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In 1976 the Soviet Union decided to begin a Space Shuttle Program to match the
one begun in the United States. Construction of the Buran Shuttle began in 1980
and the first one was complete in 1984. Many aerodynamic tests were conducted of
the first Buran Shuttle. After 24 aerodynamic tests the shuttle was no longer
fit for flight. On November 15,1988 Buran did complete an unmanned orbital
flight with 2 orbits of the earth.
 After the successful
orbital flight, funding was cut for the Russian shuttle program. Official
termination of the program did not occur until 1993, however, most work ended
long before that time. Two other shuttles were already under construction but
neither was delivered. The decision was made to utilize the rugged technology of
the Soyuz spacecraft to support Russian space endeavors.
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