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April 12, 1961 was a turning point for the human race. On that day Yuri Gagarin
became the first person to orbit Earth. Gagarin was launched from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in what was then the Soviet Union. After 108 minutes of flight,
Gagarin reentered the Earth’s atmosphere and landed in the Saratov region of
the Soviet Union.
Vostok 1 was the name of the craft that Gagarin rode into orbit. The ship had
two separate sections, a sphere for Gagarin and another area for life support
equipment. Once in orbit, Gagarin had no control over the ship. All control of
the spacecraft was handled by a computer sending radio commands.
When the spacecraft reentered the atmosphere retro-rockets were fired to slow
the descent. Additionally, explosive bolts were fired to separate the two parts
of the spacecraft. Unlike the early U.S. manned missions, the Soviet craft did
not land in water but on land.
Gagarin initially joined the Soviet Air Force in 1955. By 1959 he had begun
cosmonaut training for his journey into space. Gagarin died tragically in an air
accident in 1968. He is considered a Russian hero and will always be remembered
for the first human orbit of the Earth.
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