Remains of the Soviet's race to space:USSR shuttles which were once NASA's competition sit abandoned

Daily Mail ^ | 11/22/2017 | Gareth Davies

[Elderberry]

Test shuttles found inside derelict Soviet warehouse near Cosmodrome Baikonur, 125 miles east of Aral Sea The space craft were both developed as part of Moscow's Buran programme which was shut down in 1993 Same building home to vast Energia rocket, designed to propel the unmanned space plane Buran into orbit Russian model had striking external similarities to the US Space Shuttle Columbia sparking espionage claims

These eerie photographs show how USSR-era space craft have been left to rust in an abandoned desert hangar in Kazakhstan.

Two test shuttles were found inside a derelict Soviet warehouse near the Cosmodrome Baikonur, 125 miles east of the Aral Sea.

They were both developed as part of Moscow's Buran programme which was shut down in 1993 - but neither of the craft were sent to space.

In the same building, photographers pictured a vast Energia rocket, designed to propel the Buran, an unmanned space plane, into orbit.

The USSR designed the rocket to compete with Nasa's Saturn V, the super-lift launch vehicle that supported the Apollo mission to the moon.

Like Nasa's Space Shuttles, the Buran vehicles had engines located at the back, and two wings for a controlled landing back on Earth.

The Russian model had striking external similarities to the US Space Shuttle Columbia sparking suggestions Cold War espionage may have played a part in its development.

Both US Space Shuttles and Buran had the same shape and size, the same vertical tail structures and even similar colours - white with a black trim.

Documents that emerged in the late 1990s revealed how the KGB stole the designs for the US shuttle in the 1970s and 1980s enabling the Kremlin to build a carbon copy of the American system.

[blam]

I don't know why all this metal isn't salvaged.

[roadcat]

I don't know why all this metal isn't salvaged.

Maybe the Russians can sell them to China as scrap. And shortly thereafter China will announce China's home-grown Shuttle space program.

[rktman]

🙀. Uh, yeah, that one unmanned flight had us shaken in our boots. But, in the end, guess they have the last laugh charging us oodles(aerospace talk 😹) to fly us up and back. Can hardly wait to advance to splashing down in the ocean again. 🚀🛰🌊🛥

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

Sell them to Seattle for their druggie homeless. They can place them under the Space Needle. A fitting home for the shuttles.

[CivilWarBrewing]

The Russians learned the hard way that too much snow on the roof of your Buran and Energia hanger can cause a massive collapse and crush your Buran and Energia! The collapse also killed 8 maintenance workers.

[Lent]

KGB stole the shuttle plans from NASA. In the 70s and 80s.Figures.

[StormEye]

"KGB stole the shuttle plans from NASA. In the 70s and 80s.Figures."

Most of China"s and Russia's military and technological
industries exist from stolen American technology. America
needs to do a much better job of protecting its tech resources and research.

[Bull Snipe]

Much of the early Russian technology came from the same place as the American technology came from, a place in German called Peenemunde.

[mad_as_he$$]

I think it is so far out in the sticks that it wouldn’t be feasible. If it was in the US the meth heads would of stripped to the ground by now.

[skimbell]

The Russians and the Chi-coms could have saved a lot of intrigue and effort had they simply waited for the 90's.

The Clintons made a ton of money selling this type of technology during their run.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

As the Loral Space kickback was known...

[Bartholomew Roberts]

The Air Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base should buy one. Obama stiffed them when handing out our retired shuttles.

WP had an indoor spot for one but Obama gave one to an outdoor museum instead.

[Thibodeaux]

Espionage?

[Elderberry]

As the Loral Space kickback was known...

I was working for Loral at the time. Made me sick.