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Obviously the USSR and Russia space program is world-class. But they clearly took some cues from NASA*, albeit sometimes due to political pressure. Just look a
by Rebelgecko 5y ago
Obviously the USSR and Russia space program is world-class. But they clearly took some cues from NASA*, albeit sometimes due to political pressure.
Just look at Buran- Brezhnev started the program as a direct response to the US Space Shuttle. The KGB and VPK spent a fortune hoovering up documents about the shuttle, and the resulting vehicle had clear similarities.
*And there have obviously been times where NASA drew on their work
- panick21_ 5y agoYeah but the actual rocket scientists didn't want anything to do with it. They basically said 'clearly this shuttle thing makes no sense what so ever for space flight, the only reason it could exist is to nuke us'. The Russians built their own because politicians wanted to match it. Soviet engineers were clever and put built the rocket in a way where they could use it without the Orbiter and make the system much more useful then the Shuttle ever was. But that was late in the game really, for the most part, in terms of engines the Soviets kicked the US ass.