Launch Preparations
On 23 October, the prototype R-16 was installed on launching pad 41 (Russian: ТП-41, техническая позиция 41) awaiting final tests before its firing. The missile was over 30 m long, 3.0 m in diameter and had a launch weight of 141 tons. The rocket was fueled with Devil's Venom — hypergolic UDMH-nitric acid with dinitrogen tetroxide — which was used because of the high boiling temperatures and hence storability of the fuel and oxidizer despite being extremely corrosive and toxic. These risks were accounted for in the safety requirements of the launch procedures, but Nedelin's insistence on performing tests before the November 7th (anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution) resulted in extreme schedule pressure, with numerous safety procedures being ignored in order to economize time.
Read more about this topic: Nedelin Catastrophe
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