Buran (Russian Space Shuttle), c. 1988

The Buran was the Soviet Union’s version of the American Space Shuttle.

Buran had no large main engines of its own and rode into orbit on the powerful Energia rocket. It completed only one spaceflight, an unmanned mission on November 15, 1988, during which it orbited Earth twice and landed automatically.

The program was canceled after the Soviet Union collapsed because it had become too expensive.

The only Buran orbiter that flew was later destroyed in 2002 when the roof of its storage hangar collapsed.