What's amazing is that the R-7 launcher rocket that was designed in the 1950's is still operational today in an updated form as a satellite launcher! The Russians still use it to launch the current generation Soyuz TMA spacecraft that regularly visits the International Space Station. And this launcher rocket will soon operate from ESA's launch site Kourou in French Guiana.
What's amazing is that the R-7 launcher rocket that was designed in the 1950's is still operational today in an updated form as a satellite launcher! The Russians still use it to launch the current generation Soyuz TMA spacecraft that regularly visits the International Space Station. And this launcher rocket will soon operate from ESA's launch site Kourou in French Guiana.Wow....that is indeed astonishing, I hadn't heard that before.
I suppose it may be because during the Cold War, the Soviets were perhaps madly and frantically trying to catch up with us in other areas, and so new R&D for lifting rockets had to be put on the back burner ? Particularly when they already had one that worked, a new model may have been difficult for them to justify to their Kremlin bosses.
Considering that the SR-71 Blackbird was a 1950's vintage design and was only retired from service a few years ago, it makes me wonder what's been going on in those secret aerospace research labs for all this time......