Nikolai Kamanin

Nikolai Kamanin was a Soviet Air Force officer who supervised the selection and training of the first Soviet cosmonauts and kept a detailed personal journal of the space program.

Yuri Gagarin: Yuri Gagarin was the Soviet pilot who became the first human in space in 1961. Kamanin helped select and prepare Gagarin for the Vostok 1 mission.
Soviet space program: The Soviet space program was the state-directed effort that developed satellites, launch vehicles, and human spaceflight. Kamanin’s work belonged to its human-spaceflight operations and political administration.
Cosmonaut selection: Cosmonaut selection is the process of choosing candidates for spaceflight from a qualified applicant pool. Kamanin participated in deciding which military pilots advanced to the Soviet cosmonaut corps.
Vostok 2: Vostok 2 was the 1961 Soviet mission in which German Titov completed a full day in orbit. Titov’s flight demonstrated the corps’ capacity for a longer mission after Gagarin’s brief orbit.
Soviet Air Force in World War II: The Soviet Air Force fought on the Eastern Front and other theaters during World War II. Kamanin’s wartime aviation career established his military standing before he oversaw cosmonauts.
Sergei Korolev: Sergei Korolev was the chief Soviet rocket engineer who led the development of early Soviet spaceflight. Kamanin’s cosmonaut corps depended on the launch vehicles and spacecraft Korolev’s organization built.
Cosmonaut training: Cosmonaut training prepares spaceflight crews through physical conditioning, technical instruction, and mission simulations. Kamanin supervised the training regime used to prepare Soviet candidates for flight.
Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center: The Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center is a Russian facility established to train Soviet and later Russian cosmonauts. Kamanin helped establish and oversee the center where candidates prepared for missions.
Voskhod 1: Voskhod 1 was the 1964 Soviet mission that carried three cosmonauts into orbit in a spacecraft modified from Vostok. Kamanin supported the mission’s multi-person crew despite its limited safety provisions.
Soviet Air Force pilot: A Soviet Air Force pilot was an aviator serving in the Soviet Union’s military air service. Kamanin’s experience as a pilot informed his preference for selecting military aviators as cosmonauts.

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