Forty years ago, on April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alexseyevich Gagarin [
http://www.kosmonau…] became the first human in space. His remotely controlled Vostok 1 spacecraft [
http://www.rocketry…] lofted him to an altitude of 200 miles and carried him once around planet Earth. Gagarin was strictly a passenger on this flight [
http://www.users.wi…Vostok1X.htm ]. As a precaution against the unknown physiological effects [
http://library.thin…index.php?page=adapt 02 ] of spaceflight on piloting skills and judgement, his onboard controls were locked out by a secret combination. In case of emergency he carried the combination in a sealed envelope. After reentry, Gagarin ejected from the Vostok [
http://nauts.com/hi…] at an altitude of 20,000 feet and parachuted to Earth. How was the first view from space [
http://earthobserva…]? He reportedly commented, "The sky is very dark; the Earth is bluish. Everything is seen very clearly". Coupled with other accomplishments [
http://www.russians…], this flight confirmed the early Soviet lead in the space race -- the first US astronaut [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] would not be launched until almost a month later and then on a comparatively short suborbital flight. Born on March 9, 1934, Gagarin was an air force jet pilot before being chosen for the first group of cosmonauts [
http://howe.iki.rss…] in 1960. As a result of his historic flight he became an international hero [
http://www.users.wi…gagarin.htm ] and legend. Killed when his MIG jet crashed during a training flight on March 27, 1968, Gagarin was given a hero's funeral, his ashes interred in the Kremlin Wall.
Explanation
Forty years ago, on April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alexseyevich Gagarin [
http://www.kosmonau…] became the first human in space. His remotely controlled Vostok 1 spacecraft [
http://www.rocketry…] lofted him to an altitude of 200 miles and carried him once around planet Earth. Gagarin was strictly a passenger on this flight [
http://www.users.wi…Vostok1X.htm ]. As a precaution against the unknown physiological effects [
http://library.thin…index.php?page=adapt 02 ] of spaceflight on piloting skills and judgement, his onboard controls were locked out by a secret combination. In case of emergency he carried the combination in a sealed envelope. After reentry, Gagarin ejected from the Vostok [
http://nauts.com/hi…] at an altitude of 20,000 feet and parachuted to Earth. How was the first view from space [
http://earthobserva…]? He reportedly commented, "The sky is very dark; the Earth is bluish. Everything is seen very clearly". Coupled with other accomplishments [
http://www.russians…], this flight confirmed the early Soviet lead in the space race -- the first US astronaut [
http://antwrp.gsfc.…] would not be launched until almost a month later and then on a comparatively short suborbital flight. Born on March 9, 1934, Gagarin was an air force jet pilot before being chosen for the first group of cosmonauts [
http://howe.iki.rss…] in 1960. As a result of his historic flight he became an international hero [
http://www.users.wi…gagarin.htm ] and legend. Killed when his MIG jet crashed during a training flight on March 27, 1968, Gagarin was given a hero's funeral, his ashes interred in the Kremlin Wall.
Explanation
