-develops after France sends satellite into orbit

-in 1949, France sends man into orbit in Taranis IV, inaugurating era of space exploration

-also surveillance satellites rising in frequency

-with no crystal valve (Biodes and terodes > ^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 sends a man to the Solar system > Moon in 1980s successfully in grand achievement for American ingenuity

-over the 1940s the French push their wartime rocket program from French Wars > Sixth French War (1937-41) forwards

-program is named after Gaulish god of thunder

-as part of this effort the French government builds a spatiodrome [spaceport]in Macapa

-which is one of the few parts of the French colonial empire that France keeps

-in 1945, France successfully sends a satellite into space

-and it's able to send a message back

-becomes iconic moment in brewing space race

-massive achievement that puts it ahead of the world in the brand-new space race

-includes a stray dog on it

-dies horrifically but data from it proves to be very informative

-dog is iconic and well-remembered

-includes a stray dog who successfully returns home alive

-after success launching a satellite into space it launches tests and pushes towards manned space programs

-in 1949, France successfully sends a man into space

-becomes more important here because of crystal terodes are still far away

-so they need to service space stations

-French space station which opens in 1958

-becomes quite successful despite early failures

-despite fears of zero gravity failing

-serves as both a test site as well as for servicing space stations

-due to thermex valves constantly breaking