Soviet Buran Program The Buran shuttle program (also known as the VKK Space Orbiter program – Buran or “Буран” in Russian means “Snowstorm“) was the biggest and most expensive undertaking ever in Soviet space exploration. The program began in 1974 in response to the NASA Space Shuttle program (apparently initially due to the suspicion it… Read More Technik Museum Speyer – Soviet Buran OK-GLI Aerodynamic Test Shuttle
The Joe Davies Heritage Airpark in Palmdale, California has a very unique National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) test and transport aircraft collection. Nearby is the NASA Dryden Flight Research Centre where the aircraft once flew and NASA continues to conduct flight research to this day. There is a Space Shuttle Escape System Test Vehicle that was… Read More Joe Davies Heritage Airpark: NASA Aircraft
Over the last few years I have slowly but surely managed to see all of the surviving NASA Space Shuttles. The most recent one was also the most special to me: Space Shuttle Atlantis (Orbiter Vehicle OV-104). Not only is Atlantis the most impressively displayed it is also the only one I ever personally saw launch… Read More Space Shuttle Atlantis
Following on from my visit to the California Science Centre in Los Angeles to see their new addition the retired NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour (Orbiter Vehicle OV-105), I couldn’t miss seeing one of her sisters, Space Shuttle Discovery (Orbiter Vehicle OV-103) in her new home at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum – Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre in Chantilly, Virginia. Discovery was… Read More Space Shuttle Discovery
The words “Houston we’ve had a problem” were spoken by astronaut Commander James A. Lovell on April 13th, 1970 during a failed NASA mission to the Moon aboard Apollo XIII (this was the seventh manned mission in the Apollo program and intended to be the third landing on the Moon until an oxygen tank burst 2 days after… Read More “Houston we’ve had a problem”
I arrived back in Los Angeles yesterday for the first time since September 2012 and just had to head back out to the California Science Centre to see the new and impressive addition to their air and space exhibits – Space Shuttle Endeavour (Orbiter Vehicle OV-105). Endeavour was first launched in 1992 and completed her… Read More Space Shuttle Endeavour
The California Science Centre is a great place to visit when in Los Angeles and admission is free (except for special exhibitions). Besides scientific and environmental exhibits you can see some fantastic air and space displays including one of a kind prototype aircraft and historic spacecraft. The aircraft displays are both outside and inside the museum. Outdoors there is an… Read More California Science Centre – Air & Space
June 30th, 2012 Today NASA delivered the nose section of the Space Shuttle trainer to Seattle’s Museum Of Flight. To deliver such a large component they needed to use their Super Guppy transport aircraft (this was the first of a number of flights that will take place to deliver all the components of the Space Shuttle… Read More NASA’s Super Guppy
Aces Flying High 