(Above) In the mid-1980s, Moscow announced plans to have a large, permanently manned space station orbiting the Earth in the 1990s. They launched MIR, the core vehicle of a modular space station, in February 1986. The Soviets planned to use a space shuttle orbiter, then in development called Buran, to carry payloads and assist in the assembly of the space station.

This painting was done by Brian W. McMullin for the US Defense Intelligence Agency.

A view of Space Shuttle Atlantis departing the Russian Mir Space Station. This image was taken during the STS-71 mission by cosmonauts aboard their Soyuz TM transport vehicle.