Starman

The Truth Behind the Legend of Yuri Gagarin

Biography & Memoir, Reference, Nonfiction, History, Modern, 20th Century, Science & Nature, Nature
Cover of the book Starman by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony ISBN: 9780802779618
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: May 1, 2011
Imprint: Bloomsbury USA Language: English
Author: Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
ISBN: 9780802779618
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: May 1, 2011
Imprint: Bloomsbury USA
Language: English

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in history to leave the Earth's atmosphere and venture into space. His flight aboard a Russian Vostok rocket lasted only 108 minutes, but at the end of it he had become the most famous man in the world. Back on the ground, his smiling face captured the hearts of millions around the globe. Film stars, politicians and pop stars from Europe to Japan, India to the United States vied with each other to shake his hand.

Despite this immense fame, almost nothing is known about Gagarin or the exceptional people behind his dramatic space flight. Starman tells for the first time Gagarin's personal odyssey from peasant to international icon, his subsequent decline as his personal life began to disintegrate under the pressures of fame, and his final disillusionment with the Russian state. President Kennedy's quest to put an American on the Moon was a direct reaction to Gagarin's achievement--yet before that successful moonshot occurred, Gagarin himself was dead, aged just thirty-four, killed in a mysterious air crash. Publicly the Soviet hierarchy mourned; privately their sighs of relief were almost audible, and the KGB report into his death remains secret.

Entwined with Gagarin's history is that of the breathtaking and highly secretive Russian space program - its technological daring, its triumphs and disasters. In a gripping account, Jamie Doran and Piers Bizony reveal the astonishing world behind the scenes of the first great space spectacular, and how Gagarin's flight came frighteningly close to destruction.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in history to leave the Earth's atmosphere and venture into space. His flight aboard a Russian Vostok rocket lasted only 108 minutes, but at the end of it he had become the most famous man in the world. Back on the ground, his smiling face captured the hearts of millions around the globe. Film stars, politicians and pop stars from Europe to Japan, India to the United States vied with each other to shake his hand.

Despite this immense fame, almost nothing is known about Gagarin or the exceptional people behind his dramatic space flight. Starman tells for the first time Gagarin's personal odyssey from peasant to international icon, his subsequent decline as his personal life began to disintegrate under the pressures of fame, and his final disillusionment with the Russian state. President Kennedy's quest to put an American on the Moon was a direct reaction to Gagarin's achievement--yet before that successful moonshot occurred, Gagarin himself was dead, aged just thirty-four, killed in a mysterious air crash. Publicly the Soviet hierarchy mourned; privately their sighs of relief were almost audible, and the KGB report into his death remains secret.

Entwined with Gagarin's history is that of the breathtaking and highly secretive Russian space program - its technological daring, its triumphs and disasters. In a gripping account, Jamie Doran and Piers Bizony reveal the astonishing world behind the scenes of the first great space spectacular, and how Gagarin's flight came frighteningly close to destruction.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book The Castles of Henry VIII by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book The Devil Rides Out by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book Listening to Noise and Silence by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book FDR v. The Constitution by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book Chicken Soup with Barley by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book Philippe Grandrieux by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book IS-2 Heavy Tank 1944–73 by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book Napoleon's Red Lancers by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book Music From Big Pink by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book Beautiful Shadow by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book Playful Intelligence by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book Croatia Under Ante Pavelic by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book USAF F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972–73 by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book Remaking Cities by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
Cover of the book The Spanish Civil War by Jamie Doran, Piers Bizony
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy