April 12th, 1961

[Delhommey]

50 years ago today, Yuri Gagarin became the first human being in space. Just as amazing was his friendship with Vladimir Komarav, a man who took on a suicidal mission just so his friend Yuri wouldn't die.

Starman tells the story of a friendship between two cosmonauts, Vladimir Kamarov and Soviet hero Yuri Gagarin, the first human to reach outer space. The two men were close; they socialized, hunted and drank together.

In 1967, both men were assigned to the same Earth-orbiting mission, and both knew the space capsule was not safe to fly. Komarov told friends he knew he would probably die. But he wouldn't back out because he didn't want Gagarin to die. Gagarin would have been his replacement.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2011/04/08/134597833/cosmonaut-crashed-into-earth-crying-in-rage

Both men died far too early. We all salute their bravery in the face of bureaucratic stupidity.

[mmmbeans]

gotta admire the open casket.

that book sounds really interesting.

[Epistaxis]

I like stories about men with balls.

(That didn't sound good, but you get the idea)

The explorers, adventurers, the guys that sacked up back in the day.

The early space race astronauts and cosmonauts fall in to that category easily.

The Soviets even moreso, since they were riding in equipment that put the person low on the priority list.

[Johnny Rockets]

Interesting read.

[Carolina Husker]

Meanwhile in Cold War Soviet Russia.

[Delhommey]

Rumor has it that Gagarin later threw a drink in Brezhnev's face because of the event.