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The cause of the roof collapse is under investigation, but officials have ruled out a terrorist attack. It is not known if this historic piece of space hardware was damaged in the collapse. Aleksandr Kostyshev was the deputy chief engineer of the unit of the Progress assembly and test building,Īn assembled Buran/Energia stack was stored in Building 112. Sergei Gorbunov, a spokesman for the Russian space agency, told RTR state television it was unlikely any of the men survived.īy early Monday, six bodies had already been recovered from the wreckage, according to ITAR-TASS news reports.Ī safety engineer who was responsible for overseeing security for repair work died of heart failure after the accident, Radio Russia reports. An eight-man construction team was on the roof when the accident occurred on Sunday. Rescue workers on Monday were searching through the debris of Building 112 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome where portions of a roof collapsed and fell 220- feet to 260 feet to the bottom of the hangar.
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Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday.Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Eight feared dead in Baikonur hangar collapseĮight feared dead in Baikonur hangar collapseįile photo of the interior of buidling 112 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015 her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Her latest book, " Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. She was contributing writer for for 10 years before joining full-time. Where to See America's Greatest Spaceships (Infographic)Įlizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well.Space Shuttle: The First Reusable Spacecraft.Space Shuttle Launches New Era in Exploration.Challenger: Shuttle Disaster That Changed NASA.Molniya Research Industrial Corporation: Buran.Russian Space Web: Buran Reusable Shuttle.Just nine years later, the only Buran used in space was destroyed after the roof fell in at its storage facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Molniya considered another version that would be a bit smaller, but the idea was never pursued because of a lack of investor interest, Zak added. The program itself was put on ice because “the Soviet Ministry of Defense fully realized the lack of purpose for the system, compared to its tremendous cost,” Zak wrote.īy 1993, the head of NPO Energia (Yuri Semenov) said the project was cancelled. Just a few years later, in 1991, the Communist government fell and the nation broke up into several countries. The spacecraft launched aboard a Russian Energia rocket and successfully touched down under automatic control, something NASA's space shuttle was not designed to do.īuran launched at a difficult time for the Soviet Union. 15, 1988, and re-entered the atmosphere after two orbits, according to NASA. Buran performed 24 test flights on Earth (including 15 that were fully automatic) in preparation for its space test flight, Molniya stated.īuran launched only once into space, on Nov. Similarly to NASA's space shuttle, Buran would have different kinds of thermal materials on its surface to shield from the stresses of re-entry. Additional crewmembers could ride in the cargo area. A separate cargo department would allow for satellites up to 17 meters (56 feet) long and 4.5 meters (15 feet) in diameter.
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The Molniya Research Industrial Corporation, which developed the Buran's body, said the goal was to send 30 tons to space and return 20 tons to Earth.īuran was supposed to hold up to six passengers in its crew cabin.
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