The event called on the attendees from ORPE Technologiya, All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Aviation Materials, the Gromov Flight Research Institute and the Bauman Moscow State Technical University. The presented reports esteemed the role and significance of the Energia-Buran project in creation of revolutionary non-metallic materials and break-through technologies for aircraft and space-rocket engineering.
More than 1 million of specialists in 1286 national largest R&D centers, 86 ministries and departments were involved in the unique project, in terms of its magnitude. The space industry got invaluable experience from the orbiter creation. A great deal of innovations and technical decisions that are still in use in domestic and foreign space-rocket engineering have been embodied in Buran. In the course of work on the Energia-Buran project, over 600 advanced technologies and 80 new materials were developed.
“Even 30 years after, the scope of cooperation, the level of execution of the assigned tasks and amount of ideas embodied in real products remain amazing. The experience gained from this project can be redefined on and on, it is a standard of management and efficiency. The project participation laid the groundwork for us and defined prospects for our further development”, stated Aleksei Budykin, First Deputy General Director of ORPE Technologiya in the welcome speech.
In 1977, Technologiya was faced with the challenge to develop thermostable radiation-resistant optical glass for cockpit windows, orbiter heat shielding, composite payload bay doors, thin-wall leakproof ducting for air conditioning system, thermal- shock resistant light filters for navigation lights and high-temperature seals. The team has admirably met the challenge. Indirect estimate of accomplished work was 31 inventor’s certificates relating to the development of materials, technologies and structures for Buran. The total weight of non-metallic items developed and made by Technologiya for the Buran orbiter that took the flight made up 10 tons, i.e. 10% of the orbiter total weight.
The seminar concluded with a plant tour. The visitors could see the products of Technologiya made from non-metallic materials for the Energia-Buran reusable space system as well as some present-day developments: empennage parts of MC-21 airliner, composite nose-cone shells of the Proton-M launcher and 12-meter long carbon-fiber composite spar of the T-500 aircraft.
