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January 19, 2009
Technik Museum
The Space Hall at the Technik Museum Speyer has some pretty amazing stuff inside it and the display is still under development. This is just a taster as I'm a bit pushed for time today.
The giant Russian Space Shuttle which never went into space but which flew in test flights (Hence the jet engine nascelles) and would have carried a larger payload than the US version.
The Russians had the advantage, when they started this project, of knowing what had worked and what not on the NASA Shuttles. They also knew what the problems had been and still were and built in solutions to many of the problems. I have no doubt that this vehicle would have been a huge success if it had ever launched atop the huge primary liquid fueled rocket intended to carry it aloft. It has a phenomenal payload and onboard fuel to allow it to do some powered flying if necessary. The heat shield tiles are the same as the NASA versions and without the solid boosters and the external fuel tank was probably going to be a safer launch vehicle
The Project was killed off in the early 1990's due to cost and is unlikely to be restarted.
Posted by The Gray Monk at January 19, 2009 04:25 PM
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