page_title: Vladimir Komarov
section_title: Posthumous honours
hierarchical_section_title: Vladimir Komarov / Honours and awards / Posthumous honours
caption_attribution_description: English: View of Commemorative plaque left on moon at Hadley-Apennine landing site. A close-up view of a commemorative plaque left on the Moon at the Hadley-Apennine landing site in memory of 14 NASA astronauts and USSR cosmonauts, now deceased. Their names are inscribed in alphabetical order on the plaque. The plaque was stuck in the lunar soil by Astronauts David R. Scott and James B. Irwin during their Apollo 15 lunar surface extravehicular activity. The tiny, man-like object represents the figure of a fallen astronaut/cosmonaut.
context_page_description: Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov was a Soviet test pilot, aerospace engineer, and cosmonaut. In October 1964, he commanded Voskhod 1, the first spaceflight to carry more than one crew member. He became the first Soviet cosmonaut to fly in space twice when he was selected as the solo pilot of Soyuz 1, its first crewed test flight. A parachute failure caused his Soyuz capsule to crash into the ground after re-entry on 24 April 1967, making him the first human to die in a space flight.
  Komarov was one of the most highly experienced and qualified candidates accepted into the first squad of cosmonauts selected in 1960. He was declared medically unfit for training or spaceflight twice while he was in the program, but his perseverance, superior skills, and engineering knowledge allowed him to continue playing an active role. During his time at the cosmonaut training center, he contributed to space vehicle design, cosmonaut training, evaluation and public relations.
context_section_description: On 26 April 1967, Komarov was given a state funeral in Moscow, and his ashes were interred in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis at Red Square. The American astronauts requested the Soviet government to allow a representative to attend, but were turned down.
  Komarov was posthumously awarded his second Order of Lenin and also Hero of the Soviet Union.
  On 25 April 1968, a memorial service was held for Komarov at the crash site near Orsk 51°21′41.67″N 59°33′44.75″E. Kamanin noted in his diary that over 10,000 people were present at this service, "some driving hundreds of kilometres for the event."
  Komarov has been featured on commemorative First Day Covers and stamps for his contribution to the space program—from several different countries.
  Komarov is commemorated with other prominent figures from the early Russian space program with a bust on Cosmonauts Alley in Moscow, and he is also honored with a monument at the crash site near Orsk.
  Before leaving the Moon on Apollo 11's Lunar Module, Neil Armstrong's final task was to place a small package of memorial items to honor Komarov, Yuri Gagarin, and the Apollo 1 astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. Komarov's name also appears on a commemorative plaque left at Hadley Rille on the Moon by the commander of Apollo 15, David Scott in memory of 14 deceased NASA astronauts and USSR cosmonauts, along with a small sculpture entitled Fallen Astronaut, on 1 August 1971. This plaque and the sculpture represent those astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the quest to reach outer space and the Moon.
  The asteroid 1836 Komarov, discovered in 1971, was named in the honor of Komarov, as was a crater on the Moon.
  This asteroid and the cosmonaut inspired the composer Brett Dean to write a piece of symphonic music commissioned by conductor Simon Rattle in 2006. The composition is named Komarov's Fall, and it can be found on the EMI Classics Album of Simon Rattle's The Planets.
  The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale's V.M. Komarov Diploma is named in Komarov's honor.
  There was formerly a Soviet satellite-tracking ship named for Komarov, the Kosmonaut Vladimir Komarov.
caption: Commemorative plaque and the Fallen Astronaut sculpture left on the Moon
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