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Fatal 18. Finally gaining a semblance of control, Komarov fired his retrorockets on the 18th revolution and plunged toward the atmosphere. As he began reentry, the dangerous tumbling apparently started again. As a result, in the words of the Tass announcement, "when the main cupola of the parachute opened at an altitude of seven kilometers [4.3 miles], the straps of the parachute got twisted and the spaceship descended at a great speed, which resulted in Komarov's death."
Stunned Soviet leaders announced that a commission would be formed to investigate the causes of the accident, much like the panel that probed the recent U.S. Apollo disaster. The Russians posthumously awarded Komarov his second Gold Star and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, gave him a fitting funeral in Red Square, buried his ashes in the Kremlin wall and planned to erect his statue in Moscow.
There have been rumors about other fatalities in the Russian space program. But as the first man known to be killed in space flight, Komarov is destined to be more than a Red icon. As President Johnson put it in a graceful tribute: "The death of Vladimir Komarov was a tragedy in which all nations share. Like the three American astronauts who lost their lives recently, this distinguished space pioneer died in the cause of science and in the eternal spirit of human adventure."