Replies

"The two remaining Energiya's were destroyed a year and a half ago in the collapse of the roof of their storage building, but I'm told they were rust queens by then anyway. It's too bad. The BDB concept that they represented IS the way to go for expendables to LEO."

Energiya was in no way a BDB; it was a copy of the Space Shuttle with the flaws removed. The RD-0120 engines were basically clones of the SSME; they replaced the solids with kerosene-fuelled liquids (much safer, much more reliable). The orbiter "Buran" was a flat-out copy of the Orbiter.

--Boris

20 posted on 09/25/2004 1:08:24 PM PDT by boris (The deadliest weapon of mass destruction in history is a Leftist with a word processor)

23 posted on 09/25/2004 1:17:38 PM PDT by jpsb (Nominated 1994/2004 "Worst writer on the net")

Buran rode on Energia. It was not the only proposed use for Energia.

Buran was a copy of the shuttle? Except for the lift engines perhaps. But form does follow function.

29 posted on 09/25/2004 1:53:44 PM PDT by Dinsdale

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