The first man to travel into space - Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin

Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was the first person to travel into the outer space. He travelled to the space when his 'Vostok' spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth in 1961. Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934 and died on March 27, 1968 when the MiG-15 training jet which he was piloting crashed. He was a Russian Soviet pilot and a cosmonaut.

The American plan to send a man into space by 1961 created a deadline that the Russian team worked hard to beat. The development of the 'Vostok' spacecraft became paramount. Prior to Gagarin's historic flight, the Soviets sent a prototype of his spaceship along with a life-size dummy called Ivan Ivanovich and a dog called Zvezdochka. The vessel was considered ready to take a living, breathing human into space with success.

More than 200 Russian Air Force fighter pilots were selected as cosmonaut candidates. Such pilots were considered optimum because they had exposure to the forces of acceleration and experience with high-stress situations. Among the pilots was 27-year-old Senior Lieutenant Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin.

The third of four children, Gagarin was born in a small village, a hundred miles from Moscow. As a teenager, he witnessed a Russian Yak fighter plane make an emergency landing near his home. When offered a chance years later to join a flying club, he eagerly accepted making his first solo flight in 1955. Only a few years later, he submitted his request to be considered a cosmonaut.

The 'Vostok 1' spacecraft blasted off from the Soviets' launch site on April 12, 1961 at 9:07 a.m. If an emergency arose, Gagarin was supposed to receive an override code that would allow him to take manual control, but Sergei Korolov, chief designer of the Soviet space program disregarded protocol and gave it to the pilot prior to the flight.

Over the course of 108 minutes, 'Vostok 1' travelled around the Earth once, reaching a maximum height of 203 miles (327 kilometres). Over Africa, the engines fired to bring Gagarin back to Earth. The craft carried ten days' worth of provisions in case the engines failed and Gagarin was required to wait for the orbit to decay naturally, but they were unnecessary. Gagarin re-entered Earth's atmosphere, experiencing forces up to eight times the pull of gravity but remained conscious.

Upon his return to Earth, Gagarin became an international hero. He was cheered in the Red Square by a crowd of hundreds of thousands. He travelled around the world to celebrate the historical Soviet achievement.

On returning home, he became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet and was appointed Commander of the Cosmonauts' Detachment. As Russia did not want to risk such a public figure, they were hesitant to allow him back into space. He continued to make test flights for the Air Force.

Gagarin was married to Valentina Ivanovna Goryacheva and had two daughters. One of Gagarin's most notable traits was his smile. Many commented on how Gagarin's smile gained the attention of crowds on the frequent tours he did in the months after the 'Vostok 1' mission success.

Gagarin became popular worldwide and was awarded many medals and titles. He was titled as a Hero of the Soviet Union which was considered the nation's highest honour. Gagarin's spacecraft was 'Vostok 1' but he served as backup crew to the Soyuz 1 mission.

Gagarin later became the deputy training director of the Cosmonaut Training Centre which was later named after him. The Yuri Gagarin Medal is awarded in his honour.

- Internet