razgriz31m wrote on Feb 7^th, 2008 at 1:51pm:

but the Buran is better, match it w/ the Baikonur scenery and that would be historic

The Buran is better?  Yeah, if you like amusement park rides.   I believe what's left of the Buran is scattered in parts, all over Russia, in kids' playing grounds, with weeds growing around it.

Birdie flew once, unmanned.  Never carried any cargo.  Never carried any cosmonauts.  Never did anything important.  It was an UTTER FAILURE:  A collossal waste of energy, manpower, and public funds.  

But Buran never crashed or blew up, you say.   Ok, I'll give you that.  But 1 out of 1 isn't bragging material.

The Concorde had the best flying record, over 20 years worth... until the Air France incident.  Then Concorde went from first to worst, because it had so few flights under its belt compared to other airliners.

The B777 had the best flying record until the British Airway crash in January.  

Now I guess the A380 has the best flying record.   But God Forbid if an A380 ever crashes, I don't think the passengers will be so lucky as they were in that B777 (no deaths, just minor injuries an collapsed landing gear).

What makes best?   Based on number of flights, longitivity, and number of planes flying, the B737 is the most succussful airliner of all time.   Is it the best?   That depends on how you define best.

Is the Buran the best space shuttle?   I can't fathom how.