Space Shuttle One of the Peaks of Soviet Technology

We’re pretty sure almost all of us have thought of the Space Race as Yuri Gagarin’s. first man in space and Neil Armstrong and his team in 1969 landing on the moon We remember with peak points such as

While it is natural to remember this process only with its width, it is also useful to think about how that width was reached. As a matter of fact, vehicles that shoulder this process to a large extent, contrary to popular belief. It wasn’t just rockets and satellites.

After the launch of humans and rocket launches of the Space Race, the new focus of the parties was to send more crowded crews and more cargo into space.

In vain to the Space Race “race“The rivals were almost in a race to take the space into their sphere of influence, and they made all kinds of attempts.

Naturally, the continuity of this race had to be somehow ensured. The way to be permanent in space was to send as much cargo as possible into space. After all, every cargo, every satellite, and every space laboratory sent in space permanent scars was able to get them to leave.

• The image above is where most cargo is transported today. from the International Space Station an image.

As a solution to this, the USA started to develop vehicles that it defined as “space shuttle”. Of these, the first space shuttle to successfully complete its mission was the Columbia.

Space shuttles were seen as one of the best solutions for sending both crew and cargo into space. Average 25 tons They are known to carry loads.

Upon the successful launch of the US’s first space shuttle, the USSR began to worry that space could be weaponised. He launched his own space shuttle program, the Buran Program.

Also known by its Russian abbreviation “VKK” (“Vazdushna-Kasmicheski Karabl” / “Air and Spaceship”), and translated its name into Turkish “bora” or “Snowstorm“we can translate as”here“The design was a reusable space shuttle model from US space shuttles such as Columbia.

Until the first shuttle was successfully launched into space in 1988. kept as a state secret The Buran space shuttle program was a vehicle that was planned to have the potential to attack, despite the possibility of weaponizing the space we mentioned.

Spacecraft and satellites of other states capable of destroying in orbit Although it was thought that it was designed to be designed, its potential could not be discovered because there was no conflict in space.

In addition to all this, the shuttle was for Soviet space scientists. a large space laboratory was functioning.

Unlike other space shuttles, Buran could be transported to the borders of space with gigantic and robust airplanes instead of non-reusable rockets.

In this way, the USSR with less expense It was in a position to send more space shuttles. Their most preferred aircraft model is the one in the image, which was destroyed by the Russian army on February 27, 2022 during the invasion of Ukraine. Antonov An-225 Mriya was the model.

Since NASA also benefited from this method for a while, and then aimed to gain advantages in other aspects in space. that you’re turning your focus to rockets need to specify. The rationale for this was to develop its own advantages against the advantage of the USSR with these gigantic aircraft.

After the death of 7 astronauts on the US shuttle Columbia in 2003 and the collapse of the USSR towards the 90s, the space shuttle programs were shelved for a long time and rockets were given priority.

The shuttle Columbia recently reentered the atmosphere while returning from a successful mission in 2003, and the shuttle suddenly disintegrated. This disaster also caused the United States, the last space power to operate space shuttles at the time, to launch their own space shuttle programs. by shelving concluded.

• The above image is a representative depiction of the Columbia disaster.

The Buran Program was officially terminated in 1993, exactly 10 years ago, about two years after the USSR collapsed. Buran and all other Soviet space shuttles, was left to rot.

The top image is in the middle of Kazakhstan. Baikonur cosmodrome A Buran space shuttle left to rot. Baikonur cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan of the Russian Federation the last base where he kept his army Also known as.

The same base where the space shuttles were located in 2002. hangar ceiling collapsed Although it is known that the and shuttles were damaged, it is still debated whether this is the reason why they were left to rot.