The Soviet Union released the first photos of its secret space shuttle Thursday in a move that appeared timed to steal some of the thunder from the launch of Discovery. Photos of the Soviet craft, which looks just like the American shuttle, moved on the wires of the official Tass news agency at about the time the Discovery was scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral. Along with the photos of the Soviet craft, the agency transmitted a brief dispatch on the American launch. The Soviet shuttle previously was not shown to the Soviet or foreign public, although some Western reconnaissance photographs of the craft or mockup versions have been taken. The Tass photos showed the Soviet spacecraft against a twilight sky, with its black-tipped white wings and fuselage. The letters ``CCCP'' _ Russian for U.S.S.R. _ were written in red on one wing. State-run Soviet television did not broadcast the Discovery launch live, but showed only a film clip of the American craft sitting on the launch pad in darkness. An announcer read a report on the blastoff during a regularly scheduled newscast a few minutes later. The evening television news program Vremya, which is watched by millions of Soviets, showed still pictures of the Soviet shuttle as its third item and said that ground tests of its equipment were continuing. It showed film of the Discovery launch about 20 minutes later. Radio Moscow's international newscast also juxtaposed reports about the U.S. takeoff with updates on the Soviet space station Mir _ meaning both Earth and Peace _ with three cosmonauts aboard. Despite repeated comments by Soviet officials that their shuttle has a distinct design and capabilities, the Tass photographs indicated it was quite similar to the American version. The Soviet shuttle, under development since at least 1982, has delta-shaped wings like its American counterpart, and is mated to its booster rocket, the Energia, in a similar way as the American craft. Mir was pictured in front of the huge Energia booster, which can carry payloads of up to 100 tons _ much more than the American shuttle. In the photos, the booster and shuttle stood upright on tarmac, apparently at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Soviet Central Asia, but it was not clear if it was stationed at a launchpad. Soviet officials have said their shuttle will be launched by the end of 1988, but have not given an exact date. They have acknowledged technical problems are causing delays. They also point to the Jan. 28, 1986, explosion of the U.S. shuttle Challenger, which caused a 2{-year suspension in the U.S. manned space program, as an example of the hazards they are trying to prevent. The Soviet shuttle's first flight is to be unmanned. The Energia booster has been tested once, on May 15, 1987, when it successfully carried aloft a dummy spacecraft. Soviet program also has had difficulties this month. Soviet officials said they have lost radio contact with one of two Mars probes launched in July. In addition, the re-entry to Earth of a Soviet and an Afghan cosmonaut aboard a space capsule that docked with Mir nearly failed because of equipment problems and human error. The Soviets' main goal has been to maintain a continuous manned presence in space. Cosmonaut crews have been aboard the orbiting space station Mir without a break since February 1987. Yuri Romanenko set a space endurance record last year by staying in space 326 days, and officials have said they expect the two cosmonauts currently aboard the craft to break Romanenko's record.
