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The main
reason for studying the Buran (VKK Shuttle) as part of an investigation of what destroyed
Columbia during the reentry of STS-107 is to examine the damage that the Buran
returned with after its one orbital flight. Because the design of the two
orbiters is so similar damage done to one could provide clues as to the effects
of that damage on the other. The image directly to the left is a side and
front view of the Buran-Energia launch stack, while the image to the
right is of course the Space Shuttle launch stack. |
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The
Buran's Short History
Buran's
birth
and death
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The Buran (VKK Shuttle
System) was
another one of the "tit
for tat" space programs that the Americans and Soviets had been engaged
in during the space race that began in the 1950's with the launch of
Sputnik. In the effort to develop a reusable launch vehicle that
would presumably make space more accessible the Soviets were clearly behind with
the launch of Columbia in 1981. The Soviets were moving fast on the
program though, and the first space worthy vehicle of several on the assembly
line was the Buran. It made a successful orbital flight, (2 orbits), on
May 11, 1987 in an unmanned configuration because the lift support system had
not been fully checked out. However, upon its return it was discovered
that the Buran suffered extensive heat damage during reentry and was deemed too
costly to repair. The Soviet Union was clearly in decline at this time and
the reusable launch vehicle program was canceled.
Although the Soviets were building
several VKK shuttles that were eventually meant for space flight, some of
them were scrapped when the program itself was canceled and all the rest except
for one were sold off to become amusement park rides and hot dog stands.
The vehicle bearing the name Buran that actually flew into space was the only
one kept and stored at the Cosmodrome. Although people still work in the
half of the building that did not collapse there has not been any repair work
done on the building and no attempt to clear the debris. The destruction
of the Buran has not been verified and there have been no reported attempts to
remove it from the collapsed building either. There have been a few rumors
about returning it to service to replace the Columbia but as far as is currently
known it is still laying under ruble. Even if the Buran was to be
recovered and repaired, the current tense political situation between Russia and
Kazakhstan makes that possibility extremely remote. The Russians have
probably written the Buran off as having been destroyed by the collapse.
Images of the collapsed
building are to the right. |
The
differences
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Space
Shuttle Vs. Buran
A
comparison of the American space shuttle on the left to the Buran on the
right shows how similar the two orbiters look to each other.
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The American Space Shuttle and the
Soviet VKK were so similar in design that an untrained
eye might mistake one for the other. There are a few big
differences between the two.
The
2 main differences between the American Space Shuttle and the Buran are
listed below. Some references also list Buran's ability to operate and land
without a pilot or by remote
control as another advantage it has over the Space Shuttle. However, the
Space Shuttle has always had a lot of autopilot capabilities. It is
unknown if the Space Shuttle has always had an auto landing capability or if it
has since been given that ability during one of the
overhaul periods.
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The Buran has no main engines like the shuttles 3 SSME's located in the
back. All the lifting for the Buran during launch and ascent was
done with the attached Energia booster system. Because the two
vehicles are about the same size, the absence of the main engines in the
Buran meant that it could carry a somewhat larger payload
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The
Buran also claimed to have some advantages in the areas production and
placement of TPS tiles and better aerodynamic performance.
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UPDATE:
01/07/2004
An
e-mail was received on 01/07/2004 correcting some of the statements made
on this page. All of the updates with the above data are from that
source. These comments will be kept separate until they are
verified and added to the text.
The
Buran Analgoe (Horizontal Flight Simulator) OK-GLI was never intented to
be an orbital craft with turbojet engines. Those were fitted for
atmospheric testing. Orbital vehicles had no turbojet engines.
GLI allowed the flight control software to be fine tuned as more
and more concrete information became available from the wind tunnels and
test spacecraft. |
The
similarities
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Cross
section view of the Buran with the outer skin removed making many
components and subsystems visible.
The
Buran's ODU system for maneuvering while in orbit.
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There are far more similarities between the two orbiters besides
the fact that they are relatively the same size and shape. The Buran-Energia launch stack is a
very close match to the Space Shuttle stack but the Buran used different fuel
and a different type of engine. The section view of the Buran with the
outer skin removed shows the Buran as having the same crew compartment layout as
the Space Shuttle. All of the crew hatches and thruways are in the exact
same places. The Buran has Electronic equipment sitting on shelves in
nearly the same locations as where the avionics bays would be in the Space
Shuttle. It also appears that the Buran has some of the spherical shaped
tanks for storing the fluids and gasses the shuttle needs to operate. The
image to the left labeled,
"Buran
Schematic",
contains a link to a larger version
of the image.
The
ODU maneuvering system on the Buran is very similar to the OMS/RCS systems of the Space
Shuttle. The image to the left labeled, "ODU
System", contains (3) different links to the
system assembly, the RCS engine and the OMS engine.
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Means
of transport
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The
Buran riding on the back of a AN225 aircraft specially designed to ferry the orbiter
from place to place. Similar to the Space Shuttle being carried on the back of the 747.
Note: The AN225 is nearly twice the size of a 747. |
Sketch
of a Space Shuttle orbiter mounted on its 747 aircraft ready to be
transported to a different location. |
Sketch
of a Space Shuttle orbiter being released from its 747 aircraft. Presumably
a depiction of an early flight test. |
Post flight
damage:
The
series of pictures below are a partial record of the damage that Buran returned
with from an orbital space flight. It is believed that much more damage
was done but a complete record of the after flight report can not be found.
Buran
landing after first orbital flight.
Note
discoloration, probably from burning, going up buran's side and around
the tail. |
Where
old shuttles go to die:
Just so you know, when the
Russians say they are "storing" what was once going to
be a space shuttle worth billions of dollars somewhere in Moscow, what they
really mean is that they turned it into a kiddy ride in Gorky Park.
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Yes, this is one of the VKK
shuttles that was closer than the rest to completion at the time the
program was canceled. To put it nicely we will say it is "on
display" in Gorky Park, (we all know the kids play on
it). It is rumored that two other shuttles at a similar
stage of completion to this one were purchased by foreign countries to
be displayed in shopping malls. Those shuttles have supposedly
been seen in Australia and Singapore but no proof is available so the
story cannot be confirmed.
So if you want to play
Cosmonaut or Astronaut for a day get a few buddies together then decide
who's going to be the mission commander, copilot, mission specialist
etc. After everyone is in agreement grab some chairs from the
kitchen table or even lawn chairs will do just fine along with a couple
of sets of flight controllers and head down to the shuttle in the
park. Set up some old stereo equipment on storage shelves in the
corners of the mid deck area and your avionics are ready to go.
After three or four beers you can begin to perform some weightless
exercises in the crew cabin. |
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UPDATE:
01/07/2004
The
Buran in Gorky Park (OK-TVA) was not an orbiter but a
static test vehicle, it was complete and had finished its useful life.
The
locations of other test vehicles:
VKK test vehicle locations (http://www.astronautix.com/craft/buran.htm)
- OK-TVA Gorkiy Park, Moscow
OK-TVA for heating and static
vibration tests.
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OK-M Outside, Buran safing area, Baikonur (picture
attached)
OK-M was the primary mock-up for parts
fit tests.
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OK-MT Baikonur (location unknown),
Kazakhstan
OK-MT for technological development and mock-up
duties.
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OK-KS RKK Energia Plant, Korolev
OK-KS for complex electronic and electric tests
and mock-up duties.
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OK-TVI NIIKhimMash, Moscow
OK-TVI for environmental chamber heat/vacuum
tests.
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