I have great respect for the early astronauts of the 'space race'. As cool as the U.S. Mercury astronauts are, however, they don't hold a candle to Yuri Gregarin, the first man in space. The Americans went up in rockets built by the 'A' team of German rocket scientists using American technology at a time when America built the best machines in the world. Gregarin went up in a Soviet rocket, build with famous Soviet 'standards' by the 'D' team of captured German rocket scientists. That took a kind of courage I will never know to trust that they could bring him home safely. For that he has my everlasting admiration and respect.
