Yuri Gagarin

Yuri Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to travel into outer space. His flight in 1961 marked a milestone in the history of the space exploration.

Early Life and Education

Gagarin was born in 1934 in the village of Klushino in the Smolensk region. His family were farmers and suffered during the German occupation in the war.

He studied at the technical school in Lyubertsy and the industrial college in Saratov. He joined the flying club and learned to fly.

He entered the military air force and became a fighter pilot. He was selected for the cosmonaut programme in 1960.

The First Flight into Space

Gagarin was chosen to make the first manned flight into space. The Vostok 1 spacecraft was launched on 12 April 1961.

The flight lasted one hundred and eight minutes and completed one orbit of the earth. The spacecraft reached an altitude of about three hundred kilometres.

Gagarin ejected from the capsule and landed by parachute near the village of Smelovka. The flight made him an international celebrity.

He was awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union. He toured the world and became a symbol of the Soviet achievement.

The Later Career

Gagarin was barred from further spaceflights because of his importance to the programme. He served as the deputy training director of the cosmonaut centre.

He re-entered the cosmonaut training in 1967 and was a backup for the Soyuz 1 mission. He was killed in a training flight in 1968.

The cause of the crash of the MiG-15 has been the subject of the investigation. The official report cited the evasive manoeuvre and the poor weather.

He was buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis in Moscow. The town of Gagarin and the cosmonaut training centre are named in his honour.

The Legacy

Gagarin is regarded as the first human in space and a hero of the twentieth century. The date of his flight is celebrated as the Day of Cosmonautics.

His flight intensified the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States. The competition led to the Apollo programme and the moon landing.

He is commemorated by the statues and the monuments throughout the world. The Yuri's Night is celebrated on the anniversary of his flight.

The Selection and the Training

Gagarin was selected for the cosmonaut programme in 1960. He was one of the twenty pilots chosen for the training.

He was chosen for the first flight for his calm and his skill. The officials valued his humble background and his pleasant personality.

He trained in the centrifuge and the altitude chamber and the simulator. The training prepared him for the physical and the psychological demands.

The Vostok Flight

Gagarin was launched in the Vostok 1 on 12 April 1961. The spacecraft completed one orbit of the earth in one hundred and eight minutes.

He ejected from the capsule and landed by parachute. The details of the ejection were kept secret for many years.

The flight made him an international celebrity. He was awarded the title of the Hero of the Soviet Union.

The Later Career

Gagarin was barred from further spaceflights because of his importance. He served as the deputy training director of the cosmonaut centre.

He re-entered the cosmonaut training in 1967 and was a backup for the Soyuz 1 mission. He was killed in a training flight in 1968.

The cause of the crash of the MiG-15 has been the subject of the investigation. He was buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.

The Legacy and the Memory

Gagarin is regarded as the first human in space. The date of his flight is celebrated as the Day of Cosmonautics.

The town of Gagarin and the cosmonaut training centre are named in his honour. The statues and the monuments commemorate him throughout the world.

The Yuri's Night is celebrated on the anniversary of his flight. He remains one of the most famous of the explorers.

The Space Race

The flight of Gagarin intensified the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States. The competition led to the Apollo programme.

President Kennedy announced the goal of the moon landing in 1961. The American programme achieved the goal in 1969.

The Soviet programme suffered the setbacks after the death of the chief designer Sergei Korolev. The race for the moon was lost.

The Personal Life

Gagarin married Valentina Goryacheva in 1957 and the couple had two daughters. The family lived in the Star City near Moscow.

He was a modest and a cheerful man and was popular with his colleagues. He was known for his smile and his optimism.

He was killed in 1968 in a training flight. The nation mourned the loss of the first cosmonaut.

See also

• Vostok 1
• Space race
• Cosmonaut
• Soviet space programme