#it's first flight was uncrewed and it managed to land itself back on the runway after reentry

[identifying-spacecraft-in-posts]

Roscosmos Space Shuttle 1K 1.01 Buran (Snowstorm)

Antonov An-225 Mriya (Dream)

#I'm so upset that both these vehicles have been destroyed #first the Buran when it's hangar roof collapsed at Baikonur due to years of neglect #and then the Mriya during the attack on Kyiv in 2022 #there are incomplete examples of both which could in theory be finished with enough funding #but I don't have the money to do it #the Soviet space shuttle program was interesting #in several ways the Soviet design was superior to the American one #it's booster rocket - Energia - used kerosene and liquid oxygen as opposed to the solid rocket boosters of the US shuttle #this meant the engines could be shut down in an emergency #and you wouldn't have an accident like the one which destroyed Challenger #the Buran was also fully autonomous #it's first flight was uncrewed and it managed to land itself back on the runway after reentry #an impressive feat for the technology of the time #thanks for the ask! #roscosmos #buran #space shuttle