The Buran Story (short video)

[video=youtube;CwLx4L5NRU0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwLx4L5NRU0[/video]

Wait, wasn't the X-15 the first re-usable spacecraft? The shuttle was the first re-usable "orbital" spacecraft.......what defines a spacecraft?

The X-15 technically wasn't a "reusable" spacecraft until one of the pilots hit 70 miles altitude with it. But yes it was designed for that use. Actually if they had stood it on it's tail it might have hit 100 miles altitude but then it would burn up on
re-entry. The iconel-X alloy was designed to be a heatsink and pilots doing speed runs reported the thing would "pop" and make banging noises with the expansion of the metal body parts.
Pete Knight hit Mach 6.72 with extra tanks and an ablative coating but unfortunately there was burn through on the underside that happened towards the end of the flight and he landed uneventfully unbeknownst to him that it was a near disaster.
Joe Engle was the only person to pilot both of the reusable "aerospaceplanes" that the U.S. ever had, the X-15 and the Space Shuttle. Kurt

X-15 had two flights over 100 km in altitude—which was previously achieved during Flight 90 a month earlier. Flight 91 was the first flight of a reused spacecraft, as plane number three flew the previous sub-orbital flight on July 19. FAI considers space 62 miles or 100km at the karman line. I'm not sure where the 70 miles comes from. From what i understand they optimized the altitude on the high flights and that heating was primarily a concern with the low atitude high speed runs they did which maximized heating. Back on subject, I prefer the buran design to our shuttle for a couple of reasons.