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Aviation History
1988
1988 - 3357.PDF
iented itself for a conventional Mach 24 descent from 40km altitude. Like the US Shuttle, Buran was covered with about 38,000 ceramic heatshield tiles. Buran's return to Baikonur was made in blue-grey skies. The orbiter, with greenish-grey discolouration to its aft heat- shield tiles, touched down auto matically at a speed of between 170kt and 190kt. Three braking parachutes were then deployed, slowing the spacecraft to 30kt, before it glided to a stop on the 84m-wide, 0 • 5m-thick concrete runway. Officials claimed that a thorough testing of the shuttle is required before entrusting it to a manned crew. However, the elite band of shuttle cosmonauts are known to have pushed hard for a manned maiden flight, and will be placing additional pres sure on officials after this success. The Soviets normally conduct several unmanned tests of manned spacecraft, but did manned fly the Soyuz TM manned on its second flight, says Soviet analyst Phil Clark.' But this was a slightly modified version of the Soyuz T, rather than a completely new vehicle as is the Soviet shuttle. The likely commander of the manned shuttle is Igor Volk, and a possible copilot is Ural Sultanov. Two other potential copilots have died this year, one of natural causes and one in an aerobatic accident. Although the manned mission is likely to have a crew of two, the Soviets says that the shuttle will eventu ally carry a crew of "up to ten cosmonauts and specialists". The shuttle will be used spar ingly, perhaps for two to four missions a year, mainly on repair and retrieval missions. The automatic control of the shuttle "frees the crew to perform other jobs in space," say Soviet officials. A possible rendezvous with the Mir 1 complex has been mooted, but the shuttle is expected to be a key factor in assembly of the follow-on Mir 2 complex. With the Soviets plan ning five shuttle orbiters— Birdy is already completed— 20 missions a year could be possible in the 1990s. Some of these could be unmanned FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 26 November 1988 3
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