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history meme // war: space race

April 1961
Gagarin reaches space
On April 12, 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin flew into orbit with the Vostok 1 and became the first man in space. The Soviets had once again beaten the Americans by mere weeks. Yet Gagarin’s flight, a driving impetus behind President John F. Kennedy’s May announcement that American astronauts would reach the moon by the end of the decade, was not as flawless as the Soviets claimed. Nearing the end of its orbit, Gagarin’s craft began spinning out of control. During the ensuing 10-minute panic, his commander, who was on the ground, scribbled in his notes phrases like “sudden impact,” “emergency situation,” and “Malfunction!!!” Gagarin himself would later confirm the near-accident, which remained hidden to the world for decades.

1969
Moon rockets
To many, the space race ended when Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin set foot on the moon. This time, the Soviets were far behind. While the world marveled at the United States’ Saturn 5 “moon rocket,” which sent the astronauts’ Apollo 11 craft into space, the Soviets had secretly been working on their own version, the N-1. Although the N-1 failed to launch, the rocket engineer who led the program, Vasily Mishin, kept private diaries listing items and operations needed for a manned lunar landing. These included specialized tools, maps, and spacesuits. The Soviets had even built a prototype moon suit, called the Krechet (“Golden Falcon”).

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This is so great!

(via project-argus)

relishinrussia:

Yuri Gagarin and fellow Lieutenants mapping an upcoming flight during his career in the Soviet Air Force (1958).

:-)

(via rickhusband)

yurisnight:

Display on Yuri’s achievement in Nairn library,Scotland organized by Elena Reid STEM ambassador and chairperson of the Highland-Russia Connection Charity.

lworbit:

(2013)

(via shuttleisland)

yurisnight:

Dr. Hans Amundsen, head of the Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition (AMASE) gives another Yuri talk at Norway’s # Yuri’s Night in Oslo. Teaching us to beware of Polar Bears while testing Mars Rover (Curiosity) instruments at Svalbard

yurisnight:

This is what i created in honour of Yuri’s Night here at home, as part of my 30 poems in 30 days for NaPoWriMo 2013.  !! hope you like it :)

ponsi-patootie:

relishinrussia:

The first man and the first woman in space; Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova.

i like ur ears lol

:-)

(via rickhusband)

howstuffworks:

April 12th marks the anniversary of two huge firsts in space exploration: The launch of a human into space, and the launch of a reusable space shuttle.

The human in question was Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who piloted the Vostok 1 into Earth’s orbit in 1961.

The space shuttle in question was NASA’s Columbia, seen here lifting off in the control of Commander John Young and Pilot Robert Crippen in 1981.

Learn more in How the Space Race Worked.

[Photo credits: NASA and more NASA]

(via asonlynasacan)

canadian-space-agency:

52 years ago today, Yuri Gagarin became the 1st human to travel into space!

Find out where you can celebrate Yuri’s Night and his space legacy by visiting www.yurisnight.net!

Photo credit: CNET

asonlynasacan:

yuri-alekseyevich-gagarin:

Let’s get it done!

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