good morning all,
well we got plenty of the evil white stuff. I'll admit that it's pretty but I'd rather see green grass or even weeds at this point. just kidding! No weeds :)
I've never heard of him, but for some reason I'm still on the space theme. Did he invent tang? lol.or space food?
clearly I need more clues
:) Laura

Ah, Laura, you are heading in the right direction. Space it is! I have some clues spinning around in my head. Will be back.

Sadly, lots of weeds here. There always are. :( I hope tomorrow is nice enough to get out and pull some. Ordered 20 bags of mulch from the Boy Scouts that will be delivered on the 24th. I need to get the weeds before that!

Cynthia

OOOhhhh...there is a name floating through my brain....L.....close at all?

It's a brilliant sunny day here, snow is melting!! Yeah. I am still moving slowly, but we have a healthy fix in sight!! Yeah, than I'll be able to garden!!

Nancy.

Ivan Ivanovich if I remember correctly took quite a trip back in 61, felt sorry for his travelling companion tho.

Annette

Hey, Annette, he was not one to care much about others, huh?

Well, all the galloping gardeners are enjoying our beautiful weather today. Koda just races around and around. Crazy. Squirrels beware. He launches himself halfway up the tree trunks at them and then barks. I suppose he is trying to get them to come back down to earth. Haha. They don't listen.

Cynthia

hmmm, so this was not a nice person. He did something to his companion? didn't care about others and took a long trip, possibly into space.
His name sounds Russian.
Now I know the Russians were in the space race and the sent a dog into space. But I think the USA sent a chimp. Don't even want to think about that....
Did he commit a crime? or maybe he was a defector? "3-9-1961" doesn't ring any bells. Need more clues please.
:) Laura

Sorry, I have been researching car safety. Don't want to end up like a crash test dummy. ;)

Well, Ivan really wasn't one to feel things. I have always felt sad about the dog, too.

Cynthia

Maybe he was the first?? Did his 'companion' say "Open the pod bay doors, Ivan"?

Nancy.

aaaaah so!
In high school everyone was required to take a certain class. Never had to use the lesson learned (thank goodness) but I've never forgotten meeting Anna or her father's story.

:) Laura

I'm here finally. I did a quick read of the question this morning and then got hustled out of the house on a shopping trip to the nearest (90 miles) small city with a Macy's store. Luckily, there is a good garden center there too, so I was able to pick up some seeds and seed starting mix.

My first thought was that Ivan Ivanovich was not an actual person. I remember from many years ago that the name Ivan Ivanovich was used in the army as a generic name for any Russian person, kind of like John Johnson for a generic Swede, maybe. Then I fixed upon the word dummies and started thinking of some kind of crash dummy. Then I went shopping.

So maybe some kind of test dummy for the Russian space program? But would the Russians use the name Ivan Ivanovich? Or maybe it was our program. Maybe a target dummy of some kind?

Still thinking.

TM

TM, your momma didn't raise no dummy! ;)

Oh and yes, Ivan Ivanovich is the Russian version of John Doe.

Ha-the movie "Space Cowboys" is on right now. Poor Tommy Lee Jones has just climbed aboard the Soviet satellite.

Cynthia

I remember my dad walking us all outside to look up into the night sky...

Cynthia

So I am totally in left field? Hmmmm.....lost in space!!

Nancy.

I've been reading along but not sure of an answer. Perhaps a crash test dummy for the Russia's first successful space launch.

Four stars for Annette, TM, and Bobbie for sure. Maybe you, too, Laura and Nancy?

Yes, Ivan was a dummy launched into space and returned safely to Earth. Here is the Wikipedia info:
Ivan Ivanovich (ÃÂòðý ÃÂòðýþòøÃÂ). the Russian equivalent of "John Doe" was originally the name given to a mannequin used in testing the Russian Vostok spacecraft in preparation for its manned missions.[1]
Ivan Ivanovich was made to look as lifelike as possible, with eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes and a mouth. He was dressed in a cosmonaut suit, with a sign reading "ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂâ" (Russian for "dummy") placed under his visor, so that anyone who found him after his missions would not think he was a dead cosmonaut or an alien.
He first flew into space on Korabl-Sputnik 4 on March 9, 1961, accompanied by a dog named Chernushka, various reptiles, and eighty mice and guinea pigs, some of which were placed inside his body. To test the spacecraft's communication systems, an automatic recording of a choir was placed in Ivanovich's body - this way, any radio stations who heard the recording would understand it was not a real person. Ivan was also used to test the landing system upon return to Earth, when he was successfully ejected from the capsule and parachuted to the ground.
His second space flight, Korabl-Sputnik 5, on March 26, 1961, was similar - he was again accompanied by a dog, Zvezdochka, and other animals, he had a recording of a choir (and also a recipe for cabbage soup to confuse any listeners) inside him, and he safely returned to Earth. These flights paved the way for Vostok 1, the first manned flight into space on April 12, 1961.[citation needed]
In 1993 Ivan was auctioned at Sotheby's, with the winning bid coming from a foundation belonging to US businessman Ross Perot. He fetched $189,500.[2] Since 1997 he has been on loan to the National Air and Space Museum, where he is on display, still in his spacesuit.

Chernushka, the dog, also returned unharmed. She was recovered from the capsule. Not sure about the other animals.

Today is even nicer than yesterday. I may even do some yard work!

Have a splendid week everyone and thanks for playing. I was very impressed that you knew Ivan's name TM!

Cynthia

Thanks, Cynthia! Yard work sounds good to me. Someday.

It may not be spring yet here, but I did get some flower seeds started in trays today, and that feels pretty good to me. I'll be putting in a new flower bed this spring and I'll need lots of plants to populate it.

TM

Oh Happy Stars!! No, I deserve none!! I was thinking of Laika, the first dog in space, I think.
{{gwi:598667}}
She was a street mutt from Moscow, who unfortunately died when the cooling system of the capsule failed. Poor girl.

Lots of fun, Cyn.

Nancy.

Nancy, I read that in 2002, the Russians announced that Laika actually died from Overheating and panic. poor baby. They always used strays because it was thought they would adapt better to the conditions than would a dog used to living in a home. Sadly, Laika and several others did not.

Yeay!
I got stars :)
Thanks for the fun Cynthia.
Anna/ Annie is the name of the cpr dummy.
:) Laura

I thought you probably had it, Laura, but couldn't place Annie-just guessed she was a dummy! ;)

So here you are!

Thanks for the stars. I remember reading about those early Russsian launches.