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back to article Yuri Gagarin lands at Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is hosting a Yuri Gagarin photo restrospective featuring "iconic and previously unseen images" from the collection of RIA Novosti. The Russian news agency has hooked up with Science Photo Library to offer Poyekhali! Yuri Gagarin and The Dawn of Space Exploration.* Science Photo Library's Gary Evans said …

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  1. PaulyV
    Thumb Up

    Image doctoring

    I will go and see this - will be interesting to see which versions of the images are displayed as for years many of these images were routinely doctored and retouched at the whim of the political climate of the time:

    http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/04/soviet-space-propaganda/?pid=1178

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  2. Neil Barnes Silver badge
    Alien

    Excellent.

    Just booked tickets for the talk.

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Russians

    Gagarin, bollocks of steel

    I've also found the whole Lunokhod stuff cool

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    1. The last doughnut
      Reply Icon
      Meh

      Didn't help him when it mattered, tho

      If he hadn't crashed that fighter jet while pi$$ed he might still be around to day.

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      1. Anonymous Coward
        Reply Icon
        Anonymous Coward

        Might

        I'm not aware of any definitive conclusion as to why he crashed. Not sure making unproven allegations he was drunk are helpful.

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  4. Steve Hosgood
    FAIL

    12ft?

    You might have thought that the British Council could get the measurement done in a relevant way: the Russians (like the rest of the world) measure stuff in metres. So it's a 3.6m statue - probably designed to be 4m overall when on its plinth.

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  5. sandman
    Happy

    Cool

    I have a Russian poster of Gagarin on the wall above the PC in my "office" (spare room). Inspiration from the days when humans just went out and did stuff - and sod the risks.

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  6. Bassey

    Very excited

    Tomorrow morning I'm off to Jurby (a tiny little village on the Isle of Man) to see two spare modules from the Mir Space station (spares that were never used, obviously) along with a re-usable capsule. I'm going under the pretence of taking my son who is hugely into everything space but I am WAAAAYYYYY more excited than he is.

    They are the ones some company hopes to put into orbit as a Space Hotel (charging $35 Million) and they are opening the place up and running (free) guided tours for one day only. Can't wait.

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  7. Graham Lockley

    Sod Duke Nukem

    ...pussy compared to this guy.

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  8. doperative
    Alien

    Gagarins return to Earth

    > Following his 108-minute flight, Gagarin returned to Earth in Russia's central Saratov region, to be met by amazed farm workers. He told the welcoming committee ..

    The flight wasn't without incident. On reentry the equipment module failed to seperate from the reentry capsule module as the umbilical didn't disconnect cleanly. The cord eventually burned through and the modules then separated. Gagarin then had to exit the capsule at about five miles up and parachute to ground.

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    1. Bryan B
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      Technically *not* the first spaceman

      The parachute descent meant that the trip should have been disqualified under FAI rules, which required the pilot to land with his craft. The Soviets covered this up for years, including forcing Gagarin to lie in press conferences.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vostok_1#World_record

      He was a bloody brave guy though.

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      1. Robert E A Harvey
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        Technicalities, Technicalities

        I understand the arguement, but you are right. Brave Guy.

        He was my childhood hero, and I can't see a picture of him now without smiling.

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  9. Herr Ober

    Seriously...

    Can we please stop assuming that all everything in USSR was covered up? Rather annoying. It's not like west is shining at advertising truth to the masses...

    And the FAI rules is the daftest thing so far...It's like dissqualifying an athelte for making a world record in a wrong coloured underwear, ffs....

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    1. Not That Andrew
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      Agreed

      To adapt an old saying about landings, any re-entry you walk away from is a good re-entry.

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