Vostok 1: first human spaceflight (Gagarin)

April 12, 1961

On 12 April 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, aboard Vostok 1. He made one complete orbit of the Earth in 108 minutes and became the first human being to travel into space.

The spacecraft was a pressurised sphere 2 m in diameter attached to an equipment module. Gagarin, who stood 1.57 m tall, was chosen partly for his short stature, which fit better inside the cramped cabin. At liftoff he uttered his famous "Poyekhali" ("Off we go"). During re-entry the equipment module failed to separate fully and endured 8 g; at about 7 km altitude he ejected and descended by parachute near Saratov, where a farmer and his daughter watched him land.

The Soviet success put pressure on the United States: twenty days later, President Kennedy asked how to match the USSR's achievements, and on 25 May he announced the commitment to land astronauts on the Moon before the decade's end.

Did you know… about Vostok 1: first human spaceflight (Gagarin)

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