The "Polyus" station launched in 1987 was equipped with orbital insertion engines placed (depending on how it is viewed) at the forward end of the "Skif-DM." This led to the necessary, but fateful, "turn around" maneuver in order to use these engines.
I have seen images of the conceptual "Polyus" station configuration which has a "Buran" docking mechanism at the forward end of the TKS In this configuration, where would the orbital insertion engines be placed?
David Rickman
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