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Credit & Copyright: Courtesy
MSFC Historical Archive
Explanation:
Thirty five years ago today,
Soviet cosmonaut
Yuri Alexseyevich Gagarin became the first human in
space. On April 12, 1961, his remotely controlled
Vostok 1
spacecraft lofted him to an altitude of 200 miles and carried him once
around planet Earth.
Strictly a passenger, his onboard controls were
locked out by a secret combination - in case of emergency he carried
the combination in a sealed envelope.
After reentry, Gagarin ejected from
the Vostok
at an altitude of 20,000 feet and parachuted to Earth.
How was the first
view from space? He reportedly
commented, "The sky is very dark; the Earth is bluish.
Everything is seen very clearly".
Coupled with other spacefaring
accomplishments,
this flight seemed to confirm
Soviet technological superiority -
the first US astronaut
would not be launched until almost a month later and then
on a comparatively short suborbital flight.
Born on March 9, 1934, Gagarin was an air force jet pilot before being
chosen for the first
group of cosmonauts in 1960.
As a result of his historic flight
he became an international hero and legend.
Killed when his MIG jet crashed during a training flight on
March 27, 1968, Gagarin was given a hero's funeral,
his ashes interred in the Kremlin Wall.
Information:
The
Scale of the Universe Debate in April 1996
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: space
Publications with words: space
See also: