Chances of Buran living on?

[Nell_Lucifer]

I am aware that the most obvious chance would be a continuation of the Soviet Union or a better economy in post-Soviet Ukraine and Russia. The first scenario being explored by Nixonhead in his story with only 2 Burans flying. However, I am more interested in any future the Buran (all 5 vehicles) could have had while the Soviet Union still falls.

I know there were talks between Energia Bureau and NASA? in the late 90s of using the Energia heavy lift rocket or the Black A booster but those fell through as I believe it was too late. Correct me if wrong please.

One possibility I imagine (which might be unrealistic as I know little of this period) would be for NASA to buy the Buran fleet to supplement their own following the 1986 disaster. (Or a worse development of the US Shuttle? Leading to replacing the US one with the Soviet one?)

Or for ESA to take ownership of them and complete the other orbiters still in manufacture? Again I am unsure how realistic those avenues are, or what PODs it would require.

Maybe a more Space ambitious UK and Commonwealth in the 80s-90s seeking their own independent program? Or China, Japan and India?

What do you guys think? Were there any changes for the Energia-Buran following the fall of the Soviet Union?

 

[TheKutKu]

STS 26 or 27 fails, Shuttle returns to flight in 90 or so with a planned retirement once its backlog ends,, Hubble is sent with 1-2 years delays as the shuttle's last launch (and we'll say it's sent on a 51° orbit to make this scenario possible, maybe NASA foresees possible future Russian visits)

Mirror flaws is discovered, but shuttle is already being retired by this point. 2 STS failure + Hubble failure would have been fatal to NASA in a peace-dividends era, so they are ready to do anything to get Hubble repaired, they compare cost and somehow come to the conclusion that sending the one completed Energia-Buran stack to Hubble is cheaper than restarting the production lines, and Buran-Hubble happens to repair it.