First man in space

[Mick F]

Listening to World at One earlier, they were doing the 1960's at the end of the prog.
They said that Gagarin was the first man into space.

No, he was the first man to orbit the Earth, not the "first man in space".
Can't remember who it was, but I think he was a USA chap. He went straight up, and came back down ......... not orbited. USA test pilot methinks.

Anyone else know this?
I seem to remember it from the late very 50's and pre-dates Gagarin.

[Jdsk]

Listening to World at One earlier, they were doing the 1960's at the end of the prog.
They said that Gagarin was the first man into space.

No, he was the first man to orbit the Earth, not the "first man in space".
Can't remember who it was, but I think he was a USA chap. He went straight up, and came back down ......... not orbited. USA test pilot methinks.

Anyone else know this?
I seem to remember it from the late very 50's and pre-dates Gagarin.

Shepard? Grissom? Glenn?

All after Gagarin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_s ... rst_flight

Or are you thinking of spaceplanes such as the X-15 rather than rockets with capsules?

Jonathan

[Mick F]

I'm thinking of a test pilot in an experimental aircraft that was piloted into space, pre-dating Gagarin in a rocket.
I suppose one has to define "space" or how it was defined way back when.
These days. it probably means something different and means orbiting in freefall rather than entering and coming back down.

[peetee]

IIRC he was a test pilot, yes. It was part of the development to and beyond supersonic flight with rocket propulsion. I believe his ‘space flight’ was not officially confirmed as such until much later as the whole project was not public information.

[Jdsk]

Can't remember who it was, but I think he was a USA chap. He went straight up, and came back down ......... not orbited. USA test pilot methinks.

I'm thinking of a test pilot in an experimental aircraft that was piloted into space, pre-dating Gagarin in a rocket.
I suppose one has to define "space" or how it was defined way back when.
These days. it probably means something different and means orbiting in freefall rather than entering and coming back down.

The spaceplanes didn't go "straight up and down".

The common international definition is 100 km and the USA's definition for astronauts is 80 km (50 miles):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_s ... rst_flight

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

IIRC he was a test pilot, yes. It was part of the development to and beyond supersonic flight with rocket propulsion. I believe his ‘space flight’ was not officially confirmed as such until much later as the whole project was not public information.

The X-15 flights were publicised at the time:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_X-15

I read about them in Meccano Magazine.

Jonathan

[Mick F]

IIRC he was a test pilot, yes. It was part of the development to and beyond supersonic flight with rocket propulsion. I believe his ‘space flight’ was not officially confirmed as such until much later as the whole project was not public information.

I think you are correct here.
Thank you.
I wonder who it was?

Thanks JDSK for the info about the X-15

Any road up, I'm going outside into the lovely sunshine and topping up my tan.
Off down to the Rising Sun later for the Friday Five o'Clock Club.

I'll ask the brains trust down there. Someone might know about this.

[Jdsk]

IIRC he was a test pilot, yes. It was part of the development to and beyond supersonic flight with rocket propulsion. I believe his ‘space flight’ was not officially confirmed as such until much later as the whole project was not public information.

I think you are correct here.
Thank you.
I wonder who it was?

...

I'll ask the brains trust down there. Someone might know about this.

The answer is already given above. Which bit are you unsure about?

Thanks

Jonathan

[peetee]

What I know of it is little more than was shown in the movie ‘The Right Stuff’. An excellent film of the 80’s based on a factual book but how much of it is substantiated to this day I can’t say.

[Jdsk]

Both versions of The Right Stuff are very good. The book is Highly Recommended. The film has some inaccuracies.

And Yeager's career is extraordinary. I did wonder if that was the pilot whose name had been forgotten but he never flew the X-15.

Jonathan

[briansnail]

https://www.rbth.com/history/331849-bef ... irst-space
Not confirmed but maybe he was not.If the link works it speculates the Soviets did put someone before but it was hushed up as the conclusion was not a success.

[Jdsk]

https://www.rbth.com/history/331849-bef ... irst-space
Not confirmed but maybe he was not.If the link works it speculates the Soviets did put someone before but it was hushed up as the conclusion was not a success.

"Not confirmed", or as the article puts it:

"However, in all the years up to 2020, supporters of this theory have been unable to provide any evidence of Ilyushin’s unsuccessful flight into space, while the test pilot himself rose to the rank of a major-general in the Soviet army and died in Moscow in 2010."

or as his biography on Wikipedia puts it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Ilyushin

"In 1961, Ilyushin was the subject of a conspiracy theory that he, rather than Yuri Gagarin, was the first cosmonaut in space. There is no evidence and no support to the theory."

Jonathan

[thirdcrank]

I do remember watching Yuri Gagarin's official greeting live on TV. He walked down a red carpet - B&W telly of course - which seemed to be a mile long to a waiting Nikita Khrushchev who kissed him for ages. The USSR was certainly milking this success. I looked on youtube but I couldn't find it.

[Jdsk]

I do remember watching Yuri Gagarin's official greeting live on TV. He walked down a red carpet - B&W telly of course - which seemed to be a mile long to a waiting Nikita Khrushchev who kissed him for ages. The USSR was certainly milking this success. I looked on youtube but I couldn't find it.

Jonathan

[thirdcrank]

Thanks for that and in colour too. Certainly a long carpet, pretty much as I remembered it, but I'd forgotten the long verbal report to NK before the big hug.