Russian space shuttles

[soranman]

Someone has managed to document the inside of the main hanger building at the abandoned part of the Baikonur Cosmodrome, and what was inside rotting away? Not one but two Russian orbiters!

Abandoned Shuttles

Click ( Но мы зайдём ) under the first picture for the full set

 

[Mikeymutt]

I think if I see this link again I am going to pull my hair out lol..seen it so much in a week..still it's pretty cool I reckon someone just showed him around

 

[krela]

One mostly complete never launched orbiter, and a couple of mock ups for component testing. Don't let good headlines get in the way of the facts though.

They're cool photos of an ageing curiosity, but their existence is no secret.

 

[UrbanX]

I think if I see this link again I am going to pull my hair out lol..seen it so much in a week..still it's pretty cool I reckon someone just showed him around

It's all that's been on FriendFace this week!
I imagine walking into that room is still a bit of a 'Goonies' moment!

 

[Ginsters]

So sad to see a couple of Space Shuttles so nearly completed but never to be launched. The whole Buran story is pretty depressing, only one ever made it into space and that one ended up being destroyed in an accident.
I'd love to go and see these two, absolutely amazing photos, these ones are the best I've seen. Don;t suppose its long before these 2 are scrapped and the hangar destroyed

 

[cogito]

I was planning a trip there last year, but couldn't find enough hard evidence to suggest they were still there... Guess I shoulda bitten the bullet! Lesson learned.

Although there's also the fact that if you got caught in Baikonur, your balls would belong to the Russians. Those guys don't mess around.

 

[clinka]

Great link - I have never seen this before. You have to hand it to our Russian friends, they sure can copy. I would have loved to see these go into orbit. Still sad the US canned theirs as well.

 

[mookster]

It was a tour.

It's been done by quite a few Russian explorers but to get in like they did, you need to be able to speak very good Russian, not mind a long wait and then even if you get permission for a tour there is no guarantee you'll even see these, going by what others have said.

As I said it's been done a few times before but this is the first time the photos have been picked up by media outlets and as has been said it's all I have seen on Farcebook for the last few days!

 

[night crawler]

Went round at Work today, had to say I had seen it already. Great photos though

 

[Rubex]

I just spotted this place on MSN News!

 

[Richard Davies]

So sad to see a couple of Space Shuttles so nearly completed but never to be launched. The whole Buran story is pretty depressing, only one ever made it into space and that one ended up being destroyed in an accident.
I'd love to go and see these two, absolutely amazing photos, these ones are the best I've seen. Don;t suppose its long before these 2 are scrapped and the hangar destroyed

I remember hearing the only one used in space was crushed when it's hanger roof collapsed.

It would be good if these were saved for a museum rather than being left to rot.

 

[Superdad]

There is a non-flying pre-production(?) or boilerplate example at the German Technical Museum at Speyer (the old WWI Pfalz factory site).

 

[night crawler]

There is a non-flying pre-production(?) or boilerplate example at the German Technical Museum at Speyer (the old WWI Pfalz factory site).

You must mean this then Buran, the Soviet answer to the Space Shuttle