Cosmonautics and cosmonauts of the USSR

Khrushchev's period of government in the Soviet Union was remembered not only for dull and homogeneous houses, corn and thaw. It was during the time of Nikita Sergeevich that a space arms race began between the two superpowers of that time: the Soviet Union and the United States. The cosmonauts of the USSR are known in every corner of the civilized world. It was they who were the first in space that was once inaccessible to people. The struggle for space has become an integral part of cultural, ideological and technological rivalry between countries, thus exploring the cosmos was not only military and scientific in nature, but also social.

The first person to find himself in space and on Earth's orbit was the world-famous today A. Gagarin. The cosmonauts of the USSR were like the glorious heroes of ancient Greek epics. They were courageous, honest and courageous. They attracted a lot of attention not only inside the country, but also abroad. Their sayings were passed from mouth to mouth and found a great reflection in the culture. So, for example, after the first space flight, Yuri Gagarin visited more than thirty countries of the world and traveled extensively in the USSR. No wonder, because it was his face and name that became the real banner and symbol of the Soviet Union as the first cosmic superpower that made a manned flight into space. On March 25, 1968, a Soviet cosmonaut crashed on an airplane during training sessions. The day of the tragic death of Colonel Gagarin became a national mourning.

The first cosmonauts of the USSR were not only men. June 16, 1963 in space, and the first woman - Valentina Tereshkova - on the ship "Vostok-6." The Soviet Union wanted to put two women's cosmonaut corps into orbit, but in the end, the choice fell on only one Tereshkova. The selection of the first woman in space was as tough as the male. They had to spend ten days in the chamber, to suffer unbelievable physical overloads and high temperatures, and also undergo the necessary parachute training. It is worth noting that the choice of Valentina Tereshkova also fell due to her class background: she was from a simple working family, while the other pretenders were from the families of employees.

Modern cosmonautics in Russia is in a period of stagnation and inferior to the pace of American space programs. The cosmonauts of the USSR of the times of socialism are much more famous than their Russian counterparts. This is explained by the reduction in the funds invested in the exploration of outer space in our country. In 2009, only $ 2.8 billion was spent on the development of cosmonautics in Russia, while the United States invested $ 48.8 billion in this sphere.

Well-known scientists in the field of cosmonautics, such as Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, Hermann Oberth and Robert Goddard are also cosmic heroes. The astronauts of the USSR and US astronauts are practically pop idols, while the great scientists remain forgotten. But it was Konstantin Tsiolkovsky who first proposed the use of missiles for space flight, and Hermann Oberth described the principles of such a flight.

To date, almost everyone can become an astronaut. Space tourism is developing incredibly fast. And if the obsessive desire to see the "blue ball" personally does not leave your head personally, you need to get strong health and 63 million dollars in your pocket.