2nd Soviet Shuttle Being Built

A second Soviet space shuttle is under construction, officials revealed today amid final preparations to launch a shuttle called Buran on the program’s maiden voyage.

Tass press agency referred to the second shuttle as Ptichka, or Birdie, and said its dimensions are similar to Buran, which means snowstorm in English. Soviet journalists, who were invited inside a giant assembly and test building at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Soviet Central Asia, were allowed to view the shuttle, Tass said.