Diamonds and Triangles

1965: Flight of Voskhod 1 (12 Oct 1964)

My stamp accumulation seems to be boringly conformist when I started to look for different stamp shapes. If memory serves me right I've already shown the Finnish ones I have but hey I'll do what I can and "boldly go... " to space.  Here we have the first 3 crew space-flight and the first crew to fly without spacesuits and a mission which probably epitomises the cold war space race. Potentially dangerous modifications to Voskhod  (such as no ejection seats, no escape tower) and the reason for a three man flight were to upstage the two man US Gemini flights. There were no spacesuits because they couldn't fit them into the craft as it was built for two cosmonauts.

The mission is interesting for another reason in that the Russian military wanted an all pilot crew but Sergei Korolev argued for his vision of sending engineers, doctors and even poets into space and he won. These stamps have the symbols of the cosmonauts occupations. Starting from the left is the pilot Vladimir Komarov, (who later tragically became the fist person to  die in spaceflight)  next Konstantin Feokitstov the scientist and someone who didn't think the alterations were a problem as he was the lead designer of both Voskhod and Soyuz and the only spacecraft designer to fly in space. Lastly the physician with the bouffant hair, Doctor Boris Yegorov who has an asteroid named after him.  Once in space the mission was cut short, reason unknown.  One suggestion was the political turmoil on the ground (Khrushchev was removed from power while they were in flight) or perhaps more prosaically it was just because of the cramped conditions.

Next down to earth with the triangular Postage Due stamps of the Congo all on the theme of transport this one showing a Land Rover battling through the bush.  I only have three stamps but they are all by different engravers and I wonder if this is true for the full set.

These two almost go together with the Pirogue ( a small flat bottomed boat) and a letter carrier running away from a boat, you could say, post haste. 

An entry to Viridian Postcard's Sunday Stamps theme - unusual shapes or sizes.