Back from an extended hiatus, we take a look at the cult that developed around Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. Topics covered include: 
- Gagarin's folk tale-worthy landing and the subsequent cover-up 
- Gagarin's father being demoted to his uncle by state propaganda 
- Yuri's unlikely role as the first Soviet sex symbol 
- How the Kremlin exploited (and continues to exploit) Gagarin's legacy 
 
Show Notes 
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Podcast Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/launch_failure" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" title="https://twitter.com/launch_failure">https://twitter.com/launch_failure</a> 
 
Episode Notes 
Source for Gagarin Cult History: The Cosmonaut Who Couldn't Stop Smiling: The Life and Legend of Yuri Gagarin by Andrew L. Jenks, 2012 &nbsp; 
Source for Propaganda Posters: <a href="https://russiatrek.org/blog/art/propaganda-posters-of-soviet-space-program-1958-1963/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" title="https://russiatrek.org/blog/art/propaganda-posters-of-soviet-space-program-1958-1963/">https://russiatrek.org/blog/art/propaganda-posters-of-soviet-space-program-1958-1963/</a> 
Source for Putin Quotes: <a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/68180" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" title="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/68180">http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/68180</a>

Part 2: The First (And Worst) Satellite

This is a podcast about all the mistakes, failures, and explosions that made space exploration possible.