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Comment by gnull | Hacker News Reader

What a mess. Is the hangar on the first photos abandoned? Can anyone freely get inside?

(Beautiful photos!)

There are a multitude of abandoned structures (including the tall building next to this one, with a life size mockup of Russia's heavy lift rocket).

It's not legal, but if you're willing make the 35km hike in, it's not highly protected either (at least for the abandoned structures - I wouldn't go near the active launch structures).

With that said, you can also take legal (albeit expensive) tours, which look quite fascinating as well - staying in the Sputnik hotel, seeing the Gagarin launch pad, etc

Not the most technical of narrations of the Buran but it details the trek which they make mid-winter at night to avoid patrols https://youtu.be/5HebeCZwo08

Similar for my trip, the Kazak winter has certain advantages, but also increases logistic difficulties (-30°C.. everything freezes..), and you have to be completely autonomous. We were severely limited by water, and the continuous juggle to rotate water and gas canisters inside your jackets to keep everything liquid as possible.

Likewise winter also means you have to work extra hard to cover tracks etc..

I've witnessed firsthand the launch of forth ISS expedition on April 2004. Wanted to see the launch directly with eyes, so the video was shot without aiming :) .

Regarding Baykonur infrastructure - it's similar, in a sense of relation to a high achievement, to the Voyager restaurant in Mojave, California. Similar feelings.

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