-develops after France sends satellite into orbit (Rocketry > ^31e0fe)
-in 1949, France sends man into orbit in the Grande Hermine, inaugurating era of space exploration
-also surveillance satellites rising in frequency
-with no crystal valve (Analyzers > ^523202) yet, talk of space stations common to repair surveillance satellites and all that, resulting in more frantic pace of manned space flight
-also more deaths
-develops cheap pod akin to Soyuz, and expands it from there
-following successful docking in orbit in 1952, orbital laboratory crewed by 3 people sent up in 1954, and they do satellite repairs, retrieving film (not without deaths)
-series of space stations gets bigger (not without at least 1 catastrophic failure) and joined by others
-space station about to be decommissioned fucks up, and someone on board dies in atmosphere with it
-nevertheless, Y-shaped space station established, with rotation for 0.2 Gs of gravity and room for 24 people in 1964
-following development of crystal valve in 1960s less likely to break, no need for huge risky space crews
-with public aghast at all the deaths France reduces manned spaceflight before microchips make it viable again with much fewer deaths in 70s
-but nevertheless does keep a manned presence in a gradually updated Y-shaped station, with talk of making an O-shaped station never becoming a big thing till much later
-US does moonshot in 1980s successfully in grand achievement for American ingenuity