First NASA Shuttle Flight (Columbia) was 1981.
Yes, the Russian version is somewhat a Copy
Because Buran's debut followed Space Shuttle Columbia's and the visual similarities between the two shuttle systems, during the Cold War many have speculated that espionage played a role in the development of the Soviet shuttle, however we now know that while externally it was an aerodynamic copy of the space shuttle, internally it was all engineered and developed domestically.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buran
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"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death
— Albert Einstein
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