Talk:Buran (spacecraft)

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[edit] Buran that was at Amusement Park in Moscow?

I know that, for a long time, there was a "Buran" attraction at an amusement park in Moscow (Gorkovo? Tsaritsino? not sure..). The one time that I was there, the attraction was closed. I remember thinking that the space shuttle displayed looked like a fake attraction rather than a real shuttle, although I believe it was the correct size. Looking at the pictures on this site, however, what I saw may have been the real shuttle. I'm tempted to say this was either in the summer of 2001 or 2002, though perhaps it was earlier, in 1999 or even 1997. Since the shuttle was destroyed in 2002, it must have been removed from the park before that point if it was indeed the real shuttle. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.126.242.121 (talk) 16:43, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Nice Buran pictures on dutch wiki

see dutch (nederlands) wiki for nice buran pictures

[edit] Image:Buran landing.jpg

frame|This image depicts a LII's MiG-25PU 2-seat trainer escorting the Buran at touchdown.

Interesting thing: the fore cockpit is taken by Sergey XXX (under another name), camera operator (now working for "Wings of Russia" studio), the aircraft was under control of Magomet Tolboev.

There is a 7.5M AVI with russian comments

An intersting moment was the turnover of the MiG to compensate a miss of ground guidance - it was performed by stalling the MiG in a spin for 1/2 roll (just because the MiG-25 was not too maneurable at all and even worse at the topmost altitude). --jno 16:17, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

It's a great photo, but I don't think the copyright tag is accurate. --Guinnog 17:20, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
It's not my photo, I've just added this comment which can be of interest for historicans and funs. --jno 10:32, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Designation

Isn't 1K1 the flight and the orbiter 1.01? User:Tom walker 16:11 GMT 17 July 2006

In general, 1K1 is a GRAU index for the entier type (or class) of identical units, while 1.01 is a unit... --jno 13:00, 18 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Destruction section

According to the BBC the Buran was destroyed in 2002. Here is the link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1985631.stm —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 209.31.136.131 (talk • contribs) 16:32, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the link/reference. Interestingly, the article doesn't specify which of the Burans was destroyed. From the article:
"the collapse of the giant hangar housing a version of the Buran space shuttle comes after"
"And now Buran's hanger, with a model of the ill-fated space shuttle inside it, has collapsed killing several workers. The result of neglect, it is being reported."
Another BBC article [1] is also fairly indefinite - "One Buran spacecraft - reportedly the only one of the three built to have flown in space - was inside the building."
Googling in general, Space.com says [2] "A full-scale test model of the Buran was trapped beneath debris after Sunday's collapse"
Spaceflight Now says [3] "Also damaged or destroyed in the accident was one of the three mothballed Buran space shuttles."
Does anyone know of a reference which states that it was definitely the Shuttle Buran, and not a Shuttle Buran, that was destroyed? Mike Peel 17:41, 29 August 2006 (UTC)
I'm rephrasing this until evidence is presented that this was THE shuttle Buran Pubuman 03:25, 26 September 2006 (UTC)
According to [4], the destroyed orbiter was in fact the 1.01, which was the vehicle that had flown.
I've heard that the Buran which had flown into space was not properly cooled just after its landing and was subject to severe deformations which rendered it unusable for the next flight. The information made its way to me from Baikonur verbally, so I cannot cite a printed source. A rumor, maybe.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.103.204.21 (talk • contribs)
After reading this WP article, I find that it is difficult to parse "Buran" from the other Buran vehicles, one is left without a clear idea how many were made (there were 11 including mockups and unfinished versions). "Buran" is treated as a proper noun, but they called all of their vehicles "Buran", singling each of them out by an ID system (OK-TVI, OK-1.01, OK-1.02, etc). In this WP article, showing "Buran" in italics implies a specific vehicle, such as "Space Shuttle - Discovery", when it in fact refers to many. Just something to think about. Fjbfour 20:54, 24 December 2006 (UTC)
Buran resurrection - have a look here http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/articleslideshow?articleId=USL0749777920080407&channelName=scienceNews#a=1 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.133.199.153 (talk) 23:40, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Aerial View

On Google earth, a distinctly shuttle shaped object can be clearly seen at Baikonur Cosmodrome at 45°55′10″N, 63°18′36″E (the facility has evidently been very heavily photographed from orbit, and structures such as the N-1 flame pits and and R-7 pad 1 show up quite well). Does anyone know if this is a Buran, and if so, does it merit mention on the page, perhaps under trivia? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.178.221.53 (talk • contribs) .

That is very interesting information, maybe there is shown Shuttle Ptichka or one of Mock-ups, but regrettably can not be mentioned because of WP:NOR. Feel free to found this information somewhere outside wiki, then can be added. --Jklamo 14:01, 13 September 2006 (UTC)
It's a full-scale model built for testing launch pad equipment, recently moved to museum.

Real cockpit is planned to be created inside. http://www.roscosmos.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=2104

[edit] Back-up landing strip in Czechoslovakia?

Several Czech sites claim that back-up landind strip for Buran was made at airfield Hradčany in military area Ralsko, that was used by the Soviet army in the 1980s. Can anybody verify that? JanSuchy 22:38, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Where's the real Buran shuttle now?

I've read in Malaysian newspapers, and their saying that the Buran will be displayed in the Malaysian International Aerospace Exhibition on the 5th of June to the 7th of August. Is this true? Is the Buran the original Buran?

I think not, it will be likely OK-GLI. --Jklamo 20:39, 14 February 2007 (UTC)
Assuming that by the "real" one, you merely mean the one that flew into space, then it is destroyed, as the article states. —Joseph/N328KF (Talk) 20:51, 14 February 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Thermal Management

I heard in a training class on creative thinking that the BURAN shuttle had an interesting thermal management strategy to protect itself from the intense heat of reentry. Whereas the US Shuttle system used expensive carbon composite panels, which were fragile and led to the destruction of the Columbia craft, the BURAN used a simpler solution. Apparently the underside was covered with cork, when the shuttle reentered a great deal of heat was generated, but with little oxygen that high up the cork didn't burn but carbonised, this carbon layer then acted as a thermal barrier to protect the craft. When it landed the carbonised cork was to be chipped away and a new layer added for the next use. I haven't been able to find any sources for this but would like to find out if its true. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 130.246.132.26 (talk) 12:10, 19 February 2007 (UTC).

In short - NO. Buran used the same expensive and complex TPS as Space Shuttle; the belly is some sort of carbon composite, not cork. I know that the Soviet TPS was different in some details (like extra thermal protection in some places, also computer-designed tile placing), but, in general, is similar to American Space Shuttle. Most sources for this is in Russian, like www.buran.ru and www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru DFighter100 04:15, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lunched from???

Were did it lunch from, I cant find it any were??Chris H 01:51, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

If not mistaken, Buran went to McDonald's for lunch. SchuminWeb (Talk) 04:32, 28 May 2007 (UTC)
Okay, the Buran probably lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, where it landed. I'm guessing this is where the Buran lifted off, 'cause the American shuttles lift off and land at the same place. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.16.151.77 (talk • contribs)
Oh, launched! Well, after it got back from lunch, it launched from Baikonur. It also landed at Baikonur. However, they don't have to launch and land at the same facility. The American Space Shuttle doesn't necessarily do this for every mission. The most recent Atlantis mission launched at Kennedy, but landed at Edwards. SchuminWeb (Talk) 23:07, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What about the suspiciously shuttle copy like look of the buran?

whats going on there? espionage? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.30.246.7 (talk) 08:56, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

The systems are completely different. While Space Shuttle uses its own engines for thrust, Buran is lifted by the Energia rocket.--Dojarca 00:47, 21 October 2007 (UTC)

c'mon. Small details about thrust origin mask the fact that this spacecraft is such a ripoff. It should be said to the credit of the Soviets that they had the sense to scrap the programme before spending as much as NASA has to date.

How many Soviet defenders are out there to fight vociferously for this?

Unfortunately, the set of citeable articles discussing the copycat nature of Buran should be few in number, and they are probably all in violation of NPOV for inclusion in Wikipedia!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.44.119.242 (talk) 14:50, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

The dates of Enterprise flights vs Burans combined with the pictures clearly indicate that their design was inspired by ours, but I don't think NASA could sue the USSR for violation of copyright law. Jon (talk) 18:01, 27 November 2007 (UTC)
I think the Shuttle, like Concorde (which Tupolev built a version of, which went straight into the ground, in front of huge crowds at an air show) wasn't a truly "secret" design, so it was easy for the Soviets to copy, unlike say the Stealth Fighter. 82.153.230.138 (talk) 17:39, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

Copy or not, can one really claim that this was a "fully completed and operational space shuttle" as this article does? It appears to have been a primative test vehicle with no capability of supporting a human crew which would seem to be a requirement to be a space shuttle. You might be able to claim it was an aerodynamic prototype or a unmanned test vehicle for a space shuttle, but certainly neither "fully completed" or "operational".... jmdeur 13:56 4 Feb 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.148.60.151 (talk)

[edit] Verifiable First?

"Another prototype was acquired by the German Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum in 2004, and is currently in transit, to the museum, where it will become the world's first genuine space shuttle to be exhibited to the general public." - is this claim verifiable? As above, there is no record of the Buran being used in a man-rated space mission, and secondly, what constitutes a "genuine space shuttle"? If that means "reusable man-rated space vehicle", then surely the accolade goes to Spaceship One at the Smithsonian? It's certainly not the first used space vehicle, man-rated or otherwise, to be exhibited. Or have they been conned by a used-capsule salesman? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Stevedix (talk • contribs) 13:04, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

Even without SpaceShipOne, the Udvar-Hazy Center, part of the Smithsonian Air&Space Museum, has the American space shuttle Enterprise on display.--66.75.48.94 (talk) 04:42, 11 April 2008 (UTC)
Enterprise never went to space eigher, however it was technically capable for space flight (heat shield). Speyer aquired OK-GLI/0.02 which was a flight/glide test mock-up. It's actually not realy listed as an orbiter, hence not spaceworthy. Buran (OK-1k1) was spaceworthy (how surprising ;-) ) and actually in space (unmanned), even if her life support never got completed. But I think the article highly exagerates the role of OK-GLI. However compared to Enterprise it flew with it's own engine power.--89.60.193.143 (talk) 20:43, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Buran or not Buran

I removed the Future Home section as it belongs to OK-GLI not to Buran. Actually this sutt is already in OK-GLI so it seems obsolete. I add a copy here in case some missing details should be moved to OK-GLI.--89.60.194.214 (talk) 11:28, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Future home

Section source: Speyer[1]
Buran being transported to the Technikmuseum Speyer in Germany, where it will be on public display
Buran being transported to the Technikmuseum Speyer in Germany, where it will be on public display

OK-GLI was loaded onto a ship on the 4 March, 2008. During the transfer from the storage barge to the ship there was a failure of the aft spreader and the tail of the shuttle dropped from deck height into the hold. Fortunately, no-one was hurt and both the ship and shuttle seemed to suffer only minor damage. The shuttle was then transported to the Dutch port of Rotterdam. There it was transferred to a barge for further transport to Germany by means of river transit. On 7 April 2008, the orbiter was transported by barge along the river Rhine to the museum in Speyer, near Mannheim.[2]