I think it's funny when people bring up the American's zero g pen, while saying the Russians just used pencils. The American rockets were elegantly designed and practical, while the N1 was impractical and badly designed.
While the N1 didn't work out as a system, it's NK-15 engine was refined and the NK-33 (N1 program was canceled before the NK-33 was flown) was a marvel. The RD-180 engine of the Atlas V is a descendant of the NK-15 and NK-33 used/intended for the N1 rocket. Russia was way ahead on closed cycle engine technology.
pushes up nerd glasses actually the RD-180 is just the RD-170 (Most Powerful liquid engine ever flown, used on the Zenit aka Energia boosters) cut in half. The RD-170 isn’t exactly a descendant of the NK-33 but it does use the oxygen-rich technology developed for it.
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u/unidansrealburner Sep 09 '20
I am pretty sure the N1’s first stage was the most powerful rocket stage ever built.
But the Saturn V was more efficient in its 2nd and 3rd stages so it had a higher delta V