Soviet scientists have confirmed that by 1968, a year before the Americans, they were willing to put a man on the moon. A team of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, during their visit to the Moscow Aviation Institute last November, saw and photographed the module that the Soviets planned to use.
The Soviets had plans to launch two spaces (Lighting Module and Return Module). Both would join in the orbit of the Earth.
The return module was projected by a Proton projector, but the moon capture module needed a more powerful rocket. It was called N-1. Unfortunately the N-1 never landed. As a result, the designer, Baleri Mixin, lost his post in 1974 when the Soviets decided to definitively suspend the program of the Moon.
Balentin Gluxko, who died last year, took over the work and designed the Energy Launcher. From then until last October the intention of the Soviet moon has been hidden.