[FPSPACE] Buran Orbiter Display - Sydney

[lee brandon-cremer]

Friends,

As with Brett I had a chance to see the Buran Orbiter at Darling Harbour 
here in Sydney.

I was the first in line to see it - which was quite strange because although 
my ticket clearly stated Sept. 1 at 9am - no one else was there at all.

I managed to make my way inside the entry hall were there is a NASA style 
gift shop. Not very Russian though!

I 'talked' my way into the main hall and got a closeup view of vehicle.

The Shuttle is indeed under a weather protective plastic tent. There are 
access walkways that allow the viewer to walk over the top of the orbiter. 
Its really quite spectacular. Similar walkways are used within the OPF at 
KSC.

You are allowed to walk thru the cockpit and middeck levels and then thru 
the cargo bay and out thru a door in the aft compartment.

This is the real thing! This is the Approach and Landing craft powered by 
jet engines that flew 25 takeoffs and landings prior to the launch of the 
first orbital flight of Buran in '88.

The press information has several errors - they claim the vehicle flew 25 
sub-orbital missions - that is clearly not the case.

They also gloss the fact that virtually the entire design was rifled from 
the american shuttle.

It looks great and very little has been done to it, from a presentation 
perspective - it looks like it landed there!

Anyone interested in more information can contact Bruce Pollack at
Bruce Pollack Publicity, in Sydney at (612) 9331-5276 (no email address)

Does anyone want to know more?

Lee Caldwell - Sydney, Australia
leebrandoncremer@hotmail.com
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