[rlmorel]

As my memory serves me correctly, he was quite broken up about his close friend who was incinerated upon re-entry in those early days, because his friend had been sounding the safety alarm to deaf ears.

I understand they had to handle Gagarin quite carefully after that, since he was quite bitter for such a public figure.

[Regulator]

It was worse then that.

The Nedelin Catastrophe.

[RayChuang88]

You mean the death of Vladimir Komarov, who was killed with the Soyuz 1 flight? Komarov had complained the original Soyuz capsule design was too dangerous, but the engineers ignored him....

[G Larry]

Yes, Gargarin’s plane crash was also a murder.

[DesertRhino]

Well, when he climbed into that Vostok they had launched 24 so far. 12 had exploded. He and our Mercury guys were just brave beyond belief.
The astronauts of today can’t even compare to their cojones.

[Moonman62]

I understand they had to handle Gagarin quite carefully after that, since he was quite bitter for such a public figure.

...

He was very photogenic and personable. The Soviets made great use of him for publicity by sending him on tours. Too bad he died a few years later in a senseless plane crash.

[SunkenCiv]

The guy who burned up knew that Gagarin — already a Red hero — would be sent up if he refused the mission. His last words broadcast from his doomed machine were condemnations of the jackasses who’d insisted it go forward.

[MarMema]

I remember listening to the recording of the incinerated one upon re-entry years ago.