Energia - Buran Space Transportation System

[Willythekid]

More panoramas for the collection!

 

[Willythekid]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1791083509961957653

View: https://twitter.com/WDequid/status/1791083509961957653
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[Willythekid]

Scale model of the Energia-Polyus complex, on an acoustic test platform, as I understand it. The Polyus or Skif-DM should have been a laser combat space station.

 

[publiusr]

More from our own Blackstar:

The Space Review: Barbarian in space: the secret space-laser battle station of the Cold War

Now, the big mystery is, did the ferry botch things by doing a 360’ and not a 180?

Or did Gorbachev order it done?

There is a photo of him near the pad, with a sour look on his face…the disdain he had.

I haven’t been able to relocate that.

O/T

My favorite photo of all time was Chelomei tearing into Smirnov here:

Vladimir Chelomei

Vladimir Chelomei | Article by Anatoly Zak

www.russianspaceweb.com

Sixth picture from the top—on the right.

I have *got* to know the backstory on that.

There was another of him doing a face-palm…years before a certain electronics box was put into his rocket upside down.

He was the Wile E. Coyote of the Space Race…my spirit animal…

 

[Willythekid]

Rear of the Buran's cargo bay.

 

[Willythekid]

Amazing!

 

[Willythekid]

More from our own Blackstar:

The Space Review: Barbarian in space: the secret space-laser battle station of the Cold War

Now, the big mystery is, did the ferry botch things by doing a 360’ and not a 180?

Or did Gorbachev order it done?

There is a photo of him near the pad, with a sour look on his face…the disdain he had.

I haven’t been able to relocate that.

O/T

My favorite photo of all time was Chelomei tearing into Smirnov here:

Vladimir Chelomei

Vladimir Chelomei | Article by Anatoly Zak

www.russianspaceweb.com

Sixth picture from the top—on the right.

I have *got* to know the backstory on that.

There was another of him doing a face-palm…years before a certain electronics box was put into his rocket upside down.

He was the Wile E. Coyote of the Space Race…my spirit animal…

Hi friend, here are some images of Gorbachev visiting the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in 1987:

Б.И.Губанов. Триумф и трагедия «Энергии»

 

[Byeman]

My favorite photo of all time was Chelomei tearing into Smirnov here:

Vladimir Chelomei

Vladimir Chelomei | Article by Anatoly Zak

www.russianspaceweb.com

Can't say that. He could just be making a point in a discussion.

 

[Willythekid]

Installation of the Buran heat shield. This shield was composed of more than 38,000 ceramic plates, individually placed in a long and delicate process, which protected it from re-entry heat up to temperatures of more than 1300 °C.

 

[GTX]

Just the photo:

 

[Willythekid]

It is hard to imagine how huge the Energia-Buran complex was. Amazing.

 

[Dmitry V.]

A nice model I couldn't fit in my suitcase during a visit to Samara some time ago:

https://flic.kr/p/6GN1s

https://flic.kr/p/6GN28

The building is made of yellow brick, which can be seen behind the layout. This is hostel number 6, where I lived in room 304 in 1983-88. On February 18, 1988, during a drinking session on the occasion of receiving a diploma, we fired a homemade rocket with a small powder engine out of the window. The flight was emergency, and the rocket crashed into the wall of the brand new building of the aviation institute. And a month and a half later I already worked in the design bureau, which participated in the Energy-Buran project.

 

[Willythekid]

Interesting Buran instrument called “Local Vertical Sensor or PMV” (ПМВ Построителя Местной Вертикали in russian). The PMV was an infrared horizon sensor system used by the Buran's navigation system, and detected the Earth's radiation to re-establish orientation to a point where the radio altimeter could take over. (Bart Hendrickx)





A possible prototype of the PMV:



And Vadim Lukashevich editor of the site buran.ru, represented it this way:

 

[Willythekid]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1795226703016439977

View: https://x.com/WDequid/status/1795226703016439977
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[flateric]

Would be nice if you provided video credentials

 

[Willythekid]

Would be nice if you provided video credentials

All videos: buran.ru, but some of them are no longer online.

 

[flateric]

And Vadim Lukashevich editor of the site buran.ru, represented it this way:

View attachment 730276

This 3D model was much upgraded fixing unknowns and mistakes including PMV and ZSP configuration since then, but not sure if it was ever posted online

 

[publiusr]

All videos: buran.ru, but some of them are no longer online.

Thank you for rescuing them.

 

[Willythekid]

Buran in HD

 

[Willythekid]

This 3D model was much upgraded fixing unknowns and mistakes including PMV and ZSP configuration since then, but not sure if it was ever posted online

Well it's a pity that those charts are not online (at least I haven't seen them...). I have tried several times to communicate with Vadim, but without any answer from him! The Energia-Buran system is a technological marvel, but it is very difficult to find detailed info about their systems, even in Russian language. There is information, but it is distributed, so you have to do some detective work to put the puzzle together. But hey, it keeps us entertained.

 

[Byeman]

The Energia-Buran system is a technological marvel, but it is very difficult to find detailed info about their systems, even in Russian language.

Not really, the avionics was antiquated. It never showed its maneuvering and docking capabilities. Its local environment was never defined. Hardware occupied the payload bay.

 

[Dew]

Nice pics from NARA "A partial rear view of the Soviet space shuttle Buran, on display at the 38th Paris International Air and Space at Le Bourget Airfield":

 

[Dew]

..but wait; there's more:

 

[Willythekid]

Preparing the huge Energia rocket to receive the Buran orbiter. I had no idea that the Energia's aft supports were so big!

 

[TMA1]

What is that triangular shaped object above the nozzles on the back of the buran?

 

[Willythekid]

What is that triangular shaped object above the nozzles on the back of the buran?

Through this element, air and coolant were injected into the Buran, immediately after landing, to cool it for approximately one hour. Developed by ONPP “Technology” (Obninsk), the Buran had an extensive network of pipes made of composite materials through which air and coolant circulated.



They may be the light blue pipes seen in the following image, but I have no way of confirming this:

 

[TMA1]

Fascinating. My guess was way off. Thanks for replying and all the images you are providing many are now new favorites of the buran images that I have.

 

[GTX]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSIdbKM4adk&pp=ygUFQnVyYW4%3D

 

[Willythekid]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1815884733890584749

View: https://x.com/WDequid/status/1815884733890584749
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[galopujacy_jez]

Preparing the huge Energia rocket to receive the Buran orbiter. I had no idea that the Energia's aft supports were so big!

View attachment 730552

View attachment 730553

View attachment 730554

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For reference, the attachment point illustrations are from Nezabybaemye Kosmicheskie Programmy, TsSKB-Progress, Samara, 2013.

 

[Willythekid]

Buran #3 (Izdeliye 2.01) finally arrives at "UMMC Museum Complex" (Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia) for restoration and exhibition. They plan to restore it, and ultimately to build a special "Energia-Buran" pavilion. Cool!

В Верхнюю Пышму привезли космический корабль "Буран" - Российская газета

Коллекцию музейного комплекса в Верхней Пышме пополнил пилотируемый космический корабль "Буран" ("Байкал" изделие 2.01), созданный в 1993 году.

rg.ru

https://twitter.com/x/status/1824060482212262036

View: https://x.com/WDequid/status/1824060482212262036


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[Willythekid]

The technological legacy of the Energia-Buran program: Energomash RD-170 derived engine family. The RD-175 is designed to have a thrust close to 1,000 tn!

 

[TMA1]

I have a question willythekid. The rd-190 seems to have an inferior thrust to weight of the 180 and 170. Why is Russia focused so much on the rd-190 compared to the others? Does it have to do with the size of the angara rockets?

 

[Byeman]

I have a question willythekid. The rd-190 seems to have an inferior thrust to weight of the 180 and 170. Why is Russia focused so much on the rd-190 compared to the others? Does it have to do with the size of the angara rockets?

RD191 is a single nozzle engine and the Angara is built around it. RD 191 had better T/W than the other two according to wiki. 89 vs 78 and 82

 

[Willythekid]

I have a question willythekid. The rd-190 seems to have an inferior thrust to weight of the 180 and 170. Why is Russia focused so much on the rd-190 compared to the others? Does it have to do with the size of the angara rockets?

Sorry, no idea!

 

[Willythekid]

A comparison between NASA's shuttle computer and Buran's.

 

[Willythekid]

A scale model of the Buran, in the museum of the TsNIIMash institute, Korolyov, Russia.

 

[Willythekid]

Nice panorama of the Energia rocket's core block, showing 4 x RD-0120 engines in the foreground.

 

[Willythekid]

Another panorama of the Energia rocket's core block, showing 4 x RD-0120 cryogenic engines in the foreground.

 

[AGS-1787]

Did the main rocket use foam insulation like the American main tank? Tha's what I always wondered.