ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Salyut programme

The Salyut programme was a really cool thing that happened in space a long time ago, back when your parents were probably not even born yet! It was a series of space stations that were sent up into space by the Soviet Union, which is a country that was around at that time.

The space stations were like big houses that people could live and work in while they were up in space. The first space station, called Salyut 1, was sent up in 1971. It was a big deal because it was the very first time people had ever lived in space for more than just a few hours.

After Salyut 1, there were a bunch of other space stations that were sent up, like Salyut 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Each one was bigger and better than the last, and they were all designed to be used for different things.

For example, Salyut 6 was used to do experiments in space, like growing plants and studying how the human body reacts to being weightless. Salyut 7 was used to do things like repair satellites that were broken and needed fixing.

The Salyut programme was really important because it helped us learn a lot about what it's like to live and work in space. It eventually led to other missions, like the International Space Station, which is up there right now and is even bigger and better than any of the Salyut space stations were!