Gagarin's legendary flight into space still raises many questions, the answers to which remain unsolved.
The first launch of a man into space should have happened earlier
Just a few years ago, researchers managed to find out that Yuri Alekseevich was supposed to go into space for the first time on a not fine April day, and a few months before that - in December. This was stated in the Decree of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of October 11, 1960. The launch of the Vostok in the winter was prevented by a tragic accident: on October 24, at Baikonur, before it had time to start, a military rocket filled with fuel exploded. As a result, 268 people died, among whom was Marshal Nedelin. Most of the people were literally burned alive. Due to the fact that the State Commission threw all its efforts into investigating this incident, Gagarin's flight into space was postponed.
Equipment was only 50% reliable
Naturally, in Soviet times, this information was carefully concealed. However, the statistics speak for themselves: out of six testlaunches that preceded the launch of man into space, three had a tragic outcome. On May 15, 1960, less than a year before Gagarin's flight into space took place, the launched ship did not descend to earth due to a malfunction in the attitude control system, and continues to fly to this day. On September 23 of the same year, a rocket exploded right at the start, on board of which were the dogs Krasavka and Damka. On December 1, the launch was more successful: the dogs Pcholka and Mushka successfully postponed the launch, but due to the fact that the descent path at the end of the flight was too steep, the ship burned down along with the animals in it.
And this is not to mention the fact that tragedies occurred not only in space, but also on Earth: during one of the trainings, V. Bondarenko, the youngest cosmonaut candidate, died right in the isolation chamber.
Titov could take the place of the first cosmonaut
America could not stand aside and tried with all its might to be the first to launch a man into outer space. Tests were in full swing, however, in the West, instead of dogs, rocket passengers were monkeys. The United States was looking forward to May 2, 1961 - after all, it was on this day that the most important first launch was scheduled. However, Sergei Korolev could not allow the American to be the first person to go into space. Despite the 50/50 ratio, which did not give any guarantees at all that Yuri Alekseevich would return alive, the launch of the Soviet spacecraft was scheduled several weeks earlier. In those days, the idea was seriously considered to replace Gagarin, who had two smalldaughters, for the childless German Titov. However, Korolev insisted on the candidacy of Yuri Alekseevich and, in his own words, for the rest of his life he was proud that he was not mistaken in his choice.
In the first 20 seconds of the flight, the astronaut was in the greatest danger
At last, April 12, 1961 has come - the date of Gagarin's flight into space and one of the most significant events of the 20th century. It was the launch of the rocket that hid the most risk. The flight scheme assumed various options for rescuing the astronaut at its different stages. Except for the first 20 seconds. In the event of an explosion of the launch vehicle, Yuri Alekseevich's chair would have catapulted to a height insufficient for the parachute to open. It was for this purpose that the “emergency rescue system” was invented, which consisted of four large guys who sat near the start in a special shelter and held a large nylon net at the ready. If there was an accident, they would have to jump out of hiding and catch the astronaut the way firefighters catch people jumping from the top floors of burning buildings.
The authorities have prepared three appeals to the people at once
No one was sure that Gagarin's flight into space would be successful. Therefore, three appeals were prepared for TASS: in case the experiment ended successfully, the second - if the spacecraft could not enter orbit, and the third - about the tragic death of the astronaut.
If an emergency had already occurred in space, as a result of which the brake engines would have failed, the ship would have remained in orbitEarth. "Vostok" was designed in such a way that in such a situation the ship could, "cling" to the upper layer of the atmosphere, slow down and calmly land or splash down somewhere. However, this would not have happened after 1 hour, but on the 7-10th day. To this end, a supply of water, food and air was created, which should have been enough for ten days.
The danger also lurked in the fact that, despite many checks and days of preparation, the astronaut remained at risk of a neuropsychic breakdown. To prevent this from happening, Gagarin was ordered to constantly negotiate with the Earth. And he did this for the entire 108 minutes of his flight.
Rocket takeoff was a miracle?
Despite all the assurances of the Soviet authorities, the launch and the flight itself did not go according to plan. There were numerous emergencies. For example, at the very beginning, the rocket tightness sensor did not work. Because of this, a couple of minutes before the start, the designers were forced to unscrew and then screw back 32 bolts on the hatch cover. Then there was a failure on the communication line. Instead of the signal "5", the number "3" suddenly went, which meant that an accident had occurred on the ship. The aggregate compartment did not separate for a long time, which could lead to a rocket fire, the suit valve jammed and Gagarin only miraculously did not suffocate, the ship began to tumble randomly during descent …
However, the flight ended successfully and became one of the most significant events in the history of the Cold War between the USSR and the USA, and in the history of all mankind as a whole.
Mistakes with the landing of the Vostok were hidden for many decades in a row
The Soviet authorities claimed that Gagarin had landed in a given area. In fact, scientists have recalculated several times and none of the results turned out to be correct. In fact, Yuri Alekseevich landed, ejected from the ship, in the Saratov region. The first people who saw the astronaut were Anna Takhtarova, the wife of a forester, and her granddaughter Rita. Seeing a man in a strange suit, the old woman was frightened at first, but the cosmonaut reassured her, shouting: “Our own, Soviet!”
So ended Gagarin's flight into space. The year and day of this event - April 12, 1961 - undoubtedly marked the beginning of a new era in the history of human development.
