Due to technical difficulties with the Vostok capsule (say, repeated parachute failures?), the Soviet program falls behind by at least a month. On May 2, 1961 (the original planned date for Shepard's flight, scrubbed IOTL due to weather, assume it goes as planned TTL), Alan Shepard becomes the first human being in space. How does this change the Space Race of the 1960s?
Alan Shepard, First Man in Space?
- Thread starter Polish Eagle
- Start date
Perhaps the space race ends early, but American's would still be very interested in space for a while. It was unprecedented, and for lack of a better word, cool. It was the coolest thing yet to happen in technology, and fed into the optimism for the future and all that of the post-WW2 generation.
Yes something the Soviets covered up for many years. To my mind it's a pretty pedantic issue, Gagarin was the first man to go into space, orbit the Earth and get through re-entry. His nearly ended in disaster when the capsule didn't properly separate from the service module. The idea that he could have been denied his place in history because he didn't stay in the ship all the way to the ground is stupid in my view.
It is rather pedantic, much like Pluto being a planet or not.
Of course, going by current definitions of when space "begins", Gagarin wasn't the first man in space. That distinction would supposedly belong to various 1950s US X-plane pilots, pilots who were quietly awarded astronaut wings in the 1960s when the definition was made.
A century or so from now when there's, hopefully, less nationalist chest beating the agreed upon definitions will be applied much as how they've finally been applied to Pluto and Gagarin will still be a hero for all of humanity.
The "firsts" will go as follows:
First in "space" - Some X-plane pilot
First to orbit - Gagarin
and so forth...
I'm not sure that I really agree. Putting a payload in orbit and doing so consistently was a prerequisite for all sorts of advances with military implications such as communications and spy satellites. At least for the US, the manned space program was a politically popular way of getting funding for projects that laid a lot of groundwork for this. It was also a means to advance missile technology. Getting Shepard in space first wouldn't change this for either the US or the Soviets.
It might not make much difference. Sure, the Americans would be celebrating getting the first man into space, but then the Soviets solve the problems holding back Vostok and put the first man in orbit - maybe only a few weeks after Shepard's flight. That's a far more impressive achievement, so the Reds have scored another major propaganda triumph. The Space Race continues.
I appreciate that and you were right to mention it as it was an important part of the story of Gagarin's flight. My point was that it would have been a total nonsense that Gagarin, after being in the Vostok for 99% of the flight could have been denied official recognition of his achievement because of a technicality. Yes technically he didn't complete the flight but he was indisputably the first man to orbit the Earth.
Tovarich
Banned
Wow, these grapes are so old and sour that I could sprinkle the juice on my chips as vinegar!
in OTL Alan Shepard, almost became First Man in Space.
but thanks to Werner Von Braun, it became Yuri Gagarin on 11 April 1961
So wat happen ?
after problems with Mercury MR-2
Von Braun insisted on a further unmanned booster test flight, MR-3
against the wishes of Shepard and others at NASA.
had NASA say NO to Von Braun, Shepard had his spaceflight on 24 March 1961.
19 day befor Gagarin
How does this change the Space Race of the 1960s?
The USA got first men in space, but only Suborbital for 15 minute !
so USSR launch Gagarin one Orbit around Earth
NASA canceld later Mercury Redstone and goes on Mercury Atlas like OTL
although Khrushchev get domestic political pressure about this failure
so Khrushchev makes a announcement on 1 Mai 1961 "To send a Cosmonaut to the Moon until 1970s"
but thanks to Werner Von Braun, it became Yuri Gagarin on 11 April 1961
So wat happen ?
after problems with Mercury MR-2
Von Braun insisted on a further unmanned booster test flight, MR-3
against the wishes of Shepard and others at NASA.
had NASA say NO to Von Braun, Shepard had his spaceflight on 24 March 1961.
19 day befor Gagarin
How does this change the Space Race of the 1960s?
The USA got first men in space, but only Suborbital for 15 minute !
so USSR launch Gagarin one Orbit around Earth
NASA canceld later Mercury Redstone and goes on Mercury Atlas like OTL
although Khrushchev get domestic political pressure about this failure
so Khrushchev makes a announcement on 1 Mai 1961 "To send a Cosmonaut to the Moon until 1970s"
That's true, Shepherd bitterly remarked later that "We had them by the short hairs!" The problem with MR-2 was a faulty fuel valve that caused the rocket to accelerate too quickly causing excessive G-Forces. IIRC this was the Mercury that carried Ham the Chimp who was extremely distressed by the whole experience.
So if that fuel valve had worked then NASA could have gone for it on MR-3
So if that fuel valve had worked then NASA could have gone for it on MR-3
It is true that the Sheperd flight will pre-date Kennedy's pledge to go to the moon, but I don't think a suborbital flight is enough to cause America to sit on its laurels.
There were lots of opportunities for America to catch up the Russians and even beat them in the early space race. The Air Force was one bad Thor rocket away from getting a lunar orbiting probe in late 1958. But, the Soviets will stay in the Race so long as it's possible to beat the Americans in the end. They only gave up on the moon because they were so far behind.
The R-7 will launch people into orbit. The Redstone won't. Even if Gagarin's flight is delayed a few months, it will still bury the American accomplishment when it happens (just like Glenn's achievement dwarfed Sheperd's). And if America is at all complacent at any stage of the early space race, the Russians will just leapfrog ahead.
It's all academic, anyway. America let the Soviets dictate the pace of the American space program every step of the way. America waited for Sputnik to launch its first probe. Kennedy invented a missile gap to boost his ideas. In the late 60s, when it looked like America was going to beat the Soviets, we ignored those reports and focused on the possibility that the Soviets were still in the race. And when the Soviets finally threw in the towel, so did we.
There were lots of opportunities for America to catch up the Russians and even beat them in the early space race. The Air Force was one bad Thor rocket away from getting a lunar orbiting probe in late 1958. But, the Soviets will stay in the Race so long as it's possible to beat the Americans in the end. They only gave up on the moon because they were so far behind.
The R-7 will launch people into orbit. The Redstone won't. Even if Gagarin's flight is delayed a few months, it will still bury the American accomplishment when it happens (just like Glenn's achievement dwarfed Sheperd's). And if America is at all complacent at any stage of the early space race, the Russians will just leapfrog ahead.
It's all academic, anyway. America let the Soviets dictate the pace of the American space program every step of the way. America waited for Sputnik to launch its first probe. Kennedy invented a missile gap to boost his ideas. In the late 60s, when it looked like America was going to beat the Soviets, we ignored those reports and focused on the possibility that the Soviets were still in the race. And when the Soviets finally threw in the towel, so did we.
von kressenstein
Banned
Doubtful it would change much.
The embarrassment to the Soviets would keep the race going. There are always additional firsts.
Problem might be in how well the early American rockets perform. Rushing to get to space first some of the early bugs might not get worked out.
Same with Soviet program.
What it might mean is more concentration on Space Stations, Possible full scale Militarization of space, and more reliance on space probes to do recon on the rest of the solar system followed by manned missions to get at what ever they find. With the Military actively involved pushing things forward It could very well put us in a better position space wise then we are today. at least from a manned presence .. at least in orbit/moon respects.
The embarrassment to the Soviets would keep the race going. There are always additional firsts.
Problem might be in how well the early American rockets perform. Rushing to get to space first some of the early bugs might not get worked out.
Same with Soviet program.
What it might mean is more concentration on Space Stations, Possible full scale Militarization of space, and more reliance on space probes to do recon on the rest of the solar system followed by manned missions to get at what ever they find. With the Military actively involved pushing things forward It could very well put us in a better position space wise then we are today. at least from a manned presence .. at least in orbit/moon respects.
Wow, these grapes are so old and sour that I could sprinkle the juice on my chips as vinegar!
Pretty sad isn't it?
Gagarin had the stones to climb into a capsule atop a rocket that wouldn't have passed Western safety standards, successfully ride it into space, successfully orbit the Earth, successfully re-enter atmosphere, and then...
... successfully exit his capsule at an altitude of 7km and successfully parachute to Earth.
And people want to diminish his accomplishments because he didn't remain in the capsule for the entire trip.
Gagarin had more balls than Spaulding and he's a hero for all of humanity.
Wow, these grapes are so old and sour that I could sprinkle the juice on my chips as vinegar!
Are you calling me sour? Bitter would be a better description. Well, I can't bloody well sue over the matter since the Soviet Union no longer exists.
Arguably a first in space by USA would make it even easier for Kennedy to set goal of moon landing. Sputnik still was an issue and so we now promise to keep moving,etc
You really wanna go optimistic not only have US first in space but have Apollo mess cured w/o tragedy (IE no Apollo 1 fire) and get us to moon by 67 or 68 (which could impact 68 elections)
You really wanna go optimistic not only have US first in space but have Apollo mess cured w/o tragedy (IE no Apollo 1 fire) and get us to moon by 67 or 68 (which could impact 68 elections)