Rocket genius behind Russia’s triumph
Fifty years ago, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Sergei Korolev built the rocket that took him. In doing so, Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to journey into space.
A gifted engineer and designer, Korolev developed the first intercontinental missile and then launched the world’s first satellite, Sputnik 1.
Yuri Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934, in Klushino, in the Smolensk region, 160km west of Moscow. Twenty pilots were selected, but the early version of the Vostok capsule was so cramped, only those under 168cm could get in it. The slightly built Gagarin fitted in nicely.
Then it was announced Gagarin had landed safely. On January 14, 1966, Korolev died, aged 59, during routine surgery.
Yuri Gagarin’s famous flight came perilously close to disaster.
News of Gagarin’s flight swept round the globe. “Man in space!” the London Evening News announced. Next morning’s US headlines included the classic: “Soviets put man in space. Spokesman says US asleep.”
(Via NZ Herald)