In April 1971 the Russians launched into orbit the first long-stay manned spacecraft, or space station. Named Salyut (meaning 'Salute'), it was the first of seven space stations of the same name and much the same design. Essentially, it consisted of three cylinders of different diameters, joined end to end. It carried solar-cell arrays to generate power, and had a single docking port, for linking up with Soyuz spacecraft, which ferried cosmonauts up to it. The first manned visit to Salyut 1 set a new space duration record when the three cosmonauts remained in the space station for three weeks. But triumph turned to tragedy when the cosmonauts were killed when returning to Earth. The Russians had little real success with following Salyuts until they launched Salyut 6 in 1977. It was better equipped than the earlier ones, and it had a docking port at each end. The reason for this soon became evident.
In January 1978 an unmanned Progress spacecraft docked automatically with Salyut 6 at one port, while the crew's Soyuz ferry was docked at the other.
Since that time, Progress ferries have visited the Russian space stations regularly, carrying mail, fresh supplies, rocket propellants, and other equipment. They have held the key to the increasingly long periods Russian cosmonauts remained in space in Salyut 6: 140 days in 1978 and 185 days in 1980. In 1982 Salyut 6 was abandoned after the launch of Salyut 7, which built on past success. In 1984 cosmonauts extended the space-duration record to 237 days, nearly eight months. Two years later the Russians launched a second-generation space station, Mir. The first crew to visit the new station, also flew over for a final visit to Salyut 7 in May 1986. This last Salyut finally succumbed to Earth's gravity and burned up in the atmosphere in February 1991.
