Science: A Space Record for the U.S.S.R.

And another U.S. try to save the faltering Skylab

One day last week, shortly after the sun set over the Kremlin's ancient towers and onion domes, the Soviet Union passed another milestone in space travel. On their 46th day in orbit, Cosmonaut Commander Vladimir Kovalenok and Flight Engineer Alexander Ivanchenkov, who have been circling the earth aboard Salyut 6 since June 17, brought the total time that they and their comrades have logged in space to 22,504 hours. That put the Soviets ahead of the U.S. for the first time since 1965, when American...