Abandoned Soviet Space Shuttle Filmed by Sneaking into Military Facility

Could you imagine if Planet of the Apes were filmed in the Soviet Republic and all the gorillas wore fur coats? That'd be pretty cool, but before we get too sidetracked let's draw attention to the video two Dutch explorers filmed at an abandoned military facility.

The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Ironically, the base is still operational because with NASA's Space Shuttle program finished, only the Soyuz rocket+capsule can take supplies and astronauts to the International Space Station.

However, this surprisingly familiar-looking machine is from another era, one where mutual collaboration between Russia and the West was almost unthinkable. Like that Soviet version of the Concorde we like so much, the Buran program was born from national pride and the desire to conquer space.

The concept is the same as the Space Shuttle - a partially reusable spacecraft. But while the Americans had the first four orbital test flights in 1969, Russia began work in 1974. Due to some setbacks, only one unmanned flight was achieved before Buran was finally shuttered in 1993.

Unless we're mistaken, only one of the two craft is "real," the one in the back. The one in front of it is just a test mock-up. Heat-resistant ceramic tiles, think glass and complex electronics all lie covered in dust and bird droppings.

The building the group of urban explorers managed to infiltrate was almost as exciting. A constant high pressure was maintained to keep dust out. The Buran was a meter longer than the shuttle and had a payload bay 380mm longer. The major difference was the Energia, the big thing they strapped the shuttle to. While America's solid rocket boosters were/are dangerous and difficult to control, Russia opted for multi-stage liquid boosters. So the Buran didn't need much propulsion and could thus carry 5 tons more stuff.