The Cosmonaut Who Couldn T Stop Smiling
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The Cosmonaut Who Couldn’t Stop Smiling
Author: Andrew L. Jenks
language: en
Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press
Release Date: 2019-01-15
"Let's go!" With that, the boyish, grinning Yuri Gagarin launched into space on April 12, 1961, becoming the first human being to exit Earth's orbit. The twenty-seven-year-old lieutenant colonel departed for the stars from within the shadowy world of the Soviet military-industrial complex. Barbed wires, no-entry placards, armed guards, false identities, mendacious maps, and a myriad of secret signs had hidden Gagarin from prying outsiders—not even his friends or family knew what he had been up to. Coming less than four years after the Russians launched Sputnik into orbit, Gagarin's voyage was cause for another round of capitalist shock and Soviet rejoicing. The Cosmonaut Who Couldn't Stop Smiling relates this twentieth-century icon's remarkable life while exploring the fascinating world of Soviet culture. Gagarin's flight brought him massive international fame—in the early 1960s, he was possibly the most photographed person in the world, flashing his trademark smile while rubbing elbows with the varied likes of Nehru, Castro, Queen Elizabeth II, and Italian sex symbol Gina Lollobrigida. Outside of the spotlight, Andrew L. Jenks reveals, his tragic and mysterious death in a jet crash became fodder for morality tales and conspiracy theories in his home country, and, long after his demise, his life continues to provide grist for the Russian popular-culture mill. This is the story of a legend, both the official one and the one of myth, which reflected the fantasies, perversions, hopes and dreams of Gagarin's fellow Russians. With this rich, lively chronicle of Gagarin's life and times, Jenks recreates the elaborately secretive world of space-age Russia while providing insights into Soviet history that will captivate a range of readers.
Soviets in Space
A beautifully illustrated history of the Soviet Union’s leading role in the space race. In this deeply researched chronology, Colin Burgess describes the then Soviet Union’s extraordinary success in the pioneering years of space exploration. Within a decade, the Soviets not only launched the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, but they also were the first to send an animal and a human being into Earth orbit. In the years that followed, their groundbreaking missions sent a woman into space, launched a three-man spacecraft, and included the first person to walk in space. Six decades on from the historic spaceflight of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Burgess guides us through the amazing achievements of Russia’s spaceflight program through to the present day, introducing the men and women who have flown the missions that drive us to delve ever deeper into the wonders and complexities of the cosmos.
Reclaiming Space
Author: James S. J. Schwartz
language: en
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Release Date: 2023
Reclaiming Space is an innovative study of space travel's history, legitimacy, and future. The NewSpace movement that presently dominates spaceflight culture is characterized by distinctly Western, free-market capitalist values and associated with the space ambitions of the super-wealthy. This book exists to incubate, illuminate, and illustrate a more diverse and inclusive conversation about space exploration. Reclaiming Space asks: What would space exploration be like if we prioritized, or even simply acknowledged, the perspectives and value systems of individuals who are disabled, aren't white, aren't male, or aren't characteristically Western in their values? What can these perspectives teach us all about space exploration and its value (or even its potential for harm) that cannot be easily recognized or appreciated under the NewSpace status quo? And what should we be doing differently when it comes to space exploration? The twenty-seven original essays in this volume provide much needed perspective on space exploration by offering counterpoints to mainstream thinking about space. Essays address subjects such as the history and development of spaceflight culture, both within and outside the United States; the impact of science fiction and space art on how we conceptualize space; diverse cultural narratives and responses to space; and the ways space exploration might be leveraged in support of repairing injustices. Reclaiming Space also considers what our responsibilities might be as a spacefaring species in the distant future. Contributors include academics who research space exploration, spaceflight culture, space ethics, and space policy, as well as space artists and authors of award-winning science and speculative fiction. Written for space enthusiasts of all backgrounds, Reclaiming Space is an engaging, provocative volume of essays showcasing the perspectives of women, persons of color, and others who are typically left out of discussions of space exploration.