Space is the Place

Astronauts, Cosmonauts, & Supernauts

In 1964 the Soviet Union’s Kosmicheskaya program SSSR was kicking the ass of the American space program. The Soviets had successfully launched the first intercontinental missile, put the first satellite into orbit, then the first animal (poor Laika), the first man (Yuri Gagarin, 1961), the first woman (Valentina Tereshkova, 1963), and the first joint space mission (Vostok 3 and Vostok 4, 1964). Despite NASA’s best efforts, the Russians held the lead until their brilliant chief designer, Sergei Korolev, died on the operating table in 1966.

Note that these Czech stamps honoring space pioneers include a few astronauts. It’s difficult to imagine the US Postal Service of 1964 showing the same amount of grace to cosmonauts.