Nash kosmos

- Season 1

(2011)

Development of the post war Russian R-7 rocket, building of the Baikonur launch facility, life of the chief designer Korolev and other events leading to and the launch of the first satellite - Sputnik.

The selection of the original six soviet cosmonauts. What happened to Nelybov - one of the original six. Final selection of Gagarin and Titov as his back-up. Gagarins 's flight into space.

Selection of five women cosmonauts and of the final candidate to become the first woman in space - Valentina Tereshkova. Their flight training. Tereshkova's difficult flight and return to Earth and her life after the flight. Brief account of Savitskaya's flight several years later.

Flight of Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyaev. Leonov's first historic spacewalk which nearly ended in disaster, followed by Earth's tracking losing the spacecraft on re-entry and a long search for the lost spacecraft with the story of survival and rescue. Brief account of Apollo-Soyuz flight ten years later.

After the first docking in space by the US Gemini spacecraft, Russia accelerates the Souyz program. Death of Korolev. Not yet rated safe for human flight, first Souyz manned test flight of Komarov goes ahead and ends in tragic death. Aftermath of the tragedy and lessons learned.

From JFK's 1961 challenge to put an American on the Moon by the end the decade to the culmination of the Moon race in July 1969 and the last desperate Soviet attempt to beat the Americans in bringing Moon samples back to Earth: flights of Apollo 11 and the failed mission of Luna 15 space probe. Aftermath of the defeat.

The story of several rocket accidents at Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan - from the early 1960's to 1983 fire of Soyuz rocket on launch pad with Titov and Strekalov on-board. Living conditions at Baikonur in its early days, curious superstitions and traditions of Baikonur personnel that are meticulously followed.

Brief look at development of first Salyut space station. Launch of Mir station and decline of Russia's space program. Joint use of Mir with the United States and a detailed account of fire aboard Mir space station in 1997. Decommissioning of Mir.