The Almaz (Алмаз - "Diamond") program was a series of military space stations launched by the Soviet Union under cover of the Salyut program. Three Almaz stations were launched; Salyut 2, Salyut 3 and Salyut 5. Salyut 2 failed shortly after achieving orbit, but Salyut 3 and 5 both conducted successful manned testing. Following Salyut 5 the Soviet Military judged that the time consumed by station maintenance outweighed the benefits. A space station is an artificial structure designed for humans to live on in outer space. ... The Salyut (Russian: Салют, Salute or Firework) program was a series of space stations launched by the Soviet Union in the 1970s. ... Salyut 2 was launched April 4, 1973. ... Salyut 3 was launched on June 25, 1974. ... Salyut 5 was launched on June 22, 1976 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Proton 8K82K rocket. ...

Almaz was promoted by Vladimir Chelomei as a response to the USAF's Manned Orbiting Laboratory project. In its original configuration Almaz and MOL were very similar, with the station being launched on a Proton rocket with a two man crew who would return to earth after a month of military observation in a descent capsule. Following the delays to the Soyuz project, Almaz also assumed the role of intercepting military satellites. Once launched Almaz would be resupplied by the TKS module that also used Chelomei's Proton booster. Vladimir Nikolayevich Chelomei (Влади́мир Никола́евич Челоме́й) (June 30, 1914—December 8, 1984) was a Soviet mechanics scientist and rocket engineer. ... Seal of the Air Force. ... Manned Orbiting Laboratory early 1960 conceptual drawing that did not use the Gemini spacecraft. ... The Soyuz human spaceflight programme was initiated in the early 1960s as part of the Luna programme that was intended to put a Soviet cosmonaut on the Moon. ...

In addition to reconnaisance equipment, the Almaz had an on-board 23mm Nudelmann aircraft cannon (other sources say it was a Nudelmann NR-30 30mm gun). Salyut 3 conducted a successful test firing on a target satellite. The Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 was a Soviet cannon widely used in military aircraft of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact. ... The Nudelman-Rikhter NR-30 was a Soviet cannon widely used in military aircraft of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact. ... Salyut 3 was launched on June 25, 1974. ...

Following the cancellation of the manned Almaz program, leftover Almaz spaceframes flew, a decade later, as unmanned radar satellites. The TKS module formed the basis of modules attached to the Mir space station and components of the ISS. Mir (Мир, which can mean both world and peace in Russian) was a highly successful Soviet (and later Russian) space station. ... ISS is an abbreviation, acronym, or initialism that may refer to: The Professor Harry Messel International Science School International Service System (previously International Sanitary Systems, among other names), a Danish cleaning services company. ...

External links

The Almaz Space Station Program