Anne Northup
American politician in Kentucky (born 1948)
Yuri Gagarin was a pioneering Soviet cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. His historic spaceflight aboard Vostok 1 in 1961 made him an international celebrity and earned him the highest Soviet distinction, the Hero of the Soviet Union. Despite his single spaceflight, Gagarin went on to serve as a prominent figure in the Soviet space program until his tragic death in a plane crash in 1968.
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About the Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarinwas 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. By achieving this major milestone for the Soviet Union amidst the Space Race, he became an international celebrity and was awarded many medals and titles, including his nation’s highest distinction: Hero of the Soviet Union.
Hailing from the village of Klushino in the Russian SFSR, Gagarin was a foundryman at a steel plant in Lyubertsy in his youth. He later joined the Soviet Air Forces as a pilot and was stationed at the Luostari Air Base, near the Norway-Soviet Union border, before his selection for the Soviet space programme alongside five other cosmonauts. Following his spaceflight, Gagarin became the deputy training director of the Cosmonaut Training Centre, which was later named after him. He was also elected as a deputy of the Soviet of the Union in 1962 and then to the Soviet of Nationalities, respectively the lower and upper chambers of the Supreme Soviet.
Vostok 1 was Gagarin’s only spaceflight, but he served as the backup crew to Soyuz 1, which ended in a fatal crash, killing his friend and fellow cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov. Fearful that a high-level national hero might be killed, Soviet officials banned Gagarin from participating in further spaceflights. After completing training at the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy in February 1968, he was again allowed to fly regular aircraft. However, Gagarin died five weeks later, when the MiG-15 that he was piloting with flight instructor Vladimir Seryogin crashed near the town of Kirzhach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yuri Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space, completing one orbit of Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft in 1961.
Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into outer space and complete an orbit of the Earth, aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft on 12 April 1961.
Yuri Gagarin’s spaceflight aboard Vostok 1 took 108 minutes and completed one full orbit of the Earth.
Yuri Gagarin was awarded many medals and titles, including the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, the Hero of the Soviet Union, for his pioneering spaceflight.
After his spaceflight, Yuri Gagarin became the deputy training director of the Cosmonaut Training Centre, which was later named after him, and was elected as a deputy to the Soviet of the Union and the Soviet of Nationalities.
Yuri Gagarin died in 1968 when the MiG-15 aircraft he was piloting with a flight instructor crashed near the town of Kirzhach.
Soviet officials banned Yuri Gagarin from participating in further spaceflights after the fatal crash of Soyuz 1, which killed his friend and fellow cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov, fearing that a high-level national hero might be killed.