On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to travel to space, orbiting Earth once aboard Vostok 1 in 108 minutes. A 27-year-old Soviet Air Force pilot from a small village near Gzhatsk, his launch word — shouted over the radio as the rocket ignited — was "Poyekhali!" ("Let's go!"). He orbited at a maximum altitude of 327 km, reaching speeds of 27,400 km/h. His single orbit proved that humans could survive the vacuum of space, the forces of launch and re-entry, and weightlessness. He ejected from the capsule at 7 km altitude and parachuted to a field in Siberia, where a confused farmer's wife asked if he had come from outer space. "As a matter of fact, I have," he said. He became the most celebrated human on Earth — a global hero of peace, progress, and the possible. He died in a training jet crash in 1968, aged 34. April 12 is now "Yuri's Night" — the world space party.
Key Contribution
First human in space (April 12, 1961). First to orbit Earth. Proved human spaceflight was possible. His 108-minute flight set the stage for every subsequent human space mission. "Poyekhali!" — "Let's go!" — may be the most consequential word spoken in the 20th century.
“The Earth is blue. How wonderful. It is amazing.”
— Yuri Gagarin
Works & Achievements
- ✦Vostok 1 mission — first human spaceflight (April 12, 1961)
- ✦108 minutes, one orbit at 327 km altitude
- ✦Hero of the Soviet Union
- ✦Lenin Prize
- ✦UN Gold Medal of Peace
- ✦April 12 = Yuri's Night — celebrated in 75+ countries worldwide