Science & Space
The space programme, the atomic project and big science.
Chernobyl: the worst accident in the history of nuclear power
On 26 April 1986 the explosion at the Chernobyl plant became the worst nuclear accident in history. In depth: what happened, why the authorities stayed silent, how the disaster was cleaned up, and how many were harmed.
Mir: fifteen years of a home in orbit
It was assembled in space over ten years like a construction set, designed to last five, and served fifteen. The story of the station where a human first lived 437 consecutive days in weightlessness, and where former enemies learned to work together.
Apollo-Soyuz: a handshake above the planet
Two spacecraft of two enemies docked in orbit, and a hand extended through a hatch over France. How the USSR and the USA flew to space together at the height of the Cold War, why Leonov brought tubes labeled "vodka," and why the ISS would not exist without this flight.
Valentina Tereshkova: the first woman in space
On 16 June 1963 Valentina Tereshkova, aboard Vostok 6, became the first woman in space. A former factory worker and skydiver — and still the only woman to have flown a solo mission.
Yuri Gagarin: the first human in space
On 12 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. His path from a Nazi-occupied village to orbit, a dramatic return, worldwide fame and a mysterious death.
Laika: the first living creature to orbit the Earth
A stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow who became the most famous animal of the 20th century. For half a century the world believed she lived a week in orbit. The truth was shorter and sadder — and it was told only in 2002.
Sputnik 1: the start of the space age
On 4 October 1957 the USSR placed the first artificial satellite of Earth into orbit.