After his historic first-ever manned spaceflight, Yuri Gagarin faced not only fame but also new social and political responsibilities. He became the symbol of the achievements of the Soviet Union and had to live up to certain expectations, endlessly touring the world with reports, speeches, and campaigns. After some time, Gagarin became tired of all of this and returned to training, getting ready for another spaceflight.
In 1967, Gagarin was Vladimir Komarov’s backup pilot during the Soyuz 1 mission. Although the orbital flight itself was successful, Komarov was killed when the descent module crashed into the ground due to a parachute failure.
Even before this tragedy, some members of the Soviet government emphasized the need to transfer Gagarin to a less dangerous job and keep him safe since he had become such an important person to the Soviet Union. At the time, Gagarin was the head of the team of Soviet cosmonauts and the deputy head of the cosmonaut training center. He turned down such suggestions. He was supported by General Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin, Deputy Chief of Combat Training for Space.
Nikolai Kamanin was a famous aviator and a Hero of the Soviet Union who participated in rescuing the Chelyuskin steamship crew. He was worried that officers in the cosmonaut team did not have flying practice and were losing skills.
In 1967, a training regiment for solving the issues related to the cosmonaut team was established based on the air squadron under the guidance of Vladimir Seryogin, an experienced test pilot and a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Gagarin was training on the MiG-15UTI jet fighter. By the spring of 1968, he had almost completed his program. He had only several flights left until the end of his practice schedule. On March 27, 1968, while on one of the last planned training flights, Yuri Gagarin was killed at the age of 34 together with 45-year-old flight instructor Vladimir Seryogin. They crashed near the Novosyolovo village, Kirzhach District of Vladimir Region.
The Soviet government declared a period of national mourning — it was the first time it happened for someone who was not a head of state. The materials of the official investigation were not published during the Soviet period. It gave rise to various widespread rumors, some of which were rather fantastic. The actual reason of the tragedy remains disputed.
On March 28 at 21:15, the bodies of Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Seryogin were cremated. Their ashes were interred in the walls of the Kremlin.
In 1967, Gagarin was Vladimir Komarov’s backup pilot during the Soyuz 1 mission. Although the orbital flight itself was successful, Komarov was killed when the descent module crashed into the ground due to a parachute failure.
Even before this tragedy, some members of the Soviet government emphasized the need to transfer Gagarin to a less dangerous job and keep him safe since he had become such an important person to the Soviet Union. At the time, Gagarin was the head of the team of Soviet cosmonauts and the deputy head of the cosmonaut training center. He turned down such suggestions. He was supported by General Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin, Deputy Chief of Combat Training for Space.
Nikolai Kamanin was a famous aviator and a Hero of the Soviet Union who participated in rescuing the Chelyuskin steamship crew. He was worried that officers in the cosmonaut team did not have flying practice and were losing skills.
In 1967, a training regiment for solving the issues related to the cosmonaut team was established based on the air squadron under the guidance of Vladimir Seryogin, an experienced test pilot and a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Gagarin was training on the MiG-15UTI jet fighter. By the spring of 1968, he had almost completed his program. He had only several flights left until the end of his practice schedule. On March 27, 1968, while on one of the last planned training flights, Yuri Gagarin was killed at the age of 34 together with 45-year-old flight instructor Vladimir Seryogin. They crashed near the Novosyolovo village, Kirzhach District of Vladimir Region.
The Soviet government declared a period of national mourning — it was the first time it happened for someone who was not a head of state. The materials of the official investigation were not published during the Soviet period. It gave rise to various widespread rumors, some of which were rather fantastic. The actual reason of the tragedy remains disputed.
On March 28 at 21:15, the bodies of Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Seryogin were cremated. Their ashes were interred in the walls of the Kremlin.
