Starman_ The Truth Behind the Legend of Yuri Gagarin - Jamie Doran [92]
After the funeral Gagarin insisted on spending the night at Korolev’s house. According to Yaroslav Golovanov, ‘Gagarin said, “I won’t feel right until I’ve taken Korolev’s ashes to the moon.” At the crematorium he asked cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov to scatter some of Korolev’s ashes on the next space flight, during the descent, although, according to Orthodox custom, you must not divide a person’s ashes.’ It is not clear whether any ashes were actually taken into space, but Golovanov insists that several handfuls went missing from the crematorium. ‘Komarov did scatter some of them after Korolev’s death. Gagarin and Leonov also had some ashes.’
Korolev’s death marked a turning point for Gagarin. He became totally recommitted to flying in space, and even to flying to the moon. His self-discipline returned, and he worked on his diploma with passionate energy. He impressed Kamanin, who allowed him to train as back-up for the first Soyuz mission. All being well, the back-up position would automatically entitle Gagarin to the second Soyuz flight. But this put him in direct conflict with another cosmonaut, who believed that the assignment belonged to him, not to Gagarin. The noted space historian James Oberg says, ‘This tension between Gagarin and one or two of the cosmonauts isn’t written about very much, perhaps because people don’t like to talk about it. Basically Gagarin pulled rank.’7
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FALLING TO EARTH
Most of the cosmonauts got on well with Gagarin, appreciated his humour and generosity of spirit, enjoyed drinking and partying with him and deferred to him as the undisputed leader of their cause. Many were anxious to see him back in space, but one cosmonaut in particular felt differently.
Georgi Timofeyevich Beregovoi, born in April 1921, was one of the oldest cosmonauts, recruited in 1963 when the list of ‘near-misses’ among the original 1959 candidates was re-evaluated. Among all the cosmonauts, only he and Pavel Belyayev (Leonov’s commander on the Voskhod II mission) could claim the greatest distinction for a pilot: experience in real aerial combat. Beregovoi flew 185 missions against the Germans during the war, and was awarded the much-prized title Hero of the Soviet Union. During the 1950s he served as a test pilot, so when he signed up for cosmonaut training he believed he was well qualified. In 1964, quite soon after his selection, he gained a back-up posting for the planned Voskhod III mission and trained with every confidence that he would fly whatever mission came next. Nikolai Kamanin felt at ease with a fellow war veteran. He sponsored Beregovoi’s recruitment and gave him every chance to succeed.
After Korolev’s death, his deputy Vasily Mishin took over the administration of OKB-1. He was good-natured and eager, but he lacked the political influence and raw cunning of his predecessor.1 One way and another, the Voskhod III schedule slipped so badly that it had to be cancelled. Mishin decided to focus OKB-1’s energies on Soyuz and on the further, very troubled development of the large moon booster, the N-1.
Beregovoi now expected his back-up status to be shuffled smoothly along to the next mission, the first manned test of the new Soyuz configuration. At this point Gagarin stepped in and claimed that posting for himself, making every possible use of his rank as Deputy Director of Cosmonaut Training to do so. Beregovoi made his annoyance crystal-clear to anyone who would listen, and eventually stormed into Gagarin’s office at Star City for a direct confrontation. Gagarin’s driver Fyodor Dyemchuk walked into the office at the wrong moment and overheard the row. ‘The other man was the superior in years, but he hadn’t flown into space yet. He made indecent remarks about Gagarin, and said he was too young to be a proper Hero of the Soviet Union and he’d become conceited. He called Gagarin an upstart, and Gagarin replied, “While I’m in charge, you’ll never fly in space.” They argued for