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Author Topic:   Beyond: The Astonishing Story (Walker)
Robert Pearlman
Editor

Posts: 46330
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-06-2020 11:18 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Beyond: The Astonishing Story of the First Human Being to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space by Stephen Walker
A fresh and exciting take on an epic flight into space, the triumph of technology, and the Cold War battle in which the Soviets pre-empted the first American space mission by three weeks — a history with uncanny echoes of contemporary Russian resurgence at the expense of the U.S.

On April 12, 1961, twenty-seven-year old Yuri Gagarin, a Russian ex-foundry worker and loyal member of the Communist Party, climbed inside a tiny spherical capsule sitting on top of the Soviet Union's most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile — originally designed to carry nuclear warheads — and blasted into space, becoming the first human to leave Earth. For more than a year he and nineteen other cosmonauts had trained in secret for this pioneering mission.

Traveling at over 17,000 mph — ten times faster than the speed a rifle bullet travels — it took Gagarin 106 minutes to orbit the globe. While the launch began in total secrecy, within hours of its successful completion it made headlines worldwide and transformed the unknown Gagarin into the most famous man on Earth.

On the 60th anniversary of that flight, Beyond tells the story of this epic moment in history. In the darkest days of the Cold War, the race between the superpowers to put the first human in space was momentous. While the Soviets space program was shrouded in secrecy, the Americans were openly training their astronauts, the Mercury Seven. Colossal risks were taken on both sides. The race to be first came down to a knife edge — in the end, a matter of just days separated the launches.

Drawing on original documentary research and eyewitnesses, many of whom have never spoken before, and featuring 32-pages of black-and-white photos, Beyond reconstructs the gripping tale of Gagarin's flight, how it changed the world — and how one man first looked down on the beauty and fragility of our planet by riding a missile specifically designed to destroy it.

  • Hardcover: 400 pages
  • Harper (April 20, 2021)
  • ISBN-10: 0062978152
  • ISBN-13: 978-0062978158

Colin Anderton
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Posts: 211
From: Great Britain
Registered: Jan 2005

posted 08-08-2020 06:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Colin Anderton   Click Here to Email Colin Anderton     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
While the launch began in total secrecy, within hours of its successful completion it made headlines worldwide and transformed the unknown Gagarin into the most famous man on Earth.
While the quote stated above is strictly speaking true, as it only mentions the launch being in secret, it still seems to imply a continuation of the myth that the Russians announced Gagarin's flight only after he returned; in other words, that they were afraid of failure in the eyes of the world.

Gagarin took off at 06.07 GMT on Wednesday 12 April 1961. The first radio announcement was made by Radio Moscow at 06.59, when he was approximately half way through his flight.

In the documentary "Moonshot" the myth is repeated as fact.

I have the audio of the announcement, and the flight was far from over; he was over South America at the time.

David C
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Posts: 1273
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012

posted 08-08-2020 12:36 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for David C     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Colin Anderton:
I have the audio of the announcement, and the flight was far from over; he was over South America at the time.
You know how it is Colin. Never let the truth get in the way of myth making.

CJ
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Posts: 59
From: Cherry Hill, NJ
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 08-08-2020 11:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for CJ   Click Here to Email CJ     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
To put it another way...

..."when the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

As spoken by James Stewart's character in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," a western directed by John Ford.

A good film, by the way.

ColinBurgess
Member

Posts: 2094
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 08-08-2020 11:26 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I don't know Stephen, but through experience I do know that this publicity blurb was probably written by someone in the publisher's office. Nevertheless, saying that Gagarin's flight around the world made headlines around the world after the flight concluded is somewhat correct, as "headlines" back then referred to newspapers, and these took time back then to compile and release.

I'm not saying the book is a good or a poor one; I'm only saying that in my opinion that statement can also be read as correct.

Colin Anderton
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Posts: 211
From: Great Britain
Registered: Jan 2005

posted 08-09-2020 04:20 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Colin Anderton   Click Here to Email Colin Anderton     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I do actually agree with you, Colin; that's why I worded my statement very carefully.
But Gagarin's name being known only after his flight is a myth, and is a widely-held view. I just wanted to do my little bit toward preventing a myth becoming a "fact."

But yes, strictly speaking, you are correct of course.

ColinBurgess
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Posts: 2094
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 04-06-2021 05:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I was recently given the opportunity to read and review Stephen Walker's manuscript for this book, and I have to say that this is an exceptionally well told account of the life and achievements of Yuri Gagarin. There are obviously numerous books on the same subject, but I would have to say this is by far and away the very best and most involving of them all. It is extremely well told, and had the support of many of Gagarin's close friends, colleagues and family, which adds that extra ingredient of complete authenticity.

I would highly recommend this book, and cannot wait to see the published version when it comes out in a week or two, and read and enjoy it again.

David C
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Posts: 1273
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012

posted 04-07-2021 03:35 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for David C     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I await this with interest. I’m particularly curious to see his take on Gagarin’s death. I’ve been delving into it quite deeply recently, and there’s an awful lot of nonsense out there, including from sources that we would perhaps expect more from.

ColinBurgess
Member

Posts: 2094
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 04-26-2021 08:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I'm delighted to say that my copy of Stephen Walker's "Beyond" arrived here today, and it was really worth the wait — it is a good looking publication, and bigger than expected. I have already commented on the excellence of the narrative, having been given the privilege a while back of reading and commenting on the manuscript, but now I am looking forward to reading it again as a finished and published book.

I would certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in reading the very best, well researched and well written account of the life and sad death of the world's first person to venture into space. It is also illustrated with some well chosen and extremely clear photographs covering that dynamic era of space exploration and Gagarin's historic flight.

David C
Member

Posts: 1273
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012

posted 04-29-2021 12:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for David C     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I’ve just received mine, and yes, it’s big. Thankfully the typeface is large.

I’m only 30 pages in so far and not very impressed. It reads like a novel, all very exciting, which is awesome. However, under the gloss it’s lazy.

We start with it being sloppily implied that Powers was shot down in his U-2 whilst attempting to photograph the R-7 launch pad. Next another suggestion that all Soviet missiles were designed by OKB-1. And of course, with no disrespect to the achievements of the Wright brothers, he manages to imply that they were the first humans to fly. Up to there you can’t actually pin him down, but this kind of thing will get you in the end.

And it does. Apparently Al Shepard never fought in combat. Well, not as a pilot; but try telling all those other non-flying WWII sailors that dukeing it out with kamikazes wasn’t combat, and see how far that gets you.

Up to now this reads like a Right Stuff wanabee of the Mercury program, rather than a book about Gagarin. I could say the same about the photographs. Even weirder for a book about Gagarin/ Soviet space, Mercury pictures are printed for comparison prior to their Soviet system counterparts. Surely it should be the other way round?

I could say quite a bit more, but I’ll keep ploughing through for now and save it for later.

David C
Member

Posts: 1273
From: Lausanne
Registered: Apr 2012

posted 05-24-2021 10:17 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for David C     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I finished this a couple of weeks ago, thankfully it got better.

My main problem is the book’s subtitle: “The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space.”

I found it completely misleading in that I was expecting a biography of Gagarin. I think it should read something more like: “The Race Between NASA and OKB1 to Put The First Man in Space.” Under that title, I probably wouldn’t have bought it.

However, I’m glad I did. He’s written what is probably the best single description of the Vostok 1 flight that I’ve read. I also very much appreciated his coverage of Ham’s flight, and the abuse of animals that took place in both programs. It’s a shameful and commonly overlooked aspect.

Since it wasn’t a biography at all, it’s unsurprising that he pretty much stays out of the noise and smoke surrounding Gagarin’s death. However, he does recite the ridiculous Leonov scenario again, without mentioning the evidence against it.

Aside from that, I found the constant sniping at the Soviets tedious, and the “bigging up” of the pilot’s role in Mercury rather uncritical for a historian.

Al Shepard may not have liked it, but frankly I’m glad Vostok was first. An orbital flight removed any grounds for subsequent disagreements about “real” spaceflight. Remember that many in the States had already heralded Kincheloe as a “space man” for flying over 100,000 feet. Also, the Soviets had long since dumped their Nazi “helpers”, which just keeps the whole thing cleaner. And most importantly, without Vostok, I really can’t see there having been an Apollo program.

With all the other claims on the taxpayers dollars, I’m not sure we’d have seen people on the moon last century at all, had it not been for Gagarin and Vostok 1.

hinkler
Member

Posts: 588
From: Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 05-26-2021 11:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for hinkler   Click Here to Email hinkler     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I would like to know more about the "ridiculous Leonov scenario, without mentioning the evidence against it."

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