NASA’s Abandoned Plan To Carry Soviet Spacecraft in the Space Shuttle

[Flyaway]

New video from Scott Manley:

 

[Archibald]

You only live twice

 

[Archibald]

It just dawned on me, Apollo CSM was 11 m long and the LM, 7 m: total 18 m... the shuttle payload bay length was 18.6 m (60 ft) so both fit. A complete lunar stack. How about that. Although at 45 mt the whole stack, fueled, would be too heavy.

 

[Byeman]

It just dawned on me, Apollo CSM was 11 m long and the LM, 7 m: total 18 m... the shuttle payload bay length was 18.6 m (60 ft) so both fit. A complete lunar stack. How about that. Although at 45 mt the whole stack, fueled, would be too heavy.

Shuttle bay wasn't wide enough. The landing gear attach points which were also the launch mounts were around 20 feet.

 

[athpilot]

Afaik the soviets had their own plans for berthing and docking with the Buran shuttle. Among them were plans for docking with space station(s), with another buran and with the Soyuz. (pc of buran.ru)