Apr 12 1997
From The Space Library
The Russian Space Agency celebrated the 36th anniversary of sending the first Russian, Yuri A. Gagarin, into space. At the same time, two cosmonauts and U.S. astronaut Jerry M. Linenger, who were on board Mir, reported that they had almost had to abandon the Russian space station twice over the past few months. Russia's successful history of space exploration contrasted with the current struggles of the Russian Space Agency to obtain adequate funding for Mir and other space initiatives. When Russia launched its first piloted mission in 1961, the Cold War was driving an intense space competition between the Soviet Union and United States. In the days leading up to the anniversary, Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin expressed his support for increased funding to the Russian Space Agency in the future.
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