The Earth's Atomosphere and Beyond
Pioneers and Innovators
 
 

Yuri Gagarin

March 9, 1934 - March 27,1968








           On April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin become the first man to go into space.  Gagarin orbited Earth at 18,000 miles an hour for 108 minutes in his spacecraft, Vostok 1.


    Yuri was born in Klushino, a small village about 100 miles from Moscow, on March 9, 1934.  He was born the third of four children to, by soviet Standards, an impeccable family.  He studied mathematics and physics in six grades of secondary school and then moved into a trade school for a year and a half.  He next joined a four-year trade school in Saratov where he had the oppurtunity to join a flying club. It was here that he realized his dream of becoming a pilot.  Gagarin next joined the Soviet Air Force and went to Orenburg Aviation school to learn to fly MIG's.  In November 1957 Yuri graduated with top-ranking honors from Orenburg and became a lieutentant in the Soviet Air Force at the age on 23.


After graduation he submitted his request to be considered for cosmonaut trainig.  He was accepted so he and his family, wife Valya and daughter Lenochka, moved to Star Town where he would start the course.  Yuri underwent extreme training physically, mentally, and psychologically.  He was also trained to deal with weightlessness.  One of his fellow cosmonauts quoted Yuri as a :" fit comrade, never loses heart, a man of principles, bold and steadfast, modest and simple, decisive, a leader."

       In Yuri's 108 minutes in space he collected a tremendous amount of data.  Data ranged from scientific studies to if humans were able to eat, drink, of function in space.  Yuri was noted by saying that his walk down Red Square on his return home was more frightening to him than his space mission.  After Yuri's mission he became a deputy of the Supreme Soviet.  He connected to advise and help his fellow comonauts and was appointed commander of the  Cosmonauts' Detachment.  He always planned to return to space and on 1967 he began preparing for another space flight.

        On March 27, 1968 Gagarin was killed when he was test flying a jet and it crashed.  His death was mourned by the world.  His ashes were buried in the Kremlin Wall.  Yuri was 34 years old.

References:
www.abamedia.com/rao/gallery/gagarin/
www.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/ryn/spacerace/people/gagarin.html

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