What if

General Modelling Forum => General Modeling topics => Topic started by: Nick on January 23, 2011, 11:00:13 AM

Title: Russian Space Shuttle remains
Post by: Nick on January 23, 2011, 11:00:13 AM
Here's what happened to the Soviet Buran space shuttle project after the SU collapsed. Looks like somebody has kept the launchpad area clean and tidy and the actual Buran is a visitor attraction.

http://www.themysteryworld.com/2010/12/abandoned-remains-of-russian-space.html

I think this Buran is actually a non-spacegoing vehicle, a prototype used only for transport and movement tests and maybe air-dropped landing trials.
Title: Re: Russian Space Shuttle remains
Post by: Hobbes on January 23, 2011, 11:10:46 AM
There are several Buran craft at Baikonur, two are unfinished spacecraft, others are test beds. The only craft to actually go to space was destroyed when its hangar collapsed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_program (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_program)

There's one in Germany in a museum.
Title: Re: Russian Space Shuttle remains
Post by: Alvis 3.14159 on January 23, 2011, 05:00:32 PM
Unfortunate they don't have a Buran capable of flight. A loss to space transportation, but I guess like other relics of the cold war, slowly moldering away is to be its' fate.


Al
Title: Re: Russian Space Shuttle remains
Post by: anthonyp on January 24, 2011, 06:31:57 PM
Yeah, both N-1/Buran pads are still there, as is the Pitchka somewhere (Buran 1.02, was almost complete).  It's apparently kept in an environmentally controlled storage building somewhere.  The Buran that's out in the open was a non-flying article, and can be seen via Google Earth.