Space

• Components: The Shuttle system consisted of three main parts:
  1. Orbiter: The winged spacecraft that housed the crew and payload, and was capable of returning to Earth to land like an aircraft.
  2. External Tank (ET): A large, expendable tank containing liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant for the Orbiter's three main engines during launch.
  3. Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs): Two reusable solid-propellant rockets that provided the majority of thrust during the initial ascent phase.
• Launch and Landing: The entire stack (Orbiter, ET, SRBs) launched vertically. After SRB separation and jettisoning of the ET, the Orbiter would fly into orbit. Upon mission completion, it would de-orbit and perform an unpowered glide landing on a runway.
• Capabilities: It was designed to carry large payloads to orbit (like satellites and components for the International Space Station), retrieve satellites, conduct scientific experiments, and provide a platform for spacewalks. It could carry up to eight astronauts.
• Fleet: Five operational orbiters were built: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour.
• Legacy: Despite two tragic accidents (Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003), the Space Shuttle made significant contributions to space exploration, including deploying the Hubble Space Telescope and building the International Space Station. Its unique ability to return large payloads from orbit was a hallmark.

The Buran (Russian for "Snowstorm" or "Blizzard") was the Soviet Union's reusable spacecraft that was visually very similar to the U.S. Space Shuttle Orbiter. It was part of the Buran-Energia program.

Here are its key characteristics:

• Development: The Buran program was initiated largely in response to the U.S. Space Shuttle program, with Soviet engineers tasked to develop a similar capability.
• Key Difference - Launch Vehicle: Unlike the Space Shuttle, where the Orbiter's main engines were used during ascent, Buran itself had no main propulsion engines for orbital insertion. It was designed to be launched entirely by the super heavy-lift Energia rocket, which provided all the thrust to reach orbit. This meant Buran was essentially a glider in space and during atmospheric re-entry, making it theoretically safer if the Energia rocket failed (as Buran could glide back to a landing).
• Similarity to Shuttle: Its aerodynamic shape, thermal protection system (tiles), and unpowered glide landing were remarkably similar to the U.S. Shuttle, leading to early speculation about industrial espionage, though Soviet engineers claimed independent development.
• Operational History: Only one uncrewed orbital flight was ever made by Buran, on November 15, 1988. It performed a fully automated mission, including two orbits and an automated landing on a runway. This was a significant technological achievement.
• Status: The Buran program was ultimately canceled in 1993 due to a lack of funding after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Only one orbiter (Buran 1.01) flew, and several others were in various stages of construction.
• Legacy: Despite its short operational life, Buran demonstrated advanced automated flight and landing capabilities. The Energia rocket, designed to launch Buran, was also a powerful and versatile launcher, though it too had a limited operational life.