Who was the First Person into Space?

Time was when we believed that Yuri Gargarin in April 1961 became the
first person to go into space. Since then, however, the question of
just how far up do you have to go before you're in space has been
raised. The answer given, as I understand it, is that you're in space
when you're above 99.9% of the mass of the Earth's atmosphere. This
height, I think, is about 50 miles (262,000 feet).

I have heard that some X-15 pilot achieved this altitude before Yuri
Gargarin's flight and therefore had become the first person into
space, although without he or anyone else knowing it at the time. The
first X-15 flight to exceed 200,000 feet did not take place, however,
until October 1961, according to the X-15 chronology on the NASA web
site http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...15/chrono.html, which was
some months after Gargarin's flight.

My assumption about space beginning, as it were, at an altitude of 50
miles might be incorrect. If it is then, what altitude do you have to
achieve before you can be considered to have been into space? Is this
story about an X-15 pilot true, then? If so, who was the pilot, what
altitude did he achieve and on what date?

If my assumption is correct, on the other hand, then it would appear
that the story I heard about an X-15 pilot beating Gargarin into space
would not be true. However, it is interesting to note that the Guiness
Book of World Records (for 2002) gives such firsts as the first woman
into space and the first man on the Moon, but makes no mention of the
first person into space. It makes me wonder, then, just who was the
first person into space?

From "X-15: The NASA Mission Reports:"

"The United States Air Force and NASA reached an agreement which finally set
the lower-limits of Space at an altitude of 50 miles. By this arbitrary
definition only five months after John Glenn became the first American to
orbit the Earth, on July 17th 1962, USAF Major Robert White became the first
man to fly into space and subsequently land back at his point of origin.

Subsequently seven more men would fly the X-15 above 50 miles and be awarded
their astronaut wings."

Looking through the mission list, the X-15s were flown above 200,000 feet on
several missions prior to July 17, but didn't actually achieve 50 miles
until Maj. White's flight in July of 62 when he reached 314,750 feet (about
60 miles). The first flight above 200,000 feet, as you said, was October 11,
1961 with White at the controls. He reached 217,000 on that one.

-Tony


wrote in message
om...
Time was when we believed that Yuri Gargarin in April 1961 became the
first person to go into space. Since then, however, the question of
just how far up do you have to go before you're in space has been
raised. The answer given, as I understand it, is that you're in space
when you're above 99.9% of the mass of the Earth's atmosphere. This
height, I think, is about 50 miles (262,000 feet).

I have heard that some X-15 pilot achieved this altitude before Yuri
Gargarin's flight and therefore had become the first person into
space, although without he or anyone else knowing it at the time. The
first X-15 flight to exceed 200,000 feet did not take place, however,
until October 1961, according to the X-15 chronology on the NASA web
site http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/Hi...15/chrono.html, which was
some months after Gargarin's flight.

My assumption about space beginning, as it were, at an altitude of 50
miles might be incorrect. If it is then, what altitude do you have to
achieve before you can be considered to have been into space? Is this
story about an X-15 pilot true, then? If so, who was the pilot, what
altitude did he achieve and on what date?

If my assumption is correct, on the other hand, then it would appear
that the story I heard about an X-15 pilot beating Gargarin into space
would not be true. However, it is interesting to note that the Guiness
Book of World Records (for 2002) gives such firsts as the first woman
into space and the first man on the Moon, but makes no mention of the
first person into space. It makes me wonder, then, just who was the
first person into space?

Vladmir Illyushin
ducks and runs

long arm reaches out...
GRAB - - - tromp -- SQUISH under size-13 cowboy boot heel.
SCRAPE.....cleans off boot. Calls dogs over to lick up the remains.



"Darren J Longhorn" wrote in message
...
Vladmir Illyushin
ducks and runs

On Thu, 17 Jul 2003 19:36:46 GMT, "James Oberg"
wrote:

long arm reaches out...
GRAB - - - tromp -- SQUISH under size-13 cowboy boot heel.
SCRAPE.....cleans off boot. Calls dogs over to lick up the remains.

Harsh, but fair.

In article ,
wrote:
Time was when we believed that Yuri Gargarin in April 1961 became the
first person to go into space. Since then, however, the question of
just how far up do you have to go before you're in space has been
raised. The answer given, as I understand it, is that you're in space
when you're above 99.9% of the mass of the Earth's atmosphere. This
height, I think, is about 50 miles (262,000 feet).

Actually, almost everybody *except* the US government agrees that space
starts at 100km above sea level.

I have heard that some X-15 pilot achieved this altitude before Yuri
Gargarin's flight...

Nope, incorrect. The X-15 altitude flights all came after Gagarin. When
Gagarin flew, the X-15 had only just started flying with its definitive
engine, and was not yet up to doing anything dramatic. Besides, that was
Project Mercury's job.

My assumption about space beginning, as it were, at an altitude of 50
miles might be incorrect. If it is then, what altitude do you have to
achieve before you can be considered to have been into space?

See above. If you're a USAF pilot, you need 50mi for astronaut wings.
But to (for example) win the X-Prize, you need 100km.

If my assumption is correct, on the other hand, then it would appear
that the story I heard about an X-15 pilot beating Gargarin into space
would not be true.

That's right.

However, it is interesting to note that the Guiness
Book of World Records (for 2002) gives such firsts as the first woman
into space and the first man on the Moon, but makes no mention of the
first person into space. It makes me wonder, then, just who was the
first person into space?

By any reasonable definition, Yuri Gagarin. The only question arises in
connection with certain formal international records, because it turns out
that the Soviets lied about certain details of Gagarin's flight -- he did
not land in his capsule as they claimed (all the Vostok pilots ejected
during descent, because Vostok touchdown velocity was dangerously high),
he did not in fact complete one full orbit, and some of the geographic
locations quoted were wrong because of Soviet military secrecy.

None of this changes the clear and unquestioned fact that Gagarin *was*
the first man in space. His only real competitor was Al Shepard, who
missed the title because of delays due to Mercury technical snags.
--
MOST launched 1015 EDT 30 June, separated 1046, | Henry Spencer
first ground-station pass 1651, all nominal! |