Photos from inside the Baikonur Cosmodrome • Hacker News Board

Re: Photos from inside the Baikonur Cosmodrome

#121

Post by emmanueloga_ » Thu, Jul 02, 2015, 8:39 PM UTC

rdtsc wrote: post #74

Fun fact: Buran was the first fully automated space shuttle. It did a complete flight cycle without human intervention. I believe our space shuttle could that that too eventually but not at the time. Even funner fact: There is a remnant of software that powered that shuttle still around. In the form of a visual programming language DRAKON ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DRAKON )

The beauty of these pictures reminded me of urban decay photography and Wabi-Sabi. Also made me think of bit rot. I thought that if those spaceships were Software, maybe they would still be flying around, rot and decay included.

Re: Photos from inside the Baikonur Cosmodrome

#122

Post by tdy721 » Fri, Jul 03, 2015, 4:31 AM UTC

Okay, there has to be someone capable of taking care of the orbiters around? How much would just a minimum amount of maintenance really cost? I think this a real world manifestation of state secrecy and its a shame.

On a similar note, I was very happy to see that parts of both Columbia and Challenger will be on display for the public.

Re: Photos from inside the Baikonur Cosmodrome

#123

Post by agumonkey » Fri, Jul 03, 2015, 4:38 AM UTC

Yetanfou wrote: post #52

dharma1 wrote: post #36

Makes you wonder if Russia's contributions to science back in the Soviet days were bigger than today under Putin's rule...

No, it does not. It is clear that the Soviet Union, for all its flaws, was one of the foremost nations (or collection of such) when it comes to scientific endeavours. Where they failed was in the translation of scientific data to 'products', but that is another story. Modern Russia still has its share of eminent scientists, but they lack the s(t)olid backing of a nation which felt like it had something to prove.

How much of this is due to post-war context ? The USA left that period stronger while the planet was trying to heal. Also the USA mindset is so well tuned to crafting products. Ideas coming from european/eastern minds blossomed there.

Re: Photos from inside the Baikonur Cosmodrome

#124

Post by avmich » Fri, Jul 03, 2015, 8:27 AM UTC

sanoli wrote: post #53

I wonder what would go through in the russian people's minds when they saw that their shuttle was a rip-off of the american's. With all the competition to see who was better, how did they rationalize this?

Well, in 1988 when Buran was publicly shown, people already had rather different things in mind to worry about :) - it was third year of Perestroika, and things were changing...

Of course, for those interested in the subject differences became quickly known. A launcher rocket which uses only liquid engines - so you can have a safer flight with an ability to actually shut down stages if necessary. A bigger payload and an automated landing - something which wasn't so clearly demonstrated by the American counterpart. Little details like launch during heavy wind, launcher which is able to fly separately, non-toxic fuel onboard Buran...