How did the Buran Shuttle compare to the STS?

Question

I have looked on the internet but often find biased opinions about Buran or STS. Can anyone give me a non biased look into both Shuttles? Perhaps shed some light on which orbiter was more sophisticated, advanced, ect..

Also any thoughts on what the Russian space program would be like today IF Buran made it? Thanks

Answer 1

Here is THE website you need...
http://k26.com/buran/Info/A_Comparison/a_comparison.html

I think the Russians found, as we did, that lofting a shuttle was much more difficult than originally thought. The number of systems & checks needed to make the thing work was nearly 10 times the work as, say, a moon shot. In 1981, (and I think it may still be true), the shuttle was the most sophisticated piece of machinery & software flying. (The old adage, "A plane is 10,000 parts flying in close formation" doesn't hold up to the shuttle - with 2.1 *million* parts). The Buran worked... it flew, once, unmanned - and was shelved, because of costs.

The idea behind the shuttle was to make space flight cheaper; it never happened. Having a fleet of 5 craft where you're able to borrow parts from one for another, where the systems and training needed were identical from one to the next, made the *essence* of the shuttle a good idea, but practicality-wise... not so much.

Answer 2

The main difference between the two are the size, the U.S. shuttle is larger and has engines in it's tail. The Buran (Blizard) did not have engines but rode the side of the Energia rocket which supplied all the power to achieve orbit. Buran only went into space once unmanned and then was retired for lack of funds to continue with the program. Not everyone in the Soviet space program wanted to Buran but the higher ups in the government pressured it's development to play catch up with the U.S.

Answer 3

Although very similar by its appearance with the American shuttle, the laws of physics are the same ones for all, the space shuttle Buran ("Буран" in Russian means "Snowstorm") is entirely of Soviet design, from the mechanics to the electronics. Thus, many differences separate this 2 orbitors, here are some: the Buran shuttle have a higher orbital and deorbital carrying capacity, its 2 engines at the rear enables it to fly during the re-entry in the atmosphere, it is equipped with a more powerful heat shield, but the main difference is that Buran can fly in automatic mode without any pilot on-board, from the takeoff of the rocket to its landing on the tarmac.

Answer 4

Hi. The Buran was smaller, unmanned for all of it's flights (only one), and we don't know much about the avionics and equipment. http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?s=Buran+Shuttle&gwp=13
I did not know that workers were killed during the collapse of the building which housed it.

Answer 5

certainly the Ares application would not use expendable rockets, it has reusable ones. The SRBs are recoverable, besides with the aid of fact the Ares V first degree. the only Buran commute grew to become into broken in a hanger crumple, and that i do no longer think of the Russians have maintained the infrastructure to repair it or build yet another one.