Author
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Topic: Vostok 1: 108 minutes that changed the world
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spaceuk Member Posts: 2113 From: Staffs, UK Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 05-01-2006 08:34 AM
This article was released by RIA (news agency) Novosti political commentator Andrei Kislyakov. On April 12, 1961, all ears were turned to radios as Union Radio director Yuri Levitan, in his famous voice that became a symbol of Soviet victories, said: "the Soviet Union has orbited Earth's ever-first satellite vehicle, the Vostok, with a man onboard. The Vostok is piloted by Major Yury Alekseyevich Gagarin, a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics."Thus TASS, the official Soviet news agency, announced forty-five years ago what even today, in an era when space flights are treated as something useful and necessary but no longer fascinating, still sends powerful echoes throughout Earth's space history... It's an interesting viewpoint of events prior to Gagarin's 108-minute flight in April 1961 and, if you have time (takes about 5-10 minute read) is worth reading. |
kyra Member Posts: 583 From: Louisville CO US Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 05-02-2006 10:15 PM
There are a few points I have not heard before: - The orbit was 50 miles higher than planned;
- The reserves were one week (all other sources say 10 days); and
- The landing mode lie caused major ripples for everything the Soviets said for years afterward.
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music_space Member Posts: 1179 From: Canada Registered: Jul 2001
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posted 04-12-2010 11:16 PM
quote: Originally posted by kyra: The landing mode lie caused major ripples for everything the Soviets said for years afterward.
From the Smithsonian's AirSpace blog, the article "Gagarin Remains the First Man in Space, Even Though He Did Not Land Inside His Spacecraft," by Cathleen S. Lewis, curator of international space programs and spacesuits at the National Air and Space Museum. Every year as the anniversary of the first human spaceflight approaches, I receive calls inquiring about the validity of Yuri Gagarin’s claim as the first human in space. The legitimate questions focus on the fact that Gagarin did not land inside his spacecraft. The reasoning goes that since he did not land inside his spacecraft, he disqualified himself from the record books. This might seem to be a very reasonable argument, but Gagarin remains the first man in space. The justification for Gagarin remaining in that position lies in the organization that sets the standards for flight... |
cspg Member Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
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posted 04-12-2010 11:52 PM
This argument is silly. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-13-2010 12:12 AM
Forty-nine years later, yes it is... but at the time, it clearly was not silly to the Soviets, who clearly desired the FAI record. |
ColinBurgess Member Posts: 2031 From: Sydney, Australia Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 04-13-2010 02:35 AM
Amazing to think that if Gagarin had somehow survived until today he would only be 76 years old. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 04-13-2010 02:42 AM
When I was preparing for the brief talk/toast I gave on Yuri's Night this past Sunday, I was struck by the reminder that I am now the same age as Gagarin was when he died... |