4 ms·

People go on an on about the moon but sputnik and gagarin were the real achievement.

avmich 6y ago
A rather popular opinion in Russian space circles is that there were three towering events in space - Sputnik on October 4 '57, Gagarin on April 12 '61 and Armstrong on July 20 '69. And no fourth so far - e.g. first Columbia flight isn't of that level of importance.
- bryananderson 6y ago
  Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins has made the case that Apollo 8, the first mission to venture outward from low Earth orbit, deserves a place in this pantheon and is arguably more epochal than Apollo 11. It is a question of which is more significant: venturing outward for the first time, or arriving somewhere for the first time. Collins has said that, as time passes, that first tentative outward journey feels more significant to him on the grand timeline of human history than the first step on the Moon.
  - avmich 6y ago
    Apollo 8 technically is significantly simpler than Apollo 11. Many Apollo 8 results could perhaps be achieved by USSR with two launches of Proton. They can argue if that high orbit - 400,000 km apogee - and entering Moon orbit is that much of a qualitative step. In a sense, getting to orbit is already venturing outward, and Apollo 8 is venturing somewhat furter - not clear to me how much is it of a difference.
    - bryananderson 6y ago
      Certainly Apollo 11 is far more technically audacious than Apollo 8, and the Soviets really did get quite close to a slightly simpler version of Apollo 8 (and could have pulled it off given enough time and effort--whereas landing on the moon was beyond their reach without much more funding to integrate and test N-1 properly). Collins is speaking more of the historical and philosophical significance of stepping away from the shores of our lonesome island.
qwerty456127 6y ago
How do you know it was real? Russian propaganda still says the American moon landing was filmed in Nevada, might the Vostok 1 mission be a hoax as well?
- LatteLazy 6y ago
  Well you could track and listen to sputnik as it went overhead back in the day with a standard radio. Pretty hard to fake that...
- raviolo 6y ago
  Russian propaganda does not say that. Putin himself said on multiple occasions that any theories of staging moon landings are silly. Don’t have a reference at the moment but I have seen several Putin’s interviews to that effect. Russian propaganda is alive and well on many topics but denying American moon landings is not one of them.
- Aperocky 6y ago
  Those are the homegrown idiotic propaganda, the Russian variety has more logic in it.

A rather popular opinion in Russian space circles is that there were three towering events in space - Sputnik on October 4 '57, Gagarin on April 12 '61 and Armstrong on July 20 '69. And no fourth so far - e.g. first Columbia flight isn't of that level of importance.

bryananderson 6y ago
Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins has made the case that Apollo 8, the first mission to venture outward from low Earth orbit, deserves a place in this pantheon and is arguably more epochal than Apollo 11. It is a question of which is more significant: venturing outward for the first time, or arriving somewhere for the first time. Collins has said that, as time passes, that first tentative outward journey feels more significant to him on the grand timeline of human history than the first step on the Moon.
- avmich 6y ago
  Apollo 8 technically is significantly simpler than Apollo 11. Many Apollo 8 results could perhaps be achieved by USSR with two launches of Proton. They can argue if that high orbit - 400,000 km apogee - and entering Moon orbit is that much of a qualitative step. In a sense, getting to orbit is already venturing outward, and Apollo 8 is venturing somewhat furter - not clear to me how much is it of a difference.
  - bryananderson 6y ago
    Certainly Apollo 11 is far more technically audacious than Apollo 8, and the Soviets really did get quite close to a slightly simpler version of Apollo 8 (and could have pulled it off given enough time and effort--whereas landing on the moon was beyond their reach without much more funding to integrate and test N-1 properly). Collins is speaking more of the historical and philosophical significance of stepping away from the shores of our lonesome island.

qwerty456127 6y ago

How do you know it was real? Russian propaganda still says the American moon landing was filmed in Nevada, might the Vostok 1 mission be a hoax as well?

LatteLazy 6y ago
Well you could track and listen to sputnik as it went overhead back in the day with a standard radio. Pretty hard to fake that...
raviolo 6y ago
Russian propaganda does not say that. Putin himself said on multiple occasions that any theories of staging moon landings are silly. Don’t have a reference at the moment but I have seen several Putin’s interviews to that effect. Russian propaganda is alive and well on many topics but denying American moon landings is not one of them.
Aperocky 6y ago
Those are the homegrown idiotic propaganda, the Russian variety has more logic in it.