Bit by bit, page by page, I'm making my way through the excellent and revealing book, Space Race: The Epic Battle Between America and the Soviet Union For Dominion of Space.Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was the brilliant designer and organizer of the early Russian space program. His greatest creation, in my own opinion, is the 'R-7' rocket booster. It launched Sputnik 1, Yuri Gagarin, and many a satellite. Not only that, but the basic idea, that of strap-on booster rockets, is still used to this day.
Korolev lived a roller coaster of a life; one with too many heart-breaking moments.
Here is a fine article on Sergei Korolev, written by James Harford...
http://www.cosmos-club.org/web/journals/1998/harford.html
(Photo above: Sergei Korolev, right, with Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space.)
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