40 years ago.

[Boroda]

40 years ago, on April, 12th, 1961, the first representative of the Humanity broke the bounds of gravity and broke into Space.

I am proud that Yuri Gagarin was a Russian pilot, but he started the Great Race that enforced the progress of the whole Humanity.

------------------
With respect,
    Pavel Pavlov,
    Commissar 25th IAP WB VVS

[Ripsnort]

Well, ironically, the "race" was for a different reason politically than what the outcome of the race is today...but I agree that it was good for mankind. <S> Yuri!

[1776]

He orbited!!! Not just an up and down thingie like Shepherd, but orbited!!  John Glen was the USA first orbit after others just "up and down".

Ya, <S> Yuri!!  They had no idea if a man could survive!!  A few dogs had made it but the great unknown was could a man survive!!

Yuri had to have guts!!  BIG TIME!!!

Has it been 40 years<gulp>?  Where does the time go????

[This message has been edited by 1776 (edited 04-12-2001).]

[miko2d]

 You guys must be living on some other Earth then I do. The space race is one of the darkest examples of human history.

 The race was political and military. All the real progress was made by the time the scientists developed the theory and working plans.
 After an the animal surviving in orbit proved that there were no unforseen dangers to life, there were no real reason to sent people there or to the moon. Other then to sucker russians into spending billions they could ill afford... May be cheaper then blowing each others up, but still  a waste.

 The whole project makes me sick, not proud when I think what the race cost in lives to the Russian people who's country was devastated by war.
 If they (russians or americans) were interested in progress, they would have instituted the international program long time ago, pooled resourses instead of duplicating the efforts.

 The actual commertial exploitation of orbiting satellites came much later and with much less fanfare.

 miko

[This message has been edited by miko2d (edited 04-12-2001).]

[Animal]

Miko,
Correct me if I'm wrong, but you believe it would have been better if the space race had never taken place? if the Russians had never orbited a person and the US had never sent a man to the moon?

I agree with you in that they were dark times; but the outcome sure aint dark. When Colombus set out to the Indies he sure wasnt thinking about the good of humanity, he was thinking about gold, spices, Spaniard superiority, and when he got here, raping indian girls.

But look what all that wrong lead to. Great progress.

[Eagler]

Twenty years ago today the US of A launched the 1st space shuttle. This feat has not been duplicated by any other country in the world and doesn't look like it will any time soon  
 http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/archives/sts-1/index.html

 The space race was just another race the Russians lost to the US..

 

Eagler



[This message has been edited by Eagler (edited 04-12-2001).]

[Dowding]

<S> Yuri. He went all that way (and back) safely in little more than a tin can, but died in a plane crash 9 years after his pioneering flight.

Ironic.

[funked]

The first man to orbit the earth died in space, due to inferior Soviet technology, and his name is still a Red secret.  

The second person to orbit the earth was Vladimir Ilyushin.  But due to Communist technical incompetence his capsule landed in China, and he was severely injured, so the Reds covered up his mission as well.  

Gagarin was launched a day later, and became the third man to fly in orbit.  However this only makes his accomplishment more impressive, as it must have required true bravery to strap into a machine which had just killed one man and left another near death!

However his bravery was repaid in cruel fashion, when in 1968 it was decided that he was "unreliable" and too much of a risk to expose the truth because of his feelings of guilt over the whole affair.  So his aircraft was sabotaged, and the rest, as they say, is "history".

[This message has been edited by funked (edited 04-12-2001).]

[mietla]

Ruskies have never announced any flights up front. They've alway announced a successful mission after the fact. Thus


Vostok 1, Vostok 2, Vostok 7, Vostok8, Vostok 11...

[mietla]

Hey Mike,

your link does not seem to work. Can you double check it

thanks

[This message has been edited by mietla (edited 04-12-2001).]

[miko2d]

 

Originally posted by Animal:
Miko,
Correct me if I'm wrong, but you believe it would have been better if the space race had never taken place?

 Depends on your point of view. It was great and almost bloodless (for americans) way to bankrupt communists - more humane then bombing each other.

 But the technology would have advanced no matter what and every passing year the same feat would have been much cheaper - same as the Columbus expedition.
 Remember - they did not even have decent computers then and the flight was actually controlled by analog computers because digital ones were too slow.
 Few years later many of the experiments could have been modelled on the computer instead of flying into space... Or sending computers into space to perform automated experiments. Of course those times certain computing principles were considered anti-communist in russia with severe concequences to their proponents - same as genetics or botanics...

 For pure technological/scientific outcome the same money could have brought bigger return.

 Columbus was financed by private funds of spanish kings, US program was financed by US congress democratically elected. US ended WWII richer and more powerfull then it was before it.
 Russian space program was financed by the communist clique while their countrymen lived in squalor and died from hunger and sickness.

 Don't get me wrong - we would have been in space no matter what - that is inevitable with technological progress.
 Those days I can go to the store and by myself a decent airplane for my four month salary, no big deal, or a yacht that would have better chance to make it across the ocean then Columbus ships did. If US had a program to perform a non-stop round-the world aircraft flight in 1910, it would have cost billions and many lives. When such flight actually happened, barely anyone noticed.
 Americans had connertial use of satellites for many years. Russian can launch other people's satellites into orbit but cannot make decent ones.
 The results of progress is what people can use, not a feather in the hat of a power-mad politician.

 miko

[Toad]

The Space Race aside, Funked's points aside...

I will salute the man, Yuri.

It takes big brass ones to strap on what amounts to an experimental machine and "boldly go where no man had gone before."

(well, at least went & got credit for it, right Funk?   )

The Regime? No, not gonna salute that.

[mietla]

Are you sure the commies even asked him whether he wants to go?

[easymo]

  There is no denying it. There German rocket scientist were faster off the mark than out German rocket scientist.

[Sandman_SBM]

 

Originally posted by Eagler:
Twenty years ago today the US of A launched the 1st space shuttle. This feat has not been duplicated by any other country in the world and doesn't look like it will any time soon.
 The space race was just another race the Russians lost to the US..

Isn't the Ariane considered more efficient and profitable?