HW: Gargarin (BMtHoYG)

[Andrew A. Apold]

>Yuri Gagarin's historic first manned spaceflight in 1961 nearly ended in
disaster, according to a set of 35-year-old notes by Gargarin's commander
that are on the
>auction block.
>
>According to the notes by Colonel Yevgeny Karpov, the Vostok 1 spacecraft
started spinning out of control when two parts of the vehicle failed to
separate as
>planned before reentry. Instead of taking ten seconds to separate, ten
minutes passed before the two components separated and the reentry capsule,
with Gagarin
>aboard, made a safe descent to Earth.
>
>"Malfunction!!!", "Don't panic!" and "Emergency situation" are the words
that appear in Karpov's notes. The account appears to correspond with a
secret report
>filed by Gagarin after the flight, which was printed in 1991 in the Russian
newspaper Rabochaya Tribuna.
>
>Analysts and historians agree that has the world known about Gargarin's
problems, the space race would have slowed down considerably. "If something
like this had
>been known, it might have played into the hands of the doubters," John
Glenn....

I thought it interesting that three of the phrases they quote appear as
Hawkwind albums or lables.

I wonder if he was ever due royalties from this album...  Then again, he
already has his close encounter with a disaster, so...

+-------------------------------------------------------+
Andrew A. Apold, aka                        "I was corrupt before I had power!"
Roger Shrubstaff                                 - Random, upon being accused
Guildmaster of Reeves                          of being corrupted since
Barony of Silverwater                             becoming King....
Kingdom of the Burning Lands                (Roger Zelazny, d. 1995)