1962: Vostok 3 and 4 (USSR)

Vostoks 3 and 4 were missions in the Soviet space programme.

Vostok 3 and Vostok 4 were launched a day apart, and together these missions marked the first time that more than one manned spacecraft was in orbit at the same time, giving Soviet mission controllers the opportunity of learning how to manage this scenario.

Vostok 3 was manned by Andrian Nikolayev, who reported sighting the Vostok 4 capsule after it entered orbit near him. The cosmonauts aboard the two capsules also communicated with each other via radio, the first ship-to-ship communications in space.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• iaf
• 1962
• ussr
• soviet
• space
• vostok

[GGE47]

The US had two manned spacecraft in orbit at the same time,Gemini 7 and Gemini 6 even though it wasn't originally planned that way.They went to within a foot of each other.The first real renezvous in space in December of 1965.I knew then we were well ahead of the Russians.

[MASSEFFECTfan101]

0:37 Wow, actual orbiting footage in black and white. :D

[Silmacar]

@HEN000y ...well... "manned" orbital vehicles.

[HEN000y]

Well I guess the russian have now won the space race as the us no longer have any orbital vehicles.

[davidlucasfer]

en plena guerra fría, esos titulares de los periodicos de los yanquis, jajaja

[MightySaturn5]

@NazarovVv There's a well researched book called "The Soviet Space Race With Apollo" (Asif A. Siddiqi), the Soviets tied their political system to bragging rights of any kind. When the U.S. announced they were planning on launching a sattelite for their part in the worlds 1957 "Geophysical year" the Soviets pushed hard to secretly get their robust R-7 to launch a simple but large satellite (Sputnik), they pulled off other firsts too however were technologically humiliated in the next decade

[NazarovVv]

@MightySaturn5 Why do people people always take it as propaganda? Think about who won the space race? It wasn't the USSR, it wasn't the USA either- humanity won! A bit showing of with achievements was the sign of the era for both USA and USSR.

[MightySaturn5]

yeah, these propaganda firsts were short lived