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CNN Sunday Morning

Artifacts From the Russian Space Program Go on Sale

Aired August 12, 2001 - 09:29   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN ANCHOR: OK, space buffs, get our your check books. You've got the chance to buy some hardware from Russia's space history.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: David Waters has all the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lift off of Discover, carrying the third crew of astronauts...

DAVID WATERS, CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS 13 CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just a few miles down the road from where Space Shuttle Discover launched, there is another space shuttle sitting on the ground. Dick Schultz is working on it, but he's not an engineer, he's an auctioneer, and plans to sell a space shuttle.

(on camera): Although this looks like the U.S. space shuttle, it's not. It's part of the Russian equivalent called the Buran program, and what you're looking at is called the BOR-5. It actually flew in space and is now being stored in Merritt Island, just down the road from the Kennedy Space Center, where the U.S. space shuttle launches.

But unlike the U.S. space shuttle, this piece of Russian space history is for sale.

DICK SCHULTZ, BELLING SPACE SHUTTLE: This is really -- it's a kind of thrilling thing to see it and touch it. Touch it, yeah. Realize that this thing has been in outer space and back and you may never ever be able to touch another item like this.

WATERS (voice-over): The Russian Buran, just like the U.S. space shuttle, was a manned reusable space craft, meant to launch payloads into orbit. This BOR-5 is one of a half-dozen smaller versions of the Buran, sent into space to test the design.

SCHULTZ: You can see along here the effects of coming in.

WATERS: This BOR-5 flew in space in June of 1988. At 16 feet long, it's eight-times smaller than the full-sized Russian shuttle. This one was the last test space craft before the full-sized version launched on its first and only flight a few months later. The BOR-5's surface was scarred as it reentered the atmosphere at almost 20 times the speed of sound, some seven-times faster than a speeding bullet.

SCHULTZ: Up here you can see where it just burnt completely away.

WATERS: Now, if you have money to burn, and lots of it, you can own your very own space shuttle. Schultz has put this space craft up for sale on eBay. Starting bid, over half-a-million dollars.

SCHULTZ: And I just hope it goes to somebody that appreciates it. But, of course, at that price, they're going to have to appreciate it.

WATERS: David Waters, CNN, for Vard County, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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