Voskhod 1

Voskhod 1 was the first spaceflight to carry more than one person into space. The mission was specifically planned to beat the US Gemini program to this milestone. As a further propaganda coup, the spacecraft was claimed to have carried into orbit a fragment of a communard banner from the Paris Commune of 1871.

On board were three cosmonauts - Vladimir Komarov who piloted the craft, Konstantin Feoktistov - an engineer who had been part of the Sputnik and Vostok design teams, and Boris Yegorov - a doctor.

Much of the mission was devoted to biomedical research and also study of how a multi-disciplinary team could work together in space. The mission was probably cut short by political upheaval back on Earth surrounding the coup that deposed Nikita Khrushchev. The cramped conditions of the crew have also been suggested as a factor ruling out a longer duration flight.

Next mission - Voskhod 2