2011 United Nations Human Space Flight 50th A

50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight

At the height of the “Space Race” of the 1960s, Russia was usually one step ahead of the U.S.  In the end, America was the first country to land a man on the moon.  But the first man in outer space was a Russian named Yuri Gagarin.

Gagarin developed an early interest in space and the planets.  While studying at a te...  more

50th Anniversary of Human Spaceflight

At the height of the “Space Race” of the 1960s, Russia was usually one step ahead of the U.S.  In the end, America was the first country to land a man on the moon.  But the first man in outer space was a Russian named Yuri Gagarin.

Gagarin developed an early interest in space and the planets.  While studying at a technical high school, he joined the “Aero Club,” learned to fly light aircraft, and dreamed of flying in space.  By 1960, Gagarin was a senior lieutenant in the Soviet Air Force. 

Gagarin was selected, along with 19 others, as a cosmonaut in the expanding space program.  His top performance on physical and psychological tests, along with his short stature (5 feet 2 inches), won him the honor of piloting the “Vostok I.”  On April 12, 1961, at 9:07 a.m., Gagarin entered earth’s orbit and made history as the first man in outer space.  The flight took just 108 minutes.

Gagarin immediately became a “Hero of the Soviet Union,” the highest honor awarded by that nation.  He was nicknamed “The Columbus of the Cosmos” and traveled the world sharing his experience.  Streets, cities, and a crater on the moon have been named in his honor.  It’s been said the Russians feared losing him in an accident and wouldn’t allow him to travel into space again, so Gagarin’s first space flight was also his last.  

Not content to let Russia dominate space exploration, just weeks after Gagarin’s voyage, President John Kennedy declared America’s intention to send a man to the moon by the end of the decade.