[FPSPACE] Re: R-7 designations and dates

[Geoffrey Richards]

According to Varfolomeyev (Spaceflight Oct 97), the first few R-7 launches
were:

15 May 57  M1-5  failure
10 Jun 57       M1-6  two scrubs
11 Jun 67  M1-6  scrub
12 Jul 57  M1-7  failure
21 Aug 57  M1-8  success
 7 Sep 57  M1-9  success
 4 Oct 57  M1-1PS  success - Sputnik

and from the same source, but August 95:

Lift-off thrust was 74 plus 4 times 81 = 398 tonnes, core rising to 93
tonnes in vacuum

Warhead mass 5.4 tonnes.

Geoff Richards