The Space Age Begins: 12 April 1961

Various ^ | 10 April 2004 | Various

[B-Chan]

The Space Age began 43 years ago today.

Man's First Flight Into Space: Vostok 1, 12 April 1961. Crew: Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin [1934-1968]

“Three press releases were prepared, one for success, two for failures. It was only known ten minutes after burnout, 25 minutes after launch, if a stable orbit had been achieved.

The payload included life-support equipment and radio and television to relay information on the condition of the pilot. The flight was automated; Gagarin's controls were locked to prevent him from taking control of the ship. A key was available in a sealed envelope in case it became necessary to take control in an emergency. After retrofire, the service module remained attached to the Sharik reentry sphere by a wire bundle. The joined craft went through wild gyrations at the beginning of reentry, before the wires burned through. The Sharik, as it was designed to do, then naturally reached aerodynamic equilibrium with the reentry shield positioned correctly.

Gagarin ejected after reentry and descended under his own parachute, as was planned. However for many years the Soviet Union denied this, because the flight would not have been recognized for various FAI world records unless the pilot had accompanied his craft to a landing. Recovered April 12, 1961 8:05 GMT. Landed Southwest of Engels Smelovka, Saratov.”

THE FIRST MANNED SPACE MISSION

Date: 1961 April 12
Designation: Vostok 1
Flight Crew: Yuri Gagarin
Spacecraft: Vostok 3KA
Payload: Vostok 3KA s/n 3
Mass: 4,725 kg
Nation: USSR
Launch Site: Baikonur
Launch Vehicle: Vostok 8K72K
Duration: 0.075 days
Perigee: 169 km
Apogee: 315 km
Inclination: 65.0 deg
Period: 89.3 min.

The Launch of Vostok 1

[struwwelpeter]

Have you read a Russian Aviation Journals??

I take that as a question and not the usual katsapskiy shovinizm.

I prefer Aviatransportnoe Obozrevanie and Aviapanorama, but the juiciest tidbits are definitely in the dailies.

Of course, here in Antonov country the xoxly think they invented the airplane (as well as the automobile, wheel, fire, etc.) Once the they get into their cups, I swear I'm rebutting Star Trek's Ensign Chekoff. "Air? Air? Why, we Ukrainians invented air to inflate our footballs with!"

And what's with the round footballs, anyway?

[JoeSchem]

Armstrong is the Christopher Columbus of space.

While Armstrong is a decent human being and all that, he is no Christopher Columbus, who moved heaven and earth to launch an expedition to the New World. If anyone in the Space Age is Columbus, it's Werner von Braun. Armstrong is merely the guy in the rowboat who carried the flag.

Since the days of the moon landings, it's been Buzz Aldrin, Armstrong's co-pilot and second man on the Moon, who has been carrying the torch for greater human exploration of the cosmos. Armstrong went back to private life, where he joined a bunch of corporate boards who wanted him for prestige purposes. In so doing, he's made it clear that it was all just a 'mission' to him.

Armstrong was a good pilot, but what the Space Age needed what an evangelist, and he's made it clear he didn't want that particular job.

Next time we spend umpty-squat gigabucks to send someone to another world, the guy/gal who makes the first step needs to be someone who cares passionately about humanity's future in space, and will convey that passion to the next generations.

[RightWhale]

the guy/gal who makes the first step needs to be someone who cares passionately about humanity's future in space, and will convey that passion to the next generations.

P T Barnum

Or Atilla the Hun

[DBrow]

Justin Kare is a good choice.

I agree; we need someone who can communicate the need to get off Terra, who can share the passion.

[Makedonski]

Please accept my apology. You have been reading journals and dailies. Good journals do end up in libraries as reference materials.

By the way stop reading daily newspapers in ANY country.

I swear they are full of s**t. Pure journalism has been thrown out the window and it is replaced by sensationalism. They are writing stories that reading WOULD like to read not informing readers of actual facts.

This is the case in Australia as well. The only pure true stuff in a paper are the sports results. Many times I have noticed the heading pulls the attention while the content is somewhat different.

[lavrenti]

The ground crew had rigged a system that euthenized the dog before she burned up. It was considered more humane.

Unlike what happened to their cosmonauts. I heard that radio intercept of the woman burning up. Plainly one of the worst things I ever heard. Gruesome. If anyone is curious, try a search for "The Lost Cosmonauts." Rather interesting, gripping and ultimately tragic history.

[iva]

JoeSchem
How about Korolev?

B-Chan Koblenz

The fact is that Gagarin was the first. Everything & everybody after that moment is a second time.Humanity will land other planets & satellites (in future). I'm sure Americans will remember their first greate result in space, but the name of Gagarin will be remembered for ages as a first human being in space...