It really is an amazing piece of human technology. Its first flight was on 21 December 1988 under the Soviet Union and it is still in use today as a commercial cargo plane (Antonov Airlines). It was originally designed to carry the Buran space shuttle and its rocket boosters. It takes a crew of 6 people to fly this plane. Wingspan: 88 meters (290 feet) Length: 84 meters (275 feet)