In our time line (the one where Sky Net is NOT blasting humanity to dust) we also have another auspicious space first. April 19, 1971 the Soviets put the first working space station into orbit.
Built out of parts from other spacecraft, Salyut 1 was far less successful than say NASA's less than sterling offering Skylab.
The first crew could not dock because of a failure in the docking collar. The crew if Soyuz 11 spent three weeks aboard Salyut 1, only to be killed on re-entry due to a failure of a pressure seal. Salut 1's controllers fired it's retro-rockets Oct. 11, 1971 and the craft disintegrated over the Pacific ocean a short time later.
Web Page on Salut 1
WIKI for Salut 1
Built out of parts from other spacecraft, Salyut 1 was far less successful than say NASA's less than sterling offering Skylab.
The first crew could not dock because of a failure in the docking collar. The crew if Soyuz 11 spent three weeks aboard Salyut 1, only to be killed on re-entry due to a failure of a pressure seal. Salut 1's controllers fired it's retro-rockets Oct. 11, 1971 and the craft disintegrated over the Pacific ocean a short time later.
Web Page on Salut 1
WIKI for Salut 1
