Brief History Of Buran

[Chrom]

The (series of) repairs of HST was a bit more complex. Servicing Mission (SM) 1 took 10 days and installed new instruments and replaced equipment on HST (including solar panel arrays, gyroscopes, and a ton of electronics). SM2 installed more instruments. SM3A again installed a new uprated computer, and SM3B again replaced solar panels (with a new design) and instruments.
These are not small/minor repairs. And you don't need a Shuttle for them. An orbital tug ala TKS fitted with a storage module and some kind of robotic crane arm would be more than enough for these missions.

1. It was 20 years later. Technology changed.
2. SDI would be an order of magnitute more complex.

Sure there was - SDI. Polyus Skif-DM was somewhere around 80 tons as well. Sure, it was botched together as a quick answer to SDI, and ultimately failed, but that's a project you would have needed Energiya for.

Note - quick answer to SDI. Without SDI there was no need for answer.

The original projects for Vulkan (such as LEK or VME) were proposed with downsized modules for Energiya as well. Although of course VPK put a stop to most of that (in particular LEK and VME) in the late 70s, as they only wanted a Shuttle copy. And in the early 80s, Russia was examining an entire deployment system including interorbital tugs for 100-ton-class satellites.
And then there was always the Russian plans for Mir-2, which would have extensively used Energiya (without Buran).

Mir-2 was also abandoned due to economical chaos in Russia. Smaller launchers survived lifting commercial satellites. There was no commercial payload found for Energia when it was relevant.

There is absolutely no doubt USSR could use Energia for a lot of usefull things - space station being prime example of course. But USSR collapsed...

 

[Awang se]

Many peoples think USA never had intention to build SDI and that was smart bluff. While this is partially true, still there were many ongoing projects in USA for this subject, and large amount of money were spend. Noone by the time (even in USA) was really sure what it is impossible to build such SDI system - and USSR as always spend large amount of money to be not left behind in case SDI will make it to fruition

SDI are not a bluff, the program exist. the only bluff is that when Reagan's administration make the Russian think that SDI will be operational within months.

 

[icekid]

Buran is no more it was destroyed when the hanger which was sheltering it was collapsed... I have a link since I am new here I can post the link

 

[nevidimka]

Here it is:

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/spacecraft/q0153.shtml

 

[icekid]

sad isn't it? such a beautiful piece of machinery gone waste

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