. | . |
Russia space chief blasts US for omitting Gagarin in post by AFP Staff Writers Moscow (AFP) April 13, 2021 The head of Russia's space agency used strong language to criticise US State Department members for failing to mention Yuri Gagarin in a post marking 60 years since his historic spaceflight. On Monday, Russia led by President Vladimir Putin marked the 60th anniversary of the legendary flight that made Gagarin the first human in orbit. The US State Department issued a Facebook post commemorating 60 years since the flight as well as "technological progress and international cooperation, which are facilitated by space exploration". The short post in Russian did not mention Gagarin, who gave the Soviet Union a major victory in the Cold War-era space race against the United States. "Assholes. Superpowers do not behave that way," Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin wrote in response on Twitter late Monday. A brash and brazen former diplomat, Rogozin is known for provocative tweets and boisterous claims. In 2014, Rogozin, then a deputy prime minister in charge of space, responded to Western sanctions on Russia with a tweet suggesting the United States could send its astronauts to space "using a trampoline". Russia at the time was the only country capable of delivering crews to the International Space Station (ISS). "The trampoline is working," US billionaire Elon Musk quipped in 2020 after his company SpaceX successfully launched a crew to the ISS. Gagarin's flight on April 12, 1961 lasted 108 minutes, the time it took to complete one loop around the Earth. Twenty-three days later, Alan Shepard became the first American in space. His flight on Freedom 7 on May 5, 1961 was suborbital. as/jbr/txw
Three-man crew docks at ISS after flight honouring Gagarin Almaty, Kazakhstan (AFP) April 9, 2021 A three-man crew docked at the international Space Station Friday after a flight honouring the 60th anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becoming the first person in space. A Soyuz capsule carrying Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei docked at 1105 GMT, footage broadcasted by NASA TV showed. "There is contact!" Russia's space agency Roscosmos wrote on Twitter. "Hey, Expedition 64 - set the dinner table... Can't wait to join you on ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |