"Emilio" wrote in message
...
Actually they admitted they copied the US Shuttle.

More I think about Buran, it is clear that the politician who decided to
"copy" the shuttle and not the engineers. Russian industry simply was not
setup to produce space qualified $20 nuts and bolts like we do. If they
made special run to make such nuts and bolts it would have cost them $100
a
peace. Buran must have been reengineered to be able for them to build it
there. That's a problem though. It's going to get heavier than a US
shuttle. Reentry and flight parameters will no longer be the same do to
added weight. It's amazing that they made it to work in the first place.

Actually, it was a superior design to the STS it was copied from. Heavier
payload, more crew space and less rinky-dink stuff to blow up like the ET
and the SRBs.

Well, the Astronauts never flew it. That tells you something.

Buran: 1 unmanned flight, total success.

STS ~100 manned flights, two total losses, 14 deaths.

I'd say the Russians realised they had no need of a shuttle and quit while
they were ahead.

John