Info Shymkent - Buran in Baikonur
Local Space

Buran for Shymkent?

Info Shymkent

Can you imagine to see the Space Shuttle Buran in a park in Shymkent? It could become reality. Read how!

Do you know that also a Space Shuttle launched from Kazakhstan – and it wrote history in spaceflight? This Space Shuttle called Buran – after the strong winter storm – was a soviet development to achieve the same goals as the American Space Shuttle – and to build it even better.

The Soviet Space Shuttle was a marvel of technology in the history of spaceflight. It was the first winged spacecraft that landed on 15th November 1988 without an pilot on an airport – just controlled by computers. This milestone was achieved by the Americans with the X-37B spacecraft over 20 years later on 22nd April 2010. And we know, the American Space Shuttle had huge problems with its heat shield. In its first flights it lost very much ceramic tiles of its heat shield. In the 2003 they lost the Space Shuttle Columbia because of a hole in the heat shield. The Buran lost on its first and only flight – only three ceramic tiles out of 38,000. And not every tile was unique – instead of the shield of its American brother.

Info Shymkent - Space Shuttle Buran in Baikonur
Can we see Buran in Shymkent´s Abay Park in the future?

One Buran spacecrafts are in the hands of a Kazakh business man Dauren Mussa and remains in Baikonur Cosmodrome. The spacecraft was planned to be the 2nd flying Buran space shuttle and was nearly completed. It is parked in the MZK building 80. The building went into the hands of Kazakhstan after the end of Soviet Union. The MZK building 80 is still owned by Kazakhstan. The Buran space shuttle is unvisible for tourists who coming to visit the Cosmodrome Baikonur because it’s stored in this building. Only some Adventurer tried to went secretly into the building and made their some nice pictures of the spacecraft.

Info Shymkent - MKZ Building in Baikonur
In this huge building the Buran is stored. This property is owned by a private person in Kazakhstan.

It’s time for Kazakhstan to save this spacecraft for the history and put it on a nice public place. What do you think about Abay Park in Shymkent? Or to put the Buran on display at the former Tulpar Rail Station between Dendropark and Zoo at Prospekt Baydibek Bi in Shymkent?

Info Shymkent - Buran exhibition in Tulpar rail station near Dendropark and Zoo in Shymkent
Proposal for a Buran exhibition at the former Tulpar Rail station near Dendropark and Zoo at Prospekt Baydibek Bi in Shymkent.

It would be great to save this milestone in the history of spaceflight and inspire the young and further generation to dream and develop beautiful technologies.

The future will show it. We hope this spacecraft will not end its life unvisible from public in the old MZK building 80 in Baikonur.

More informations about the soviet space shuttle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_(spacecraft)