To ask you to look at these beautiful faces and remember them?

[Burgersandfries]

60 years ago the man with a beautiful smile, Yury Gagarin (left) became the first human ever to go to space. All thanks to the genius of a man next to him, Sergey Korolev (right), who is truly the father of modern space exploration!
I’m feeling a bit sad that our media are more interested in pubs reopening rather than one of the greatest achievements of humanity on this day... These men should be celebrated way more, especially Sergey Korolev, a genius scientist and wonderful human being!
So I guess my AIBU is
AIBU - eh, I couldn’t care less
AINBU - yes, let’s have more coverage about this amazing leap of science!

[Pollypudding]

[quote MrsSlocombesPussy]The story about the pencil vs pen. They had to develop a pen, as a pencil is hazardous in space. When the pens had been developed, the Russians used them too!

www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-nasa-spen/[/quote]
Gutted that story is a myth and thanks for link 😂
I wonder if they still need to use either a pen or pencil now or if it is all digital?

[gamerchick]

Really wish people would stop assigning the buttons to an answer

[KeflavikAirport]

They're quite a good argument for Soviet-style communism, actually, given the state of Russia about four decades before this.

[TheBullfinch]

Thanks very much for this.

I was listening to a Radio 4 program about it the other day. They also talked about all the monkeys and dogs they used before sending men. Sad but crucial to the furthering of understanding the effects of weightlessness and re-entry into earth's atmosphere. At the rate we're going, we're going to need a new planet (Planet B)? sooner than we thought.

[Burgersandfries]

@KeflavikAirport I’d say those people’s achievements are in spite of Soviet communism. I learnt only today about Korolev’s personal circumstances in the 1930s, his torture at the inquests, the horror of what followed in labour camps... the fact that he was not broken mentally, what he managed to achieve after is a testament to his personal strength and the people he worked with rather than a horrible, bone-and-soul-breaking system
On a brighter side I read somewhere long ago that Gagarin’s attractiveness was one of the reasons why he was chosen!

[SamusIsAGirl]

There isn't enough discussion about science and futurism on Mumsnet.

[KeflavikAirport]

Well, I’d argue that without the Russian revolution it’s very unlikely Tsarist Russia would have rivaled the US in the technology stakes.

[RulerForRuler]

Yuri Gagarin went to space because the other potential cosmonauts voted for him to go. He was only 5 foot 2. I always tell my 9th centile DS2 that good things come in small packages, and Gagarin is a great example of that.

[Geamhradh]

@SamusIsAGirl

.and where would we be without the non-stick frying pan..

And GPS, exponentially accurate weather forecasts, early warning systems, communications networks, discovery of the ozone hole. SPACEGUARD asteroid detection system etc. I could go on.

Poverty of ambition and wonder is still poverty.

That last line is so true.
A couple of years ago me and the kids at school did a project thingy about the stars, and Carl Sagan, and Walt Whitman's Learned Astronomer poem and it was just great to see kids just "wondering" at everything that is still out there.

I bloody love space. It does my head in thinking about it. I remember my engineer friend telling me to imagine an inner tube and I was "but what's behind it"

[SamusIsAGirl]

There is also the fact in when making life support and CELSS farms (Closed Environment Life Support System) that you really appreciate what Earth does for us and gives us roadmaps on how to make better use of resources.

To think by the end of this decade we will have humans on the Moon to stay, not just car camp.

[Burgersandfries]

@SamusIsAGirl it’s mind-boggling isnt it!
I love space and everything to do with it and in all honesty consider modern day astronauts as the best of what human race can be - they all have phds in various fields and are physically very very fit (though not everyone as handsome as Gagarin ) and I agree with the pp that we don’t have enough threads about science on Mumsnet!

[DianaT1969]

Thanks OP, I'll read up. By the way, I'm one of the people hugely relieved the media is reporting about pubs and shops. It might cut coverage about Prince Philip down to 8 hours a day and 3 pages, instead of 10.

[StoneofDestiny]

The striking thing for me is that they are smiling. I've been to Russia a few times - never did I see a Russian man smile (let alone such a broad smile as this).
For that alone (apart from the sheer bravery and scientific breakthrough), they should be celebrated. 🥂🥂🥂

[SamusIsAGirl]

Apparently in Russia, smiling in public is seen as somewhat rude and only small children or stupid people would do so. That is probably why Russians are traditionally seen as being glum.

[Burgersandfries]

In Russia smile is considered to be quite an intimate expression of affection which Russians share only with friends and family. It’s also a sign of hospitality when you are a guest in someone’s house, meaning you are welcome and wanted
A person smiling to strangers is met with suspicion and thought of as a looney generally

[Kittykat93]

You seem very focused on his looks..more so than what he actually did

[Cam2020]

Amazing and what a lovely smile.

My dad was really into all this as a child and enjoyed teaching me all about it when i was young. It must have been so exciting back then.

[Aprilinspringtimeshower]

@ShesMadeATwatOfMePam

Couldn't care less to be honest. Space just doesn't interest me. How many billions have been spent on space exploration that could have been better spent on earth?

Many of the millions spent on space exploration create amazing innovations in communication, material science etc that are now part of your everyday world.
Without the development of satellites that were part of original space exploration, you wouldn’t be using your mobile phone when you are out and about.
The technology used for space exploration now allows us to constantly radar map area of rain forest and its destruction, understand areas with water shortage, get help and resources to areas quickly that have been affected by disasters

The list goes on and on.

You may not be interested in the space exploration side, fair enough, but I absolutely think you’re very interested in the technology it produced- you just don’t know

[StoneofDestiny]

Interesting re the smile. The women we made friends with smiled, the men did not. Their hospitality was brilliant though.

[StoneofDestiny]

We did mention the non smiling men to the Russian women, they laughed heartily at that, but never mentioned anything beyond that.

[Pyewackect]

The father of modern space exploration is Wernher von Braun. The Soviets used Nazi scentist to develop their own missile/Rocket technology. von Braun was of course a member of the SS , not much different to the NKVD.

The Soviets, under Stalin, were estimated to have murdered the best part of 20 million people.

After the Soviet Union dissolved, evidence from the Soviet archives was declassified and researchers were allowed to study it. This contained official records of 799,455 executions around 1.7 million deaths in the Gulag and some 390,000 deaths during the dekulakization forced resettlement and up to 400,000 deaths of persons deported during the 1940's.

Thats what sort of people they were.

I don't see that as something to celebrate.

[Burgersandfries]

And I’m not inviting you to celebrate the Soviet Gulag. I am talking about amazing people who managed to achieve incredible heights despite the system. As I mentioned in my previous posts Korolev himself was a victim of Stalin-induced horror of the 1930s. I’ll repeat again that what he did is a testament to his personal strength, not the Soviet system. And he and Gagrin deserve to be celebrated just like numerous brilliant scientists before and after them.

[KeflavikAirport]

Could he have done it without the revolution ?

[Burgersandfries]

Truth be told I don’t know. Call me naive but I’d like to think that true genius would find its way no matter what card it’d been dealt at birth.
I believe a lot of people have asked this question in Russia regardless of space exploration- what if revolution never happened? But am rambling and derailing my own thread apologies

[CorianderBee]

While I'm sure their story is very interesting, it likely made the news when it happened... 60 years ago. After that I'd say that the smattering of news stories about them is what's warranted for those interested in history and old science. Interesting features, but hardly front page worthy.

The news is meant to be mostly... new. And what's new today is the shops and pubs reopening after months of the world not functioning. That's how it works