This book sheds new light on an amazing history, only partially known in the west: Russian cosmonautics and its spectacular record. From Laika, the cosmonaut dog, to Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, to Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, to the first spacewalk, the Soviets set many goals that they subsequently achieved.

But there are shadows behind these headline moments, moments involving human loss, some of which are known, others only rumored. Questions remain, such as:

·         What was the "flying coffin"?

·         What secrets are still hidden inside the Russian archives, despite two rounds of declassification?

·         Why didn't Marina Popovich ("Madame Mig") become a cosmonaut?

·         What problems made it necessary to film Valentina Tereshkova's return?

·         What (scientific) hypotheses exist concerning Gagarin's mysterious disappearance?

The author addresses all of these issues, with help from the documents now available. This book will benefit a broad readership, from interested laypersons to graduate and undergraduate students to those who merely enjoy good history-based stories.