Photos of Russia's abandoned space shuttles

http://ralphmirebs.livejournal.com/219949.html

Wow they really just cut and dumped these.

martinsvi

GVHOT wrote: »

http://ralphmirebs.livejournal.com/219949.html

Wow they really just cut and dumped these.

the hangar pictured there is in Kazakhstan - Baikonur Cosmodrome. Since the Buran project really just took off as the union was about to collapse, the project was stopped with only one of the shuttles ever seeing Space. Shortly after the collapse, neither Kazakhstan nor Russia had the money to continue the project and later the whole facility was hit by a powerful storm, rendering the appalling scenes in the pictures. Obviously Buran was pretty much a copy of NASA's space shuttle, and with it's future looking dodgy in early 2000nd's, no one really had any motivation to pick these things up from the dust

MuffinsDa

Cool.

also ere's some really awesome Russian steam punk goodness - Caspian Sea Monster: http://igor113.livejournal.com/51213.html#cutid1

I'd love that in my garden.

Grandeeod

All that money!

smurfjed

Excellent photos..... but sad to look at

Lockheed

Fascinating and sad. I woner what it would take to get in there to look at the shuttles.

Atlantic Dawn

The level of engineering just on the hanger is staggering, sad to see it lying idle going to waste.

TopTec

Would love to read the translated version of those article... fascinating.

TT

coolperson05

Anyone else think it would be an amazing movie set?? Russian's could make some extra money renting it to the next Bond crew!

Atlantic Dawn

TopTec wrote: »

Would love to read the translated version of those article... fascinating.

TT

Google Translate gives the basics https://translate.google.ie/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fralphmirebs.livejournal.com%2F219949.html&edit-text=

ned14

TopTec wrote: »

Would love to read the translated version of those article... fascinating.

TT

Open the link in Chrome. On the right side of the address bar there's an option to translate the page. Fascinating reading!

St. Leibowitz

There's one of these in the Technik Museum Speyer in Germany. The two technical museums, Sinshim and Speyer, are a short drive apart, and well worth a visit. Some fantastic exhibits.

Tenger

martinsvi wrote: »

..... Obviously Buran was pretty much a copy of NASA's space shuttle, and with it's future looking dodgy in early 2000nd's, no one really had any motivation to pick these things up from the dust

While it was a copy it was 'better' in some respects. It could carry more cargo than the US shuttle, and it was capable of being 'flown' by ground control. However the fact that it was an ultimately unsuccesful project makes the US program the 'better' one.

I was lucky enough to get inside one of the prototypes (OK-GLI) approx 14 years ago in Sydney harbour. Got interior tour and access to the cockpit. (They used standard MIG-25 seats and control yokes for the flight crew)

Chris_5339762

Their equivalent of the Solid Rocket Boosters were way way better than the American ones too. They could be switched off.

thecommander

Tenger wrote: »

While it was a copy it was 'better' in some respects. It could carry more cargo than the US shuttle, and it was capable of being 'flown' by ground control. However the fact that it was an ultimately unsuccesful project makes the US program the 'better' one.

100% success rate too.

Davidth88

I saw this on top of the AN226 at Paris Airshow back in the 80's

I was hunting for the photos I took , if I find one Ill scan it and throw it up