Soviet Space Shuttle Found In Bahrain? 401
An anonymous reader writes "German news source Spiegel are reporting (english babelfish translation) that some TV journalists have found a seemingly abandoned Russian space shuttle in the Persian Gulf. It looks like it could be the atmospheric test demonstrator Buran OK-GLI which was in Sydney, Australia. Pictures here (external) and here (internal). Boy, what I would give to be able to sit in that seat and flip those switches!" Another reader, grm_wnr writes "German tabloid newspaper Bild reports that a russian Buran shuttle has been found in the Bahrain desert. Here is the story (in german, Google translation here). What's funny is that noone knows how it ended up there. At least the fate of one of the four Buran prototypes is now confirmed." There is not much confirmation on this, outside of a few pictures... let the reader beware.
In Soviet Russia (Score:1, Funny)
Kill the GNAA and Furries
Nie (Score:2, Funny)
How did I get here? (Score:3, Funny)
Uhhh... it flew?
OK, not under its own power. But it had to be flown, right? So that's how.
Who? (Score:2, Funny)
Who is this Mr. noone you talk about?
Parking (Score:5, Funny)
You ever tried to parallel park one of those things... trust me its easier just to park it in the desert.
This must be the fabled... (Score:3, Funny)
Space Camp (Score:2, Funny)
Trolls (Score:2, Funny)
the internal pic begs for captioning... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Who? (Score:2, Funny)
It was stolen (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Funny... (Score:4, Funny)
Not Noone again! (Score:3, Funny)
I went to school with Chuck Noone. He was always getting in these kinds of situations... I'll have to track that ol' devil down...
Broken down... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:But... (Score:3, Funny)
How'd It Get There? (Score:5, Funny)
How can I? (Score:4, Funny)
Ebay (Score:5, Funny)
1 slightly used space shuttle prototype.....
Re:Stop press! (Score:2, Funny)
Volker Hartmann (54) from Schaumburg
I preferred Google's "foam castle" translation of Schaumburg.
Re:Grain of Salt (Score:4, Funny)
Bahrain is a small island about ten miles wide and twenty miles long. It is long known as an important trading center in the Gulf where fundamentalists don't impose arbitrary social restrictions on international business.
The idea that a space shuttle could fall from the sky and land here undamaged as opposed to any point in the millions of square miles of ocean on the Earth's surface is absurd. Suppose the navigational on-board computer was damaged and it missed landing in the Soviet Union. It still would have gone into the ocean or broken up.
Maybe someone bought it under the table and then was told that it was going to be used to create an international incident, so they towed it out to the desert where it would be found and assumed that it had fallen from the sky.
Maybe some enterprising Russians sold it to someone with a lot of money (hmmm, anyone like that in Bahrain?) and convinced them that they could use it to begin an Islamic space program. Then they towed it out to the desert before anyone found out how gullible and backward they were (or how much money they got taken for).
oh my god. (Score:5, Funny)
yeah, then you could go watch spongebob in your footie-pajamas, and drink hi-c from your sippie-cup!
actually, that sounds kind of fun.
Re:Cover up (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Funny... (Score:2, Funny)
Kinda weird since there was only one An-225 ever built... should be the An-225 I think.
Re:seriously (Score:3, Funny)
If you look carefully at the photo, you can see that the wheels have been taken and that the shuttle is actually up on small piles of bricks.
Also the hood ornament's been torn off and the driver's side window smashed to take at the radio (which since a small shunt in the late 80s has been able to pick up AM anyway, so that's not too much of a loss).
Summary of the cockpit dialogue that day (Score:5, Funny)
Slava: Zutroy, what is red light?
Zutroy: Red light is bad.
Slava: Was it last vector?
Zutroy: Last vector, yes. Last vector is bad.
Slava: Light is bad, vector is bad, what is good?
Zutroy: Chance of hit desert is good.
Slava: Pass the Stolchinaya.
Zutroy: Yes, Stochinaya also good.
Global domination plot.. (Score:2, Funny)
Re:How can I? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:How did I get here? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:It was stolen (Score:3, Funny)
It was also reported (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Funny... (Score:5, Funny)
Just to continue the funny discussions.
The size of the US Space Shuttle was actually determined by the limitations imposed by the Solid Rocket Boosters. --> The size of the SRB's was determined by the fact that the plant which made them was in Utah and there was a Rail Road tunnel in the way to the cape. --> The size of the tunnel was determined by the construction of the Transcontinental Rail Road in the 1860's and by the width of a Standard Gage Train Track. --> The width of a train track owes its history to the width of a standard mine cart or wagon from the old English days. --> The width of the wagon from old English days was determined by the width of the ruts in the old English roads from antiquity. --> The width of the ruts in old English roads was determined by the width of a Roman Chariot which by no coincidence was determined by the width of the two horses that pulled the chariots.
So the Roman Standards for War Chariots determined by the width of two horses rumps was a determining factor in the NASA and Russian Space Shuttles dimensions. The reason the Russion one was larger even by increments was it was intended to be bigger.
Warning to programmers. What you do today may have some considerable unforseen influence on the future. Thy not to limit them too much!
In other news... (Score:2, Funny)
WTF...? (Score:3, Funny)
This is exactly what happened when americans elected Bush to be president... blah blah...
That's some baaaaad-ass acid you've been hittin' dude. I'm curious though...what are your thoughts on the Apollo missions?
Re:Funny... (Score:5, Funny)
Then why do we get so upset when we catch them drinking?
Re:Funny... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Looks like it's made of Legos. (Score:3, Funny)