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The Buran and Space Shuttle orbiters were exposed to similar temperatures, and both had similar levels of insulation. Compared to the Space Shuttle, Buran had a different tile layout on its underside, in which all gaps between heat tiles are parallel or perpendicular to the direction of airflow through the orbiter's lower surface.
Buran could return 20 tons from orbit, [90] [91] vs the Space Shuttle's 15 tons. Buran included a drag chute, [92] the Space Shuttle originally did not, but was later retrofitted to include one. The lift-to-drag ratio of Buran is cited as 5.6, [93] compared to a subsonic L/D of 4.5 for the Space Shuttle. [94]
The Buran programme was an attempt by the Soviet Union to construct an orbital spaceplane to perform similar functions to the Space Shuttle. Similar to the Space Shuttle programme, an aerodynamic prototype and a number of operational spacecraft were planned for the Buran programme, [1] which were known as "Buran-class orbiters".
With the Buran destroyed in 2002, 2K is considered valuable as the last of its kind, and Musa has offered to trade the spacecraft in return for the skull of last Kazakh khan Kenesary Kasymov. Kasymov had been beheaded in 1847 and his skull sent to Russia, but his skull remains missing today, with Russia denying knowledge of its location. [7]
Energia rockets only flew twice. The first flight (Energia-Polyus) on 15 May 1987 was made from Site 250, and the second flight (Energia-Buran) from Site 110/37. The only Energia launch from Site 110 occurred at 03:00 UTC on 15 November 1988, carrying the first Buran shuttle on an uncrewed test flight. [7]
The shuttle program was marked by triumphs and failures, including the 2003 Columbia disaster. The tragedies left a lasting mark on the perception of risks in space.
The 2.01 is the first of a second series of Buran-class orbiters. The design was improved using feedback from the earlier models of Buran-class shuttles, such as the flight of Buran and the construction of Ptichka. [1] Major changes include: Hull design optimized to save weight. Thermal protection system arrangement changed. Spoilers added to ...
The term “space plane” often evokes NASA’s Space Shuttle, which flew 135 missions from 1981 to 2011, carrying astronauts into orbit and helping to construct the International Space Station.