Question of the day:

[Mad Doug Biker]

In my book, the first man in space was the one who went out to the place where if you took your helmet off, you'd turn blue and your head would explode.

I remember reading a story of a Cosmonot who, whilst on the Mir Space Station, had to do an EVA (Space Walk) with someone else, so they suited up and went to go out.

When they were in space, the guy felt something on his wrist, as if a feather was being brushed against it, and realised very quickly that his suit was leaking and had to get back in ASAP.

He might not have taken his helmet off, but going by your criteria, would he qualify, seeing as he WAS in space??

 

[vernon]

In my book, the first man in space was the one who went out to the place where if you took your helmet off, you'd turn blue and your head would explode.

Boris Volynov almost met that fate on Soyuz 5. He went up with two other astronauts but they only had two spacesuits between them. They were to be retained by his two colleagues who were staying in orbit and he was to return in normal clothes. The return to Earth was problematic. The landing module failed to separate properly and two modules plummeted towards Earth with the entry hatch of the landing module beginning to melt and the module filling with noxious fumes. The modules finally separated and the landing module took up an orientation that stopped the door from burning through. The landing was harder than planned because the parachute line got tangled and Boris got away with breaking a few teeth and avoiding frostbite as he left the module to avoid the fumes and walked in temperatures of around -30 until he found a peasant's house to take refuge in.

I reckon he was a cat in a previous life and he was allowed to carry his 'spare lives' forwards.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

The guy in the leaking space suit must have been closer to XmisterIS's quote though.

 

[Fnaar]

In my book, the first man in space was the one who went out to the place where if you took your helmet off, you'd turn blue and your head would explode.

Croydon?

 

[classic33]

Okay.
Name the first American in space.

Sorry that should have read first American astronaut. So the answers given are correct.

See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ham_the_Chimp

and he beat the X-15 there!

 

[Archie_tect]

Now I understand why Shaun stopped doing the Annual Cycle Chat Pub Quiz in 2008.