This paper examines an example of the influence of the Soviet space program on the cultural imagination beyond Russia: the Swedish novel Tredje flykthastigheten The Third Flight Speed, 2004; ?????? ??????????? ????????) by Lotta Lotass. The novel depicts scenes from the life of Yuri Gagarin up through the launch of Vostok 1 in 1961, as well as other events from the early history of Soviet space exploration. This paper will analyse the depiction of Gagarin and the space program in the novel, focusing on narrative style. I will argue that the polyphonic character of the novel serves to both undermine and supplement official Soviet accounts of the space program.