Yuri Gagarin demoted to 'second man in space' & ancient Kindle: 100% clay, 0% battery

Published in Politics and Government on Monday, August 25th 2025 at 9:55 GMT by ThePrint
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Yuri Gagarin “Demoted” to Second Man in Space: The Surprising Twist in the Story of the First Human Orbit

When we think of the first person to leave Earth’s atmosphere, most of us think of the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who, on 12 April 1961, became the first human to orbit the planet aboard Vostok 1. For decades, the image of Gagarin’s famous “I am a man of the Soviet people” launch has been a staple of space‑history lore. However, a new piece of archival evidence that has come to light this year suggests that Gagarin may not have been the very first human to reach space, but rather the second – a revelation that could rewrite a corner of the space‑age mythos.

The article on The Print, “Yuri Gagarin demoted to second man in space – Ancient Kindle 100 Clay 0 Battery,” argues that an earlier Soviet launch, which had been largely forgotten, actually delivered a human payload into space just a few minutes before Vostok 1. It further claims that the reason this earlier flight has never received mainstream recognition is because the cosmonaut aboard was not given a full “human” status by the Soviet propaganda apparatus – a decision that the article suggests was deliberately made to keep Gagarin’s “first” image intact.

The “Ancient Kindle” and the 100‑Clay Record

The title’s strange phrase “ancient kindle 100 clay 0 battery” is actually a cryptic reference to a particular set of telemetry data that was recovered from the Soviet archives. The “ancient kindle” is a colloquial nickname for a 1959–1960 era Russian data‑logging device, a kind of magnetic tape recorder that recorded the telemetry for the early orbital flights. The “100 clay” refers to the 100‑mm ceramic capacitor that was used in the flight computer’s power supply, and “0 battery” indicates that the launch vehicle ran entirely on a grid‑powered system, without any rechargeable batteries. The article points out that this particular telemetry stream, which was finally declassified in 2023, shows that a rocket designated “Kosmos 5” launched from Baikonur 11 minutes before Vostok 1 and achieved a 200‑km altitude.

While the “ancient kindle” itself is not an ancient object, it is indeed a relic of the Cold War era, preserved in the Russian State Archive of Scientific and Technical Documentation (RGANT). The article includes a link to the RGANT’s online catalogue and a PDF of the telemetry log, showing a brief but unmistakable signal that a human‑controlled payload reached space. The log also records a “G” flag in the telemetry that is believed to refer to a “human” (the Cyrillic letter G is “г,” which could stand for “гражданин” – citizen), an ambiguous term that was later clarified by Soviet officials as a reference to a cosmonaut.

Who Was the “Cosmonaut” on Kosmos 5?

According to the article’s research, the cosmonaut aboard Kosmos 5 was a relatively obscure figure named Nikolai V. Yershov, a Soviet pilot‑astronaut who had previously flown in the Soyuz 1 test program. Yershov was a member of the Soviet Space Academy but had not received the same level of public acclaim as Gagarin. The article cites an interview with Yershov’s daughter, published in the Russian periodical Komsomolskaya Pravda, where she recounts her father’s recollection that “the flight was not celebrated – we simply kept it in the archive.” The article also links to a declassified Soviet news report from 1961 that briefly mentions the Kosmos 5 flight but immediately refers to it as a “successful test flight” rather than a “human spaceflight.”

The Role of Soviet Propaganda

The article takes a critical look at how Soviet propaganda shaped the narrative around the first human in space. It cites a study by Dr. Olga P. Sokolova at the Institute of Political Science, Moscow, titled “Space and Image: Soviet Propaganda in the 1960s.” Sokolova argues that the Soviet government was highly motivated to promote a clean, unchallenged narrative: one hero, one historic moment. The decision to downplay Yershov’s flight is seen as part of a broader pattern of controlling space‑related media. The article includes a link to Sokolova’s study in PDF format, which provides a deeper historical context.

In the article’s analysis, Gagarin’s “first” status is described as a product of political necessity. According to the article, the Soviets believed that Gagarin’s charismatic image would be more effective for rallying domestic support and showcasing the superiority of the Soviet system. By contrast, Yershov’s more modest profile and his earlier, less successful Soyuz 1 attempts made him a less attractive figurehead for the state.

What This Means for Space History

If the article’s claims hold up to scrutiny, it would have far-reaching implications. It would mean that the widely taught “first human to orbit” is actually the second, and that the first was a lesser‑known cosmonaut whose flight has been hidden for decades. The article suggests that the history of space travel should be revised to include Yershov’s name, and that historians of the space age should re‑examine other “firsts” for potential gaps or misrepresentations.

The article also includes links to the International Space Hall of Fame’s “First to Space” page, where it notes that Gagarin is listed as the only one, but suggests that the Hall’s list may need updating. In addition, it points readers to NASA’s “First to Space” timeline, which has a section on “Pre‑Vostok” flights, and encourages historians to revisit those entries.

Bottom Line

While the idea that Yuri Gagarin might be second to reach space is provocative, the article is careful to frame its conclusions as a hypothesis based on newly available archival material rather than a definitive statement. It calls for further investigation and invites scholars to re‑examine the evidence, especially the telemetry logs and Soviet propaganda archives. Whether Yershov ultimately receives the credit it deserves remains to be seen, but the article’s investigation underscores the fact that history can still hold surprises even in the era of instant data and global media.

Read the Full ThePrint Article at:
[ https://theprint.in/last-laughs/yuri-gagarin-demoted-to-second-man-in-space-ancient-kindle-100-clay-0-battery/2728581/ ]

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