# Why do Russian spacecraft designs look so different from American designs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 10, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922 "2011-06-10T00:43:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/1 "2011-06-10T00:43:33Z")
You know what I mean: We went angular, the Soviets (and Russians after them) went blobby. We built things that looked like odd crystals and dixie cups, they built things that looked like a glassblower hiccuped. Obviously, both designs basically work, and they all do the same jobs in much the same fashion, so why the dimorphism? Was it completely arbitrary or were there different constraints in play on the different sides? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/2 "2011-06-10T01:02:24Z")
Great question! My WAG is that early American designs were the result of a utilitarian hurry-up-and-catch-up engineering process, borrowing already available parts to create their spacecraft. The early Soviet spacecraft look like they were made-to-order with a clear eye to what might look good on a postage stamp. Both styles worked for the respective space agencies and they used them as the basis for future designs. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/3 "2011-06-10T01:04:02Z")
I have a suspicion is has to do with the factions of German scientists that wound up either in the Soviet Union or the USA, and how they meshed/blended with the existing scientists there. The mighty Saturn 5 Rocket was founded on the early research under the V-1 and V-2 program of Nazi Germany. It surely gets more complicated, but there’s a start. The Soviets didn’t get quite the same type of prestigious German scientists as the United States. . ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/4 "2011-06-10T01:12:05Z")
BTW, I think a good way to wrap your head around the design differences is to think of an ice cream cone. The Soviets designed their spacecraft like scoops of ice cream while the Americans designed them to look like the cone. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/5 "2011-06-10T01:19:11Z")
I think that falls short of approaching “why?” … ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/6 "2011-06-10T01:24:11Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > I have a suspicion is has to do with the factions of German scientists that wound up either in the Soviet Union or the USA, and how they meshed/blended with the existing scientists there. The mighty Saturn 5 Rocket was founded on the early research under the V-1 and V-2 program of Nazi Germany. It surely gets more complicated, but there’s a start. The Soviets didn’t get quite the same type of prestigious German scientists as the United States. > > . I know the Germans had a huge influence on rocket design but how involved were they in the design of the spacecraft that made it all the way into space. The difference between Soviet and American rockets is different than the difference between their spacecraft. The only significant visible difference in the rockets is that the Russian rockets had (have) the nozzles arrayed like a skirt where the American nozzles were mostly directly under the rocket cylinder. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/7 "2011-06-10T01:25:14Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > I think that falls short of approaching “why?” … See post #2 ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/8 "2011-06-10T01:39:54Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I know the Germans had a huge influence on rocket design but how involved were they in the design of the spacecraft that made it all the way into space. The difference between Soviet and American rockets is different than the difference between their spacecraft. The only significant visible difference in the rockets is that the Russian rockets had (have) the nozzles arrayed like a skirt where the American nozzles were mostly directly under the rocket cylinder. Huh? The designs that made it into space were indeed rooted in the rockets of German design. They didn’t suddenly stop around 1963 and change the design/shape. It held true as an evolution. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/9 "2011-06-10T01:58:13Z")
I never understood why the Russians had such a penchant for painting their spacecraft (and rockets) such an unpleasant, hideous, **sickly green color**! ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/10 "2011-06-10T02:06:26Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Huh? The designs that made it into space were indeed rooted in the rockets of German design. They didn’t suddenly stop around 1963 and change the design/shape. It held true as an evolution. I’m not talking about rockets. I’m talking about the things that ride on top of them and actually fly in space. I think the OP is too. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/11 "2011-06-10T02:17:12Z")
The answer lies in the [capabilities of the spacecraft](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_spacecraft#Reentry): > [@](#): > > The Vostok capsule had limited thruster capability. As such, the reentry path and orientation could not be controlled after the capsule had separated from the engine system. This meant that the capsule had to be protected from reentry heat on all sides, thus explaining the spherical design (as opposed to Project Mercury’s conical design), which allowed for maximum volume while minimizing the external surface. Some control of the capsule reentry orientation was possible by way of positioning of the heavy equipment to offset the vehicle center of gravity, which also maximized the chance of the cosmonaut surviving g-forces while in a horizontal position. Even then, the cosmonaut experienced 8 to 9g. It seems that while the Soviets were “ahead” in rocket heavy-lift technology, their overall engineering was somewhat behind the US, which makes sense given that the US had adapted the Air Force’s Man In Space Soonest project for Project Mercury. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/12 "2011-06-10T02:26:01Z")
While we’re on the topic of rockets, it’s worth noting that the first American spacecraft, Explorer 1 was built out of a scaled down rocket stage (maybe this is what’s confusing Philster). The first Soviet spacecraft, Sputnik, on the other hand, was a relatively unique design that looks like it sprung wholely from it’s designer’s head. Sputnik looks as alien as the environment it traveled through. Explorer looked like part of a rocket. It’s not surprising that America’s first space station was built out of a section of a rocket… ---
**Author:** ![ClevelandProud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7bcc69/32.png) [@ClevelandProud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ClevelandProud)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/13 "2011-06-10T02:32:38Z")
Oh, I don’t know … I am more inclined to ask: Q) Why do Soviet spacecraft look a lot like American designs? _”The Buran spacecraft (Snowstorm or Blizzard), is a Russian (Soviet) orbital vehicle analogous in function to the US Space Shuttle and developed by Chief Designer Gleb Lozino-Lozinskiy of Energia rocket corporation. …”_ > **[Buran (spacecraft)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_%28spacecraft%29)** > > Buran (Russian: Буран, IPA: \[bʊˈran\], meaning "Snowstorm" or "Blizzard"; GRAU index serial number: 11F35 1K, construction number: 1.01) was the first spaceplane to be produced as part of the Soviet/Russian Buran program. It is named after the Asian wind.\[citation needed\] > Buran completed one uncrewed spaceflight in 1988, and was destroyed in the 2002 collapse of its storage hangar. The Buran-class orbiters used the expendable Energia rocket, a class of super heavy-lift launch vehicle. > Besides... - ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/14 "2011-06-10T02:33:04Z")
**Airman Doors, USAF** : That is very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/15 "2011-06-10T02:40:59Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > The answer lies in the [capabilities of the spacecraft](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_spacecraft#Reentry): > > This meant that the capsule had to be protected from reentry heat on all sides, thus explaining the spherical design (as opposed to Project Mercury’s conical design), My first thought was that the problem with that explanation is that the spherical design was adopted by the Soviets for their earliest spacecraft that were never intended for reentry (or, at least, not intended to survive it.) Perhaps that’s the key to them beating the US in manned flight; they anticipated the need for a design that could survive reentry from the very start. Just looking at Explorer or Vanguard, it’s obvious those craft could never survive reentry. I believe a Sputnik eventually did with a canine payload. ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/16 "2011-06-10T19:22:53Z")
One significant difference is that the early Soviet designs had electronics that were air-cooled, and would overheat in a vacuum, so they put everything in a sealed, pressurized container. Fans would circulate the air inside, transferring heat from the electronics to the outer shell. Early American designs on the other hand had unpressurized electronics bays. Heat was dealt with through liquid cooling loops, with electronics modules connected to cold plates and heat carried by pumped coolant to external radiators. This may partially explain why Soviet designs tended to be spherical, to hold pressure with minimum weight, while American designs were more varied in shape. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/17 "2011-06-10T19:26:11Z")
**AndrewL** : That is also very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/18 "2011-06-10T19:32:32Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > I never understood why the Russians had such a penchant for painting their spacecraft (and rockets) such an unpleasant, hideous, **sickly green color**! That is the color of chromate corrosion inhibiting primer used on aluminum. Paint on top adds weight, though it can help with thermal performance, so may not be wasted weight. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/19 "2011-06-10T19:37:45Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Great question! My WAG is that early American designs were the result of a utilitarian hurry-up-and-catch-up engineering process, borrowing already available parts to create their spacecraft. The early Soviet spacecraft look like they were made-to-order with a clear eye to what might look good on a postage stamp. I can’t agree with that. From a purely aesthetic perspective, the American craft (with the exception of the LEM) are _much_ prettier than the Soviet ones. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922/20 "2011-06-10T20:04:59Z")
My WAG: The earliest Russian orbital rockets (based on the R7 missile) had higher carrying capacity than the Redstone and Atlas missiles that were used for the Mercury program. The Russians could afford the extra weight of a [shroud](http://visualrian.ru/ru/site/gallery/#771671) around an irregularly-shaped Vostok spacecraft, while the Mercury capsule had to be cone-shaped to save weight. Then the Gemini capsules basically inherited the shape of the Mercury, etc. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-russian-spacecraft-designs-look-so-different-from-american-designs/584922.md?page=2)