American „trip“ to space sponsored by Yugoslavia

Hi everyone, today I want to share with you a rarely known story about the first Americans in space. Why rarely known? Because I won´t tell you the story how Apollo 11 came on the Moon. I will write about the story „behind the scene“. I think just somebody has heard about it. This was suprise for me, too when a year ago I was waching film named „Houston, we have a problem“. It´s slovenian-croatian documentary and tell the story from 60s, during the Cold War, when Americans and Russian were in competition for technology progress. They both wanted to improve their technology to take themself in space. But, there is a historical fact that is not mentioned. So, what´s about?

When America was in process of building space program, they weren´t alone. They actually established colaboration with Yugoslavia. This country that doesn´t exists any more sold America the program for building space equipment, but this have to be a secret. It would be a shame for USA to admit their spacecraft can´t fly.

However, situation in Yugoslavia were not much better. They achieved to sell their plans to Americans. A few days later Tito, yugoslavian leader, receive a call from Kennedy –the program doesn´t work!

An intresting thing is Tito´s positivism and ambition for solving a problem. He took his yugoslavian technitians on the plane to America. Many of them didn´t even have a chance to say goodbye to their family. But in America, the space program still didn´t work. Americans had a fire under their feet, but Tito still stayed untouched. There is not remembered what happend with money after unsuccesed yugoslavian-american cooperation. Because of this, both countries have never mentioned this memory.

As the citizen of one of the ex-Yugoslavia´s country I feel a little proud, even there wasn´t success. It just shows special balkans spirit and confidence in yourself.

After this information from history, I have to concluse it´s true the quote: „Winners write history“. :)