Buran-Energia » Spiral

Death of test pilot Pyotr Ostapenko

Vassili Petrovitch — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:04:47 +0000

It is with a simple press release that the Russian press agency (RIA Novosti) announced the death of the test pilot Pyotr Ostapenko on April 8, 2012, at the age of 83.

Pyotr Ostapenko worked all his career (1958-1981) for the design bureau MiG as a test pilot. He flew more than 5000 hours, did more than 10000 landings, and held 8 world records of which some are not smashed.
Thus he worked during the 70s on the space program Spiral as a test pilot of EPOS 105-11 (analog plane of the space plane EPOS).

During his career he helped develop no less than 64 planes such as MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-27, MiG-29 and the MiG-31. His contribution to the school of test pilots was very important.

He was awarded of :

Order of the Red Star (1964)
Order of the Red Banner (1966)
Lenin’s Order (1971)
Hero of the USSR (1971)
Test Pilot of the USSR (1973)
Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1974)
Laureate of the state price of the USSR (1981)

General of the star wars

Vassili Petrovitch — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 08:41:33 +0000

Some days ago TV Roscosmos published a reporting about space planes, Spiral, BORs, and Buran, and their military implications. Their development were closely linked to the vision of Gleb Lozino Lozinsky (chief of the Buran project) which thought that space travels must be done aboard space planes.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Video about Spiral

Vassili Petrovitch — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:29:15 +0000

Some days ago a documentary was broadcasted about the Spiral system on Russian TV Cultura. Here is a part.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: orbicraft.

You can find other videos here.

100 years of Lozino-Lozinsky

Vassili Petrovitch — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:00:14 +0000

Gleb Evgeniyevich Lozino-Lozinsky (December 25, 1909-November 28, 2001) was chief designer of the Spiral and Buran space systems, on last december 25, he should have had 100 years.

After his studies he became a plane engine specialist at the Mikoyan design bureau. During the 60′s he works as chief project on Spiral program, then enter at NPO Molnya as the main constructor of the Buran space shuttle, in the 90′s he will start the MAKC project (small space shuttle).

He was persuated that space travels should be done in winged spacecraft.

Here is a reporting that was broadcasted on TVRoscosmos:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Arrival of the EPOS at Monino

Vassili Petrovitch — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:37:58 +0000

Here is some pictures, of the personal collection of Eugene Arseniev, taken during the arrival of the EPOS at the Monino base.

More pictures in the gallery.

Source: Orbicraft.

Fourteen times the speed of sound

Vassili Petrovitch — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:55:23 +0000

This reporting (in russian) was filmed in the LII company, it shows almost unheard pictures of tests of the BOR 2. This project began 40 years ago, during the 60s, at the same period of time of the American DynaSoar.

Spiral, the strike force

Vassili Petrovitch — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:49:28 +0000

This reporting was broadcasted on russian television (zvezda). This video shortly recount the story of rocket planes and orbital planes, then focused of the Spiral project and the many usage of the EPOS plane.
Reporting in Russian.

Other videos are available about the Spiral project in the video gallery.

Source: Zvezda.

Anniversary at Tushino

Vassili Petrovitch — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 18:37:34 +0000

An exposition about the Buran-Energia project took place at Tushino from October 31 to November 23, 2008, it was about the 20th anniversary of the first flight of Buran.

One can see Strizh and Orlan spacesuit (made by Zvezda), miscellaneous former documents, some model kit (Buran, Mriya, BOR/EPOS), and lots of pictures.

Source: orbicraft.livejournal.com

End of the EPOS restauration

Vassili Petrovitch — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 09:11:37 +0000

The renovation of the EPOS plane finished on last August 20 in the Monino museum.

The museum’s employees had, for the occasion, organised a little expostion about the history of this plane and a photo session for children.

Another pictures.

[UPD] Restauration of the EPOS plane

Vassili Petrovitch — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:37:57 +0000

The EPOS plane is beeing restaured for some days now at the Monino museum. This museum had a lot of unique planes such as the prototype of the space combat plane, EPOS. This plane was part of the SPIRAL project, which was an horizontal launcher, which preceded Buran.

Those works are to restore the landing skid, the air speed sensor, and other mechanicals elements. But also to restore the inside of the cockpit. This restoration work is an important task and was began in 2000.

Other pictures.

Update of July 21:

Here is other pictures of the restauration.