Thanks Chris !!!! .... I didn't realize they had advanced that far in their shuttle program ... one thing we have to give the Soviets credit for was (is) their space programs.
Notice there are a lot of similarities to the NASA Shuttles ... but it was not by copying what the USA did. There is an interesting story from the heights of the cold war ... American intelligence was pulling their hairs out thinking they had Soviet spies embedded in the USA aerospace industry because the Russians were "Copying" their designs.
Until an engineer pointed out that the Soviets are subject to the same laws of aerodynamics as the USA and it is only natural the aircraft would turn out very similar ... no spies required.
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