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Credit & Copyright: Courtesy
MSFC History Office
Explanation:
Forty years ago, on April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut
Yuri
Alexseyevich Gagarin became the first human in
space.
His remotely controlled
Vostok 1
spacecraft lofted him to an altitude of 200 miles and carried him once
around planet Earth.
Gagarin was strictly a passenger on this flight.
As a precaution against the unknown
physiological effects
of spaceflight on piloting skills and judgement,
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
accomplishments,
this flight confirmed the early Soviet lead in the space race --
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.
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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: Yuri Gagarin - cosmonaut - spaceflight
Publications with words: Yuri Gagarin - cosmonaut - spaceflight
See also: