cosmonaut

The 136-page long story, which is Harvey's fifth novel, takes place over a single day in the life of six astronauts and cosmonauts.

Perhaps not coincidentally, that’s the same year Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to venture into space.

The first man in space, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, squeezed beef and liver paste into his mouth from an aluminum tube.

He was among three US astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut who successfully arrived at the station on Tuesday.

It meant intensive language training, being followed by the KGB while in the Soviet Union, and lifelong friendships with cosmonauts.