Page "Yuri Gagarin" Paragraph 18

In 1962, he began serving as a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.

He later returned to Star City, the cosmonaut facility, where he spent seven years working on designs for a reusable spacecraft.

He became Lieutenant Colonel ( or Podpolkovnik ) of the Soviet Air Force on 12 June 1962 and on 6 November 1963 he received the rank of Colonel ( Polkovnik ) of the Soviet Air Force.

Soviet officials tried to keep him away from any flights, being worried of losing their hero in an accident.

Gagarin was backup pilot for his friend Vladimir Komarov in the Soyuz 1 flight, which was launched despite Gagarin's protests that additional safety precautions were necessary.

When Komarov's flight ended in a fatal crash, Gagarin was permanently banned from training for and participating in further spaceflights.