Part 2/8:
The creation of the ISS is entwined with the significant geo-political shifts of the late 20th century, particularly the end of the Cold War. The dream of space station collaboration was born amidst a time when world peace seemed achievable, marking the hopeful cooperation between the two former rivals: the United States and Russia.
Initially, the space station landscape was marked by the Soviet Union's Mir, which allowed astronauts to live and work in space for extensive periods. Meanwhile, the American space endeavors were characterized by the Space Shuttle, a remarkable vehicle with no permanent home in orbit. The plan for a U.S.-led Freedom Space Station faltered in the late 1980s, coinciding with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent shift in global dynamics.