Word: salyut
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...Salyut runs into trouble, but Columbia seems in no better shape...
...extraterrestrial ambitions have been declared more often by the U.S.S.R. than that of establishing permanent bases in space. In pursuit of this cosmic goal, the Soviets have launched a series of Salyut spacecraft that have been occupied by cosmonauts for periods of half a year or more. Now this program, often advertised by the Kremlin as a steppingstone to the stars, has suffered a serious setback. Last week Soviet officials acknowledged that the latest orbital station, Salyut 7, had experienced problems, though they vigorously denied British reports that the two cosmonauts were in danger of being marooned in space...
...cylindrical Salyut 7 was launched in April 1982. Its present occupants, Cosmonauts Alexander Alexandrov and Vladimir Lyakhov, rocketed aloft to go aboard last June. On Sept. 9, according to Western intelligence sources, the ship developed a leak in its propellant system that disabled half of its steering jets. Aviation Week & Space Technology quoted one U.S. space official as saying, "Salyut 7 is essentially dead in the water." Eighteen days later a Soyuz ferry ship loaded with a fresh crew and additional supplies exploded on the launch pad. The two cosmonauts escaped certain death by lifting off from the flaming launch...
Belatedly acknowledging the mishap after it had been reported by Western intelligence sources, Soviet officials nonetheless insisted that the failure of the resupply effort in no way endangered the Salyut 7 cosmonauts. As if to prove the point, Moscow television last week showed Alexandrov and Lyakhov bantering with mission controllers. Still, after three months in orbit, the cosmonauts need fresh supplies of food, oxygen and fuel. To provide those materials, the Soviets last week launched an unmanned Progress 18 space "freighter" that was expected to dock with Salyut...
Since 1971, when the first Soyuz-Salyut hookup took place, about 30 flights have been launched. Over the years the space stations have set several impressive records, including the longest stint in orbit (211 days in 1982). Salyut 7, launched with great fanfare in April 1982, is the most sophisticated so far; weighing some 40 tons and outfitted with three docking ports, the beetle-shaped craft is designed to serve eventually as the core of a much larger complex. Two members of last week's hapless team, Vladimir Titov and Gunady Strakalov, were forced to return to earth after...