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Human history is dotted with identified boundaries and horizons, then crossed. In cosmic times relatively short since our birth, our enterprising species has crossed continental landmasses and vast oceans. We have populated all but the most extreme terrestrial environments and have striven to understand the world around us and our place within it.
It is not surprising that we have written and filmed countless stories – both true and inspiring – illustrating our obsession with the stars. The last comes in the form of Damien Chazelle First man, a biopic detailing the heavy first years of NASA and the anxiety of the American space race through the lens of his namesake: Neil Armstrong, commander of Apollo 11 and the first man to walk on the moon, played by Ryan Gosling . But while Apollo 11 and Armstrong went into history, many paid an unthinkable price to get them there.
The exploration of space represents this much too human desire, after seeing a new horizon, touching it and seeing what happens on the other side. You could say that our journey into space began with the Wright brothers, the advent of Chinese hot air balloons or the drawings of Vinci. Certainly, humans were still hungry for heaven earlier; The tale of Icarus and Daedalus explores this innate desire and warns against the risks of the hybris.
In the modern sense of the term, our journey to the stars, at least in the United States, really began in 1958 with the signing of the Aeronautics and Space Act by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, under the impetus of the successful launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union. 1 October 4, 1957.
This provoked what has been called the Sputnik crisis, a period of public unrest and uncertainty about the concept of a technologically superior Soviet Union. This first rocket may have succeeded in launching a satellite in orbit, but its greatest success was to launch the race towards the Moon.
At some point in First manWhen Armstrong is sent to talk to politicians, playing the role of the face of the Apollo program, he is confronted with questions about his cost in human lives and in taxpayer dollars. He replied that the flight had been carried out about 60 years ago and that, taken in this context, NASA's progress was incredible. The feeling fails to convince the politician, who only cares about the economic context, but Armstrong makes a good point. The progress of the Apollo program, from the landing design of the Eagle to the Sea of Tranquility, has been remarkable, even by modern standards.
Designed in 1960 by the Eisenhower Administration as a natural stage of the Mercury Project, Apollo was built – more or less at the base – and completed in less than a decade. The Cold War was an ideal incubator for the establishment of an emerging space program. We had the resources, the national desire and the determination to accomplish the mission, things that now seem less available.
During the program, from 1960 to 1973, NASA spent nearly $ 24 billion to send 12 men to the surface of the moon and bring them home safely. But the cost of a trip to the moon is not only measured in dollars and cents. Countless men and women have devoted their time and energy to achieving this goal, and some have given their lives to pursue this distant horizon.
The lunar plate left on the Moon during Apollo 11 is thus marked: "Here, the men of planet Earth put the first foot on the Moon, in July 1969 AD We came in peace for all beings human. " This last sentiment comes from NASA's initial policy statement and the stated purpose in part that "Congress hereby declares that the United States has a policy of devoting its space activities to peaceful purposes for the benefit of the United States. the whole of humanity.
In this spirit, it is clear that placing a man on the moon, though accomplished by US citizens, was a global moment achieved through the collective efforts of individuals transcending geopolitical boundaries. To this end, respect and honor are bestowed on American and Russian citizens who have paid a high price for humanity to touch the stars. We detail some of their stories here,
VALENTIN BONDARENKO
The early 1960s were defined by the first tests for the Soviets and the United States. Before sending astronauts and cosmonauts into space, the two entities had to make sure that humans could survive in the unique environments to which they could be exposed.
One of these tests was held at the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow, where Valentin Bondarenko, a 24-year-old cosmonaut, underwent a 15-day endurance test on effects. from exposure to low pressure. The incident is described in Chapter 10 of Discover the Soviet catastrophes by James Oberg.
On the tenth day, while all the work was complete, Bondarenko had removed the biomedical sensors used to monitor his low pressure reactions and had used alcohol-soaked wool to clean himself up. Subsequently, Bondarenko threw away the cleaning tool. He landed on a hot plate and caught fire. The room in which he lived was rich in oxygen and a fire spread quickly. His suit caught fire and he was burned on large parts of his body.
Due to pressure on the room, the duty doctor could not immediately go to Bondarenko. He was alive at the time of recovery but died of his injuries a few hours later.
Yuri Gagarin visited Bondarenko at the hospital, who would become the first human being in space just weeks after the incident.
Valentin Bondarenko was the victim of the first documented fatal case. The International Astronomical Union named a crater located on the other side of the Moon after Bondarenko in 1991.
Theodore Freeman
Freeman was part of the third group of astronauts selected by NASA for space travel alongside Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins (both members of the Apollo 11 crew), Alan L. Bean (lunar module pilot for Apollo 12) and 10 other men. Of the 14 group members three, four were killed during training missions. The other 10 have all flown on Apollo missions. Of the men in Group Three, Freeman is the only member who was not selected for a mission.
Freeman was a test pilot and, on the morning of October 31, 1964, was wearing a T-38A Talon in fog while on his way to Ellington Air Force Base when a goose came in contact with the aircraft, going through an air intake and an accident. Freeman attempted to land and was eventually ejected. His parachute did not deploy on time and he died as a result of an impact with the ground. Freeman was the first American astronaut to give his life for the program.
GEMINI 9
The Gemini project was NASA's second program after the Mercury project. He used crews of two to conduct missions in low Earth orbit. Its mission was to provide proof of concept for methods and procedures essential to the success of the Apollo program.
Gemini 9 was the seventh inhabited flight of the program with planned objectives, including Agena stowage, EVA, and medical experiments on participating astronauts.
The original crew consisted of Elliot See, a member of NASA's second group of astronauts, and Charles Basset, one of four members of Group Three to perish.
The duo were flying a T-38 while preparing for Gemini 9 on February 28, 1966. Poor weather conditions and poor visibility made See's flight too weak and a subsequent collision with the McDonnell Aircraft Building 101a cost the lives of these two men. The names of Elliot See and Charles Basset are inscribed on the commemorative plaque of the fallen astronaut posed on the Moon by Apollo 15.
APOLLO 1
Apollo 1 was to be the first inhabited mission of the Apollo program. The intention of the mission was to conduct the first low-Earth orbit test with a crew and was scheduled for 21 February 1967.
At a pre-mission test, on January 27, 1967, the three crew members – Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Ed White and Roger B. Chaffee – were killed in a fire in a cabin while they were sealed in the capsule. Subsequent investigation determined that an electrical problem was the source and that the flames spread rapidly in an oxygen-rich environment. Due to cabin pressurization, rescue attempts failed.
The inhabited missions of the Apollo program have been suspended for 20 months while the program is being evaluated for security.
This incident marked the beginning of a deadly year in the Apollo program, the first of four fatal events for US astronauts.
The names of the Apollo 1 crew members were written on the plate of the fallen astronaut Apollo 15. In addition, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldren left an Apollo 1 mission patch on the surface.
CLIFTON C. WILLIAMS
Williams was the last member of Group Three to experience an untimely end. He has been designated a rescue pilot for Gemini 10 but, unfortunately, has never been to space.
Williams was appointed lunar module pilot for a mission that will later become Apollo 12, a position that was later taken by Alan Bean. If he had lived, Williams would probably have been the fourth person to walk on the moon.
During a visit to his parents in Florida on October 5, 1967, Williams suffered a mechanical failure of his T-38, which caused an uncontrollable thunder and crash. Williams was ejected but the plane was flying too low and too fast for it to land safely.
A star appeared on the Apollo 12 patch, in addition to the three crew members, to commemorate Clifton Williams. Its aviator wings were also placed on the surface of the Moon.
X-15 VOL 3-65-97
The X-15 was a hypersonic aircraft powered by a rocket capable of reaching the limit of the Earth's atmosphere, defined at an altitude of 50 miles. Eight X-15 pilots have passed this line, qualifying them to join the ranks of astronauts.
One of these pilots was Michael J. Adams who, on November 15, 1967, was flying the X-15 at an altitude of 266,000 feet. The mission was monitored by NASA, but after reaching maximum altitude, it was found to be 15 degrees from the intended heading. Upon his return, the plane fell into a Mach-5 spin.
Adams recovered from the spin at 118,000 feet altitude, but the X-15 was still fast dipping and was bursting over Johannesburg. Adams posthumously received astronaut wings for the flight and his name was added to the Space Mirror Memorial at the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
ROBERT HENRY LAWRENCE
Lawrence joined the Air Force at the age of 21 and in June 1967 he was chosen as an astronaut by his army in his manned orbital laboratory. He is recognized as the first astronaut of African descent.
On December 8, 1967, he was engaged in a training mission with another pilot as an instructor. The trainee made a mistake which resulted in the craft getting too low and being ejected, but Lawrence was killed due to a built-in delay in the second seat ejection system.
If he had survived, he would probably have been part of the seventh group of NASA astronauts and would have made a shuttle mission.
His name was added to the Space Mirror Memorial in 1997.
SOYUZ 1
Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov commanded Voskhod 1, a mission comprising several first spaceflights, the first of which to include more than one crew member and the first flight without suit. He also set an altitude record of 209 miles.
Komarov later became the first cosmonaut to fly in space twice when he was chosen as pilot for Soyuz 1.
The mission launched on April 23, 1967 quickly experienced problems.
A solar panel malfunctioned, which resulted in power problems. Soon, the stabilization system was cut. Thunderstorms further complicated the mission, but after 18 earth orbits, the craft began to return to the surface. When the main parachute did not deploy properly, Komarov deployed an emergency chute entangled with the main chute. The machine fell to the ground at about 40 meters per second.
The name of Komarov is on the plate of the astronaut Fallen left by Apollo 15.
AFTER APOLLO 11
The years leading up to the landing of Apollo 11 in the Sea of Tranquility did not result in any additional deaths on both the US and Soviet sides. But the cost of human life had already been heavily paid to get there.
The astronauts and cosmonauts of both programs knew the risks involved in traveling beyond safety on the surface of the Earth and willingly assumed them in search of a cosmic perspective.
On the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of Apollo 11, Armstrong was questioned about his lasting legacy. He said, "I think these guys could talk more about it than me. I've heard each one of them do it once. In my opinion, the great achievement of Apollo was a demonstration of the fact that humanity is not always chained to this planet and that our visions go a little further than that and that our possibilities are limitless. "
This vision and these opportunities are open to us, but they have a cost for those who would pursue them. Since that first landing on the Moon, the tragedy has hit Soyuz 11 several times in the Columbia and Challenger shuttle missions. Those who want to look at the horizon have given their lives so that the rest of us can see, through their eyes, what is hiding beyond.
There is a heavy toll, taken at unpredictable intervals on those brave enough to take unusual routes, so that all mankind can benefit from it.
We must all be thankful for the brave people willing to pay the price.
First man is now in theaters.
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