Buran shuttle4/4/2023 Soviet spacecraft and rocket programs tend to be known by three word acronyms when they are in development. So why is the program called Buran, which means “Snowstorm” in Russian? That has to do with Soviet naming traditions in regards to space programs. Here is part two of space historian Jay Chladek’s series about the real history of the Buran orbiter and its launch system, Energia. Photo by author Kobel, from Wikimedia Commons. It would be so desirable that Bandai would take up this idea and make such a release for the Buran as well.A Buran wind tunnel model. If here the detail sharpness would be a bit higher, it would be brilliant! Therefore, when it stands right next to the Endeavour, it goes down a bit despite the effort of the modeler. In general it is wonderful, but in direct comparison to the Bandai model a bit chubby (especially the Energija) and not so detailed. I think it is a pity that Soviet technology is always smiled at, because it is mostly not a copy, but an own development, but it is still seen like that today.Īnd now about the model, I like the idea of having a counterpart to the Bandai Endeavour model, and I am now itching to start such a project. There are countless comparisons that prove that the Buran was the better 2.0 shuttle. With the shuttle, the STS concept was only usable together, and therefore not separately. In general, it should be noted that Buran combined two independent systems, namely Energija and the orbiter. The payload bay was larger, Buran could carry more payload due to the Energija. space shuttle, for sure, even if many people don't like to hear that because of NASA/American sanctity. The Buran was more advanced than the U.S. After the loss of Columbia, though, NASA needed to be able to bring a disabled shuttle back down to the ground safely, so a cable was flown that would connect the computers needed for the job on the mid deck to the controls on the flight deck. space shuttle had the same capability, it was just disabled for most of its lifetime at the request (read: demand) of the astronaut office, which feared NASA phasing out pilots if left on. The Buran was also fully automated, so it can be launched and land by itself. It makes for quite a pair with the Bandai Endeavour. Someone in the Kremlin who is so nostalgic of the Soviet Union's former greatness should look at the pictures you've posted. Maybe faster turnaround time because no need to remove the SSME after each flight (and no SRBs - but rockets blow up anyway so more advanced). That way when I display them together it, it matches up very well:Ī side by side comparison: doesn't the Buran Shuttle look more advanced? So here are the pictures of the finished model, we tried to copy Bandai’s presentation of the shuttle with the mirrored base and dimension. Unlike the solid rocket boosters on the American Space Shuttle - once you light them you can’t shut them off. It was liquid-fueled so it can be throttled up, down or shut off. The Energia rocket was also impressive in its own right, it can be launched by itself and carry over 100 tons. The Buran was also fully automated, so it can be launched and land by itself - which it did on the maiden flight. The Russian Space Shuttle does not have integrated main engines, it mainly relied on the Energia booster to get into space, so without the extra weight of the engines, it can carry more payload. However, one cannot help wonder how our space program would have evolved had the Buran fully went into service. Of course, it was yet to be proven since it only flew once before the Soviet Union collapsed. The results were quite amazing.Ī little about the Buran: obviously the design was quite similar, but you have to admit, the Buran did seem to have some more advantages over the American Space Shuttle. I contacted my trusted custom model maker (SDModelMakers) although they normally build ships, they did an amazing job with my previous projects that I trusted them to pull this off. Seeing how no manufacturer has the intentions to make one, I decided to commission my own project to build the Buran Shuttle with the Energia Rocket fully stacked in 1/144 scale. That one came out a few years ago and I always wanted to get the Russian counterpart. I have the Bandai Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1/144 scale, here was my review back then. Topic: 1:144 Buran Space Shuttle with Energia Profile | register | preferences | faq | search 1:144 Buran Space Shuttle with Energia - collectSPACE: Messages
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