Maj Gen Avn Leonov on Soviet Lunar Program Details

This document is a 1990 interview with Soviet cosmonaut Aleksey Arkhipovich Leonov, conducted by I. Kuznetsov for the publication 'Aviatsiya i kosmonavtika'. Leonov provides a detailed retrospective on the Soviet manned lunar program, which he explains was structured in two stages: a lunar flyby and a subsequent manned landing. He discusses the technical challenges faced, including the development of the N-1 booster and the L-1 and L-3 spacecraft. Leonov notes that the program was ultimately abandoned due to a combination of technical failures, such as the unsuccessful Zond launches, and a lack of adequate funding compared to the American Apollo program. He reflects on the training of cosmonauts, which included the use of dynamic simulators and navigation practice using the Southern Cross. Leonov also addresses the American Apollo 11 landing, noting that the Soviet Union had been monitoring the mission and that he personally reviewed footage of the event. When asked about UFOs and claims that extraterrestrials were observed on the Moon, Leonov explicitly rejects these assertions, characterizing them as fantasies built upon misinterpretations of astronaut conversations. The interview concludes with a broader discussion on the economic challenges of the Soviet space program, the utility of space-based monitoring for agriculture, and the future of the Mir space station.