MAIN ARTICLE: Soviet space shuttle could bail out NASA.
Cosmonauts News Magazine's, Pavel Sharov, talks about the advantages the Soviet's space shuttle had over their rivals at NASA.
Poll Results: The poll yesterday had an average turnout but a very strong opinion was expressed.
Star Trek: In the News. Spock backs Vulcan, Alberta-Canada, premiere for new Star Trek.
Yesterday's Comments: "what did spacebat die from? Is he still...up there?" - ericlewis0
Today's Poll: Saturday in Space - Weekly Tracking Poll.
THE RUSSIAN SNOW STORM:
Yesterday I came across a fascinating article in Russia Today. It was an older article from November of last year but I thought it would be a useful example of how some Russian's feel about their and our space programs.
Soviet space shuttle could bail out NASA
[click link for a video report]
"The Soviet-era Buran space programme, mothballed 20 years ago, may be revived. With NASA about to retire its ageing fleet of space shuttles, there is a pressing need for viable space transport.
Two decades ago the Soviet space shuttle Buran blasted off on its first and only orbital flight. Just a few years later, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the programme was shelved.
The Buran was the Soviet Union's answer to NASA’s space shuttle programme. On November 15, 1988, the shuttle was propelled out of the Earth’s atmosphere by the specially designed Energia booster rocket from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan.
Pavel Sharov from Cosmonauts News Magazine explains the advantages the Soviets had over their rivals in the U.S.
"The USSR surpassed the Americans in technology - U.S. shuttles can only be landed by humans, while the Buran lands automatically," Sharov said."
--end quote--
The Buran means "snowstorm" or "blizzard" in russian and was a U.S. Space Shuttle look alike. Utilizing one and half million people to design, develop and build it would represent, the now fallen, Soviet Union's last big space project.
Buran (spacecraft)
"GRAU index 11F35 K1, was the only fully completed and operational space shuttle vehicle from the Soviet Buran program. The Buran completed one unmanned spaceflight in 1988 before cancellation of the Soviet shuttle program in 1993. The Buran was subsequently destroyed by a hangar collapse in 2002.
Like its American counterpart, the Buran, when in transit from its landing sites back to the launch complex, was transported on the back of a large jet aeroplane. It was piggy-backed on the Antonov An-225 Mriya aircraft, which was designed for this task and remains the largest aircraft in the world.
Several shuttles were produced. One of those, the OK-GLI, was modified to fly with jet engines for aerodynamic testing. One painted mock shuttle (the former static test-article OK-TVA) is now a ride simulating space flight in Gorky Park, Moscow. The OK-GLI was sold by its owner NPO Energia, shipped to Sydney in Australia and subsequently displayed at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Shortly after, the new owner went bankrupt and the OK-GLI shuttle then went to Bahrain for a number of years while legal ownership status was in dispute. The Sydney/Bahrain (OK-GLI) shuttle was acquired by the German Technikmuseum Speyer in 2004,[2] and has been transported to the museum, where it is exhibited to the general public."
--end quote--
The part in the article from Russian Today that was so interesting was what the Soviets planned to do with their space shuttle once it was operational.
"Magomet Talboev was one of the pilots who test-flew the shuttle without going into orbit. He said the Soviet authorities had high hopes for the multi-billion dollar spacecraft.
"The Energia-Buran programme was started to get the capability to attack the United States, just like the shuttle was able to attack the USSR. We also wanted to take the Skylab space station from orbit. Buran was supposed to put it in its cargo bay and deliver it back to Earth for studies," Tolboev said."
--end quote--
They wanted to grab skylab? That would have been one heck of a trick considering how big skylab was. According to the manufacturer's website on Buran:
Buran Orbiter
"The availability of a cargo compartment of impressive sizes on the vehicle permits to transport orbital station modules or large structures up to 17 m long and 4.5 m in diameter and not only 2-4 crew members but up to 6 passengers can be accommodated in a crew cabin."
--end quote--
It would not be large enough to hold Skylab but it would have been quite a coup for the Soviets.
(image - NASA)
POLL RESULTS:
The poll: "Do you believe President Obama will adopt current space policy or change it?" conducted yesterday had just a tad less then average turnout but a clear response. 70% of DKOS members who participated in the poll feel President Obama will marginally change U.S. space policy as formally laid out by President Bush. 22% thought he would dramatically change it with only two percent feel he will let it stand as it is.
Yesterday set another milestone when the 7000th space poll vote was cast in the various polls on space issues.
STAR TREK: In the News.
Spock backs Vulcan, Alta, premiere for new Star Trek
"CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played Mr. Spock, the highly logical first officer of the spaceship Enterprise in the 1960s TV series "Star Trek", is backing a plea by a small Alberta town to host the premiere of the latest "Star Trek" film, a report said on Friday.
Vulcan, Alberta, a town of 2,000 perched on the edge of the province's badlands, has based a lucrative "Star Trek" tourist trade on its name, which it shares with the fictional planet that the emotionless Spock called home in the television science fiction series.
With the latest movie in the long-running franchise set to hit theaters in May, the town launched an appeal to Viacom Inc's Paramount Pictures unit to let it host the premiere, but has been turned down by the studio.
The town, 130 kilometers (81 miles) southeast of Calgary, began an Internet campaign that caught Nimoy's attention, the Calgary Herald reported on Friday. The actor, who has never visited the town, called the paper to say he considered the Paramount's decision "very sad".
Nimoy, who has a role in the movie, also called tourism officials in Vulcan, saying he was disappointed that the town would not get to hold the premiere.
"I seriously thought it was a prank call," said Dayna Dickens, Vulcan's tourism coordinator. "He said he was disappointed we didn't get it and mentioned he is going to see what he can do to help us out."
Dickens said she contacted Nimoy's agents to confirm it was actually the actor who called her."
YESTERDAY'S COMMENTS:
"High quality vid of Armstrong's "One Small Step"
Details at Discover mag." - Trix
"My parents woke us up to see television coverage of Apollo 8's orbit of the moon. Of course there wasn't anything to really see then; live visual broadcast wasn't happening from the capsule for that mission. They showed us a lot of NASA artist renderings and diagrams. But it was thrilling to know that we had reached the moon and to hear it narrated by Walter Cronkite. A great Christmas surprise.
And of course to SEE Apollo 11. Fantastic. Thanks for this diary.
The human spirit beats religion everytime." - waiting for lefty
"Anticipation It's hard to believe that this July 20th will be the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon. I remember watching it when I was 11... my God, am I that old?? I remember my dad's collection of model rockets (handmade from a kit). Do they still make those? Maybe Obama will announce something on the anniversary in July.
BTW, where is my flying car?" - Anna M
[Editor's Note: Flying Car Completes First Successful Test includes video]
"Please look up www.spaceweather.com click on Satellite Flybys, put in your zip code and you can see when the ISS will be visible in your area. It's very cool." - AtlantaJan
TODAY'S POLL:
Read other NASA and Space diaries on DKOS.