1/11/2024 0 Comments Buran shuttle abandoned![]() ![]() Eight people died, the first orbiter was destroyed and the second orbiter (OK-1K2) was moved to the Assembly and Fueling Complex pictured in Mirebs' essay. Boris Yeltsin canceled the program in 1993 after the fall of communism, and the building that the orbiter was stored in collapsed during a 2002 earthquake. Following one unmanned space flight in November 1988 - in which Orbiter (OK)-1K1 made two orbits - the program fell victim to budget cuts. Mirebs' photography covers a range of underground and military locations around the world.Īccording to Ars Technica, the Buran (Russian for “Blizzard”) program differed from NASA’s shuttle in that it used the Energia heavy-lift rocket for takeoff rather than the main engines used by NASA. Photographer Ralph Mirebs was able to capture the derelict hangar at Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome that houses the Buran orbiter in a photo essay on his website. The abandoned Soviet space shuttle program created as a response to NASA’s own program has been revealed in a series of images. “I believe that this is a terrible end for these wonderful winged machines.The Assembly and Fueling Complex, housing the Soviet Buran orbiter OK-1K2. The successful launch wasn't much to show for many years. It orbited Earth on November 15, 1988, completing an uncrewed, 3 1/2-hour flight. And the second are horrified at what condition they are in, covered in dust and bird poo. Buran (Russian for snowstorm) made only one spaceflight. The first are surprised that Russia still has shuttles. “Since publishing the photos, I’ve received two types of comments. ![]() And while everyone knows about the American space shuttles, less is known about the Russian models. They are associated with the progress of mankind, with new horizons of knowledge. In the decades since that era, two Buran-class shuttles have been collecting dust in a warehouse at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, abandoned save for urban explorers who periodically sneak. Ptichka and this other test shuttle remain at Baikonur. but not its sad legacy with the lost orbiter in 2002 and the abandoned vehicles. Buran, the shuttle that actually flew, was destroyed in 2002 when its hangar collapsed after an earthquake, killing eight people. “I think because space shuttles are known around the world. The Soviet Union's Buran space shuttle program stands as one of the saddest episodes in aerospace history. There are no restrictions it’s just you and the ruin.” “These are places where you can touch history. You never know what is waiting for you around the next corner or through the next door. There is a sense of mystery in these places. Its been gathering dust here for nearly 30 years. “I like a variety of man-made or underground places that people have left. A Soviet-era Buran shuttle lies abandoned in a hangar at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. You describe yourself as an “urban explorer” what does that involve? “I would like to see the hangar, with shuttles and equipment inside, become a museum.” What do you think should be done with the shuttles? “However, I did not know what state they would be in, and didn’t know about the other equipment inside the hangar.” I had read about it in books on the history of Soviet space exploration. ![]() “Yes, seeing the shuttles and rocket was the main purpose of my trip to Baikonur. ![]() When the Americans caught on to what was happening they created honey pots that lead the Soviets down wrong paths as they were trying to piece it all together. We spoke to the urban explorer about his remarkable find.ĭid you already know what was inside these buildings? The Buran is literally a clone of the shuttle, the Soviets stole the designs from NASA document by document off of poorly secured networks. In another lifetime, these prototypes are thought to have been part of the Soviets’ Buran Program, which began in 1974 and was discontinued in 1993.įor Mirebs, a lecturer in computer programming and longtime space enthusiast, it was the discovery of a lifetime. Indeed, when 36-year-old Russian photographer Ralph Mirebs discovered the derelict shuttles and rocket at Baikonur Cosmodrome, he was touched by the sad end for these “wonderful winged machines.” With their broken windows, missing tiles and ransacked interiors, these shuttles are a haunting – and fascinating – piece of space history, rarely seen by the outside world. What was once the gleaming pride and joy of the Soviet space program now lies covered in dirt and bird droppings in a disused hangar in Kazakhstan. For years it’s sat abandoned in a dilapidated hangar in Kazakhstan, visited only by intrepid urban explorers keen to photograph a spectacular if unloved piece of space history. ![]()
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