Personal memoires and pictures

[Christophe]

Some launch pads.

Ch.

Pic : © Christophe – ChR Collection

[Christophe]

Proton launch area.

Ch.

Pic : © Christophe – ChR Collection

[Christophe]

Buran space shuttle.

And more to come...

Ch.

Pic : © Christophe – ChR Collection

[Esteban_cool]

I´ve seen it in ruins, in different locations, and now it lloks brand new. Just how many Burans are lying around the FSU? Or was it restored?

[Christophe]

Hi Bogdan,

Several Buran shuttles have been built.

You can find more details in this interesting site :

Buran Space Shuttle - Energia Rocket Launcher

The one I show is OK-M.
Here is what says this site :
"Built in Moscow in 1982 to make temperature and mechanics tests, it was then renamed in OK-ML-1 and was transported at Baïkonour by the VM-T plane to test the interface with Energia. Normally it would have been used for the first flight of Energia and destroyed during the re-entry in the atmosphere.

It resides now in the zone 2 near the Baïkonur's museum, after being parked for years not far from the 254 zone (MIK). It is visited by the children of the local schools. The leaders of Baïkonour want to make it a monument inside the city which seems to be impossible because the size of the shuttle prevents it from crossing a bridge on the Moscow-Tashkent line."

And this is what this website says about the one in Moscow, well know, as well...

"OK-TVA was used for the thermal, mechanical and acoustic tests. The thermal tests were led in a special room where 10 000 quartz lamps could vary the temperature from -150°C to +1 500°C and simulated the temperatures range which the shuttle go trough during its way from the ground to the space vacuum. The mechanical tests, took place in a room of 423 m2, consisted in loading the nose, the wings, the vertical stabilizer and the shield beam. The bench of test could apply 8 000 kN horizontally and 2 000 kN vertically and thus to load the structure at 90% of its rupture limit. The acoustic tests were conducted in a special room of 1 500 m2 which was equipped with 16 high speakers which could generate a sound of 166 dB at frequencies from 50 to 2 000 Hz. These acoustic tests forced the engineers to redraw the structure of the shuttle, the heat shield, the seals and the soundproofing.

Since 1997 the shuttle has been in the Gorky park at Moscow in an amusement park. Specials armchairs has been installed in the payload bay to reproduce the weightlessness and a movie is played during 10 min, but the show doesn't attract as many people as planned and the mangers are facing financial difficulties. It was repainted to look like Buran 1.01 (the model which flew) this is why many people is mistaken about it."

Hope this answers your question.

Ch.

[Christophe]

I should have added that this Buran shuttle has been fully "restored", as it has been converted to a small museum dedicated to the Buran program. Only the cockpit is still in its original shape, and the exterior as well (repainted).

More pics to come in a few days.

Ch.

[Christophe]

Flying above Kazakhstan and approaching Baikonur.

Ch.

Pic : © Christophe – ChR Collection

[Christophe]

...

Ch.

Pic : © Christophe – ChR Collection

[Christophe]

Baikonur airport.

Ch.

Pic : © Christophe – ChR Collection

[Christophe]

Launch pads.

Ch.

Pic : © Christophe – ChR Collection