If you read my previous articles or are generally interested in the Buran program you may already know what OK-GLI was. A 1:1 Scale model of the Buran glider equipped with jet fengines and an actual flight crew. However I am pretty sure this article will feature some detail you may not have known. The story of OK-GLI alone could propably fill books. This story is about optimism, grand engineering, success, abandonment, lawssuits, enthusiasm and a true happy end.
Before we come to the actual OK-GLI I want to take a closer look on what it was built for. The United States Space Shuttle landing procedure was the most thrilling part of the a STS mission. And please remember that this thing rocketed into orbit on solid fuel boosters and a 1550m³ hydrogen / 553m³ oxygen monster tank combo. How can a landing be more thrilling than this? Well because it was more of a controlled crash than an actual landing. Space Shuttle did not have engines for landing. After re entry it glided down to its designated landing point, then raced to a point a few miles in front of the runway at an angle of 18° (Usual is 2 – 3° everything above 4° is called steep approach) at 500kmh then lntercepted of to 1.5° at 900feet and smashed into the runway at 340kmh. Missed approach? no option. Overspeed? No options… I dont want to go to deep into the procedure as this is not about the Space Shuttle but the Landings were fascinating and dangerous at the same time.
Russia did not want to use a similar kind of landing with crew on board so it was decided in a very early stage of development that Buran would feature 2 conventional jet engines for the landing. The idea was to be more flexible with re entry points, stretch the glide path and so travel back to Baikonur in most of the possible scenarios. I really spent a lot of time on research whether Buran would have been capable of a go around in case of a missed approach but I found absolutely no data on that. I really dont wan’t to make assumptions but for here lets just say it most likely was not.
NPO Energija decided to built a testbed for atmospherical flight testing that was capable of self takeoff. As the desired Buran Jet engines would not have had enough power to accelerate OK-GLI from zero to takeoff speed, they decided to put two extra engines on it. Those were Luljika AL 31 engines, as used on Suchois SU 27 and SU30. Also the final configuration Buran engines were supposed to be AL31s. The aerodynamical design, weights and details of OK GLI were as close to Buran as possible. So it also featured the cargo doors, a two deck front compartment, space for up to 10 crew and even a payload dummy that could be moved and filled with water to simulate different payload situations.
OK GLI was constructed in 1984 and started service on december 29th the same year with a regular taxi tast at a max speed of 45kmh (29mph). This was followed by 2 more roll tests slowly accelerationg to speeds up to 200kmh (120mph). Those test all were takeoff related and therefore not really part of the Orbiter testing but morelikely safety tests for OK-GLI as a plane. However those tests were extremely important. In the Book “Technik Museum Speyer”, a catalogue about the museum who houses OK GLI today, test pilot Igor Volk remembers that high speed roll tests showed vibrations on the elevons that were so intense, their brackets broke loose.
After increasing roll speed to 300kmh (180mph) on October 15th 1985 less then a month later on November tenth, the first flight was executed, lasting 12 minutes and climbing 4500feet.
24 more test flights for data collection were to come with the last one happening on April 18th 1988. After those 25 flights OK-GLI retired as planned and was stored at Baikonur.
If you think the story ends here, you are pretty wrong, it is just about to start.
OK-GLI spent some ten years in storage. Date is not really accurate here but it is commonly believed that she was housed inside the MIK Bulding that also housed OK 1k1, the only Buran Spaceship that ever went to space.
After the hold of the Buran Space program OK GLI became official property of NPO Molniya, the former Sub Division of NPO Energija that constructed and built her.
In the mid nineties a former Australian astronaut, Paul Scully Power became interested in the Buran. He was fascinated by the program just like I am today. Difference is – he had the money and the contacts to ot only bring the spirit to people through a small internet blog but through a big time exhibition. He founded the Buran Space Corporation (BSC), raised some funds and bought OK-GLI straight from NPO Molniya on a loan. The price tag stays secret to this day, even my well informed sources in Australia and Russia keep quiet but there are hints it was a 6 figure number… Quite an offer!
Scully Powers plans were quite big… he built a temporary display in a tent like hangar in Sidney, shipped the OK-GLI to Australia at his own cost and opened an exhibit alongside 2000s Olympic Games. After the games a Australia an southern Asia tour was planned and… never happened. Turned out that a small blog may not be as glamorous as owning a Russian space shuttle but is a way more effective way to reach those who are interested in it. Ticket sales were poor. People were simply not interested in the GLI and so BSC turned bankrupt in just a few months. The Tent and assets were sold. The Buran stayed in a parking lot. Abandoned for the second time after a few months of glory. As the bankrupt BSC was not paying their debts anymore, the ownership went back to NPO Molniya, who where not able to bring it back to Russia due to… guess what… financial problems.
The Company then turned on US foreign exchange spechialist First FX to put the OK GLI on an auction with a reserve of 6.000.000 USD – the first estimate on its worth and a little over the 6 figure number that Scully Power is believed to have signed. Now First FX tried to promote the auction via a Los Angeles Radio Station named News 980 KFWB AM. To me it does make perfect sense to search the perfect buyer for a 6 millon Space Ship 1:1 Scale model on a news radio channel… or maybe… not! Right or wrong… as expected OK-GLI did not sell and stayed in its Sidney Parking Lot where it repeatedly became the victim of vandalism.
Finally in 2002 Molniya found a new solvent and proper buyer, the Singapore based company Space Shuttle World Tour (SSWT)- Maybe nobody realized that weird name but the Russians did not have a single doubt about selling the craft to those serious Singapore businessmen. I mean come on. The planned to exhibit it at Bahrain and then to a world tour with it. Nobody questioned that outstanding plan… Scully Power already proofed that the Buran simply does not attract enough people for such a project. But who cares? There is guys from Singapore the got to be rich. Molniya did something completely new and sold the GLI to the SSWT – on a loan!
Guess what happened? If you think OK-GLI was transported to Bahrain, put on display there and then drove SSWT into bankruptcy – you are damn right! She was displayed at 2002 Manama Port Summer festival and then planned to be transported to Thailand. Bancruptcy struck those plans and SSWT were not paying their debts and NPO Molniya claimed ownership again. The poor GLI was stored at Manama port and again not returned to Russia due to financial issues.
In 2003 a german TV team stumbled over the GLI during a coverage of the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix and produced a short TV show on the story. This gained huge interest in Germany, and a very serious and wealthy german business man wanted to buy her for something completely new… A stationary display followed by a world tour. Realy? Yes Really! It seemed like the story was to be repeated the third time, but luckily the deal never happened.
Instead a well known German Museum, the previously mentioned Technik Museum Speyer showed serious interest for a stationary display. No World tour. No seriously, No tour of any kind was intended. Now for those who don’t know this museum… those guys know what they are doing. They transported a 300 feet submarine from the north sea to Speyer in south western Germany , they put a 747 on a high stand, stripped the inside and made it a exhibit you can walk in. They brought an Antonov An 22 to the museum, landing on Speyers municipal airport with a way too short runway. And they brought both Concorde and TU 144 to their second Museum in Sinsheim, 30 miles east of Speyer, where they are on top of the main building. Oh and I forgot to mention they were able to pay the GLIs now again undisclosed 6 figure price tag in cash. NPO Molniya had to take the chance and sell the OK GLI finally.
Everything was save. Experts from Speyer have already been in Bahrain planning the transport when SSWT came back to the stage. They claimed partial ownership of the Buran and convinced Bahrainian courts to lock her down. The lawsuit lasted for five years and was wayto complex to describe it here. An official from Speyer even told me, it was more expensive than the craft itself – again not stating numbers though.
Finally in March 2008 OK GLI started its – so far – last ever journey to Germany where she now is on Display at Technik Museum Speyer in a newly built Hangar like facility… She is in perfect display condtion sourrounded by one of the most detailed and most beautiful space exhibits in the world.
When I first saw this new building while still under construction I Immediatley figured it was about twice the size of the Buran. Why? Because Speyer also applied for the Enterprise Space Shuttle prototype which is now on display at New Yorks Intrepid Air and Space Museum… Just imagine how great it would have been to have those two ladies side by side… As happy as the ending of this story is…. this unfortunately will never happen.
aviationworld 