One day more than fifty years ago, a huge rocket consisting of 30 engines rose from the ground. The rocket, called the N1, was one of the largest rockets developed by the Soviet Union for space exploration, with the goal of landing on the lunar surface and bringing back samples.
However, within seconds of takeoff, the N1 rocket exploded catastrophically. The accident shocked the world and became a major event in the history of astronautics. Although the design concept and technology of the N1 rocket are very advanced, its failure has exposed some major problems.
One of the questions is about the number of rocket engines. The N1 rocket is designed with 30 independent thrusters with a thrust of up to 68 tons each. Such a configuration sounds very powerful, but in reality it is problematic. First of all, having so many engines working at the same time can cause a huge amount of heat and pressure to be concentrated in one place, potentially triggering a malfunction or explosion. Secondly, if one of the engines fails, then the other engines must be able to withstand a greater load to maintain flight stability, which is very demanding on them.
In addition, there is a potential problem with the design of multi-stage rockets. Typically, large rockets are divided into sections, each with its own mission, such as launching a spacecraft into orbit or entering the Earth's atmosphere. However, the N1 rocket has only one level of design, which means that all the engines must be started together and run well, otherwise the entire launch will fail.
In addition, there are a number of other factors that have played a role in the success of the N1 rocket. For example, the quality of the fuel, the tightness of the pipeline, and so on. These are seemingly trivial issues, but they can be the difference between success and failure.
Now, let's take a look at SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. It is also made up of many small engines, but uses more advanced technologies such as liquid oxygen methane as fuel. This fuel not only burns efficiently, but also generates less exhaust gas, helping to reduce environmental pollution.
However, the success of the "Heavy Falcon" did not eliminate all the problems. Although this rocket can carry a large amount of cargo in a single launch, if any one engine fails, then the entire rocket will be in danger. That's why SpaceX needs to undergo rigorous inspections and tests before every launch.
Overall, whether it's the N1 rocket or SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, we can see the risks and challenges of multi-engine systems. In the future, we need to continuously optimize and refine these systems to ensure that every launch is a success. Because only in this way can our dreams truly come true - to conquer the universe and go to the sea of stars!