Editing Soviet space program (section)

== Salyut space station ==
[[File:Salyut-4 diagram.gif|thumb|Salyut 4 orbital station]]
The [[Salyut programme]] was a series of missions which established the first earth orbit Space station.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2021-04-19 |title=50 Years Ago: Launch of Salyut, the World's First Space Station - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/50-years-ago-launch-of-salyut-the-worlds-first-space-station/ |access-date=2024-11-19 |language=en-US}}</ref> "Salyut" meaning "Salute" translated.
[[File:Salyut-7kosmos1686mayakT-15.jpg|thumb|Salyut-7 station diagram]]
Initially, the ''Salyut'' stations served as research laboratories in orbit. [[Salyut 1]], the first in the series, launched in 1971, was primarily a civilian scientific mission. The crew set a then record-setting 24-day mission though its tragic end due to the death of the ''Soyuz-11'' crew after a docking accident underscored the high risks of human spaceflight.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Salyut 1 |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1971-032A |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref> Following this, the Soviet Union also developed [[Salyut 2]] and [[Salyut 3]], which featured reconnaissance capabilities and carried a [[Salyut 3#On-board gun|large gun]],<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Russia's early space stations (1969-1985) |url=https://russianspaceweb.com/spacecraft_manned_salyut.html |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=russianspaceweb.com}}</ref> both ran into significant issues during their missions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Salyut 2 |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1973-017A |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Salyut-3 (OPS-2) space station |url=https://www.russianspaceweb.com/almaz_ops2.html |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=www.russianspaceweb.com}}</ref> This dual use design of both scientific and military research applications demonstrated the Soviet Union's strategy of blending scientific achievement with defense applications.
[[File:The Soviet Union 1978 CPA 4881 stamp (Soviet-East German Space Flight. Space photograph of Pamir Mountains, Salyut 6, Soyuz 29 and 31 complex and spectrum).jpg|left|thumb|205x205px|A Soviet stamp from 1978 with the [[East Germany|East German]] flag showing Salyut]]
[[File:Model of Salyut-7 with two Soyuz spacecrafts.JPEG|thumb|Model of Salyut-7 with a Soyuz spacecraft docked]]
As the ''Salyut'' program progressed, later missions like [[Salyut 6]] and [[Salyut 7]] improved upon earlier designs by allowing long-duration crewed missions and more complex experiments. These stations, with their expanded crew capacity and amenities for long term stay, carrying electric stoves, a refrigerator, and constant hot water.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Salyut 7 |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1982-033A |website=nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov}}</ref> The ''Salyut'' series effectively paved the way for future Soviet and later Russian space stations, including the [[Mir]] space station, which would become a significant part in the history of long-term space exploration.

The longest stay, aboard Salyut 7, was 237 days.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-15 |title=The First Space Stations |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/first-space-stations |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=airandspace.si.edu |language=en}}</ref>