Scrapbook 1: Aug 1961 — Gherman Titov

Titov came down yesterday in his Spaceship, Vostok II, in a field 400 miles from Moscow. In 25 hours, 18 minutes he had been seventeen times round the Earth and travelled 435,000 miles—almost the distance from the Earth to the Moon and back again.

RUSSIA will send a third man into Space in the next few months—almost certainly before Christmas—for a week or possibly ten days.

This new trip could give Russian scientists the experience necessary to plan a return journey to THE MOON.

But a lot depends on radiation tests now taking place on Spaceman Titov. He will be a “prisoner” of doctors for the next forty-eight hours for an exhaustive medical examination.

An answer on the radiation problem will come from his Space suit—which had special photographic film inset over vital areas of his body.

Highest

The Vostok II flew below the belt of intense radiation which begins 200 miles above the Earth. The highest point the Space ship reached was just under 160 miles.

But Major Titov must have been hit by strong bursts of radiation.

The Major revealed in a broadcast that he had “living organisms” with him on the Space ship.

They were likely to be mice, insects and fruit flies—all particularly useful in making radiation measurements.

The doctors will also study in detail the record of Major Titov’s pulse and breathing rates and other data tape-recorded during his long period of weightlessness.

If all the tests are favourable, Cosmonaut No. 3 may be sent further out into Space.

On the Moon flight a Spaceman will spend several hours of his journey in the area of heaviest radiation.

How Long?

How long will it be before the Russians solve all the problems?

If they continue to increase their Space-race lead over America at the present rate, there could be a Russian on the Moon by August Bank Holiday, 1965.