Soyuz only crew launch vehicle ISS 2011 2020

Between Shuttle and SpaceX, Soyuz was the sole ISS option

After the Space Shuttle’s final flight in 2011 and before SpaceX’s first crewed mission in 2020, Russian Soyuz rockets were the only launch vehicles capable of carrying astronauts to the International Space Station.

Fusing atoms heavier than iron costs a star energy

Stars release energy by joining light atomic nuclei into heavier ones. But once a massive star reaches iron, joining nuclei into still heavier elements requires energy instead of releasing it. The star can no longer support itself through this kind of fusion.

Aztec homes were relit from one new fire

Every 52 years, the Aztecs held a New Fire Ceremony when their 260-day and 365-day calendars realigned. They believed the fifth sun might end that night, so they put out fires across the realm, drilled a new fire over a sacrificial victim, and carried it to communities to relight homes.

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Soyuz only crew launch vehicle ISS 2011 2020

Between Shuttle and SpaceX, Soyuz was the sole ISS option

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