AstrotalkUK

Not for profit website/blog on astronomy, space and my writing

  • Home
    • FAQ
    • Contact
    • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Content
    • Podcast
    • All episodes
    • Book Review
    • Cyber Security
  • Events

Episode 36: October 11th 2010 – UK Space Policy and Yuri Gagarin’s visit to Manchester and London in July 1961

By Gurbir Dated: October 12, 2010 7 Comments

Next year April 12th  2011 marks the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s,  mankind’s,  first steps  into space. It was a product of the accumulated technology of many countries over many years but particularly driven by the the political landscape resulting from the 2nd world war. Since then successful robotic missions have visited the planets, asteroids and comets. 24 men have gone to the moon and a dozen have even walked on its surface.

Subsequent achievements have fallen short of the expectations raised in the wake of Gagarin’s flight. Gagarin himself  spoke openly about his desire to go to the moon and Mars. That sounds like a pipe dream now but back in 1961, he was absolutely serious and realistic.

So what happened? Had the space race been won when Neil and Buzz landed on the Moon? Had the motivation borne out of political rivalries of the cold war finally been exhausted? Perhaps, the problems closer at home of poverty, population growth, environmental concerns  raced to the top of the political agenda and forced  governments into a pragmatic reconsideration on how they spent their cash?

Big questions. Too big for this episode where Dr Chris Welch from Kingston University provides a brief outline of the current status of the Space policy here in the UK.   Dr Welch  also happens to be the chair of the of the recently launched YuriGagarin50 group which has amongst its aims:

Stimulate celebration and recognition of the global significance of Gagarin and his flight – ‘the first person in space, the first person to see the Earth as a planet’.

After his flight Yuri Gagarin embarked on a world tour which included a 4 day visit to the UK which surprisingly included a visit to Manchester on 12th July 1961. By chance, Gagarin’s first job was as a moulder in a foundry in Moscow.   He came to the UK and Manchester at the invitation of the Manchester based Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers. I will be producing another episode  focusing on Gagarin’s UK visit next year. Did you see Gagarin in July 1961? Do you know someone who did? Share your memories. Drop me a note at info@astrotalkuk.org.

With many months to go to next year’s 50th anniversary, there are several events already being planned  to celebrate mankind’s first steps in to space. Keep an eye on the events calendar at  www.yurigagarin50.org

________________________________________________

The quote for this episode is from the Soviet government in 1961 following Gagarin’s success in Vostok 1. Perhaps they were deliberately winding up the Americans but there is something warm and reassuring to see a couple of familiar words in the quote  “all mankind” that are on the plaque left on the Moon by the Apollo 11 astronauts. A 1961 official Soviet Government and Communist Party announcement said.

“We regard these victories in the conquest of outer space not only as the achievement of our people but as an achievement of all mankind”

A video version of this podcast is available on Vimeo here.

https://media.blubrry.com/astrotalkuk_podcast_feed/astrotalkuk.org/wp-content/uploads/episode36.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (15.4MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook

Related

Filed Under: apollo, Education, podcast, Rocket, space, Spaceflight, Uncategorized, video, Vostok, Yuri Gagarin

Join Mailing List

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Comments

  1. Donald McCormick says

    26th October 2010 at 15:07

    I had emigrated to Canada, with my wife and two children, in 1956/7, and we made our first trip back to visit relatives and friends in 1961. On the way back, we had a few days in London and visited the historic Tower of London. We were very surprised to see Yuri Gagarin there, not having read any newspapers.

  2. Janice Buckley says

    10th November 2010 at 22:10

    I remember seeing Yuri Gagarin, from the steps of our offices on Princess Street, with my friend Dorothy England, it was lovely to see him, I can still see that wonderful smile, I still haven`t forgotten him.

  3. Raymond C Sampson says

    20th November 2010 at 08:30

    I can remember the bbc news playing the voice of Yuri Garagin from space.
    He has all ways been my hero. I went to the city of Saratov in 2006 where yuri studied.and then on to Yuri Landing spot. about 60km from Saratov. I am planing to return in april 2011 for his 50th year in space.
    I was born in london in the war 1942.

  4. Nick Deakin says

    28th November 2010 at 17:34

    Thanks for an informative article look forward to more as the 50th anniversary approaches.

  5. Joyce Branagh says

    12th December 2010 at 14:41

    I live in Manchester and stumbled across the fact that Yuri visited the city back in 1961. I’m now writing a short play about a young girl who saw him that day, and the inspiration she gained from his visit. The play is due to be produced as a radio play to commemorate the 50th anniversary next year. It would be lovely to work with you. Is this possible?

  6. Sharron Clemons says

    21st December 2010 at 20:16

    I can remember the bbc news playing the voice of Yuri Garagin from space. He has all ways been my hero. I went to the city of Saratov in 2006 where yuri studied.and then on to Yuri Landing spot. about 60km from Saratov. I am planing to return in april 2011 for his 50th year in space. I was born in london in the war 1942.

  7. Edmond says

    11th June 2011 at 19:14

    I lived in London and went to St. Aloysius College Highgate. We had a school trip to the Royal Horticultural Hall to see Yuri Gagarin. I even think I took a photograph – no idea where that is now.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Find me online here

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

subscribe to mailing list and newsletter

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Browse by category

Twitter

My Tweets

Recent Comments

  • Episode 109 - The Antikythera Mechanism with Prof Xenophon Moussas - AstrotalkUK on Episode 26: Antikythera Mechanism
  • Missions To Be on the Lookout for During the 2020s – My Company on Episode 90 – An update on ISRO’s activities with S Somanath and R Umamaheshwaran
  • Apprendre les Radioamateurs - Radio club du BorinageRadio club du Borinage on Amateur Radio – Learning Under Lockdown
  • Gurbir on Categories
  • Desmond Welch on Categories

Archives

Select posts by topic

apollo Astrophotography BIS Book Review CCSK China Cloud Computing cnsa comet commercial Cosmology curiosity cyber Education ESA Gagarin History India Infosec ISRO jaxa Mars Media Moon NASA podcast Rakesh Sharma rocket Rockets Roscosmos saturn Science Science Fiction seti Solar System soviet space space spaceflight space race spacerace telescope titan USSR video Vostok

Copyright © 2008–2023 Gurbir Singh - AstrotalkUK Publications Log in