Vladimir Komarov: The Man who Fell to Earth

1964 Soviet stamp commemorating the spaceflight program. Vladimir Komarov, on the left, would die three years later. Source: Post of the Soviet Union / Public Domain.

It is an exciting time to be alive for anyone who is interested in space exploration right now. After decades of stagnation, the space race is back on. Inspired by advances made by private firms like SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin, man’s gaze is once again pointed to the stars. The fact is though that none of the strides being made today would be possible if it weren’t for the hard work and sacrifices of those that came before us. Today the west is well aware of the story of the first Lunar Landing, made by Apollo 11 in 1969.

Few people in such audiences are familiar with the Soviet side of the story however, or how close they came to beating the United States in the space race. This means the stories of brave men like Vladimir Komarov have largely gone untold.

For Vladimir Komarov was, as far as we know, the first human to die in space flight.