The Cosmonaut Who Couldn’t Stop Smiling

The Cosmonaut Who Couldn’t Stop Smiling
Author :
Publisher : Northern Illinois University Press
Total Pages : 325
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781501757686
ISBN-13 : 1501757687
Rating : 4/5 (687 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Cosmonaut Who Couldn’t Stop Smiling by : Andrew L. Jenks

Download or read book The Cosmonaut Who Couldn’t Stop Smiling written by Andrew L. Jenks and published by Northern Illinois University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-15 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Let's go!" With that, the boyish, grinning Yuri Gagarin launched into space on April 12, 1961, becoming the first human being to exit Earth's orbit. The twenty-seven-year-old lieutenant colonel departed for the stars from within the shadowy world of the Soviet military-industrial complex. Barbed wires, no-entry placards, armed guards, false identities, mendacious maps, and a myriad of secret signs had hidden Gagarin from prying outsiders—not even his friends or family knew what he had been up to. Coming less than four years after the Russians launched Sputnik into orbit, Gagarin's voyage was cause for another round of capitalist shock and Soviet rejoicing. The Cosmonaut Who Couldn't Stop Smiling relates this twentieth-century icon's remarkable life while exploring the fascinating world of Soviet culture. Gagarin's flight brought him massive international fame—in the early 1960s, he was possibly the most photographed person in the world, flashing his trademark smile while rubbing elbows with the varied likes of Nehru, Castro, Queen Elizabeth II, and Italian sex symbol Gina Lollobrigida. Outside of the spotlight, Andrew L. Jenks reveals, his tragic and mysterious death in a jet crash became fodder for morality tales and conspiracy theories in his home country, and, long after his demise, his life continues to provide grist for the Russian popular-culture mill. This is the story of a legend, both the official one and the one of myth, which reflected the fantasies, perversions, hopes and dreams of Gagarin's fellow Russians. With this rich, lively chronicle of Gagarin's life and times, Jenks recreates the elaborately secretive world of space-age Russia while providing insights into Soviet history that will captivate a range of readers.


The Cosmonaut Who Couldn’t Stop Smiling Related Books

The Cosmonaut Who Couldn’t Stop Smiling
Language: en
Pages: 325
Authors: Andrew L. Jenks
Categories: Biography & Autobiography
Type: BOOK - Published: 2019-01-15 - Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"Let's go!" With that, the boyish, grinning Yuri Gagarin launched into space on April 12, 1961, becoming the first human being to exit Earth's orbit. The twenty
Rockets and People, Volume III, Hot Days of the Cold War
Language: en
Pages: 838
Authors:
Categories: Aerospace engineers
Type: BOOK - Published: - Publisher: Government Printing Office

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

V. 1. [no special title] -- v. 2. Creating a rocket industry -- v. 3 Hot days of the Cold War -- v. 4. The moon race.
Cumulated Index Medicus
Language: en
Pages: 1508
Authors:
Categories: Medicine
Type: BOOK - Published: 1995 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Encyclopedia of Fermented Fresh Milk Products: An International Inventory of Fermented Milk, Cream, Buttermilk, Whey, and Related Products
Language: en
Pages: 390
Authors: Joseph A. Kurmann
Categories: Technology & Engineering
Type: BOOK - Published: 1992-10-31 - Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This reference text is devoted to a modern look at the historical, scientific, and technical nature of fermented milk and its products. It is valuable to food s
The Russian Arctic Straits
Language: en
Pages: 291
Authors: R. Douglas Brubaker
Categories: Law
Type: BOOK - Published: 2005-01-01 - Publisher: BRILL

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The issues surrounding the regimes of ice-covered areas, international straits, and passage rights of State vessels are analysed for the purpose of assessing th