Search results
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who, aboard the first successful crewed spaceflight, became the first human to journey into outer space. Travelling on Vostok 1 , Gagarin completed one orbit of Earth on 12 April 1961, with his flight taking 108 minutes.
Jun 19, 2024 · Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut who on April 12, 1961, became the first man to travel into space. His Vostok 1 spacecraft orbited Earth once in 1 hour 29 minutes at a maximum altitude of 187 miles, bringing Gagarin immediate worldwide fame.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Apr 12, 2021 · Yuri Gagarin belied the West's austere impression of the Soviet Union – a charming, easygoing Russian with a ready smile. The first man in space became a powerful propaganda...
- Childhood and Cosmonaut Selection
- Vostok 1 Mission
- Soyuz 1 and Death
- Additional Resources
Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934, in the Soviet Russian village of Klushino to parents who worked on a collective farm, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). Beginning in October 1941, German soldiers occupied Klushino as part of their advance on Moscow during World War II. The occupation lasted 21 months, according to the BBC. In 1946, hi...
"Vostok" means "East" in Russian, as opposed to the Western world, signifying the mission's importance in the Cold War-era space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. The crewed part of the capsule was spherical, with an inside diameter of about 7 feet (2 m), according to The Planetary Society. The spacecraft launched on April 12, 19...
On April 23, 1967, the Soyuz 1 mission launched with cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov as its sole crewmember, with Gagarin as the backup. During the spacecraft's landing, the parachute failed to deploy, instantly killing Komarov when it hit the ground. Though Gagarin had nothing to do with the crash (and even reportedly tried to get the launch postponed ...
You can learn more about the first man in space with these pieces from Scientific American and Astronomy.com. Space Center Houston's on this day in historydetails Gagarin's historic flight to space.
Apr 9, 2018 · Learn about the historic flight of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to orbit the Earth in 1961. See the original and newspaper front page of the Huntsville, Ala., Times on April 12, 1961.
- NASA
Mar 27, 2018 · Learn about the life and legacy of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to travel in space, who died in a plane crash in 1968. See how his achievements and memorials are honored by NASA and other space agencies.
Apr 10, 2011 · Yuri Gagarin was one of 20 prospective cosmonauts selected for the Soviet space programme in 1960. The candidates were put through a gruelling training regime, including...
