The Piece of a Shuttle
There is a piece of what was before a glorious Russian shuttle “Buran”, staying in front of one of the Moscow hospitals. It hasn’t been placed there as a monument or something. People who know its history tell that once when the Soviet Union collapsed they sold much of high-technology costly hardware for just some pennies to people who didn’t even know what to do with all this.
For example, this head module of Buran shuttle in some mysterious way appeared in ownership of the hospital. They couldn’t find a better use for it to make a pressure chamber. Then they found out that they have not enough funds to make such chamber, so, they decided, the best use of this piece of space relic is to sell it for scrap metal.
Where Do Shuttles Go?
For those, who wondered “Where did all the three Russian shuttles go?”. One has been found on the backyard of some repairing shop.
Buran. Still Alive?
In our recent publications we have already told much about the Soviet space program and especially about Buran, the first and the only Soviet space shuttle. Last time we saw him standing abandoned somewhere in the lonely place at Baikonur. But here are quite unexpected information. Recently some Russian bloggers have spotted Buran at some river port in the north part of Moscow. So it doesn’t fly into the space anymore but still can move, at least through the country and by water.
See also:
First Space Shuttle Ever
More About Soviet Space Program. VM-T Atlant
Buran, The First Russian Shuttle
More About Buran
Antonov. The World’s Heaviest and Largest Jet
Where is Buran Now?
First Space Shuttle Ever
What you see here is what had to be the first space shuttle ever. Twenty two years before first Russian space shuttle “Buran” or 10 years before the first American shuttle Soviets projected and built manned spaceship aircraft that could land from the orbit by itself. It had space only for one pilot and was more rather a proof of concept for the spacecraft that can land as a normal plane. It is not very clear these days if this one had any successful launches and landings just because all the projects was classified, but still there are photos of it now and then.
More About Soviet Space Program. VM-T Atlant
Antonov or AN-225 was not the only Soviet cargo jet used for the Soviet Space Program. VM-T Atlant (the picture above) also coped with a task of carrying ultra-heavy and oversize freight, such as rocket boosters or the space shuttle, and it might be a real alternative for AN-225. But this project was closed because of some disadvantages. Nevertheless the shots of Atlant in action with the hydrogenous cistern for the rocket booster look quite enchanting. Even more, some people joked that this plane was used for transportation of Pepsi Cola from the USA to Russia during the “perestroika” times.
See also:
Buran, The First Russian Shuttle
More About Buran
Antonov. The World’s Heaviest and Largest Jet
Where is Buran Now?
Buran. The Soviet Space Shuttle
In our recent publications we’ve told about the world’s heaviest and largest jet Antonov or AN-225 that was designed for the Soviet space program in 1988 and able to airlift the Energia rocket’s boosters and Buran about which we’ve told as well.
On the next photos one can see the complete process of launching Buran into the space orbit.
And here you can find a photo session from Ukrainian site about what is now with Buran.
Where is Buran Now?
Some people asked, what happened to the Buran afterwards?
Here is a photo session from Ukrainian site about what is now with Buran.
It is standing in the lonely place at Baikonur, not covered with any sort of hangar or anything.
Buran, The First Russian Shuttle
Did you know that there was a space shuttle built in Russia, which has made a few successful flights but then the research project was closed due to lack of funding after the collapse of Soviet Union?
The BURAN orbiter was the first reusable manned space vehicle in Russia. The BURAN orbiter is the space airplane which may descent from an orbit and land to an airdrome. The BURAN was Russian first vehicle capable not only to put pay-loads into Space, but also to provide their orbit maintenance and repair as well as return to the Earth.
The BURAN predecessors could execute only separate roles: VOSTOK and SOYUS vehicles were intended only for crew flights, PROGRESS - for cargo delivery onto the orbital station. Put into the orbit by a rocket carrier of the average size they had modest transport potentials. Whereas the cargo flow on the Earth-orbit line increased and the development of a reusable vehicles of large carrying capacity has become inevitable.
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