55 / 254
CHERNIKOV & A. KOSTROMA (DATES UNKNOWN)
63
●
[GLORY TO THE SOVIET COSMONAUT BYKOVSKY!] 1963.
13
1
/
2
x34
1
/
4
inches, 34
1
/
4
x87 cm. Izogiz, Moscow.
Condition A / A-: minor creases in margins; pin holes in corners. Paper.
In 1961, the Soviet space program launched
Vostok 1
, successfully putting the first man into orbit.
Valery Bykovsky flew three missions with the Vostok and Soyuz programs. His five-day, orbital flight
aboard
Vostok 5
in 1963 was a record for a solo flight in space and remains so today. The Russian
government was rightfully proud of their space program, but also realized it was a powerful propaganda
tool as part of the space race. The Soviet space program was used on numerous posters aimed at viewers
outside the country (images of cosmonauts and rockets appeared on Intourist posters) and as
propaganda within the country. Here, a photograph of the young cosmonaut in his helmet is inserted
into the center of cosmic scene with blurred stars and the elliptical flight path of a whizzing spacecraft.
[500/750]
63
62