel would affect certain parts of the system. This meant that if they drained the rocket to fix the problem they would not be able to use it for the test flight.
Again they ignored standard procedure and ordered repairs to commence. It is reported that when a scientist approached Nedelin about draining the rocket he began yelling that, "in nuclear war there would be no chance for such things."
This was the beginning of a cascading set of events that led to disaster.
During these discussions launch procedures commenced and one of the technicians on the ground, unaware of the status of the test, activated the sequence for the firing of pyrotechnic membranes that controlled the flow of the fuel to the second stage.
As luck would have it, the membranes were defective and the devices fired in the wrong direction. Also the electrical distributor A-120 failed and left the rocket without power.
Here they must have realized the folly of their haste and the launch was cancelled with hopes that they would try again in the morning.
Technical teams would work through the night replacing the membranes and the distributor.
The next morning began well. Members of the State Commission that over saw the testing of this rocket was present at Launch pad 43 some 800 meters away from the rocket, but then began a series of delays.
Nedelin became upset and drove to the launch site to find out what was holding the launch up. All of his tag-along minions accompanied him.
When they arrived at the site chairs and couches were set out around the rocket only 15-20 feet from it.
This "show of force" put immense pressure on the engineers and scientists who were already close to their personal limits.
Frustration began to show. At one point a detailed schematic diagram of the electrical system was needed and the only person available with a copy of it was not allowed near the launch pad.
Fatal mistakes were now being made.
A major controlling switch that operates the entire launch sequence was accidentally left in the wrong position. This allowed the rockets power batteries to charge and the pyrotechnic membranes to fire automatically igniting the engines of the second stage, which immediately burned down into the leaking first stage.
In a matter of milliseconds a chain reaction caused the entire rocket to explode and everything within 200 yards of the rocket was instantly charred beyond recognition.
At the time of the explosion, 18:45, there were approximately 250 unsuspecting people around the rocket.
Film of the explosion captures the instant that the rocket catches fire and the holocaust that follows.
Billowing tongues of flame reach toward the heavens and the still burning bodies of men are seen running out of the flames.
Suddenly two men in protective fire suits are seen running into the flames. The viewer automatically assumes that they are entering the inferno in an attempt to rescue their comrades but when they emerge just seconds later they are carrying a metal framework with a small metal box on it. They immediately rush out of site of the camera and are not seen again.
What was in that box that was more important than the lives of the men working there?
Forty three years later the Russian Army has released the film and all other pertinent data about the failure and explosion of this rocket except what the contents of the box were.
Why? What is in that box?
What is so valuable that the lives of 160 men were ignored in an attempt to retrieve its contents?
Did LD1-3T carry a live nuclear warhead?
What dark secret from 43 years ago is still being kept?
