An225 loaded

[DaveT]

an An225 loaded up for a long journey


A couple of hours later

[ashaman]

Well, that plane isn't used for that kind of transportations anymore (and when it did, it was only show. The Buran never really became what it boasted). 8-)

[Isak922]

Well, that plane isn't used for that kind of transportations anymore (and when it did, it was only show. The Buran never really became what it boasted). 8-)

Really? I thought the AN-225 still did large cargo operations for whoever "rents" the plane for the time being?

Nice shot btw  :D

[CSM]

nice shots especially the second one 8-)

[ashaman]

Really? I thought the AN-225 still did large cargo operations for whoever "rents" the plane for the time being?

Of course it does, and of course it would, but why should the Russians pay to transport a piece of failed experimental space shuttle look-alike is beyond me. After all, I don't think that the renting to the 225 is exactly cheap.

[Scudrunner]

Really? I thought the AN-225 still did large cargo operations for whoever "rents" the plane for the time being?

Of course it does, and of course it would, but why should the Russians pay to transport a piece of failed experimental space shuttle look-alike is beyond me. After all, I don't think that the renting to the 225 is exactly cheap.

This is a simulator so why no simulate? If you want the real thing, you need to get up from your computer chair, head out the door and dig deep into your cash reserves.

[FridayChild]

Buran was a fine machine. Too bad it ended the way it ended.

[ashaman]

This is a simulator so why no simulate? If you want the real thing, you need to get up from your computer chair, head out the door and dig deep into your cash reserves.

Well, of course. I was only nitpicking.

You know for example that a lot of people wouldn't want Kai Tak not Meigs on their sims anymore because they don't exist in real life no more, while without them I would feel my sim to miss something. Meigs whereabouts is the only american soil I fly over, and not even all that often too. And I'm an aficionado of Kai Tak ever since FS98, and landing there is something I enjoy doing from time to time (even if since I got the pedals it's way easier that the old FS98 times).

So why not simming a Buran transport. Still it's something that doesn't happens in real life anymore.

Buran was a fine machine. Too bad it ended the way it ended.

How can you say it was a fine whatever if it never, not even once was used in space. :-?

[FridayChild]

On her maiden flight she was able to land flawlessly with no pilots on board, fully automatically. The Buran was designed to carry more payload (and to carry more payload back to Earth) than the Space Shuttle Orbiter. And it was designed in a way that all its elements were reusable (as opposite to the Space Shuttle, which central tank is not reusable). The Buran had no engines of its own, it relied fully on the Energia rocket booster and the four solid state rocket boosters to get into space, hence it was a true glider. The thermal protection system was different from that of the Shuttle, and possibly better. For more info, see this link. It definitely was a promising and fine machine; too bad economic restrictions forced the government to retire the project before it made it into space. Sadly, the only Buran which actually flew was destroyed when the hangar in which the whole vehicle had been withdrawn collapsed under the weight of its roof.

[Anark]

Due to lack of maintainance, Ironicly, all the people who were supposed to maintain it were killed in the accident.

[Ivan]

There were plans to fit Buran with 4 D-30 engines to make it more flexible in case of a misjudged re-entry... one of the flyable prototypes had 4 jet engines fitted (AFAIK the one that eventually ended up in australia)

[DaveT]

hey guys didn't expect all that but great cheers(didn't know anything about it myself

[an-225]

Wait a minute... Ivan you are talking about Buran analogue right? They DID do that but it wasn't incase of a misjudged re-entry. It was to judge how stable Buran would be in atmospheric flight. But... yeah I guess I'm one of the lucky few who got to see Buran analogue when it came to sydney.  ;D Personally I think its a great design.  ;)