60 years ago, on April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yury Gagarin became the first person to make a historic flight into space, ushering in the era of human space conquest. Here are 10 interesting facts about that flight.
1. Doll model “Ivan Ivanovich”
A few weeks before astronaut Yury Gagarin made his legendary flight on April 12, 1961, a mannequin dressed in a pilot’s outfit called “Ivan Ivanovich” with a dog ” Star”. 
The astronaut’s chair “Vostok” (East). Photo: Aleksandr Mokletsov / Sputnik. In addition, on board there is also a tape recorder used to transmit back to Earth recordings of recipes and choral songs. This particular act is intended to confuse Americans who are watching the flight and are trying in vain to decipher the encrypted information. 2. The words “СССР” on the astronaut’s hat The words “СССР” (short for “Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic”) were inscribed on astronaut Yury Gagarin’s helmet exactly 20 minutes before flying. 
Yury Gagarin said goodbye to his friends before flying into space. Photo: Sputnik. In the last moment, it was decided to do it so that upon landing on Earth, astronauts would not be confused with foreign spies. Because exactly a year earlier, in the airspace of the Soviet Union people had shot down an American spy plane named Francis Gary Powers. This person also wears a similar helmet. 3. Simple phrase but famous worldwide When the spaceship was launched, Yury Gagarin should have said a formal sentence saying “Crew, let’s go!”. However, he said a simple phrase that would later become famous worldwide was “Poyekhali!” (Go!). 
Yury Gagarin before setting off on the “Vostok-1”. Photo: Sputnik. When taking off on a regular plane, Yury Gagarin’s instructor Mark Gallay often said that, but he really did not understand what it was for when the crew had only one person. 4. The spaceship is controlled automatically Yury Gagarin’s “Vostok-1” spacecraft is controlled by automatic mode. Because, no one can predict how people in such extreme conditions will behave. 
Spaceship “Vostok-1” with the world’s first astronaut Yury Gagarin at departure. Photo: Sputnik. In case of a mishap, Yury Gagarin was given an envelope with a manual drive activation code. Activation codes can be obtained by solving a simple, but complex, arithmetic problem in a panic state. 5. Farewell letter Before flying, Yury Gagarin wrote a farewell letter to his wife Valentina in case he was unable to return to Earth. This letter was not received until seven years later, when Yury Gagarin died during a training flight on March 27, 1968. 
Valentina Gagarina and her daughter Lena read a letter to the “Little Flame” magazine after Yury Gagarin’s death. Photo: A. Golikov / Sputnik. 6. “I’m on fire, farewell, comrades!” It was not clear at the time, what a spacecraft would look like when flying through dense layers of the atmosphere. Seeing the sparks of fire on the doorway of the ship, Gagarin said that his ship was in distress and spread the news about the Earth: “I am on fire, farewell comrades!” For good reasons, people decided to forget these words. 
Scientists tracked Yury Gagarin’s state in space from the Flight Control Center. Photo: Sputnik. 7. Characteristics of promotion to Major Yury Gagarin flew into space with the rank of Lieutenant, and when he flew back to Earth, he took the rank of Major. There is a theory that, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev ordered Defense Minister Rodion Malinovsky to give a special promotion to Yury Gagarin, ignore the rank of Captain and go straight to Major. 
Yury Gagarin and First Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party Nikita Khrushchev. Photo: Aleksandr Sergeev / Sputnik. 8. Carry guns into space While the ship “Vostok-1” made a flight, for the first time in history humans brought guns into space. Yury Gagarin is given a Makarov pistol. The astronaut is expected to land in a remote area where he must protect himself from wild beasts. This happened to the crew of the train “Voskhod-2” (Dawn) in 1965, when they had to return fire to drive away swarms of wolves and bears in the snow-covered forest south of the Ural Mountains. 
The spacecraft device “Vostok-1” and Yury Gagarin landed on Earth. Photo: Sputnik. 9. Nearly died when he returned to Earth It was technically impossible for the astronaut to land on Earth at that time, so Yury Gagarin threw himself out and landed with a parachute. In his tight armor, he did not immediately open the valve to supply oxygen, so he was suffocated for a while. After completing the heavy duty, the first person to fly into space almost died when he returned to Earth. 
Yury Gagarin after returning to Earth. Photo: Sputnik. 10. “Don’t talk about this with anyone!” Two days after the historic flight, at a reception held inside the Kremlin, Soviet Communist Party First Secretary Nikita Shrushchev pulled Yury Gagarin aside and asked the astronaut if he could see God and get Gagarin. The joke is yes. 
The world’s first astronaut Yury Gagarin. Photo: Sputnik. The leader of the Soviet Union immediately said: “Please do not talk about this with anyone!”. After a while, BishopAlexy I came up to ask the same question. Yury Gagarin at that time joked awkwardly to the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and replied: “No, Father, unfortunately I can’t see it.” “Yury, please don’t bring this to anyone!”, The priest said.
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