JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia, an Early Space Pioneer, Never Regained Its Lead; The U.S. leapfrogged the Soviet Union by landing a man on the moon 50 years ago this month, and kept its place ever since” – Wall Street Journal/ Ann M. Simmons

“Russians still brim with pride over being the first nation to send a human into space.  Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin … circling the Earth in 1961[] remains a national hero whose story is taught to Russian schoolchildren. But ever since the U.S. leapfrogged the Soviet Union by landing a man on the moon 50 years ago this month, Russia has never regained its early lead. In recent years, launch malfunctions, construction accidents, corruption scandals and a dearth of expertise have compounded what observers say is a deepening crisis in Russia’s space industry. … Still, space has remained one of the few areas where cooperation between Russia and the U.S. hasn’t collapsed amid tensions over issues such as … Ukraine and Syria and allegations … [regarding] the 2016 U.S. presidential election. …”

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