Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!wuarchive!uunet!timbuk!cs.umn.edu!kksys!wd0gol!newave!john
From: john@newave.UUCP (John A. Weeks III)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Soviet Shuttle
Message-ID: <570@newave.UUCP>
Date: 31 Dec 90 02:53:20 GMT
References: <1860.277D4ABB@fidonet.ieee.org>
Reply-To: john@newave.mn.org (John A. Weeks III)
Organization: NeWave Communications Ltd, Eden Prairie, MN
Lines: 31

In article <1860.277D4ABB@fidonet.ieee.org> Terry.S.@fidonet.ieee.org writes:

> Whatever happened to the new Soviet Shuttle?

The first Buran flew a mission during the summer of 1988.  It was a
remote-controlled flight, there were no human crew aboard.  In fact,
I have heard that Buran's crew cabin and life-support systems were not
completed.  It was strictly a test flight.

Rumor has it that one of the leading edge wing heat shields (some type of
carbon-fiber or graphite material) failed during the flight and allowed
heat to damage the wing interior and structure.

The next Buran mission is scheduled for the summer of 1991.  Buran is 
set to dock with the Mir space station.  There is an article in the
current issue of "Popular Science" or "Popular Mechanics" (I cannot
recall which) with more details.

According to an article in "Final Frontier", Buran has been on somewhat
low priority because the Soviets feel that there is no real mission for
a shuttle at the present.  With the family of boosters that the Soviets
currently have, the only type of mission that would require a Buran is a
mission that returns cargo from space.

-john-

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