On this day in space! Aug. 8, 1977: Soviet Union's Salyut 5 reconnaissance space station burns up in Earth's atmosphere

The Soviet Union's Salyut 5 reconnaissance station came to an end forty-nine years ago today, burning up in Earth's atmosphere. According to Space.com, the military spacecraft launched in June nineteen seventy-six as part of the secretive Almaz program, designed for space-based reconnaissance. The station hosted three crewed missions, though four were originally planned—the first returned early due to contamination, and a second failed to dock. By mid-nineteen seventy-seven, Salyut 5 had depleted its propellant reserves and could not be refueled, forcing mission planners to deorbit it. On August eighth, nineteen seventy-seven, the station burned up, marking the end of the Almaz military reconnaissance era.

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