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Chronology:November 1976-May 1977
November 1976
The Voyager spacecraft are transported to Kennedy Space Center. Development of the Energia-Buran system begins.

December 1976
Salyut 6 arrives at Baikonur:launch is anticipated for next September. NPO Energia announces its intent to internationalize the Mosche program by 1988:first launch is anticipated for 1985. China places two Shi Jian space balloons in geostationary orbit with the first Long March 2B rocket,a sign that China is in space exploration for the long run.

January 1977
Enterprise's first ALT captive-carry tests.

February 1977
Soyuz 24,last mission to Salyut 5, which is deorbited in May (Zudov, Rostdezvensky).

March 1977
The first ever Ariane is rolled out at the Paris Air Show.

April 1977
Conversion of the MSFC Skylab trainer to the Interim Space Station begins. Launch is now targeted for the beginning of 1985. NASA Administrator James Fletcher tours Western Europe speaking about the benefits of NASA/ESA cooperation.

May 22,1977
The first Star Wars film premieres in the US (Philadelphia,New York,Boston,Albany,Baltimore,Washington DC).

The rest of May 1977
The Intercosmos 8 satellite carries Japan's first real space science payload, a materials sciences experiment called Kasumi.

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