Buran

The Russian shuttle Buran was authorized in 1976 in response to the United States' Space Shuttle program. Construction of the shuttles began in 1980, and suborbital testing of a scale model began in 1984. By April of 1988, the aerodynamic analogue of the shuttle had been worn out after 24 test flights.

Originally, there were to be three orbiters built. This was increased to five in 1983. By the time the project was cancelled, only one was completed, two were near completion, and two more only had the engine units built. A point of interest is that Buran is actually just the name of the first (and only completed) orbiter. (This is like referring to all the American orbiters as Columbia.) The second orbiter, Ptichka (Little Bird), was due in 1990, and the third, possibly Baikal (Typhoon), in 1992.

The first and only orbital flight of the shuttle Buran was on 15 November 1988. The flight was unmanned. The life support system had not been certified and the software for the CRT displays was not installed. The mission was limited to two orbits due to limitations on computer memory. Despite a 34 mph crosswind, Buran was able to land within 5 feet of the runway center line. Upon inspection, only 5 of the 38,000 heat shield tiles were missing.

Funding for Buran was cut after the first flight and much of the work stopped, although the project was not officially cancelled until 1993. The three complete or partially complete orbiters are in storage at Baikonur. The final two were both dismantled at the production site. At last report, the manufacturing facility was scheduled to be converted to the production of buses, syringes, and diapers.

The final test flight plan (from early 1989) called for a one or two day unmanned first flight of the second orbiter in (4th quarter 1991), a seven to eight day unmanned flight with a payload (first half 1992), a 15-20 day unmanned flight in 1993, and the first manned flight in 1994 or 1995.

	Shuttle	Buran
Mass Breakdown (kg):
Total Structure / Landing Systems	46,600	42,000
Functional Systems and Propulsion	37,200	33,000
SSME	14,200
Maximum Payload	25,000	30,000

Total	123,000	105,000

Dimensions (m):
Length	37.25	36.37
Wingspan	23.80	23.92
Height on Gear	17.25	16.35
Payload bay length	18.29	18.55
Payload bay diameter	4.57	4.65
Wing glove sweep	81 deg	78 deg
Wing sweep	45 deg	45 deg

Propulsion
Total orbital maneuvering engine thrust	5,440 kgf	17,600 kgf
Orbital Maneuvering Engine Specific Impuse	313 sec	362 sec
Total Maneuvering Impulse	5 kgf-sec	5 kgf-sec
Total Reaction Control System Thrust	15,078 kgf	14,866 kgf
Average RCS Specific Impulse	289 sec	275-295 sec
Normal Maximum Propellant Load	14,100 kg	14,500 kg

The Buran was capable of either flying a mission completely unmanned or with a crew of 2-4 cosmonauts. It also had the ability to carry up to 6 passengers. The Space Shuttle cannot fly unmanned missions.

Buran may not be staying dead. In 2001, Energia (the company which built Buran) believes there is now a role for the shuttle for carrying large loads into low orbit. Funding could come from the proceeds of Russia's commercial launch services. There is the possibility of design modifications to increase the payload capacity.