![]() ![]() With all that thrust, the Buran didn’t even need its own propulsion system, so it was designed to essentially be a high-tech glider. Its central core booster was powered by liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The Energia had four first-stage side boosters, which were fueled by a mixture of kerosene and liquid oxygen. So the Soviet engineers went with more expensive liquid-fueled engines, which were both safer and more powerful. In fact, they’re so dangerous that NASA engineers lobbied against using them, but they were overruled because the solid-fuel boosters were cheaper. They can’t be turned off, and they can't be throttled down, so once you start them, it’s basically like riding on a couple of fireworks on steroids. ![]() Thing is, solid rocket boosters are impossible to really control. That big tank in the middle, called the external tank, supplied liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer to the engines. space shuttle used two solid rocket boosters, plus the Shuttle’s three engines, to propel the vehicle into orbit. And yes, there are even rumors that KGB spies had gotten the shuttle’s blueprints for their engineers.īut when it came to the new rocket system, called Energia, that’s where we see some major changes. With all those similarities, it’s easy to look at these photos and call the Buran a carbon copy of the Space Shuttle. Plus, both used hydrogen fuel cells to produce electricity and hydrazine, a propellant, to power the hydraulic systems. The Buran - Russian for “blizzard” - was just a meter longer than the Space Shuttle its payload bay was a mere 38 centimeters longer, and its vertical stabilizer was all of two centimeters taller. So they hired a bunch of engineers and set to work developing their own version of the shuttle, which ended up looking a whole lot like NASA’s version… on the outside at least.Īnd the two orbiters were similar. Now the U.S., of course, claimed that they were only interested in science, but this new vehicle sounded a lot like a fantastic military tool, and the Soviets were not going to be left behind. ![]() That is Buran, a reusable space vehicle designed by the Soviet Union in the 70s and 80s.Īnd on November 15, 1988, when that picture was taken, it took its one and only uncrewed test flight, lasting less than four hours, just enough time to orbit the Earth twice.īut even though Buran landed perfectly in what is now Kazakhstan, it was never used again.īack in the 1970s, when the Kremlin caught wind of a new, more powerful spacecraft that Americans were calling the Space Shuttle, they started to get a little nervous. It wasn’t even designed in the United States. I know: Looks familiar, doesn’t it? But it is not the Space Shuttle. Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet? Or help support us by subscribing to our page on Subbable: Like SciShow? Want to help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso and hold your liquids? Check out our awesome products over at DFTBA Records: Did you know the Soviet Union had its own Space Shuttle? Learn all about the Buran, what happened to it, and what innovations set it apart from its NASA counterpart.
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