Remains of the Soviet Space Shuttle

Really? In what way?

1) fully automated
2) liquid fuel launch system, thus controllable, the shuttles SRB's are basically fireworks, i.e. go and forget there is no shutting them down
3) signifiicantly higher payload capacity
4) multiple design structure, i.e. the airframe was more flexible, customizeability wise, thus could do more
5) it could restart its engines on the orbiter after decent, the shuttle HAS to glide home there is no 2nd chance (your seeing how much the shuttle relies on chance now ?, its launch and landing are out of control of the pilot, yes there skilled but its just rubbish they dont have a 2nd chance on occasion it maybe needed).
6) An array of other improvements that are too numerous to list, i.e. at the time id of taken the russion hop into orbit, if it had been used and maintained to this day it would have been formidable.
 
1) fully automated
<...good stuff....snip..>
6) An array of other improvements that are too numerous to list, i.e. at the time id of taken the russion hop into orbit, if it had been used and maintained to this day it would have been formidable.

If all that's true, then it's a crying shame that the US and Russia are unlikely to do the sensible thing and save money by working together on a replacement for the current Space Shuttle... :(
 
The actual shuttle that orbited the earth was destroyed in 2002 as the Hanger it was stored in collapsed. There were two shuttles built for space flight one was destroyed in the hanger and the other dissasembled. The other one that flew was fitted with jet engines and flown like a plane for testing purposes. There were numerous other mock ups built approx 9 that were used for testing and evaluation of the systems.

# Built models

Models for testing

# OK-GLI
# OK-TVA
# OK-M
# OK-MT
# OK-TVI
# OK-KS

Intended for space travel

# OK-1.01 (Completed an unmanned flight in space)
# OK-1.02
# OK-2.01
# OK-2.02
# OK-2.03

So which one are we looking at?
 
That thing landed itself, from orbit, in like the space?

Awesome.

Not only landed from the push of the launch button the complete lift off, Orbit the Earth and re-entry and landing was all automated. It was far supperior in most ways to the American shuttle.

The one in the pics is one of the mock ups that has been made up to look like OK-1.01 its actually OK-M which was used for thermal testing. The cockpit is not how it was on the flight model I had a pic somewhere but I cannot find it...

This is OK-1.01 after the hanger collapse...

bbur90.jpg


bbur89.jpg
 
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So which one are we looking at?

Its OK-M renovated to look like OK-1.01

Renovation of OK-M

After the movement of OK-M near the Baikonur’s museum, the thermal shield was renewed, they transformed the cockpit and a showroom was set up in the payload bay. Initially the cockpit was not functional because this model was intended has thermal tests, so this version of the cockpit was created from scratch.
 
Not only landed from the push of the launch button the complete lift off, Orbit the Earth and re-entry and landing was all automated. It was far supperior in most ways to the American shuttle.

I find that staggering, seriously amazing; the terms 'epic' and 'genius' are banded around and cheapened so I rarely use them, but in this context that is both epic and genius.
 
I find that staggering, seriously amazing; the terms 'epic' and 'genius' are banded around and cheapened so I rarely use them, but in this context that is both epic and genius.

Buran came 5 years after the American Shuttle so the Russians watched the American's and just improved what they had designed. They really let the Americans do all the hard work then copied most of it and improved it drasticaly.. The Buran is 100% Russian build al parts, software etc are all of Russian design. The only part sourced outside Russia was the heatproof paint which came from somewhere in Europe..

Whether this will happen is still a mystery but it was stated..

More recently, the director of Moscow's Central Machine Building Institute has said the Buran project will be reviewed in the hopes of restarting a similar manned spacecraft design, with rocket test launches as soon as 2015.
 
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Reproduction is the greatest form of flattery, improving on it so it can fly unmanned in to space and land pitch-perfect without a scratch is just incredible. :D
 
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