In 1969, the Soviet Union’s Saturn V rival exploded at Baikonur in a blast witnesses compared to the end of the world, just days before Apollo 11. But it was only one chapter in a darker story, ...
In July 1969, as Apollo 11 closed in on the Moon, the Soviet N1 moon rocket collapsed back onto its launch pad and unleashed one of history’s most powerful non-nuclear explosions. From declassified ...