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Why Yuri Gagarin wasn’t the first in space – and who beat him to it
- The piece argues that space definition is flexible, since lines like the Kármán line are arbitrary and depend on criteria used.
- Historically, balloonists and high-altitude pilots reached near-space years before Gagarin, offering early views of a dark sky.
- Experiments by Explorer II and Manhigh II exposed observers to a dark sky and the curvature of Earth from extreme altitudes.
- The article notes that space boundaries also hinge on cultural and historical definitions, not just physical reach.
- Advances in space discourse include Shatner’s 2021 Blue Origin flight, illustrating subjective space experience beyond formal boundaries.
- The piece outlines multiple late-1950s and early-1960s flights where pilots described the sky as black or blue-black at altitude.
- Kincheloe and Kincheloe-like flights pushed the envelope, yet media questions about sky color influenced public perception of space.
- Definitional debates extend to NASA’s Artemis II and other missions that test human reach beyond the Moon.
- The article emphasizes that space exploration has both objective measurements and subjective experiences of space.
- The article concludes that the first ‘astronaut’ designation is debatable, depending on chosen criteria and perspective.
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