First in space?

Question

Many years ago I heard a rumour that the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was not actually the first man in space the first man to return from space. From what I remember the first cosmonaut was unable to return to earth and his ship bounced off the atmosphere. Can anyone else remember this or confirm it

Answer 1

My father worked at NASA in Houston. I grew up a NASA brat in the late 1960's and have never heard that story. I have watched dozens of documentaries on man in space.

I don't believe that is true, but would be fascinated to be proven wrong.

later edit - I have been asking around and there is a rumor that the Soviets put a man in space before Yuri. He did survive but was in such bad shape they didn't want the world to see him. Don't know, just talk amongst the usual suspects.

Answer 2

According to the Almanac of Soviet Manned Space Flight Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space. There was two flights before Gagarin's (vostok 1) where a simulated man in a pressure suit was in the capsule along with some animals. Both flights were successful. If the Soviets did lose a cosmonaut before Gagarin this information has never been released publicly. In June of 1971 three cosmonauts spent 24 days in space but died on re-entry when a valve opened at the wrong time and vented their oxygen into space. In December of 1977 a cosmonaut was almost lost when he lost his grip during a space walk and started floating away. His safety line was not attached to the space craft, but another cosmonaut caught it just in time to retrieve him.

Answer 3

It is possible but not probably. We would have received more substantial evidence as at this point we share a space program with the Russians. There is no need to keep our pasts so secretive. Yuri Gagarin made the leap but the U.S. made it a solid program. Too bad we have lost most of our ability to even go back to the Moon not to mention going further.

Answer 4

This might be true. In fact, cosmonauts had previously died due to unsuccessful launches (rockets exploded in mid-air or right after the launch started). So, what you're saying could have some truth in it. However, the Russian media is very repressive at the time, and they don't mention any failed launches in the news at all. The communist regime at that period never wanted to admit failures nor allow people to know about them. So, only the successful ones made it in the news, as part of the communist propaganda.

Although many of Russia's historical archives had been opened up for Western historians after the communist break-up in the early '90s, most of Russia's scientific records pertaining to military technology, nuclear research, aerospace technologies are still off-limits to Western researchers up to this time.

Answer 5

Rumors like that are floating around, usually about some later Russian astronauts (after Gagarin) dying in space. But none of the stories has ever been proved true.

Answer 6

Yeah, the first cosmonaut didn't return from space. But it wasn't a human, it was a DOG named Laika ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika ). Then the other dogs were sent to space (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_space_dogs). Most of them were returned.
And only after thia experements Gagarin made his flight.

Answer 7

I've never heard that story. I did read about something about Yuri Gagarin's flight. He parachuted out of his capsule after he left orbit and before touchdown. This fact was held secret for years because apparently it voided some world record that was claimed for the flight.
.

Answer 8

rumour, and what history records as facts are always open to endless debate. unless someone unearths some documentation the rest of the world knows nothing about, i think it's safe to say that gagarin was the first.

there's a great great statue of him by the way if you havent seen it:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/227/457902850_7a0450627d_o.jpg

Answer 9

I can remember reading articles about doomed russian space missions, back in the 60's. I did not know then, and do not know now, how reliable the claims were.

Answer 10

nah its just a rumor.