Did these guys ever exercise more control over the "spaceship" than the various primates and the Soviet space dogs we've put to orbit? Don't get me wrong, they

Did these guys ever exercise more control over the "spaceship" than the various primates and the Soviet space dogs we've put to orbit? Don't get me wrong, they were heroic and all that cause unlike Laica they knew exactly what they were getting into, I am just wondering .. For instance, could they do something wrong and crash the damned thing?