We should also remember Vladimir Mikhailovich Komarov, the first person to die in space. He knew that the Soyuz 1 was held together by nothing but tape and the people’s trust in Soviet socialism, and his refusal to withdraw from the program saved Gagarin’s life, who was second in line to pilot the spacecraft. The parachutes failed to deploy on reentry and he was killed during descent.

He had an open casket funeral. CW: burnt and mutilated human remains