Not for profit website/blog on astronomy, space and my writing
With a population of 1.2 billion people, India has just one national with first hand experience of spaceflight. Rakesh Sharma, a now retired Indian Air Force wing commander in 1984 spent eight days in space aboard the Soviet space station Salyut 7. This account of his spaceflight was recorded at this home in the Nilgris region of India in August 2013.
MP3 audio below and Youtube video below that
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This book was published over a year ago. I thought it would be useful to share with you some of the corrections and comments I have received. Naturally, if you are aware of others please drop me a line.
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P7: Korloev died in 1966 not in 1967 as stated on p17. Thanks Dave Shayler
P41: “On his own visit to Cuba in 1965, Leonov met Hemingway and personally told him that this novel had been a favourite of Gagarin’s” This is Leonov’s account from his jointly authored book Scott, D. & A. Leonov: Two Sides of the Moon, 2004, p39. But it cannot be so – Hemingway died in 1961. Thanks Michael Cassutt
P85: The picture of the cenotaph in Manchester is not the cenotaph in Manchester but he one in London. Apparently the picture form 1961 had been erroneously labeled back then. It has since been corrected by Ria Novosti. Thanks Francis French (see post from Facebook replicated below)
P101: I imply Dr Alexander Martynov is a cosmonaut. That is not so. He is a space scientist and frequently tours alongside other cosmonauts. Thanks Francis French
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Tale of two cenotaphs Originally posted on Facebook 26th September 2012
During his day trip to Manchester, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin stopped by to lay a wreath at the cenotaph in St Peters Square which just a couple of hundred meters from the Town Hall, his final stop in Manchester. Or that is what I thought and said so on page 85 in my book “Yuri Gagarin in London and Manchester”.
During my research all my conversations with Mancunians who saw or met Gagarin in 1961 – no one could recall his stop at the cenotaph. But that did not matter, I had a photo from Rainovosti clearly capturing that moment in a labelled and dated picture.
During his recent trip “back home” to Manchester, Francis French stopped by at the cenotaph at St Peters Square. He compared the actual cenotaph with that in the picture and concluded that the one depicted in the picture was not the cenotaph in Manchester.
As I describe on page 116, in between his meeting with the Prime Minister and visiting the air ministry on Whitehall, Gagarin stopped by the cenotaph which was very much on his route. I have looked at images of the cenotaph in London and it appears that the one depicted in the picture (and my book) is the cenotaph in London.
I contacted Rianovosti and they have already amended the description http://visualrian.ru/en/site/gallery/#899166. I will do likewise in the ebook version of my book. Thanks to Francis “Sherlock” French, the story of Gagarin’s visit to the UK is now a little more accurate.
Unfortunately, it is not coming to Manchester but going to the Royal Observatory in London instead. More Details in the fifth and final newsletter #5 – which I have duplicated below.
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Bring Gagarin statue to Manchester. Campaign update #5: 6th October 2012
Sadly, I have to report that the Gagarin statue will NOT be coming to Manchester.
As per my tweet on 3rd October 2012, the British Council announced through their press release that the new home of the Gagarin statue will be the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
Can I simply but sincerely thank all of you who supported this campaign in many ways including writing letters, distributing leaflets, signing the petition and adding your name to the open letter. The press release indicates that the move to the new location is subject to planning permission. Unless there is any additional news, this campaign is now formally closed.
The Royal Observatory Greenwich is a remarkably appropriate place to have been selected. It is the home of the Prime Meridian, the special place where you can simultaneously place one foot in the Western hemisphere and the other in the Eastern. As a central London attraction it is a popular stop for tourists from all over the world, hosts visits from schools and even has a planetarium.
The statue will be erected outdoors and be well maintained. This open access will allow thousands of people every year to visit it without having to pay. This was the primary driver for the British Council, Roscosmos and one which I share.
The statue in its new location will be unveiled on his birthday 9th March 2013. If he was still with us Yuri Gagarin would have been only 79.
Historian Michael Wood‘s documentary, The Great British Story – A People’s History, is currently being screened in the UK. Michael is from Manchester and was visiting Liverpool last weekend where he made time for this recording.
In this short interview, Michael Wood talks about the Great British Story, the role of the working classes in the northwest of England and the value of their contribution to modern society. Although he never met or saw Yuri Gagarin, he recounts his personal memories of the day the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin came to town.
A video recording is available below
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