The Russians sell the Buran shuttle

Just in case anyone didn't know, the Buran was the Soviet answer to the American space shuttle. While it did look almost identical to the American shuttle, it did have some unique features, most notably the ability to be remote-controlled by a ground station.

Two of these shuttles were build in the mid-1980's, but the whole project was abandoned after the collapse of the USSR. The first shuttle to fly into space was destroyed when its hangar collapsed in 2002. Today, all that's left are a few mock-ups quietly rusting in factories in Kazakhstan.

So, suppose in the early 1990's, the Yeltsin government, hard up for cash, decides to put the Buran on the market. Who'd buy it? I think the Chinese and the Europeans might be interested in such an investment. Any thoughts?
 
It also lacked its own boosters also, didn't it, with the on board rockets used only for braking for reentry and orbital maneuvering?

The only possible candidate to buy it might be the Chinese as the European Space Agency had already made a huge committment to the US space shuttle system with their on board space lab module. But this would be highly unlikely because the Chinese would also have to invest in the special boosters and launch facilities the system required. At this point they'd be better off developing their own system rather than buying a Soviet knockoff of an inefficient, expensive, and already obsolescent US system. Also, given how the constantly maintained and upgraded US shuttles have a bad habit of exploding or falling apart, one wonders about the sanity of anyone who would risk spaceflight in a Russian one which essentially sat untouched in a warehouse for several years.

Better buy an aircraft carrier.
 
I think a private industry might make a stab at it. And then design improvements selling them to the chiness, maybe Singapore and India....
 
Buran could only be lauched with an Energyia Rocket. A rocket more powerfull than any other then ( or now ) existing. Only Saturn V was more powerfull.

Europe would have been interested, especially if the offer is made in the final days of the Hermes project, but it would require buying Energyia rockets, which may well spell the doom of Ariane V, a potitical impossibility then, or a major redesign of Ariane V, to quadruple the power. Possible, but difficult and unlikely to be economically rewarding. Unless, of course, they go the Delta IV way. Could be interesting.

Then, come Challenger, There is an alternative to Soyouz for ISS service. This may well have impact on US/Russia relationship.
 

Thande

Donor
I always wanted it for myself actually... :eek:

Energiya, although much more powerful than the US system, had the slightly annoying habit of exploding on takeoff. Which would not stop the ESA buying it, of course. :D I'd like to see the ESA with it, but I think the Chinese are your best bet.

Any wildcard nations? The Indians? The Brazilians?
 
They have sold one.
In Sydney theirs this giant museum with one of the Buran space shuttles in.
I think it went into outer space only once and by autopilot (yes autopilot, on a space shuttle).
It was shipped over in the late 90's I think. The museum seems too have crapped up though because no one knows its their. We just stumbled upon it on a vacation their once when we were wandering down Sydney Harbour.
Their were 7 other people their. In a place where you could actually wander about in a space shuttle. Its amazingly little known. If it were in the U.S or Europe it would get hundreds of thousands every year.
They really are huge up close.

If you ever go too Sydney you should go their.

I'll try and find a link.
 

Thande

Donor
Woah! Does that mean we'll see Aussies in space?

(Considers rehashing Geordies on moon wearing T-shirts joke but decides against it)
 
The ESA gave up its plans in the early 90s to develop a shuttle.

The Hermes would have been what the ESA had in mind as a reusable space vehicle. It would be launched with an Ariane 5 rocket.
After the end of the Cold War and the slashing of lots of funding, the plan was given up. I don't see any reason for the ESA to have bought the Buran.

Besides, I remember reading somewhere that the Buran came only by luck in one piece back to Earth in its first and only non-manned flight. According to what I read they had some serious issues getting it back through reentry and damage was quite substantial. The Russians had still a lot work to do before the Buran could be called a proven system.
 
Concerning Buran in Australia, are you sure it's a real one and not a mock-up?
I'm aware of Russia selling mock-ups of Buran and Mir, but not the real things.

Concerning Energyia explosion, can someone provide more details? As far as I know, there has been only two energya launch, one with Buran, the other with Polyus. In both case, the rocket worked ( polyus ending in the ocean was a result of polyus guidance system problem ).
 
Is it true that the Buran is still in Sydney? I read that the museum either closed entirely, or at least sold the Buran, and that it reappeared in the Emirates last year. I furthermore heard rumors that a German museum had now bought it.

Sydney people on the board, can anyone check this matter, please?
 
http://www.stern.de/wissenschaft/kosmos?id=530209&nv=hp_aa

That's the article covering the "discovery" of Burain in Bahrain.

Wikipedia also reports:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran
In September 2004 a German reporter team found the Shuttle near Bahrain. It was bought by the Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum, but has not yet been transported to Germany.
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinsheim_Auto_&_Technik_Museum
The museum has acquired a Russian Buran space shuttle in 2004 which is currently stored in Bahrain. It is planned to be transported to Germany and to be included in the museum's collection in early 2005.

I sent them an email, asking what's the current status and will report back here as soon as I get a reply!
 
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fhaessig said:
Concerning Buran in Australia, are you sure it's a real one and not a mock-up?
I'm aware of Russia selling mock-ups of Buran and Mir, but not the real things.

Concerning Energyia explosion, can someone provide more details? As far as I know, there has been only two energya launch, one with Buran, the other with Polyus. In both case, the rocket worked ( polyus ending in the ocean was a result of polyus guidance system problem ).

I am afraid it is a mock-up.
The only flight articke was the one destroyed at the kosmodrom after a shed collapsed. A few workers fixing the roof died.
 
"Energia" for sale

fhaessig said:
Concerning Buran in Australia, are you sure it's a real one and not a mock-up?
I'm aware of Russia selling mock-ups of Buran and Mir, but not the real things.

Concerning Energyia explosion, can someone provide more details? As far as I know, there has been only two energya launch, one with Buran, the other with Polyus. In both case, the rocket worked ( polyus ending in the ocean was a result of polyus guidance system problem ).

"Energia" never exploded (see astronautix.com). I suspect someone is mixing the infamous N-1 boosted from the Soviet Moon Landing program N1-L3 from the late 60s early 70s. Energia was developed as a replacement for N-1. It was launched twoce: with a mock-up (albeit it migh have been partially operatable) of a Soviet Star Wars laser station called "Poliys" ("Pliys" fell backon Earth after only one orbit because its orientation sistem failed) and for the seconf time with the Soviet shuttle "Buran" (which surprisingly, perfomed flawlesly).

"Buran" was never ready for himan flight. Een the article that actually flew had no life support. Selling the suttle would be hard (i.e. unless the US suffers a fhe "Challenger's" in a row). However, it might be interesting to offer for sale the booster "Energia". It can fly independently of "Buran" and it is actually one of a broad family of boosters with a range ot capabilities. If the memory surves me right, Russia is using or planning to use the "Anagara" booster - one of them.

The Chinese are more likely to be interested in purchusing the booster than the shuttle.
 
I received an Email from the German museum today, confirming they have acquired the Buran sister in the Gulf.
They do not know yet, when they will be able to transport it and set it up for display.
 
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