Gagarin fifty year anniversary

[Jetex_Jim]

Yuri Gagarin, who was military aircrew and thus has a place in this forum, is to be honoured with a statue in London.

First man in space Yuri Gagarin commemorated with London statue 50 years on | Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1369062/First-man-space-Yuri-Gagarin-commemorated-London-statue-50-years-on.html)

Gagarin was the first man to fly in space, (and live to tell about it?)

When Gagarin visited London on his world tour Macmillan said, of the number who turned out to honor the hero of the worker's state, "There would have been more if they had sent the dog."

[dakkg651]

Absolute rubbish!

Dan Dare was visiting other planets long before Gagarin even joined his Air Force.

And moreover, although it was in a far away galaxy, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo were hyperdriving the Millenium Falcon through space a long time ago.

So there!

[Genghis the Engineer]

Hence the two famous sayings (one either side of the Atlantic):

No Bucks, No Buck Rogers
No Dosh, No Dan Dare.

Years ago, working in Russia, I got hold of Gagarin's account of that flight and translated it into English. I'm sorry to say, I can't seem to find a copy of that translation - if I can, I'll post it.

It is worth remembering the massive space achievements of Russia to this day which in all things except for landing on the moon, arguably trumped the much vaunted American efforts.

First satellite, first man in space, first 2-up spaceflight, first space walk, first probe on the moon, ditto Mars, ditto Venus, first space shuttle flight (even if they then axed it), first space station working.... and now they're still providing transport to the ISS. Damned good Aerospace Engineers the Russians.

G

[dakkg651]

Yes but look at all the American firsts.

First to put an ape in space.

First to have a rocket explode on the pad (and second, third and fourth).

First to lose a spacecraft (Grissom's Liberty Bell 7) although they did recover it 39 years later.

First to have a space achievement questioned as a hoax (moon landings).

[Jetex_Jim]

Von Braun, (I aim for the stars, but I sometimes hit London) eventually became a hero in the USA. Why not? he mobilised the entire American aerospace industry, in a project the scale of which was comparable with the Manhattan project, in order to land on the moon. But the Soviets did it a little differently.

Sergei Korolev: the rocket genius behind Yuri Gagarin | Science | The Observer (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/mar/13/yuri-gagarin-first-space-korolev?INTCMP=SRCH)

Von Braun may have built the V2 and later the Saturn V rocket that took Armstrong and Aldrin to the moon, but his achievements were dwarfed by those of Korolev. The chief designer – he was never named in state communiqués because of official disapproval of "the cult of personalities" – developed the first intercontinental missile and then launched the world's first satellite, Sputnik 1. He also put into space the first dog, the first two-man crew, the first woman, the first three-man crew; directed the first walk in space; created the first Soviet spy satellite and communication satellite; built mighty launch vehicles and flew spacecraft towards the moon, Venus and Mars – and all on a shoestring budget.

And while the Apollo systems are now only seen in museums, and the same will soon apply to the Space Shuttle. Yet what is effectively Korolov's R7 rocket is still carrying men to the ISS. Now that IS value for money.

[Proplinerman]

dakkg651: like that list of American space firsts-very droll!