Interesting article about Buran
Discussion
I'm not sure whether the remit of this forum stretches as far as spacecraft (although I could stretch a point and suggest that it's a space-plane 
) but I thought that the article below may be of interest to those who read here.
I grew up as the Shuttle programme was rolled out, and remember avidly watching the first few launches until they became commonplace enough that they were no longer shown on TV. I also remember reading about the Buran, the Soviet "equivalent", but never really knew what became of it.
It's interesting to read about the Soviets' assumptions about the US shuttle programme and what became of its own rival orbiter.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/09/the-life-an...
) but I thought that the article below may be of interest to those who read here. I grew up as the Shuttle programme was rolled out, and remember avidly watching the first few launches until they became commonplace enough that they were no longer shown on TV. I also remember reading about the Buran, the Soviet "equivalent", but never really knew what became of it.
It's interesting to read about the Soviets' assumptions about the US shuttle programme and what became of its own rival orbiter.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2013/09/the-life-an...
Eric Mc said:
Buran is a very interesting concept - very similar in some ways to the US Space Shuttle but with some fundamental differences as well.
The article makes that very point, Eric. The principal difference seems to have been that Ivan just couldn't accept that NASA's orbiter was commercially viable so by a process of elimination it HAD to be military. Buran was a military answer to it. They didn't know to what, or what the orbiter was supposed to do, but they decided they had to have something that do the same - hence why it was to a large extent copied from NASA's design.
There are two massive TECHNICAL differences between the two vehicles.
Firstly, the Buran was capable of lifting off a runway under its own power - if fitted with jet engines. One test version was flown in this configuration. Ther Shuttle could not have done this.
Secondly, the Buran relied absolutely on its large Energia carrier rocket to lift it into earth orbit. It did not possess a propulsion system of its own. The only rockets carried by the Buran itself were the small attitude thrusters. The Russians did not attempt to make any part of their booster system recoverable. They were prepared to throw away a booster with each launch.
The Russians were, of course, absolutely right in considering the Space Shuttle as being primarily designed for military missions. The Shuttle's entire configuration was dictated by the requirements of the US Department of Defense.
Firstly, the Buran was capable of lifting off a runway under its own power - if fitted with jet engines. One test version was flown in this configuration. Ther Shuttle could not have done this.
Secondly, the Buran relied absolutely on its large Energia carrier rocket to lift it into earth orbit. It did not possess a propulsion system of its own. The only rockets carried by the Buran itself were the small attitude thrusters. The Russians did not attempt to make any part of their booster system recoverable. They were prepared to throw away a booster with each launch.
The Russians were, of course, absolutely right in considering the Space Shuttle as being primarily designed for military missions. The Shuttle's entire configuration was dictated by the requirements of the US Department of Defense.
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff