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LEGENDIn MemoriamROS
LEGENDIn MemoriamROSRoscosmos·🇷🇺 Russia·Born 1934
Yuri Gagarin
First human in space (April 12, 1961)
2h
Hours in Space
1
Missions
0
EVAs
—
EVA Time
Poyekhali! (Let's go!)
I see Earth! It is so beautiful!
Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it!
I could have gone on flying through space forever.
Inspirations
Konstantin TsiolkovskySergei KorolevYuri Nagibin
What they aspire to
He hoped humanity would safeguard the beauty of Earth he had witnessed from orbit and continue exploring space peacefully.
Biography
First human in space. Completed one orbit of Earth aboard Vostok 1, forever changing human history.
Before NASASoviet Air Forces fighter pilot who flew MiG-15s with the Northern Fleet before being selected for the cosmonaut corps in 1960.
Records & Firsts
Notable accomplishments by Yuri Gagarin
- First human in space (April 12, 1961)
- First human to orbit Earth
Mission Timeline
- Pilot-Cosmonaut
Vostok 3KA
Vostok 1
Launch: Apr 12, 1961Landing: Apr 12, 1961Duration: 1 day- First human spaceflight
- Single orbit of Earth in 108 minutes
Beyond the Mission
Hobbies & Interests
ice hockeybasketballfishingwater skiing
Causes They Champion
Promoting peaceful uses of outer spaceSoviet youth aviation programs
Languages
Russian
Awards & Honors
- Hero of the Soviet Union
- Order of Lenin
- Order of Karl Marx (East Germany)
- Hero of Socialist Labour (Czechoslovakia)
Fun fact
He was only 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in) tall, an advantage in fitting inside the cramped Vostok capsule.
From the cockpit
“When they saw me in my space suit and the parachute dragging alongside as I walked, they started to back away in fear. I told them, don't be afraid, I am a Soviet like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!”
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