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Forum:	Soviet - Russian Space
Topic:	Energia booster core flown on Bison bomber

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<table border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width="600"><TR><td bgcolor="#000000"><TABLE BORDER=0 cellpadding=4 border=0 cellspacing=1 WIDTH="100%"><TR bgcolor="#660000"><TD COLSPAN=2><CENTER>T O P I C     R E V I E W</CENTER></TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>music_space</TD><TD>Stumbled upon this photo of the central core of an Energia booster being flown into Baikonur on back of Bison bomber:<center><a href="http://www.ninfinger.org/models/vault/All%20sorts%20of%20Soviet%20Space/Energiya%20fly-in-lowres.JPG" target="AirLock"><img src="http://www.collectspace.com/review/music_space/energiabooster_bison01.jpg" width="400" height="210" border="0"></a></center></TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>Robert Pearlman</TD><TD>It seems the Bison was originally modified to carry Buran — and it <A HREF="http://www.buran-energia.com/vmt-atlant/vmt-desc.php" TARGET=_blank>did fly in 1983</A>. <BLOCKQUOTE>The first flight with a Buran shuttle occurred on March 1st, 1983. The shuttle weighted 45.3 t. The vertical stabilizer, and many instruments were removed to lighter it for not weighting more than 50 t. The 1K Buran arrived at Baikonur on March 23, 1988 carried by a VM-T 0GT. But at 300 km from the cosmodrome a fuel leak forced the crew to shutdown the engine 2 to decreased fire possibilities. Soon before arriving at the airport Yubileynyy (Baikonur's cosmodrome airport) the generator circuits failed one by one leaving only the DC batteries as only electrical power source. Fortunately, the landing gears were already deployed but the flaps were not and couldn't be extended. Finally, the engine 1 also flamed and should be shutdown. The situation was truly catastrophic the plane came in to land at the speed of a fighter. Luckily, the pilot P. Kucherenko and Eduard N. Chel'tsov managed to land it smoothly.The VM-T atlant flew more than 150 times to Baikonur to deliver different kind of pieces for the Buran-Energia program. The flight of Energia-Ployus in 1987 and the one of Energia-Buran in 1988 couldn't have been taken place without these old bomber planes from the 60s.</BLOCKQUOTE> </TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#494949"><TD valign=top>Cozmosis22</TD><TD>Hmmm, that thing looks rather precarious perched atop that old beast. The Soviets were pioneers in the art of "photoshop."</TD></TR><TR bgcolor="#333333"><TD valign=top>Robert Pearlman</TD><TD>Film footage of the Energia core on the Bison: <center><iframe width="400" height="300" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/F7fkYIn-a7E?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

And footage of the Buran being ferried:

cspg

This is so cool (and a bit weird looking)! I guess transport by rail/road would have proven impossible. And I love the way they design their planes and rockets.

(Pity there aren't models about those [although Herpa has a Bear bomber planned, "unfortunately" in Ukrainian livery.])

PeterO

AModel produced 1/72 scale kits of the VM-T Atlant with both the Energia booster core and Buran.

cspg

I should have specified diecast models. Don't talk to me about glue and paint! Those days are gone. For good.

garymilgrom

Shouldn't that ET shaped tank be facing pointy end forward? Or did we have it wrong...

Mike Dixon

quote:
Originally posted by garymilgrom:
Shouldn't that ET shaped tank be facing pointy end forward? Or did we have it wrong...

Exactly was I was thinking.

Robert Pearlman

Well, it isn't launching off the Bison, only being ferried piggyback atop it.

Cozmosis22

Sorry, wouldn't want to be anywhere near that balancing act. The mere thought of crosswinds or atmospheric turbulence is frightening. They had a lot of nerve. Wonder how far and how often they flew that contraption... er configuration?

GACspaceguy

quote:
Originally posted by garymilgrom:
Shouldn't that ET shaped tank be facing pointy end forward? Or did we have it wrong...

It may be that way to reduce "boat tail" drag. Also, to keep the air less turbulent around the empennage.

cspg

More shots with partially completed "ET" on top the Bison aircraft can be found here.

davidcwagner

Notice the hot air balloon in the "Film footage of the Energia core on the Bison" at about the 15 second mark.

mercsim

It doesn't look that bad. Not much worse than the Guppy. Our shuttle was attached to the ET in a similar manner and it had to fly a lot faster than the ferry flight shown and experience orders of magnitude more loads.

From an Aero standpoint, the direction (backwards) is the best for the speeds in which they ferried it. Think of the shape of a raindrop falling.

cspg

There was plans for a M-52 aircraft carrying the tank underbelly! (p335 in "Unflown wings: Soviet/Russian unrealised aircraft projects 1925-2010", Midland Publishing, 2013).

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