Abstract: | ![]() In the last two years the USSR has not only acknowledged publicly for the first time that it was trying to ‘race’ the USA to put the first man on the Moon, but they have finally given some details of the programme, the equipment and the political in-fighting which ensured that the programme was a failure. This article traces the history of the Soviet manned lunar programme and also discusses the implications for the future development of the Soviet manned programme of the giant N-1 booster's cancellation in 1974. |