posted 05-26-2012 05:15 PM               

Space Cover #163: Voskhod 1

Voskhod 1, Russian for sunrise, was the seventh manned Soviet space flight. It achieved a number of firsts in the history of manned spaceflight, being the first spacecraft to carry more than one crew member into orbit, the first flight without the use of spacesuits and the first to carry either an engineer or physician. It also set a manned spacecraft altitude record of 336 kilometers (209 miles). The Voskhod 1 crew consisted of commander, Vladimir Komarov; engineer, Konstantin Feoktistov and and medical doctor, Boris Yegorov.

The two first day covers depict two of the stamps issued to commemorate Voskhod 1 flight. Issued on October 19, 1964 both are autographed by the late Konstantin Feoktistov.