Vostochny Launch Building Built To the Wrong Size

schwit1 writes: The Russians have just discovered that their Soyuz 2 rocket does not fit in the building just finished at their new spaceport at Vostochny: "The cutting-edge facility was meant be ready for launches of Soyuz-2 rockets in December, but an unidentified space agency told the TASS news agency late Thursday that the rocket would not fit inside the assembly building where its parts are stacked and tested before launch. The building 'has been designed for a different modification of the Soyuz rocket,' the source said, according to news website Medusa, which picked up the story from TASS." The rocket had just been delivered to Vostochny for assembly, so this report, though unconfirmed at this time, fits well with current events.

Comments

Is building in danger of being crushed by a dwarf?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Putin gave me a drawing that said 18 inches. Now, whether or not he knows the difference between feet and inches is not my problem. I do what I'm told."

Meters

[Dan East]

One group was using Putin's left arm length for Russia's official designation of the meter, while another group was using his right arm. Apparently he isn't perfectly symmetrical.

It's not an error

[invictusvoyd]

It was designed for a different rocket . And they are trying to use a different version of the rocket. From the looks of it , they are trying to improvise . I mean seriously , they built the first operational space station !

Re:It's not an error

[Stormwatch]

Well, it is rumored that the Concorde team put in circulation a set of blueprints with errors because they expected the Soviets to steal those designs for the Tu-144.

Re:It's not an error

[ydrozd]

If you mean "Mir" (which is not the first, BTW, the first was Almaz/Salut circa 1971), it was built by Soviet Union, not Russia. In fact, the most technologically advanced systems, such as nav/docking systems ("Kurs") and "Kvant" controls were developed in Ukraine (Kiev Radiozavod and Kharkiv Elektropribor correspondingly), and are now lost to Russians (esp. given current war with Ukraine). Russia has been leaking science and engineering brains at ever increasing rates; so the failures of their space exploration programs are not surprising.

Well there's your problem

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

"I cut it three times and it's STILL too short!" - Russian construction worker

Re:Well there's your problem

[Rei]

The funny thing is that in 2013 they actually lost a Proton-M and $1.3B of technical equipment because a technician installed the angular velocity sensors upside down. There was one problem in doing so, in that they didn't even fit upside down - but no worries, he was able to hammer them into place ;)

Re:Well there's your problem

[jtownatpunk.net]

My grandpa worked for Lockheed's space and missile division way back in the day. He said the attitude sensors for one of the rockets could be installed (or connected; I forget which) backwards and the rocket would think it was pointed in the opposite direction of its actual orientation and try to turn around. The bureaucracy involved in redesigning that single part was so cumbersome they just added a new pre-flight check. Send someone up the gantry to push the rocket and verify that the readings matched the push.

Fast-forward a few decades and one of my roommates worked for Lockheed. This was when they had a series of failed launches and were trying to figure out what the heck was going on. My roommate was on the team investigating one of the botched launches and they came to the conclusion that the rocket decided it was pointed 180 degrees from its actual orientation and it tried to turn around.

CSB, I have some telemetry strips from the Discoverer launches way back in the day. Found them when cleaning out my grandpa's garage a few years ago. Almost threw them out because they'd clearly been defiled by mice but I unrolled one a little bit and realized what they were.

Re:In soviet russia

[Rei]

Great, now I'm picturing a Russian version of the "Monorail song", with the Lyle Lanley guy having a heavy Russian accent.

The Soyuz will not fit in there
"The building's tall, like Russian bear!"
What if perchance the roof should bend?
"Not on your life, my Yakut friend!"
What about us cleptocrats?
"Your wallets will grow very fat!"
My vodka's gone and now I'm sad.
"Have another, dear comrade!"
Were you sent here by the Kremlin?
(displeased voice) ".... Next question please." (waves for undercover agents to take him out of the room)
"You see it's Vostochny only choice. Now throw up hands and raise the voice."
Cosmodrome! Cosmodrome! Cosmodrome!

Re:Curious

[guestapoo]

May be Wikipedia is right.
After fighting with Russian words (Google translator) and searching with Yandex (you can't find the meaningful result with Google). Here some useful infos:

1) All sources cited from Meduza.io

2) check out the forum:
http://novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru...
https://translate.google.com/t...

According to the external dimensions of the package is the same in both products. And air rudders have both.

3) Official respond (predictable, they claim the rumor is wrong):
http://www.ampravda.ru/2015/10...

Carrier rocket "Soyuz-2", which is to start from the cosmodrome Vostochny, fully meets the technical requirements and the size of the object space of the harbor. Special train with the spacecraft for a few days is at the railway station waiting for the spaceport and transport nodes "Soyuz" in the assembly and test complex (MIC). It will build and launch preparations for the launch.
.......
According to the press service of the Center of Operation of Land Space Infrastructure (COLSI), the only obstacle preventing to get to work — not full readiness of MIKa

In the forum posts above, they post image of "special train" mentioned in the article:
http://oborona.gov.ru/common/m...

Re:I wonder if...

[jimtheowl]

I'm guessing you know this, but the the only countries that don't are the USA, Liberia, and Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.