3 ms·

When was the last time there were two separately crewed space stations in orbit? At some point during the US-Soviet space race? Pretty cool to think about. Sp

When was the last time there were two separately crewed space stations in orbit? At some point during the US-Soviet space race? Pretty cool to think about. Space is hard, so no matter what I’m always going to applaud efforts to get there.

ecpottinger 4y ago
Yes, a good point.
steve76 4y ago
qbasic_forever 4y ago
Mir and ISS were both up together and crewed for a brief time around 2000/2001 I believe.
- mandevil 4y ago
  Mir and ISS were up at the same time, but not manned at the same time. The last mission to Mir, Soyuz TM-30, came home on June 16, 2000, and Expedition 1 to the ISS launched on November 1st, 2000. The first component of the ISS, the Zarya, was launched in November 1998, and the Mir deorbited March 23, 2001, so for that time there were two stations in space, but never manned at the same time.
mandevil 4y ago
The first time that Soviet and American spacemen were in space at the same time was Skylab SL-4 (space station) and the Soviet Soyuz 13, which never docked with a space station. This was the final flight to Skylab, and that crew left before the follow-on Soyuz 14 docked with Salyut 3, so at no point during the US-Soviet space race were there two separately crewed space stations in orbit. But just as a pedantic note, I really object to calling this China's first space station. The Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 both were just as much a space station as Skylab or a Salyut[1]. The current Tiangong is indeed the first complex, ISS like space-station, of multiple components launched separately, but that's not the same thing as a space station. So I would say that the three previous Chinese flights to Tiangong-1 and -2 (Shenzhou-9, Shenzhou-10, and Shenzhou-11) all should count as the first times that there were two separately crewed space stations in orbit. Obviously, the other station in all three cases was the International Space Station program, which has had people in space continuously since November 1st, 2000 (it is my hope and dream that October 31st of the year 2000 becomes a very important day in human history- that last day that all of humanity was together on the same planet). [1]: Technically two separate programs, the military OPS and the Civilian DOS programs, but both were the same as far as assembly goes: launched in one piece from a heavy lift rocket.
- xnorswap 4y ago
  What I find interesting is that there are no photos of Tiangong-1 or Tiangong-2. There are plenty of renders, but it seems the secretive Chinese Government have not released any photos of either of their stations so far, at least none that I can find in a reasonable time. Definitely a loss for the history books.
- rozab 4y ago
  The pressurised volume of Tiangong-1 and 2 is said to be 15 cubic metres. Contrast to the space shuttle at 74 cubic metres, and Skylab at 350 cubic metres. They're a sixth the size of any space station to have flown previously. Both were also only occupied for about 20 days, not far off the longest space shuttle missions. I think it makes sense to look at them more as orbital testbeds than space stations as such.
bruce511 4y ago
Not space stations, but... >> Apollo–Soyuz was the first crewed international space mission, carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union in July 1975. Millions of people around the world watched on television as a United States Apollo spacecraft docked with a Soviet Soyuz capsule. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz#:~:text=Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz%20was%20the%20first,with%20a%20Soviet%20Soyuz%20capsule https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz#:~:text.... Edit - by comparison, for sibling comment >> Soyuz 13 (Russian: Союз 13, Union 13) was a December, 1973, Soviet crewed space flight https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_13 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_13
walrus01 4y ago
All of the time that Mir was in orbit there was no US/EU space station. Skylab overlapped with the Salyut program in late 70s.

ecpottinger 4y ago

Yes, a good point.

steve76 4y ago

qbasic_forever 4y ago

Mir and ISS were both up together and crewed for a brief time around 2000/2001 I believe.

mandevil 4y ago
Mir and ISS were up at the same time, but not manned at the same time. The last mission to Mir, Soyuz TM-30, came home on June 16, 2000, and Expedition 1 to the ISS launched on November 1st, 2000. The first component of the ISS, the Zarya, was launched in November 1998, and the Mir deorbited March 23, 2001, so for that time there were two stations in space, but never manned at the same time.

mandevil 4y ago

The first time that Soviet and American spacemen were in space at the same time was Skylab SL-4 (space station) and the Soviet Soyuz 13, which never docked with a space station. This was the final flight to Skylab, and that crew left before the follow-on Soyuz 14 docked with Salyut 3, so at no point during the US-Soviet space race were there two separately crewed space stations in orbit. But just as a pedantic note, I really object to calling this China's first space station. The Tiangong-1 and Tiangong-2 both were just as much a space station as Skylab or a Salyut[1]. The current Tiangong is indeed the first complex, ISS like space-station, of multiple components launched separately, but that's not the same thing as a space station. So I would say that the three previous Chinese flights to Tiangong-1 and -2 (Shenzhou-9, Shenzhou-10, and Shenzhou-11) all should count as the first times that there were two separately crewed space stations in orbit. Obviously, the other station in all three cases was the International Space Station program, which has had people in space continuously since November 1st, 2000 (it is my hope and dream that October 31st of the year 2000 becomes a very important day in human history- that last day that all of humanity was together on the same planet). [1]: Technically two separate programs, the military OPS and the Civilian DOS programs, but both were the same as far as assembly goes: launched in one piece from a heavy lift rocket.

xnorswap 4y ago
What I find interesting is that there are no photos of Tiangong-1 or Tiangong-2. There are plenty of renders, but it seems the secretive Chinese Government have not released any photos of either of their stations so far, at least none that I can find in a reasonable time. Definitely a loss for the history books.
rozab 4y ago
The pressurised volume of Tiangong-1 and 2 is said to be 15 cubic metres. Contrast to the space shuttle at 74 cubic metres, and Skylab at 350 cubic metres. They're a sixth the size of any space station to have flown previously. Both were also only occupied for about 20 days, not far off the longest space shuttle missions. I think it makes sense to look at them more as orbital testbeds than space stations as such.

bruce511 4y ago

Not space stations, but... >> Apollo–Soyuz was the first crewed international space mission, carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union in July 1975. Millions of people around the world watched on television as a United States Apollo spacecraft docked with a Soviet Soyuz capsule. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz#:~:text=Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz%20was%20the%20first,with%20a%20Soviet%20Soyuz%20capsule https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo%E2%80%93Soyuz#:~:text.... Edit - by comparison, for sibling comment >> Soyuz 13 (Russian: Союз 13, Union 13) was a December, 1973, Soviet crewed space flight https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_13 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_13

walrus01 4y ago

All of the time that Mir was in orbit there was no US/EU space station. Skylab overlapped with the Salyut program in late 70s.