Russia and Europe tout new space plane

The Register ^ | 07/05/05 | Lucy Sheriff

[KevinDavis]

Russia and Europe are in talks to build a new a space plane that will fly missions to the International Space Station once Shuttle's final flight is over in 2010.

The new plane would have a lot of new ideas in its design, explains RKK Energuya engineer Vladimir Daneev. "Since the construction of the Shuttle and Buran, a lot of new materials have been found and new technologies have appeared," he said. "We will use all this Russian know-how in the new spacecraft, and we are eager to incorporate a maximum of European technology in the design."

[KevinDavis]

[FreeAtlanta]

Have we given them the design, yet?

[KevinDavis]

Here it is:

[tahotdog]

Looks like it says "Clipper" on it.

[bill1952]

These authors need to give us a break!

The Ruskies copied our shuttle long ago from declassified and unclassified documents, and I believe, actually built an unmanned version of it.

I don't remember if they ever deployed it.

Let them start to build copies of twenty year old technology while we continue forward.

Idiots.

[DoughtyOne]

The Russians were heard to say, "We are willing to take your latest designs if you are willing to give them to us."

A Chinese official in the background just laughed thinking, "And we are willing to steal the latest designs if you are stupid enough to let us."

[RightWhale]

The Buran flew, orbited, and returned. Unmanned. One of them was destroyed while in storage.

[bill1952]

Thanks.

[FreeAtlanta]

That looks suspiciously like this, with wings;

[Professional Engineer]

The Ruskies copied our shuttle long ago from declassified and unclassified documents, and I believe, actually built an unmanned version of it.

I don't remember if they ever deployed it.

They called it Buran. It was "man rated", at least in the soviet sense. They made one unmanned orbital flight before the program ran out of money.

Energia-Buran sits on the "left" launch pad at Site 110. View from the north. Credit: RKK Energia

Energia-Buran blasts off from Baikonur on November 15, 1988. Credit: RKK Energia

The Antonov-225/Mriya transport plane, carrying Buran orbiter, sits on the runway at Site 251 in Baikonur. Credit: RKK Energia

[jpsb]

This will be interesting, nasa giving up on space planes and going back to capsules and the Russians attempting a space plane instead of building more better capsules.

[Kirkwood]

Looks like a goofy Gerry Anderdson creation.

[TBall]

Is that a lime?

[Brett66]

I think the Buran was the result of tremendous practical joke we played on the Russians. After they spent a huge amount of time and money to get one to fly, it became apparent that it was a terrible way of going to space.

[RightWhale]

They never had the problem of trying to use civilian space for military projects. We do, not sure why.

[MarineBrat]

Have we given them the design, yet?

LOL! Almost spewed my drink! :)

[klpt]

[Arkie2]

What the heck is that? Looks pretty sinister.

[Carbonsteel]

Actually, a friend of mine who worked for NASA told me long ago that, the Russians may used our shuttle design as a base, but in the end Buran was for more usable and reliable.

They just ran out of money. The Russian space agency has never had deep pockets and can't afford to throw away money on progams that only halfway work.