2020-04-24 Fri

Today on 24th April 1967, The U.S.S.R. lost one of its best cosmonauts, Vladimir Komarov, when his spaceship collapsed once it entered Earth’s atmosphere and crashed on the ground with the force of a 2.8-ton meteorite.

Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov was a Soviet cosmonaut who commanded Voskhod 1, the first spaceflight to carry more than one crew member. He became the first cosmonaut to fly in space twice when he was selected as the solo pilot of Soyuz 1, its first crewed test flight.

Komarov joined the Soviet air force at the age of 15 and was educated in air force schools, becoming a pilot in 1949. He graduated from the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, Moscow, in 1959. On April 24, 1967, Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov is killed when his parachute fails to deploy during his spacecraft’s landing. This makes him the first man was known to have died during a space mission.

Komarov has been featured on commemorative First Day Covers and stamps for his contribution to the space program—from several different countries. The Above shown stamp was issued by USSR to honor him in 1964.

Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/