 Unlike the rookie Gagarin, Ilyushin was the USSR's most experienced and decorated test pilot. His father was also a famous aircraft designer with close ties to the Kremlin. Ilyushin, rather than Gagarin, was the obvious choice for such a prestigious mission. But what if the mission was not entirely successful? In a climate of propaganda and secrecy, could the Soviet leadership really countenance such a perceived embarrassment been revealed to the world?