Yuri Gagarin Юрий Гагарин
Cosmonaut
Nationality	Russian
Status	Deceased
Born	March 9, 1934 (1934-03-09) Klushino, USSR
Died	March 27, 1968 (aged 34) Kirzhach, USSR
Other occupation	Pilot
Rank	Polkovnik, Soviet Air Force
Space time	1 hour, 48 minutes
Selection	Air Force Group 1
Missions	Vostok 1
Mission insignia

Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin, (Russian: Ю́рий Алексе́евич Гага́рин, Jurij Aleksejevič Gagarin Russian pronunciation: [ˈjurʲɪj ɐlʲɪˈksʲeɪvʲɪtɕ gɐˈgarʲɪn]; 9 March 1934-27 March 1968), Hero of the Soviet Union, was a Soviet cosmonaut. The Russian people (Русские— Russkie) are an East Slavic Ethnic group, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Klushino (Клушино is a village in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, situated on the old road between Vyazma and Mozhaysk, not The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Events 196 BC - Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. 1309 - Pope Clement V excommunicates Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Kirzhach (Киржа́ч is a town on the Kirzhach River in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated in the west of the oblast some west Polkovnik (полко́вник universally treated as Colonel, began as a commander of a distinct group of troops Old Slavonic The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы ( Voenno-Vozdushnye 1957 - Man In Space Soonest Group 1 - USA Neil A Armstrong, Albert S Vostok 1 (Восток-1 meaning Orient -1 or East-1 was the first Human spaceflight. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 196 BC - Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. 1309 - Pope Clement V excommunicates Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The title Hero of the Soviet Union ( Russian: Герой Советского Союза Geroy Sovyetskovo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 On 12 April 1961, he became the first human in space and the first to orbit the Earth. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 He received many medals from different countries for his pioneering tour in outer space. Outer space, often simply called space, comprises the relatively empty regions of the Universe outside the escape velocities of Celestial bodies.

Early life

Yuri Gagarin was born in the village of Klushino near Gzhatsk (now in Smolensk Oblast, Russia), on 9 March 1934. Klushino (Клушино is a village in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, situated on the old road between Vyazma and Mozhaysk, not Gagarin (Гага́рин is a town in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. Smolensk Oblast (Смол́енская о́бласть Smolenskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an Oblast) Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The adjacent town of Gzhatsk was renamed Gagarin in 1968 in his honor. His parents, father Alexey Ivanovich Gagarin and mother Anna Timofeyevna Gagarina, worked on a collective farm. Collective farming is an organization of agricultural production in which the holdings of several farmers are run as a joint enterprise ^[1] While manual labourers are described in official reports as "peasants", this may be an oversimplification if applied to his parents — his mother was reportedly a voracious reader, and his father a skilled carpenter. A carpenter (builder is a skilled craftsman who performs carpentry - a wide range of Woodworking that includes constructing buildings, Yuri was the third of four children, and his elder sister helped raise him while his parents worked. Like millions of people in the Soviet Union, the Gagarin family suffered during Nazi occupation in World War II. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including His two elder siblings were sent to Germany as slave labourers in 1943, and did not return until after the war. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. While a youth, Yuri became interested in space and planets, and began to dream about his space tour which became true one day. ^[2] Yuri was described by his teachers in the Moscow satellite town of Lyubertsy as intelligent and hard-working, if occasionally mischievous. Lyubertsy (Люберцы́ is a City in Moscow Oblast, Russia. His mathematics and science teacher had flown in the Soviet Air Forces during the war, which presumably made some substantial impression on young Gagarin. The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы ( Voenno-Vozdushnye

After starting an apprenticeship in a metalworks as a foundryman, Gagarin was selected for further training at a technical high school in Saratov. History The Legend of Saratov Gelonus, a legendary Scythian city and the northernmost Greek colony may be conjectured to have been situated in the locality While there, he joined the "AeroClub", and learned to fly a light aircraft, a hobby that would take up an increasing proportion of his time. Through dint of effort, rather than brilliance, he reportedly mastered both; in 1955, after completing his technical schooling, he entered military flight training at the Orenburg Pilot's School. Orenburg (Оренбу́рг is a city on the Ural River and the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast in the Volga Federal District While there he met Valentina Goryacheva, whom he married in 1957, after gaining his pilot's wings in a MiG-15. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Post-graduation, he was assigned to Luostari airbase in Murmansk Oblast, close to the Norwegian border, where terrible weather made flying risky. Luostari (Луостари is a settlement in Pechengsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia located near the Norwegian border Murmansk Oblast (Му́рманская о́бласть Murmanskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an Oblast) located in the Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional As a full-grown man, Gagarin was 1. 57 metres (5 ft 2 in) tall, which was an advantage in the small Vostok cockpit. The Vostok ( Russian: Восток, translated as East) was a type of Spacecraft built by the Soviet Union 's space programme for A cockpit is the area usually near the front of an Aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft ^[1] He became Lieutenant of the Soviet Air Force on 5 November 1957 and on 6 November 1959 he received the rank of Senior Lieutenant. Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы ( Voenno-Vozdushnye Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[3]

Career in the Soviet space program

Selection and training

In 1960, after an extensive search and selection process Yuri Gagarin was selected with 19 other cosmonauts for the Soviet space program. The Soviet space program consisted of initiatives within the Soviet Union by competing design groups Along with the other prospective cosmonauts, he was subjected to a rigorous series of experiments designed to test his physical and psychological endurance; he also underwent intensive training for the upcoming flight. Out of the twenty selected, the eventual choices for the first launch were Gagarin and Gherman Titov because of their excellent performance in training, as well as their physical characteristics — space was at a premium in the small Vostok cockpit and both men were rather short. Gherman Stepanovich Titov (Герман Степанович Титов ( September 11, 1935 &ndash September 20, 2000) was a Soviet The Vostok ( Russian: Восток, translated as East) was a type of Spacecraft built by the Soviet Union 's space programme for Soviet officials weighed other factors as well in selecting Yuri: his appearance, his capacity to handle media attention, his Russian heritage and even the name "Gagarin," which was also a family name associated with Tsarist aristocracy. Gagarin (Гагарин is a Rurikid princely family descending from sovereign rulers of Starodub-on-the-Klyazma

40-meter titanium monument to Yuri Gagarin in Moscow, Gagarin Square

Gagarin in his space suit

Space flight

On 12 April 1961, Gagarin became the first human to travel into space in Vostok 3KA-2 (Vostok 1) and return. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Outer space, often simply called space, comprises the relatively empty regions of the Universe outside the escape velocities of Celestial bodies. Vostok 1 (Восток-1 meaning Orient -1 or East-1 was the first Human spaceflight. His call sign in this flight was Kedr (Cedar; Russian: Кедр). The Siberian Pine ( Pinus sibirica; family Pinaceae) is a species of Pine tree that occurs in Siberia from 58°E in the Ural Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages ^[4] During his flight, Gagarin famously whistled the tune "The Motherland Hears, The Motherland Knows" (Russian: "Родина слышит, Родина знает"). Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages ^[5][6] The first two lines of the song are: "The Motherland hears, the Motherland knows/Where her son flies in the sky". ^[7] This patriotic song was written by Dmitri Shostakovich in 1951 (opus 86), with words by Yevgeniy Dolmatovsky. Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich ( Russian: ru Дмитрий Дмитриевич Шостакович ( &ndash 9 August 1975 was a Russian Composer

There are speculations in the media that from orbit Gagarin made the comment, "I don't see any God up here. " However, no such words appear in the full verbatim record of Gagarin's conversations with the Earth during the spaceflight. ^[8] In a 2006 interview a close friend of Gagarin, Colonel Valentin Petrov, stated that Gagarin never said such words, and that the phrase originated from Nikita Khrushchev's speech at the plenum of the Central Committee of the CPSU, where the anti-religious propaganda was discussed. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (April 17 1894 – September 11 1971 served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 following The Central Committee, abbreviated in Russian as ЦК, "Tse-ka" was the highest body of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU In a certain context Khrushchev said, "Gagarin flew into space, but didn't see any God there". ^[9] Colonel Petrov also said that Gagarin had been baptised into the Orthodox Church as a child. The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to The Eastern Orthodox Church: the Eastern Christian churches of Byzantine

While in orbit Gagarin was promoted "in the field" from the rank of Senior Lieutenant to Major, and this was the rank at which TASS announced him in its triumphant statement during the flight. Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services Major is a Military rank the use of which varies according to country The Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (Телеграфное агентство Советского Союза Telegrafnoye agentstvo Sovetskogo Soyuza) abbr

Gagarin being safely returned, Nikita Khrushchev rushed to his side and Gagarin issued a statement praising the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as the "organizer of all our victories". Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (April 17 1894 – September 11 1971 served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 following Khrushchev saw Gagarin's achievement as a vindication of his policy of strengthening the Soviet Union's missile forces at the expense of conventional arms. This policy antagonized the Soviet military establishment and contributed to Khrushchev's eventual downfall.

Fame and later life

After the flight, Gagarin became an instant, worldwide celebrity, touring widely with appearances in Italy, Great Britain,^[11] Germany, Canada, and Japan to promote the Soviet achievement.

In 1962, he began serving as a deputy to the Supreme Soviet. The Supreme Soviet of the USSR (Верхо́вный Сове́т СССР Verkhóvnyj Sovét SSSR) was the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in He later returned to Star City, the cosmonaut facility, where he worked on designs for a reusable spacecraft. Star City (Звёздный городок Zvyozdny Gorodok) is a military research and training facility near Gagarin worked on these designs in Star City for 7 years. Gagarin became Lieutenant Colonel (or Podpolkovnik) of the Soviet Air Force on 12 June 1962 and on 6 November 1963 he received the rank of Colonel (Polkovnik) of the Soviet Air Force. Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies Lieutenant Colonel ( Lieutenant-Colonel in English from the French grade 's spelling is a rank of Commissioned officer in the armies The Soviet Air Force, also known under the abbreviation VVS, transliterated from Russian: ВВС, Военно-воздушные силы ( Voenno-Vozdushnye Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 1962 ( MCMLXII) was a Common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country Polkovnik (полко́вник universally treated as Colonel, began as a commander of a distinct group of troops Old Slavonic ^[3] Soviet officials tried to keep him away from any flights, being wary of losing their hero in an accident. Gagarin was backup pilot for Vladimir Komarov in the Soyuz 1 flight. Vladimir Komarov redirects here for the botanist see Vladimir Leontyevich Komarov. Soyuz 1 ( Russian Союз 1 Union 1) was part of the Soviet Union 's space program and was launched into orbit on April 23, 1967 As Komarov's flight ended in a fatal crash, Gagarin was ultimately banned from the space program.

Memorial at the location of the crash that killed Gagarin and Seregin

Death and legacy

Gagarin then became deputy training director of Star City. At the same time, he began to re-qualify as a fighter pilot. On 27 March 1968, he and his instructor died in a MiG-15UTI on a routine training flight near Kirzhach. Events 196 BC - Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. 1309 - Pope Clement V excommunicates Year 1968 ( MCMLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Kirzhach (Киржа́ч is a town on the Kirzhach River in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated in the west of the oblast some west It is not certain what caused the crash, but a 1986 inquest suggests that the turbulence from a Su-11 'Fishpot-C' interceptor using its afterburners may have caused Gagarin's plane to go out of control. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The AfterBurner is a lighting solution for the Game Boy Advance system that was created by Triton-Labs Weather conditions were also poor, which may have contributed to the inability of Gagarin and the instructor to correct before they crashed.

In his book, Two Sides of the Moon, Alexei Leonov recounts that he was flying a helicopter in the same area that day when he heard "two loud booms in the distance. Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov (Алексе́й Архи́пович Лео́нов (born May 30, 1934 in Listvyanka Kemerovo Oblast, USSR " Corroborating the above hypothesis, his conclusion is that a Sukhoi jet (which he identifies as a Su-15 'Flagon'), flying below its minimum allowed altitude, "without realizing it because of the terrible weather conditions, passed within 10 or 20 meters of Yuri and Seregin's plane while breaking the sound barrier. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout " The resulting turbulence would have sent the MiG into an uncontrolled spin. Leonov believes the first boom he heard was that of the jet breaking the sound barrier, and the second was Gagarin's plane crashing. ^[12]

A new theory, advanced by the original crash investigator in 2005, hypothesizes that a cabin vent was accidentally left open by the crew or the previous pilot, thus leading to oxygen deprivation and leaving the crew incapable of controlling the aircraft. ^[13]

There were two commemorative coins issued in the Soviet Union to commemorate 20th and 30th anniversaries of his flight: 1 rouble coin (1981, copper-nickel) and 3 rouble coin (1991, silver). Commemorative coins were released in the USSR between 1965 and 1991. The ruble or rouble (in Russian: рубль rubl') is a unit of currency In 2001, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Gagarin's flight, a series of four coins bearing his likeness was issued in Russia: 2 rouble coin (copper-nickel), 3 rouble coin (silver), 10 rouble coin (brass-copper, nickel), 100 rouble coin (silver). Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending ^[14]

Gagarin is buried next to Seregin in the walls of the Kremlin on Red Square. The Kremlin Wall Necropolis (Некрополь у Кремлёвской стены is a part of the Kremlin Wall in Moscow overlooking the Red Square Red Square ( Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad) is the most famous City square in Moscow, and arguably one of the most

On 12 April 2007, the Kremlin vetoed a new investigation into the death of Gagarin. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Some experts who had been involved in the original investigation had formulated a new theory, based on modern technology and investigative methods. Government officials said that they saw no reason to begin a new investigation. ^[15] All found parts of the wrecked MiG-15UTI were collected and are stored in sealed barrels.

Yuri Gagarin Memorial Plaque, presented to the Soviet Union on 21 January 1971. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Accepting the plaque at the Moscow ceremony was Soviet Gen. Nikolai Kuznetsov, commander of the Soviet Union's Star City space base, where cosmonauts have been training since 1960. Nikolay Kuznetsov may refer to Nikolay Alexandrovich Kuznetsov, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Editor-in-chief of Avtomatika i telemekhanika

See also

• Soviet space program
• Space Race
• Yuri's Night
• Soviet space program conspiracy accusations

References

External links

• Yuri Gagarin - The First to Fly
• Obituary, NY Times, March 28, 1968 Yuri Gagarin Killed As Test Plane Falls
• (Russian) Юрий Гагарин. Дорога в космос — his book in Russian (HTML)
• (Russian) Photo, Audio and Video with Yuri Gagarin, online version of CD created to his 70th anniv. on the homepage of Russian state archive for scientific-technical documentation (RGANTD).
• (Russian) Article in online Encyclopedia of cosmonautics A lot of information about the first human's flight to space.
• (Russian) Gagarin's flight 3D visualization — contains the real record of his conversation with the Earth during the spaceflight
• (Russian) Annotated transcript of Gagarin's radio conversations with ground stations, starting 2hrs (4:10 UTC) before launch
• Gagarin — detailed biography at Encyclopedia Astronautica
• List (with photos) of Gagarin statues
• 11 minutes long interview of Yuri Gagarin by The Finnish Broadcasting Company in 1961
• Yuri's Night - World Space Party