Editing Soviet Union (section)

=== Space program ===
{{Main|Soviet space program|Nedelin catastrophe}}
[[File:RIAN archive 159271 Nikita Khrushchev, Valentina Tereshkova, Pavel Popovich and Yury Gagarin at Lenin Mausoleum.jpg|thumb|left|From left to right: [[Yuri Gagarin]], [[Pavel Popovich]], [[Valentina Tereshkova]] and [[Nikita Khrushchev]] at the [[Lenin's Mausoleum]] in 1963]]
[[File:Soyuz rocket ASTP.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Soyuz (rocket family)|Soyuz]] rocket at the [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]]]]
At the end of the 1950s, the USSR constructed the first [[satellite]]—[[Sputnik 1]], which marked the beginning of the [[Space Race]]—a competition to achieve superior spaceflight capability with the United States.<ref>{{cite web |date=27 November 2021 |title=Sputnik |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/astronomy-and-space-exploration/space-exploration/sputnik |url-status=live |website=Encyclopedia |access-date=27 November 2021 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127121715/https://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/astronomy-and-space-exploration/space-exploration/sputnik}}</ref> This was followed by other successful satellites, most notably [[Sputnik 5]], where test dogs were sent to space. On 12 April 1961, the USSR launched [[Vostok 1]], which carried [[Yuri Gagarin]], making him the first human to ever be launched into space and complete a space journey.<ref>{{cite web |date=27 November 2021 |title=Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-man-in-space |url-status=live |website=History.com |access-date=27 November 2021 |archive-date=23 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123163507/https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-man-in-space}}</ref> The first plans for [[spaceplane|space shuttle]]s and orbital stations were drawn up in Soviet design offices, but personal disputes between designers and management prevented their development.

In terms of the [[Luna program]], the USSR only had automated spacecraft launches with no crewed spacecraft, passing on the 'Moon' part of [[Space Race]], which was [[Apollo 11|won by the Americans]]. The Soviet public's reaction to the American moon-landing was mixed. The Soviet government limited the release of information about it, which affected the reaction. A portion of the populace did not give it attention, and another portion was angered.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/apollo-moon-khrushchev/ |title=The Moon Landing through Soviet Eyes: A Q&A with Sergei Khrushchev, son of former premier Nikita Khrushchev |magazine=Scientific American |date=16 July 2009 |access-date=7 January 2019 |last1=Das |first1=Saswato R. |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225085952/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/apollo-moon-khrushchev/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=27 November 2021 |title=The Soviet Manned Lunar Program |url=https://spp.fas.org/eprint/lindroos_moon1.htm |url-status=live |website=e-Prints |access-date=27 November 2021 |archive-date=23 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223163134/https://spp.fas.org/eprint/lindroos_moon1.htm}}</ref>

In the 1970s, specific proposals for the design of a space shuttle emerged, but shortcomings, especially in the electronics industry (rapid overheating of electronics), postponed it till the end of the 1980s. The first shuttle, the [[Buran (spacecraft)|Buran]], flew in 1988, but without a human crew. Another, ''[[Ptichka]]'', endured prolonged construction and was canceled in 1991. For their launch into space, there is today an unused superpower rocket, [[Energia (rocket)|Energia]], which is the most powerful in the world.<ref>{{cite web |date=27 November 2021 |title=Energia, Soviet Launch Vehicle |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/Energia-Soviet-launch-vehicle |url-status=live |website=Britannica |access-date=27 November 2021 |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127121714/https://www.britannica.com/technology/Energia-Soviet-launch-vehicle}}</ref>

In the late 1980s, the Soviet Union built the ''[[Mir]]'' orbital station. It was built on the construction of [[Salyut programme|''Salyut'' stations]] and its only role was civilian-grade research tasks.<ref name="Harland-2020" /><ref>{{cite wikisource |title=NASA FACTS/Russian Space Stations |publisher=NASA |date=January 1997 |id=IS-1997-06-004JSC}}</ref> Mir was the only orbital station in operation from 1986 to 1998. Gradually, other modules were added to it, including American modules. However, the station deteriorated rapidly after a fire on board, so in 2001 it was decided to bring it into the atmosphere where it burned down.<ref name="Harland-2020">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Mir |last=Harland |first=David M. |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |date=28 January 2020 |access-date=22 January 2021 |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mir-Soviet-Russian-space-station |archive-date=1 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201090705/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mir-Soviet-Russian-space-station |url-status=live}}</ref>