The Buran spacecraft (Russian 'уран, "Snowstorm" or "Blizzard") was the only fully completed and operational space shuttle vehicle from the Soviet Buran program. This one has completed a spaceflight in 1988 unmanned before they cancelled this shuttle program. For getting transported from landing sites it was piggy-backed on the Antonov An-225 aircraft, which is also a pretty impressive aircraft! I get to see those planes once a while at work. We just had one in again on Monday (7th April). Fantastic planes!!
They produced several shuttles and at least one was modified to fly with jet engines for aerodynamic testing. This one was in Bahrain for several years before it started its world tour in March 2008 to the German Auto & Technik Museum, where it will become the world's first genuine space shuttle to be exhibited in the general public. Now yesterday it was “floating by” my home village on a barge along the river Rhine and stayed overnight in one of Cologne’s harbors. It was pretty impressive and I got a pretty good view. How often do you get to see spacecrafts that close?? Okay it was not fully built up (impossible for transportation - LOL) but still pretty amazing stuff. I have always wanted to go and see the museum now this gives me another good reason to go! If you want to know more about the museum! http://www.technik-museum.de
