Baikonur, USSR. The first test of the R-16 rocket is underway. A test so important that even Korolyev’s boss, Mitrofan Nedelin, head of the Strategic Forces, is present. 6:45 a.m.: A problem is noticed, the countdown is stopped, and hundreds of engineers approach the rocket to make the necessary corrections. A switch is mistakenly left in the wrong position. The engineers approach the rocket and, to perform diagnostics, connect the rocket’s batteries. Someone notices the switch is in the wrong position and resets it. This reset, combined with the fact that the batteries are connected, triggers the ignition command for the missile’s second stage. At this, the automatic cameras around the perimeter of the area turn on automatically and capture the entire scene in all its brutality. Those near the rocket are instantly incinerated. Then the first stage ignites, exploding in a gigantic fireball. The few survivors try to escape but are trapped by the safety fence. The lethal gases and the fireball did the rest. It’s likely that between 120 and 150 people died, including Nedelin himself. The incident remained a secret until 1989. Sakharov himself described it in detail.
