[YASID, kind of] Heinlein talking about... possible early Russkie Cosmonauts

[danny burstein]

I recall Heinlein writing about a trip through Russia
and mentioning a bunch of the locals talking excitedly
about a bunch of Cosmonauts. And then, a day or two
later, suddenly going silent.

He took this as a possiblity of a failed Russian space mission
that was quickly covered up.

Anyone recall which book this was in? Thanks
====
What brought this to mind was one of the stories
this week by the "SciBabe" [a] in which, yes, she
talks a bit about this possiblity.

Thanks again

[a] [scibabe.com]

MOS [Moment of Science] : The Lost Cosmonauts

Every secretive government organization is followed by a void of
unanswered questions, almost inevitably filled by conspiracy theories.
Some folks will never believe the US landed a man on the Moon, but that it
was carried out on a soundstage. Alternatively, it was directed by Stanley
Kubrick who's such a perfectionist he demanded it be filmed on the Moon.

Then there's the theory that Yuri Gagarin was not the first person the
Soviets sent to space, just the first one to come back alive.

Today's Moment of Science ... The Lost Cosmonaut
=========
rest:
https://scibabe.com/mos-the-lost-cosmonauts/

_____________________________________________________
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
***@panix.com
[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by danny burstein
I recall Heinlein writing about a trip through Russia
and mentioning a bunch of the locals talking excitedly
about a bunch of Cosmonauts. And then, a day or two
later, suddenly going silent.
He took this as a possiblity of a failed Russian space mission
that was quickly covered up.
Anyone recall which book this was in? Thanks
====
What brought this to mind was one of the stories
this week by the "SciBabe" [a] in which, yes, she
talks a bit about this possiblity.
Thanks again
[a] [scibabe.com]
MOS [Moment of Science] : The Lost Cosmonauts
Every secretive government organization is followed by a void of
unanswered questions, almost inevitably filled by conspiracy theories.
Some folks will never believe the US landed a man on the Moon, but that it
was carried out on a soundstage. Alternatively, it was directed by Stanley
Kubrick who's such a perfectionist he demanded it be filmed on the Moon.
Then there's the theory that Yuri Gagarin was not the first person the
Soviets sent to space, just the first one to come back alive.
Today's Moment of Science ... The Lost Cosmonaut
=========
https://scibabe.com/mos-the-lost-cosmonauts/

Probably '"PRAVDA" Means "TRUTH"' from _Expanded Universe_:


In disputing the official pravda we were simply malicious
liars and she made it clear that she so considered us.

About noon on Sunday, May 15, we were walking downhill
through the park surrounding the castle that dominates
Vilno. We encountered a group of six or eight Red Army
cadets. Foreigners are a great curiosity in Vilno. Almost
no tourists go there. So they stopped and we chatted, myself
through our guide and my wife directly, in Russian.

Shortly one of the cadets asked us what we thought of their
new manned rocket. We answered that we had had no news
lately--what was it and when did it happen? He told us,
with the other cadets listening and agreeing, that the
rocket had gone up that very day, and at that very moment
a Russian astronaut was in orbit around the earth--and what
did we think of that?

I congratulated them on this wondrous achievement but,
privately, felt a dull sickness. The Soviet Union had beaten
us to the punch again. But later that day our guide looked
us up and carefully corrected the story: The cadet had been
mistaken, the rocket was not manned.

That evening we tried to purchase Pravda. No copies were
available in Vilno. Later we heard from other Americans
that Pravda was not available in other cities in the USSR
that evening--this part is hearsay, of course. We tried
also to listen to the Voice of America. It was jammed. We
listened to some Soviet stations but heard no mention of
the rocket.

This is the rocket the Soviets tried to recover and later
admitted that they had had some trouble with the retrojets;
they had fired while the rocket was in the wrong attitude.

So what is the answer? Did that rocket contain only a dummy,
as the pravda now claims? Or is there a dead Russian revolving
in space?--an Orwellian "unperson," once it was realized
that he could not be recovered.

I am sure of this: At noon on May 15 a group of Red Army
cadets were unanimously positive that the rocket was manned.
That pravda did not change until later that afternoon.

[danny burstein]

[lots snipped]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
About noon on Sunday, May 15, we were walking downhill
through the park surrounding the castle that dominates
Vilno. We encountered a group of six or eight Red Army
cadets. Foreigners are a great curiosity in Vilno. Almost
no tourists go there. So they stopped and we chatted, myself
through our guide and my wife directly, in Russian.
Shortly one of the cadets asked us what we thought of their
new manned rocket. We answered that we had had no news
lately--what was it and when did it happen? He told us,
with the other cadets listening and agreeing, that the
rocket had gone up that very day, and at that very moment
a Russian astronaut was in orbit around the earth--and what
did we think of that?

=====

**THANKS** That was it!

Please don't tell me you had those pages committed to memory...

Thanks agaain

[Ted Nolan <tednolan>]

Post by danny burstein
[lots snipped]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
About noon on Sunday, May 15, we were walking downhill
through the park surrounding the castle that dominates
Vilno. We encountered a group of six or eight Red Army
cadets. Foreigners are a great curiosity in Vilno. Almost
no tourists go there. So they stopped and we chatted, myself
through our guide and my wife directly, in Russian.
Shortly one of the cadets asked us what we thought of their
new manned rocket. We answered that we had had no news
lately--what was it and when did it happen? He told us,
with the other cadets listening and agreeing, that the
rocket had gone up that very day, and at that very moment
a Russian astronaut was in orbit around the earth--and what
did we think of that?

=====
**THANKS** That was it!
Please don't tell me you had those pages committed to memory...

Calibre is a wonderful thing.

[Robert Carnegie]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>

Post by danny burstein
[lots snipped]

Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
About noon on Sunday, May 15, we were walking downhill
through the park surrounding the castle that dominates
Vilno. We encountered a group of six or eight Red Army
cadets. Foreigners are a great curiosity in Vilno. Almost
no tourists go there. So they stopped and we chatted, myself
through our guide and my wife directly, in Russian.
Shortly one of the cadets asked us what we thought of their
new manned rocket. We answered that we had had no news
lately--what was it and when did it happen? He told us,
with the other cadets listening and agreeing, that the
rocket had gone up that very day, and at that very moment
a Russian astronaut was in orbit around the earth--and what
did we think of that?

=====
**THANKS** That was it!
Please don't tell me you had those pages committed to memory...

Calibre is a wonderful thing.

Meaning an e-book computer program,
and not physical dimension, unless you're
thinking of the circus story where
The Humsan Cannonball was fired...
(and was difficult to replace).

[Scott Lurndal]

Post by danny burstein
I recall Heinlein writing about a trip through Russia
and mentioning a bunch of the locals talking excitedly
about a bunch of Cosmonauts. And then, a day or two
later, suddenly going silent.
He took this as a possiblity of a failed Russian space mission
that was quickly covered up.
Anyone recall which book this was in?

Tramp Royale.

Rather a takeoff on Twain's _Innocents Abroad_.

[Paul S Person]

Post by danny burstein
I recall Heinlein writing about a trip through Russia
and mentioning a bunch of the locals talking excitedly
about a bunch of Cosmonauts. And then, a day or two
later, suddenly going silent.
He took this as a possiblity of a failed Russian space mission
that was quickly covered up.
Anyone recall which book this was in? Thanks

<snippo>

Post by danny burstein
[a] [scibabe.com]
MOS [Moment of Science] : The Lost Cosmonauts
Every secretive government organization is followed by a void of
unanswered questions, almost inevitably filled by conspiracy theories.
Some folks will never believe the US landed a man on the Moon, but that it
was carried out on a soundstage. Alternatively, it was directed by Stanley
Kubrick who's such a perfectionist he demanded it be filmed on the Moon.

I once saw a movie about this, involving a gummint agent sent to
London to hire Kubrick to do just that -- as a backup in case the real
deal got scrubbed. He ended up ticking off gangsters and using a very
relaxed director. I found it entertaining. And a fantasy.