A quiz question · hard
Why did Vladimir Komarov fly Soyuz 1 in April 1967 despite knowing about 203 documented engineering faults?
Komarov reportedly told the KGB liaison Russayev that he was not coming back, but refusing meant Gagarin would fly instead. The Soyuz 1 main parachute failed; the descent module hit the Orenburg Steppe at about 140 km/h. Gagarin died eleven months later in a MiG crash.
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The Soviet Cosmonaut Who Knew the Spacecraft Was Defective and Flew It Anyway in 1967 to Save His Backup Yuri Gagarin and Was Killed When the Parachute Failed Vladimir Komarov launched in Soyuz 1 on 23 April 1967 knowing the spacecraft had 203 documented engineering faults. He flew it anyway because the backup pilot was Yuri Gagarin and Komarov refused to let Gagarin take the risk. After 18 orbits the descent module's main parachute failed to deploy. Komarov hit the Orenburg Steppe at approximately 140 km/h and was killed instantly. He was 40.
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