I still remember when I was junior high before I had time to read an old book in Indonesian language the old spelling; issued by the Indonesian government, who wrote about the Yuri Gagarin's flight. Also, some speeches of congratulations from President Soekarno, several ministers and even congratulations from DN Aidit, CC PKI chairman at that time. I still remember very well that through the book I found the fact that President Sukarno really give stars Mahaputera to Yuri Gagarin, but somehow when I check the archives on the website www.setneg.go.id I do not find the name of Yuri Gagarin as one of the recipients star services. I do not know.
Son of a carpenter
Yuri Gagarin's father was a carpenter and his mother was an ordinary farmer, but it did not prevent him to become a fighter pilot test. Through the fierce competition of the 3000 candidates, he was elected one candidate since 1959, cosmonauts and cosmonaut training in Moscow suburbs.
Who would have thought that Yuri Gagarin was not the only option that will have a chance recorded history as the world's first cosmonaut. Apparently there are 2 potential cosmonauts candidates who then prepared the Soviet Union, namely Germany Titov and Yuri Gagarin. Well, there are difficulties to choose who would later become the first cosmonaut. Titov was known as a brilliant and genius while Gagarin has a sympathetic personality although probably less in the affairs of genius. Gagarin is deemed to have an open and pleasant character while Titov more stylish as a professor or teacher. A difficult decision making process so that 4 days before the flight then dropped the option of Yuri Gagarin, while Tito as a backup. In the viewpoint of imaging, the government of the Soviet Union Yuri Gagarin's view that more potential represents the Soviet people to go into space because of the warm personality, his open and intelligence above the average person. On top of his shoulder, the image of the Soviet Union in the race to space will be built.
12 April 1961 (50 years ago)
History records that morning, the tension behind the smile peculiar; Yuri Gagarin's Vostok 1 capsule finally entered a narrow ball-sized aluminum with a volume of 1.6 m3 at the top of a rocket with a height of 30 meters a few seconds and then will separate the left along a section , 59 yards.
9:07 am a rocket takes off from a secret base in Kazakhstan Tiouratam (later Called Baikonor this base, taken from the name of a small town located 400 km from there). Control room on the ground for a moment filled with tension and anxiety. Tension melts Pls Yuri Gagarin on the radio reported, "I'm fine." Next Vostok moving at 28.000 km / h around the earth in one revolution and then move back onto land.
At an altitude of 7,000 m Gagarin release capsule and the parachute was expanded to reduce the landing speed of the capsule into the soil to a safe level. The next episode of the secret history until in 1990 revealed the truth. If the first in an atmosphere of cold war with the United States, the Soviet Union announced that the historic flight was "a victory without the slightest mistake" now revealed that Gagarin had landed off the mark as far as 300 km from the landing point that has been determined. It was Yuri Gagarin still have to jump (eject) out of the capsule so that the landing there are 2 parachute inflates, the parachute is one carrying Yuri Gagarin and the other parachute landing capsule. So Gagarin should contact the base to report to the next landing point picked up by helicopters that had been prepared by the base.
Yuri Gagarin and Indonesia
Yuri Gagarin was embedded in the hearts of the people of Indonesia at the Bung Karno era in power. He had visited Indonesia and was hailed a hero from their own country. Please understand, Gagarin's flight into space to make the U.S. defeated the Soviets in perlombaaan start of their space. So do not be surprised if after that many babies who are named by their parents with the name "Yuri" or "Gagarin", a name that is actually quite foreign to our ears.
This historic incident also inspired Indonesia to be involved in the development of rocket technology. Be proud, Indonesia is the Asia-Africa second (after Japan) capable of launching rockets into space. The name is Kartika-1 rocket and successfully launched on August 14, 1964, only 19 years after Indonesia's independence. If then we choked rocketry technologies in the era of President Suharto, you'll realize why it could happen.
There is an Indonesian who was almost able to follow the trail to Yuri Gagarin went into space. In October 1985, Dr. Pratiwi Sudarmono selected by NASA to become one of the astronauts, of course with the screening process is very heavy. Unfortunately, not long after the shuttle exploded in an accident Chalenger so bury our dreams to be able to send Dr. Pratiwi into space.
