58 years ago today, Gagarin became the first astronaut in human history to complete spaceflight. Gagarin, who returned triumphantly, not only achieved an unprecedented improvement in status, but also quickly became a household name for international icons. To this day, Gagarin remains a spiritual icon of the fighting nation. Why, then, did Gagarin undertake such a significant historical mission?
Written by | Liu Miaoshiqi
Edit | Jin Zhuangwei
On April 12, 1961, at 9:07 Moscow time, the Vostok 1 spacecraft was fired. After flying for 108 minutes and circling the earth, the spacecraft landed as planned. It carries Yuri alekseyevich gagarin, the world-renowned "first man in space" who has gone down in history.
At that time, the space competition between the United States and the Soviet Union was in full swing, and this historical event undoubtedly affected the Cold War situation to a large extent.
Gagarin, who returned triumphantly, not only achieved an unprecedented rise in status (elected as the representative of the supreme legislative body of the Soviet Union and the commander of astronauts), but also quickly became a household name for international icons. He has participated in events and delivered speeches around the world, gaining admiration and cheers from many people. To this day, just as John F. Kennedy was to the Americans, Princess Diana was to the British, gagarin has always symbolized their spiritual high ground for the people of the fighting nation.
You may have such a question: such a significant historical mission, such a special responsibility of the identity of the person, why is it Gagarin? What makes him stand out through layers of selection?
A favored identity trait
Gagarin's selection was first and foremost due to his status as a pilot. As for why astronauts should be selected from among pilots, the Soviet government had extensive discussions.
Pilots have experience in facing "weightless environments", the quality of loyalty to command, and the courage to face difficulties. However, because the spacecraft is completely controlled by the ground, the actual operation process is in the state of "automatic flight", so it is difficult to say what kind of specific skills the astronauts need to master.
Ultimately, the decision was driven more by political and cultural factors. Politically, the Soviet Union wanted the first astronaut to emerge from the military establishment, and the most closely related to it was the Air Force; culturally speaking, this space operation was extremely heroic, and after World War II, the group of pilots was almost synonymous with "heroism".
In addition to his status as a pilot, Gagarin's political credentials are also a big plus. Beginning with the summer of 1959 primaries and working until 1960, the number of candidates was reduced from 3471 to 347 to 206, with the last 20 remaining top 20 to be determined for closed training.
During this training session, Gagarin actively organized sports activities and edited astronaut newsletter articles. In view of his outstanding performance, on June 16, 1960, he also had an important promotion in his position in the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Without this promotion, Gagarin would most likely miss out on the title of "First Astronaut.". It can be said that this is simply his "ticket" to space.
Moreover, Gagarin was a typical Russian, a trait that didn't seem important, but one of the factors that made him beat his most formidable rival, titov.
Gagarin is typical of the appearance of a young Russian: a friendly, distinctively Russian face, an infectious smile, and deep blue eyes.
He also holds a typical Russian name, "Gagarin", while titov's name is derived from Germany (although he is not of descent).
The space mission of Dongfang I, once victorious, will be the victory of the entire Soviet Union, and because of this, the protagonist is also destined to play the role of "national spokesman" for a long time. From this point of view, Gagarin's complete "Russian attributes" are what people prefer to see and what is needed to become a national hero.
Gagarin in the training phase (Source: ap photo /tass/mattias malmer, in public domain)
Outstanding physiological conditions
According to participants at the time, the candidates were primarily selected to examine the following conditions: general health, physical preparation, professional suitability, moral and ethical characteristics, and psychological conditions particularities) as well as body parameters (height 172-174 cm, weight 70-75 kg).
In fact, the diminutive Gagarin doesn't meet the height limit here — he's only 5 feet 2 inches, or 157 centimeters, which is far below the parameter requirements here. But in short, the selection staff at that time did not turn Gagarin away because of his height.
Interestingly, as the screening process progressed to the last 20 of the top 20, they suddenly discovered that the capsule designed by Korolev (chief rocket engineer and chief designer of the Soviet Space Program) was too narrow to be accessed only by those under 5 feet 6 inches (about 167 centimeters). As a result, Gagarin's height immediately became a significant advantage for him.
Physically, Gagarin's performance is not inferior. One of the candidates' training is "thermal training," in which they need to enter a small room while the surrounding temperature continues to rise until the monitors think they are in danger of life, or they themselves ask to stop. This training is designed to test their body's ability to adapt to extreme temperatures. Gagarin's excellent performance in this training is not unrelated to the traditional Russian sauna (banya) that he often tries.
In addition, Gagarin has a very strong ability to control work and rest. Observers commented:
Gagarin can sleep during the day and work at night without any obstacles. He was always able to adapt to the new schedule very easily. If it was time for rest, he lay down and immediately fell into a deep sleep. No need for an alarm clock, he can also wake up at the right time and start working immediately. He is like a robot, controlling his body with precision.
In terms of skydiving training, Gagarin is not very good.
Since Dongfang-1 cannot slow down during the return voyage, excellent skydiving technology is an essential skill for astronauts. In addition to this reality, skydiving training is also to hone the candidate's courage to take risks.
Gagarin understands that his skydiving skills are not top-notch, but every time he jumps, he always volunteers to be the first to appear. Invisibly, he keenly grasped the rhythm of training in this way, and also made up for his technical shortcomings. Observers did, as it turned out, appreciate his actions.
In fact, during the landing of Vostok-1, unlike the official description at the time, Gagarin did not return to the ground at the same time as the spacecraft. Since Vostok-1 could not slow down during its return, Gagarin ejected the spacecraft at a distance of 7 kilometers above the ground and eventually landed with the help of a parachute.
According to the fédération aéronautique internationale, officially certified spaceflight must meet the condition that "astronauts land with the spacecraft." Because of this, the Soviet government was silent about the actual landing process, and did not recognize this fact until 1971.
But in any case, the International United Aviation Association still recognized the space flight, and Gagarin became the undisputed space hero.
Schematic diagram of Dongfang No.1 (Source: space.com/karl tate)
Rare psychological conditions
If Gagarin does not have an absolute advantage in physical conditions, he has won the favor of everyone in terms of psychological conditions. In short, Gagarin has sufficient courage, self-observation, and interpersonal skills.
When it comes to courage, "grace under pressure" is a word that cannot be circumvented. The American writer Hemingway wrote in "The Old Man and the Sea": courage is grace under pressure. And Santiago, the old man who has been wrestling with the sea for half a lifetime, may be the best annotation to this sentence.
In fact, because the core of Hemingway's writing was highly aligned with the Soviet spirit, his works were heavily translated into Russian during Khrushchev's cultural thaw, which made him very popular in the Soviet Union. Especially for the people at the Astronaut Training Center, Hemingway's work constitutes a certain spiritual source for them. It was during his training that Gagarin developed the habit of reading Hemingway's works.
Aleksei leonov, one of the last 20 astronaut candidates, recalls the first encounter with Gagarin in the autumn of 1959: everyone was anxiously awaiting the next round of medical examinations, while Gagarin sat calmly on the couch and read The Old Man and the Sea. The so-called elegance under the pressure may be so.
Gagarin's courage, on the other hand, is also reflected in a sense of humor. The chief psychologist at the time believed that the best candidate must be the one with the greatest sense of humor. In his view, the sense of humor in a difficult situation is a manifestation of psychological stability. The medical evaluation mentions that Gagarin has an innate sense of optimism and humor. He loves to tell jokes and is equally responsive to them.
Nikolai Petrovich Kamanin, head of astronaut selection training, also wrote in his diary that Gagarin was not interested in chess, but was keen on sports and witty jokes.
Whether it's the grace under pressure or the sense of humor in the predicament, these are the epitome of Gagarin's courage.
In addition, the ability to self-observation is also an extremely important item of investigation.
In the spacecraft, the astronaut is alone and has a 50% chance of survival. Therefore, he must have the ability to perceive his physical and psychological conditions, give detailed and accurate descriptions, and think of ways to solve problems and adjust physical and mental states.
To this end, all candidates underwent "isolation training" for a period of 10 to 15 days. In this training, they are locked in a small room, unable to see anyone, but always watched by others, in a state of "public loneliness."
Gagarin's performance impressed everyone. Not only can he remain calm at all times, but he can also show an optimistic and unpretentious positive image.
Before entering the room, he chose books and readings that were "politically correct," such as the works of classic Soviet writers Mayakovsky and Gorky, and of course, Pushkin's poems and Jules Verne's science fiction novels. He talks to the author, tells jokes to the characters in the book, jokes with every little object that appears around him, and hums cheerful songs from time to time.
Other candidates, of course, will show their positive image by reading books, but they only repeat the sentences in the book aloud, while Gagarin is able to relax and focus on his entire life, allowing people to see a naturally positive character.
As for interpersonal skills, observers describe Gagarin as "fill in but stand out," always smiling friendly, thoughtful and thoughtful.
Before conducting isolation training, he investigated in advance the names of the people who would be observing him and the corresponding shifts. Therefore, although he could not see the observers, he was always able to call out their names and greet them cordially when they changed the guard. This impressed many observers. Even after the end of the space mission and the fame, he sent autographed photos and greetings to the observers at the time.
In the process, Gagarin is self-disciplined, self-controlling, responsive, and always able to adjust the atmosphere and alleviate everyone's anxiety – thanks to his sense of humor, of course. On various occasions, Gagarin behaved appropriately and with affinity, and indeed showed the demeanor of a "national hero".
Gagarin's success depended heavily on his outstanding psychological conditions. And these psychological conditions are not so much necessary conditions for becoming a good astronaut as they are necessary conditions for becoming a national hero.
As the first astronaut, regardless of the success of the mission, his name will always be remembered, becoming a spiritual monument to the entire country and even all mankind. Therefore, his image must be positive, and his characteristics must also be the characteristics of the people respected by the state.
Whether it is Gagarin's typical Russian appearance, his ability to face public attention and be cautious in his isolation training, or his high emotional intelligence performance of being well-informed and good at communication, these all predict his success and explain why he has become a spiritual icon of generations of Russians.
(Source: esa.int)
Resources
[1] http://russianhistoryblog.org/2011/02/the-russian-icarus-how-gagarin-became-cosmonaut-1/
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/mar/13/yuri-gagarin-first-space-korolev
[3] https://www.space.com/16159-first-man-in-space.html
[4] https://www.space.com/11336-space-race-united-states-soviets-spaceflight-50years.html
[5] https://www.space.com/10958-soviet-vostok-space-capsule-auction.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/yuri_gagarin
The headline and cover image of the article are imaged by podcasts.ceu.edu