4 ms·

On reading up, "finding" isn't quite accurate, as the locations of these two shuttles were perfectly well known. They're OK-1K2 and OK-4M on Wikipedia's list be

On reading up, "finding" isn't quite accurate, as the locations of these two shuttles were perfectly well known. They're OK-1K2 and OK-4M on Wikipedia's list below, located in MZK building 80, area 112a, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_programme#Buran-class_spacecraft_and_test_vehicles_on_display https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran_programme#Buran-class_sp... However, obviously sneaking in to take pictures is not an everyday occurrence, it's still a Russian military base and parts of the site remain in active use for the Russian space program.

rbanffy 11y ago
It's perfectly possible the photographer had no idea of what he would find. Not everyone knows where the Soviet shuttles are. It's still a find, if not a discovery. No pun intended.
- centizen 11y ago
  from the writeup it seems to me like the photographer had researched and knew what to expect. He never claims to have discovered anything.
  - rbanffy 11y ago
    Well. Then the title is incorrect.
    - willvarfar 11y ago
      You can 'find' things by research too. If the photographer set out to find and photo the Buran, and started by googling, then that's still 'finding'?
TeMPOraL 11y ago
He not only managed to sneak inside the base, he apparently made it into the shuttle itself. If the last photo is a picture of him, he's dressed in military clothing, so maybe he just blended in and no one bothered to check him.
- jamesfe 11y ago
  Very interesting because he's wearing what look like US Marine Corps MARPAT camouflage...which is distinctly non-Russian. There are a lot of them floating around in that part of the world that were smuggled out of Iraq and Afghanistan though. http://battlerattle.marinecorpstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2013/07/450x326_q75.jpg http://battlerattle.marinecorpstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/...
  - g42gregory 11y ago
    I think this web site is a non-original content. I remember reading the exact same sequence of photos in English a few months ago. I think some Western journalist/enthusiast managed to get the access to this hangar and he posted the original story. These guys just picked up the content and re-posted it. Notice copyright on the pictures to Ralph Mirebs. Maybe he was there with his Marine friend?
Paul_S 11y ago
I'm sure it's not impossible to come to an arrangement with the locals to go and have a look at the shuttles.
- kweks 11y ago
  Well, you can pay to go on Baikonour tours. 10k around launch times, cheaper when its not a launch time. I'm sure if you're got that type of cash to drop - dropping a few more k to see the Buran isn't an issue Or you can sneak in. It's in the middle of nowhere.
seany 11y ago
The whole facility (and the shuttles actually) are owned by Kazakhstan as far as I'm aware. Ownership of it was "transferred" during the breakup in the 1990s. That being said large portions of the active section of the base are actually `run` by russians.

rbanffy 11y ago

It's perfectly possible the photographer had no idea of what he would find. Not everyone knows where the Soviet shuttles are. It's still a find, if not a discovery. No pun intended.

centizen 11y ago
from the writeup it seems to me like the photographer had researched and knew what to expect. He never claims to have discovered anything.
- rbanffy 11y ago
  Well. Then the title is incorrect.
  - willvarfar 11y ago
    You can 'find' things by research too. If the photographer set out to find and photo the Buran, and started by googling, then that's still 'finding'?

TeMPOraL 11y ago

He not only managed to sneak inside the base, he apparently made it into the shuttle itself. If the last photo is a picture of him, he's dressed in military clothing, so maybe he just blended in and no one bothered to check him.

jamesfe 11y ago
Very interesting because he's wearing what look like US Marine Corps MARPAT camouflage...which is distinctly non-Russian. There are a lot of them floating around in that part of the world that were smuggled out of Iraq and Afghanistan though. http://battlerattle.marinecorpstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2013/07/450x326_q75.jpg http://battlerattle.marinecorpstimes.com/wp-content/uploads/...
- g42gregory 11y ago
  I think this web site is a non-original content. I remember reading the exact same sequence of photos in English a few months ago. I think some Western journalist/enthusiast managed to get the access to this hangar and he posted the original story. These guys just picked up the content and re-posted it. Notice copyright on the pictures to Ralph Mirebs. Maybe he was there with his Marine friend?

Paul_S 11y ago

I'm sure it's not impossible to come to an arrangement with the locals to go and have a look at the shuttles.

kweks 11y ago
Well, you can pay to go on Baikonour tours. 10k around launch times, cheaper when its not a launch time. I'm sure if you're got that type of cash to drop - dropping a few more k to see the Buran isn't an issue Or you can sneak in. It's in the middle of nowhere.

seany 11y ago

The whole facility (and the shuttles actually) are owned by Kazakhstan as far as I'm aware. Ownership of it was "transferred" during the breakup in the 1990s. That being said large portions of the active section of the base are actually `run` by russians.