A 27-year-old Soviet cosmonaut sits atop the R-7 rocket – the world’s first intercontinental rocket, inside the Vostok-1 (Oriental 1) ship. His name is Yuri Gagarin. Minutes later, he changed human history forever to become the first person in the world to fly into space. Exactly 11 minutes later, Yuri Gagarin was in orbit, flying at 10 times the speed of a rifle bullet. Be the first to leave the planet. On the 60th anniversary of that legendary space voyage (1961-2021), British author and filmmaker Stephen Walker wrote a book titled “Beyond: The Incredible Story of the First Man to Leave Our Planet and Travel into Space” to tell the whole new story of Yuri Gagarin and the US-Soviet special forces. Invite readers to track. APRIL 1961: THE BEST DAYS OF THE COLD WAR America and the Soviet Union confront each other through an iron curtain. Their new battlefield is Space. 01. Mercury Seven Vs. Vanguard Six Deep in the birch grove in the Shchyolkovsky district northeast of Moscow, far from the main highway to the city and hidden from prying eyes, is a small, old-fashioned two-story building, faded in the white snow. No one expected it to be the site of one of the most secretive Soviet facilities. Its codename is Army Unit 26266, also known by its initials TsPK – or Tsentr Podgotovki Kosmonavtov: Cosmonaut Training Center. And here it is, on a special Wednesday, January 18, 1961 — two days before the inauguration of US President John F. Kennedy in Washington; the day before Alan Shepard was selected as America’s first astronaut — 6 men after rigorous tests became the first Soviet space travel candidates, they were part of the detachment Vanguard Six . If NASA (USA) has Mercury Seven (left photo), the Soviet Union also owns Vanguard Six. Photo: Stephenwalkerbeyond.com Like the astronaut squad Mercury Seven of NASA in Langley, Virginia, six Vanguard Six elites were also sitting in a classroom. But the similarities (between the US and the Soviet Union) stop there. Because the members of the Vanguard Six are younger than the American Mercury Seven, in their 20s, not 30. All of them wear military uniforms instead of the usual Banlon shirts favored by American Mercury Seven pilots. And the height and weight index of Vanguard Six members are smaller. All to meet the condition of sitting inside the spherical capsule of the Orient spacecraft, mounted on top of an R-7 rocket, which they all hope will one day fly into space soon. The building in the birch forest is the first structure in its time, a large, heavily guarded complex closed to the outside world and dedicated solely to the training of its astronauts. Soviet Union. Not only is it sheltered by the forest, this site is not far from Moscow. It is also just a few kilometers from the Chkalovsky airbase, the largest military airport in the Soviet Union. And also located near OKB-1, the secret design and production plant in Kaliningrad, where capsules of the Orient spacecraft were being built at the time. 02. Squad in the dark No one at Chkalovsky knew why the six men were there or what they were being trained for. So did their parents, their friends, or their former colleagues in the air force. Even their wives are discouraged from asking too many questions. Unlike the Mercury Seven – astronaut candidates famous throughout the US if not the whole world – The Vanguard Six squad only exists in the dark. There is one key difference between the Vanguard Six and the Mercury Seven. These six aren’t the only astronauts in training. There are 14 others left. In an even more ruthless selection process than American astronauts have gone through, these 20 were selected from an initial pool of nearly 3,500 military pilots. Vanguard Six at the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan before Yuri Gagarin’s flight. From left: Grigory Nelyubov, Valery Bykovsky, Yuri Gagarin, Andriyan Nikolayev, Gherman Titov, Pavel Popovich. Photo: Astronaut Training Center / Roskosmos The Soviet space program had ambitions to conquer space, or at least to get people out of Earth’s gravity, and they needed manpower to do so. All 20 men began training in the spring of 1960, just two months after Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev urged his chief space engineers that they “should be quick to aim for space to avoid risk of being overtaken by the US”. At that time Mercury Seven had been training for almost a year. The Soviet Union needed to catch up quickly and these 20 cosmonauts were the answer. Rocket boosters, spacecraft capsules, designers, engineers, training centers, launch sites, and of course the astronauts themselves – all in the dark. By the fall of 1960, the Soviet manned space program had become a top national goal, especially since NASA was aiming to send an American into space as early as December. 1960. To speed things up and prioritize training on a single simulator, a shortlist of the top 6 was drawn up, which included, of course, Yuri Gagarin. In essence, they were the top detachment to face the Mercury Seven head-to-head, with the difference being that the Soviets knew about their American opponents, while the Americans knew nothing about the Soviets. Yuri Gagarin trains on a treadmill for her spaceflight. (RGANTD) “All 6 astronauts are wonderful people,” Lieutenant General Nikolai Kamanin, their head of training, wrote on the day the Vanguard Six took their final test. “Which of these six people will go down in history as the first in space?” “Who will be the first of them to pay with their lives in making this daring endeavor?” – Lieutenant General Nikolai Kamanin wrote in his diary. Flying in space can completely die in space. That is what the Soviet Union and the Vanguard Six cosmonauts were clearly aware of. Therefore, the pioneering mission to fly into space is a suicide mission. Back in December 1960, all 20 astronauts were asked to vote on which of their colleagues should fly first. The majority voted for Yuri Gagarin. But even after the exams at Army Unit 26266 were over and the results were known, a decision on who would carry out the mission had not yet been made. In Langley, Virginia, Bob Gilruth, the head of the Space Mission Team responsible for the Mercury Seven, was able to summon his seven astronauts into a class and speak to them, simply and according to his authority. , that who will be first. In the Soviet Union – Unlike the Mercury Seven, the Vanguard Six would have to wait — and they would have to wait until the very last moment. The first candidate chosen by the Soviet government was Yuri Gagarin. Second place went to Gherman Titov. The third is Grigory Nelyubov. Finally, history has glorified Yuri Gagarin. Not defying the expectations of Soviet leaders, Yuri Gagarin made history after completing a 108-minute mission around the Earth aboard the Orient 1 spacecraft, helping the Soviet Union surpass the US as the world leader. The first country in human history to send a man into space. Yuri Gagarin beat the Americans, defeating NASA astronaut Alan Shepard – The first American to fly into space on May 5, 1961 (3 weeks behind the Soviet Union). Yuri Gagarin’s achievement is a blow to American pride. When Alan Shepard heard the news, he slammed his hand on the table so hard that NASA staff thought his arm was broken. Back in the Soviet Union, leader Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev called Yuri Gagarin “Christopher Columbus of the Soviet Union”. Until now, this feat is still mentioned by many people because Yuri Gagarin herself has opened a new cosmic era in human history! Yuri Gagarin – full name is Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin – is the son of a carpenter, born (March 9, 1934) and raised in the idyllic village of Klushino in Smolensk, Western Soviet Union. At the age of 16, Yuri Gagarin moved to the capital to study as a foundry in a metal foundry in Lyubertsy. The opportunity to spread wings in the sky came to the young man when he entered a technical school in Saratov. There, he joined a flying club and had his first exhilarating experience from above. Yuri Gagarin decided to enter the Soviet Air Force Officer School to realize her dream of flying more in the sky. In 1957, at the energetic age of 23, Yuri Gagarin graduated with honors and became a full-fledged fighter pilot. In the same year, he met and married Valentina Goryacheva (then a medical technician, just graduated from Orenburg Medical School) and had two daughters later. Refer: Air Space Magazine

Billionaire Dennis Tito on his return to Earth in May 2001. Photo: CNN CNN channel (USA) reported that billionaire Tito, then 60 years old, spent 20 million USD to realize his dream from a young age. In 1961, before the news that Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space, young Tito set a goal of life. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is not in favor of sending ordinary people into space. In 1991, not long after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Mr. Tito started negotiations with Moscow about going to space by “paying for tickets”. Tito recalls: “In the late 1990s, the Russians wanted more funding for the space program. So I realized I could find them.” On April 28, 2001, the Soyuz spacecraft was launched into space in Kazakhstan with 3 crew members including billionaire Tito and two Russian cosmonauts. Billionaire Tito then spent 8 days living on the ISS. Two decades later, billionaire Tito still vividly remembers: “The pencils flew and I could observe both the darkness of the universe as well as the curve of the Earth. I feel so relieved. It was the best time of my life, achieving my life goals… I hope that others experience the same wonderful things I have.” Since billionaire Tito’s space trip every year, only a few other tourists have had a similar experience. However, some US companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are betting on space tourism with the goal of making this form not too far away. These people all chose the space tourism program of the company Space Adventures, which uses Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft to ferry passengers to the ISS. Since 2009, the space tourism program of Space Adventures has ceased to exist because the US Space Shuttle program is “retired” and only Russia’s Soyuz is the vehicle to carry astronauts to and from the ISS. However, a representative of Space Adventures said that once there is competition in the space tourism market, there will be price competition and in the future there will be many units participating in this field. Space Adventures maintains cooperation with the Russian space agency, and they are studying the possibility of a Soyuz launch to the ISS by 2023 with a program to create opportunities for tourists to walk in space. In addition, Space Adventures is planning a space tour in late 2021 via SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. NASA contributed funds to develop Crew Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner space capsule. However, both of these companies are privately owned and therefore have the right to sell seats on their spacecraft to anyone who can afford it. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon ship. Photo: CNN NASA has also changed its stance on space tourism since billionaire Tito’s historic trip. In 2019, NASA announced plans to open the ISS to visitors. Former NASA astronaut Jeffrey A. Hoffman, who now works in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, considers Tito’s 2001 trip to mark the “beginning of a new era” of space tourism”. Mr. Jeffrey A. Hoffman expects that the cost of space tourism will decrease as demand increases. He says that the main obstacle to space tourism is safety concerns. In 2014, a pilot was killed during a test flight of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. In addition, there have been records of rockets of SpaceX and Blue Origin – a company owned by Jeff Bezos, exploding during testing, fortunately no one was injured. According to the former astronaut, there is always an accident risk with air travel, but “a consistent safety record” will help this form of travel grow. May 2020 marks the first private spacecraft to launch NASA astronauts into space. It’s SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. The company expects by the end of 2021 to use Crew Dragon for a program exclusively for ordinary people with a price of 50 million USD per seat. SpaceX also hopes to plan a spacecraft called Starship to bring Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maeza and a group of artists to the Moon in 2023. In 2019, an American company called Gateway Foundation announced plans for a hotel project operating in the lower Earth’s atmosphere.

Billionaire Dennis Tito on the ISS. Photo: CNN CNN channel (USA) said billionaire Tito, then 60 years old, had a strong hand only 20 million dollars to realize his dream from a young age. In 1961, before the information that Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person to enter space, young Tito had set the goal of life. The US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) does not support sending civilians into space. In 1991, not long after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Tito started negotiations with Moscow to go to space by “spending the money”. Mr. Tito recalls: “In the late 90s of last century, the Russians really wanted more funding for the space program. So I found that I could find them ”. On April 28, 2001, the Soyuz spacecraft was launched into the air in Kazakhstan with three members on board including billionaire Tito and two Russian astronauts. Billionaire Tito then spent 8 days living on the ISS. Two decades later, billionaire Tito still remembers: “The pencils are floating and I can observe both the dark space of the universe as well as the curve of the Earth. I feel so good. It was the greatest moment in my life, reaching my life goals … I hope that others also experience the great things I have. ” Billionaire Dennis Tito returned to Earth in May 2001. Photo: CNN Since billionaire Tito’s space travel year, only a few other tourists have had the same experience. However, some American companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic are betting on space travel with the goal of making it not too far-fetched. These people all choose the space travel program of the company Space Adventures, which uses the Russian Soyuz to bring passengers to the ISS. Since 2009, Space Adventures’ space travel program has ceased to exist because the US Space Shuttle program “retires” and only Russian Soyuz is the vehicle to bring astronauts to and from the ISS. However, a representative of Space Adventures said that once there is competition in the space travel market, there will be price competition and in the future there will be many units participating in this field. Space Adventures is still working with the Russian space agency and is working on the possibility of launching the Soyuz to the ISS by 2023 with a program to give visitors a chance to walk in space. In addition, Space Adventures is also planning a space travel in late 2021 via SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. NASA contributed funding to the development of the Crew Dragon and Boeing’s Starliner space. However, both of these companies are privately owned and therefore have the right to sell their spaceship seats to anyone who can afford it. NASA has also changed its view of space travel since billionaire Tito’s historic trip. In 2019, NASA announced plans to open the ISS for visitors. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. Photo: CNN Former NASA astronaut Jeffrey A. Hoffman, who currently works in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said billionaire Tito’s trip in 2001 marked the “beginning of a new era.” of space travel ”. Jeffrey A. Hoffman hopes that space travel costs will decrease as demand increases. The main obstacle to space travel, he said, is safety concerns. In 2014, a pilot was killed during a test flight of the Virgin Galactic company SpaceShipTwo spacecraft. In addition, there have been records of SpaceX boosters and Blue Origin – a company owned by Jeff Bezos, exploding during testing, thankfully no people were injured. According to the former astronaut, there is always a risk of an accident with air travel, but “a consistent safety record” will help this form of travel grow. May 2020 marks the first private spacecraft to bring NASA astronauts into space. That is the Crew Dragon of SpaceX. The company is expected by the end of 2021 to use the Crew Dragon for a program exclusively for ordinary people at a cost of $ 50 million per seat. SpaceX also has hopes in a spacecraft called Starship to bring Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maeza and a group of artists to the Moon in 2023. In 2019, an American company called Gateway Foundation announced plans for hotels operating in the lower layers of the Earth’s atmosphere.

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.

On this commemorative milestone, Mr. Boris Volynov, Soviet cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, the last living astronaut from the first astronaut team, who made two flights into space. , shared with Sputnik about the selection of astronauts at the time, about his relationship with Gagarin and about the cause of the death of astronaut No. 1. – How was he selected in the space pilot team? – Boris Volynov: In 1955 I graduated from the training school and became a pilot of the Moscow air defense force, serving in Yaroslavl. The work is very complicated and difficult. There is practically no day off. One day, I received an order to the command of the regiment. Before entering the office, I was invited to another room, where the KGB National Security Agency representative asked me to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Entering the office, there were no regimental commanders, but strangers instead. T I was asked to do the life-risky job of flying at higher speeds and higher altitudes than our fighters, although we are still proud of the fact that we fly at high speeds and contemporary highest altitude. I agreed to accept a new assignment, then after a short time I received an order to make a business trip to Moscow. We go through a selection of pressure chambers, on centrifuges, on special swings to test the vestibular apparatus. The total challenge time is 40 days and nights. Out of the five regimental pilots who were called to the Army Hospital, only I was the one who passed the test with a “Match” result. After a while, he received orders to return to Moscow. There are 12 people, the next day to add a 13th person. In the aviation profession, this is a number that people are very afraid of. Not a single aircraft in our air force unit has the tail number 13, no apartments in the military town are numbered 13. Such details remain bold in memory. Soviet Hero Yuri Gagarin. – Do you remember your acquaintance with Gagarin? – Boris Volynov: We get to know him better through skydiving. He thought I was good at dancing and came to consult. We arrange parachutes together. Yura had made no mistake. Right after the 17th dance, at the request of the team leader, I was assigned to be a guide and help you. We communicate not just about work. We also play volleyball together. – It was not immediately clear then that Yuri Gagarin would become the first astronaut. When do you know who will fly April 12? – Boris Volynov: Until the very last moment, we still don’t know who will fly, Yuri Gagarin or the German Titov. For example, in space travel, human weight is very important. Being overweight always wastes the fuel of the boosters. German is lighter than Yura. It is only at the meeting of the State Committee for the Universe that it is decided who flies first. We weren’t there, but only knew of this choice during flight, when we heard Gagarin’s “Kedr” (Snow Pine) signal during radio communications with Earth. On the other hand, it wasn’t long before German flew into space as well. If Gagarin did a spin around the Earth and couldn’t feel all the “pleasure” of weightlessness, then German would be the first person in the world to experience everything on his own in a day long flight. Your night. At that time, no one knew and no one could explain how weightlessness would affect the vestibular apparatus, where the head was filled with blood. Astronaut Gagarin in the compartment “Vostok-1”. – How and where did he welcome on April 12, 1961? – Boris Volynov: That day I was in Khabarovsk at the radio broadcasting station. It is my duty to make sure to get in touch with Yura. As he passed us, he began to report: “I am entering the shadow of the Earth”. We all wonder, “How is that?”. At that time no one knew about this. So what’s more, in 1961. Why is the darkness of the Earth? We did not understand until later. Yura landed, our job done, it was time to return to Moscow. In the city, we saw a jubilant scene. It was a weekday working day, but a lot of people were gleefully pouring out into the street so I can only compare this event with the Victory Day celebration. – Why do you think Gagarin himself was chosen? Due to his inherent human qualities? – Boris Volynov : Yura is always willing to help others. Even in difficult times, he knows how to unravel the situation. He went through many hardships, but I have never seen him offend anyone. Yura is always ready to support and share. He has the qualifications, skills, intelligence to find a common voice with everyone. Once we went with him to a repair workshop. He understood everything, spoke the same language as the craftsmen. And after the flight, he talked to the members of the Academy of Sciences. Yura is “me” everywhere and at all times. – Were you involved in the investigation of Gagarin’s death? – Boris Volynov: Have. – Alexei Leonov has his own hypothesis about what happened to the jet that passed by Gagarin’s plane. And what do you think about this? – Boris Volynov: His assumptions are unreasonable. Once central television invited me, Alexei Leonov, Viktor Gorbatko, the test pilot Stepan Mikoyan, who said that the whole assumption was bullshit. And Leonov said that he did not give the full name of the faulty test pilot, who was 90 years old at the time, to avoid ruining his life. And Mikoyan knew all about the test pilots. There was only one 90-year-old man who could not pass near Gagarin in supersonic mode, because he specialized in testing transport planes. Mikoyan even did the test: he took the MiG-15UTI, and then asked to arrange two test pilots, flying at the same altitude and at the same speed as the modern supersonic plane flies by side. next to them in different directions, below, above, at different angles. The MiG-15UTI swung up and down, but no emergency situation occurred. That is the perspective of a professional test pilot. Soviet space pilot Yuri Gagarin and aerospace pilot Alexei Leonov after flight aboard the MIG-15 fighter plane – In your opinion, is this a tragic accidental scene? – Boris Volynov: Hard to say. I do not understand anything. There are many theories, of which what is the truth cannot be known. One of the assumptions was that a soldier launched a meteorological balloon. This is a device weighing about 1 kg. If the plane collided with it in the light of its headlights at high speed, it wouldn’t be a small deal. At the same time, it was impossible to see the ball early while flying at high speed. – His active period coincided with a period of competition between the Soviet Union and the United States. Now people talk more about cooperation. In your view, should competition or cooperation be better? – Boris Volynov: Competition is not bad either. In 1969 we and the Americans attended the international convention in Delhi. Due to his outstanding achievements in space exploration, astronaut Neil Armstrong received the highest award from the International Space Federation for the world’s first landing on the lunar surface, while also commanding spacecraft Boris Volynov and astronaut researcher Evgeny Khrunov receive the award for the first time in the world to pair two spacecraft and go from ship to ship in open space. At this international conference, Neil Armstrong and I shook hands. I talked to him, he is a normal person and has learned a lot in my life. When he was a little boy, he wanted to fly in airplanes. They also have the same Flight Clubs we have in the Soviet Union, except the Americans have to pay and we are free. To earn money to pay for school, Neil Armstrong did the cleaning. As a result, we both flew into outer space. 108 minutes to change the world In the early 60s, Yuri Gagarin was fortunate to be among the first 20 astronauts in Soviet history, selected by the government from 3,000 of the best military students, thereby training them for missions without Any country in the world thinks: Fly into space! Regardless of the government’s expectations, Yuri Gagarin has made history after completing a 108-minute mission around the Earth on the Orient 1 spacecraft (Vostok 1). This event helped the Soviet Union become the first country in human history to get people out of the Earth’s gravity, spread their wings out into large space. At that time, Gagarin was only 27 years old. His trophies brought the Soviet Union to become the number 1 power in space conquest. On March 27, 1968, Yuri Gagarin returned to the flight route with the task of training a test pilot on the first generation MiG-15 jet fighter. Minutes after taking off from Chkalovsky airbase near Moscow, Gagarin suddenly notified ground control that they would return to the base. However, shortly thereafter, all communications with Gagarin’s plane were lost. After the plane disappeared from radar screens, authorities sent a search team consisting of hard-wing aircraft and helicopters. Four hours later, the body of the crashed plane was found near the city of Kirzhach, 133km from Moscow. Seven years after his historic mission, Yuri Gagarin farewell to the world in tears, when he was still too young at the age of 34.

A few weeks before astronaut Yury Gagarin made his legendary flight on April 12, 1961, a mannequin in the pilot’s outfit named “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 spacecraft was launched, Yury Gagarin should have said a formal sentence that says “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 guide 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 the 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, Bishop Alexy I came up to ask the same question. Yury Gagarin at that time joked awkwardly with 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.

The moment the Vostok 1 and Gagarin left the launch pad. Photo: AP

Not to be outdone, in 1958, the US also successfully put the Explorer 1 satellite into orbit. After this period, the two sides entered a fierce race to conquer space, aiming to become the first country able to bring people to space.

Finally, the Soviet Union was the country to finish earlier, with astronaut Yuri Gagarin’s orbit exactly 60 years ago, on April 12, 1961 – the flight is historic and is considered to have changed change the world.

According to RBTH, Yuri Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934 in an ordinary carpenter family in Smolensk. At the age of 16, he moved to Moscow and then entered an engineering school in Saratov. Gagarin has been dreaming of the sky since childhood. One of the first pictures of Gagarin that his family still has is a young man standing by the wing of an airplane, raising his hand in excitement.

Image of Gagarin sitting on the Vostok spacecraft 1. Photo: ITN

While still a student in Saratov, Gagarin volunteered to join an aviation club. Thanks to his talent and relentless efforts, in 1955, at the age of 21, Gagarin was sent to the Chkalov First Air Force Pilot School in Orenburg and graduated with excellent results after 2 years.

In November 1957, he officially became a military pilot with the rank of lieutenant in the Soviet Air Force. At the same time, the Soviet Union launched an artificial satellite to bring the dog Laica into space. In the early 1960s, he enrolled in the secret program of selecting astronauts for a flight to space and became one of the group of 20 brightest candidates.

Yuri Gagarin. Photo: ITN

After nearly a year of hard training, Gagarin has proven the qualities that show he is the best person, passing all rigorous physical and mental tests – the most important factor for an astronaut. The universe.

On April 8, 1961, major pilot Gagarin was officially selected to be the first person to fly into space. His substitute was none other than astronaut Gherman Titov, who later flew into space aboard the Vostok 2 spacecraft on August 6, 1961.

The night before the flight, April 11, 1961, Gagarin and Titov spent the night in a small bungalow in Baikonur. “I’m leaving tomorrow and I can’t even believe it will be me,” Gagarin told his colleague. At 5:00 a.m. on April 12, 1961, two astronauts were awakened and taken to Baikonur airport.

The convoy carried Gagarin when he returned to Moscow on April 14, 1961. Photo: TASS

After completing the final procedures, Gagarin boarded the Vostok 1 train, Titov remained for the next mission. At 9:07, the ship and Gagarin left the launch pad. After 10 minutes, the train enters orbit at a speed of 29,000 km / h, reaching a maximum altitude of 327 km. Gagarin became the first person to see the species’ common home from outer space.

“I see the Earth, it’s beautiful,” he said from space in his colleague’s rupture on the ground.

After completing a 108-minute round-the-Earth journey, Gagarin and his landing gear landed safely by parachuting into a field in the state of Saratov. Due to his landing a few kilometers from the proposed site, the first two people to see him were an old farmer woman and a baby girl. Gagarin once spent several minutes explaining to them he was … not a Western spy, according to WION.

Gagarin’s landing gear landed in a field in Saratov. Photo: ITN

When a colleague appeared, he was greeted with glee. He rested for a few days and was brought back to Moscow on April 14, 1961 on a jet. Hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens filled the streets of Moscow at that time to celebrate the country’s hero.

According to Russian media, because of the dangerous and secret nature of the flight mission, after being selected as the first astronaut, Yuri Gagarin even wrote a suicide note. If the worst happens, the letter will be sent to your family.

Also, since no one had ever been to space before Gagarin, Soviet scientists could not predict every situation that happened to astronauts. Therefore, the Vostok is controlled from the ground and Yuri Gagarin can only intervene in case of emergency.

Talking about the moment in space, Gagari said seeing the soft blue Earth, next to the dark sky, but with many bright stars. Gagarin could not see the Moon but the Sun was very bright, many times brighter than from Earth.

Gagarin visited London in 1961. Photo: Russian DSQ in London

After the legendary flight, Gagarin participated in Soviet space training and research activities. He also spends a lot of time traveling around the world to inspire his travels and met many famous people.

In 1967, after witnessing his best friend, astronaut Vladimir Komarov, died when a mission to connect two spacecraft in orbit failed, he collapsed.

On March 27, 1968, more than a year after the death of his best friend, Yuri Gagarin returned to the flight route with the task of training a test pilot on the first generation MiG-15 jet fighter. However, the MiG-15 crashed shortly after takeoff, killing him.

Gagarin before the fateful flight in 1968. Photo: ITN

At that time, the Soviet Union decided not to publish specific information about the cause of Gagarin’s death, creating many speculations. In 2011, 50 years after Gagarin’s space flight, the Russian government published more than 700 pages of documents about Gagarin, which revealed that the weather on March 27, 1968 was very complicated and the dive moves. Gagarin, or its co-pilot, put the plane in danger.

Astronaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person to fly into space. Photo: history.com

On April 12, 1961, the Vostok spacecraft carrying astronaut Gagarin was launched from Baikonour Space Airport in Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union. The flight lasted just 108 minutes when the ship completed one orbit of the Earth and returned. Since then astronaut Gagarin also became a legend, and the day he took his flight became Russia’s Astronaut Day.

The historian Alexander Zheleznyakov called this a moment that gave humanity a firm conviction that discovering another world outside of the vast universe was entirely within reach. The event has made such a deep impression that the 27-year-old astronaut’s “Poekhali” has become a symbolic catchphrase for the Russian people throughout the years to come.

After 60 years, astronaut Yuri Gagarin, still mentioned as a hero of the nation. Every year, many Russian people still come to place flowers at his memorial sites across the country on April 12. Historian Vyacheslav Klimentov calls Gagarin’s miracle an inspiration to unite all Russians.

Not only loved by courage and ingenuity, Yuri Gagarin is also a shining example, a symbol of success rising from difficulties. Gagarin grew up in a working family, whose parents were carpenters and peasants. He initially studied steelmaking before being recruited to pilot the Soviet army and, at the age of 27, became the first person to fly into space.

While Gagarin was honored, the Vostok spacecraft was also put on display at the Space Travel Foundation in Moscow. Here, on April 13, there will also be an exhibition about Gagarin’s life and career, with many artifacts such as Gagarin’s documents, photos and personal belongings, from when he was a child or when he was still sitting. school chair.

Up to now, Gagarin’s flight has always been referred to as national pride for each Russian, a symbol of the Soviet Union’s power in the aerospace field. Four years before Gagarin’s flight, on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union was also the first country in the world to put a satellite in orbit on Earth – the Sputnik satellite. Until now, the world still considered the first two “beep-beep” signals Sputnik sent to Earth triggered a race between the Soviet Union and the United States in the space field. .

In the years that followed, Russia always took the lead when Gagarin successfully flew his flight, or the fact that the astronaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to step into space and the fact that Russia was the first country to launch. the lunar probe was launched in 1966. However, three years later, the United States became the first country to send a man to the Moon.

Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft carrying three astronauts off the launch pad at Baikonur Space Airport, Kazakhstan, April 9, 2021. Photo: AFP / VNA

Over the past 60 years, Russia has maintained its leading position in space exploration, steadily sending astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). However, observers assess that Russia is competing with strong competitors such as the US and China in the race to develop space technology. In 2020, Russia loses its monopoly on human launchers on the ISS when US tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Space X Company develops and successfully put into use reusable missile systems, put astronauts the US Aerospace Agency (NASA) successfully landed on the ISS. Although the director of the Russian Aerospace Agency (Roscosmos) Dmitry Rogozin insists the agency is pursuing ambitious projects such as a mission to Venus, Mars or setting up a space station on the Moon, the Industry insiders still see this as a difficult time for Russia as competitors emerge increasingly strong.

However, the Russian people still believe in future success when looking at the historical fact that this country always appears at memorable times in human history. Not only has an influence in the aerospace field, Russia has made its mark on the historic arena with great inventions such as the AK-47 rifle, the hypersonic weapons or most recently, the COVID vaccine. -19 world’s first Sputnik-V.

The International Space Station (ISS). Photo: Wiki

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a plan to start building manned orbital satellites to replace the International Space Station (ISS), which appears to be nearing its end of life.

In recent years, the ISS has started to degrade, astronauts are now regularly detecting cracks, according to RT. Last week, it was revealed that Russian astronauts are still working to seal the leak that was first discovered in 2019. The ongoing problems with the International Space Station have prompted Russia began creating an alternative device.

Called ROSS, the Russian orbital satellite will consist of three to seven modules and can carry up to four people. Although only approved by President Putin on April 12, on the 60th anniversary of the landmark first flight into space by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the project has been underway for some time.

Last November, the first deputy design general of space contractor RSC Energia expressed confidence that Russia needs to start building a new station, saying that the ISS has collapsed.

“Until 2025, Russia has an obligation to participate in the ISS program” – Mr. Vladimir Solovyov told the Russian Academy of Sciences. “There were some parts that were severely damaged and no longer working. Many parts are irreplaceable. After 2025, we predict a series of failures on the ISS ”.

Russia has a long history of building its own satellites, with Sputnik 1 being the first satellite launched into low earth orbit in 1957. In 1986, the Soviet Union launched a manufactured space station. in the country called Mir – was the largest artificial satellite in orbit at the time.

Last May, the Russian Space Agency Roscomos revealed, ROSS could be ready for deployment after 2024.

Despite Russia’s willingness to do it alone, Roscosmos has reaffirmed its commitment to international cooperation in recent months. Earlier this month, Russia signed a plan to continue cooperation with the US in space and the two countries would use each other’s rockets to enter space.

Roscosmos also signed a moon exploration agreement with China in March, and agreed to share a moon station with Beijing.

While space is often a place for international competition, both Washington and Moscow often help each other when needed. For example, earlier this year, American astronauts donated food to their Russian partners when supplies from the earth were delayed.

The International Space Station is the only laboratory in the world that allows researchers to perform long-term experiments in microgravity. The ISS has been in the presence of humans continuously since November 2000. The ISS is 109 meters long, 75 meters wide – the equivalent of a football field – and weighs 420 tons. The ISS flies at an altitude of about 400km above earth. The ISS moves at a speed of about 8km / sec, or around the earth about 90 minutes / round. The travel from the launch site in Baikonur, Kazakhstan to ISS by Russian Soyuz can take anywhere from 6 to 48 hours, depending on the launch procedure and the station’s position in orbit.

Images of Yuri Gagarin present everywhere in Russia – Photo: AFP

Russian astronaut Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, who is currently working on the International Space Station (ISS), said in a video clip released by the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) on April 12 – in celebration 60 years of human astronaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person to fly into space.

60 years ago, on April 12, 1961, the Vostok spacecraft carrying astronaut Gagarin was launched from Baikonour Space Airport in Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union. The flight lasted just 108 minutes when the ship completed one orbit of the Earth and returned.

Since then, astronaut Gagarin has also become a legend. The historian Alexander Zheleznyakov called this a moment that gave humanity a firm conviction that discovering another world outside of the vast universe was entirely within reach.

The event has made such a deep impression that the 27-year-old astronaut’s “Poekhali” has become a symbolic catchphrase for the Russian people throughout the years to come.

After 60 years, astronaut Yuri Gagarin is still mentioned as a national hero. Every year, many Russian people still come to place flowers at his memorial sites across the country on April 12.

While Gagarin was honored, the Vostok spacecraft was also put on display at the Space Travel Foundation in Moscow. Up to now, Gagarin’s flight has always been referred to as national pride for each Russian, a symbol of the power of the Soviet Union in the field of aerospace.

Every year, Russia celebrates the first flight of astronaut Gagarin into space and April 12 becomes Russia’s Astronaut Day.

In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared April 12 to become the International Day of Flight to put people into space.

On this occasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin went to Engels, a city on the banks of the Volga River in the south of the country, the landing point of the spacecraft carrying the Gagarin astronaut on a historic flight.

Four years before Gagarin’s flight, on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union was also the first country in the world to put a satellite in orbit on Earth – the Sputnik satellite. Until now, the world still considered the first two “beep-beep” signals Sputnik sent to Earth triggered a race between the Soviet Union and the United States in the space field. pillar.

In the years that followed, Russia always took the lead when Gagarin successfully flew his flight, or the fact that the astronaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to step into space and the fact that Russia was the first country to launch. The Moon probe was launched in 1966. However, three years later, the US became the first country to send a man to the Moon.

Competition is fierce

Over the past 60 years, Russia has maintained a leading position in space exploration, steadily bringing astronauts to the ISS. However, observers assess that Russia is currently competing with strong competitors such as the US and China in the race to develop space technology.

In 2020, Russia loses its monopoly on human launchers on the ISS when US tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Space X Company develops and successfully put into use reusable missile systems, bring the NASA astronauts to the ISS successfully.

Although Roscosmos Director Dmitry Rogozin insists the agency is pursuing ambitious projects such as a mission to Venus, Mars or setting up a space station on the Moon, industry insiders still consider this time to be full. difficult for Russia as rivals emerge increasingly powerful.

However, the Russian people still believe in future success when looking at the historical fact that this country always appears at memorable times in human history.

Astronaut Yuri Gagarin. Photo: Heritage.

While waiting for the Vostok-1 to be launched, the famous saying “Поехали!” Gagarin’s (“Let’s go!”) Shows his daring personality. This personality has also become a brief motto in the human travels later on.

Over the years, the space exploration community has made great strides, including the first crewed flight flight, the first female astronaut’s space walk, and a pairing experiment. to examine the impact of the environment in space on humans. Of the twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly, Mark will be on Earth and Scott will fly into space.

April 12 was officially recognized as the United Nations’ International Astronaut Day. Many space lovers take part in a global space party known as “Yuri’s Night” to mark a big occasion.

“Endless exploration is deeply entrenched in each of us, and space travel is a practical way to realize this extraordinary cosmic mission,” said Clément Fortin, Professor of Practice at the Center. Space under the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) in Moscow, Russia, writes in an email.

According to him, the achievement of Yuri Gagarin opens up other great possibilities, though it is difficult to achieve in particular.

Yuri Gagarin and the first voyage into space

The first crewed trip was a milestone for all of humanity, but the day astronaut Yuri Gagarin first flew into space was a special resonance for Russians, who saw Gagarin as a taste. Valuable national hero. His name is given to many monuments, buildings and locations across the country.

“In Russia there are a lot of events being held on this day. We will participate in events that explain how space technology works and how the future of space exploration,” said Anton Ivanov. , Director of Skoltech’s Space Center, replied in an email.

The Vostok-1 is launching at the Baikonur Cosmodrome station, Kazakhstan.

Human space travel is an effort that has been successful in the past 60 years, but also leaves a lot of regret for many young people. Teenagers under the age of 20 have never experienced an undiscovered space, when there are no humans in orbit, as the space station (ISS) has been occupied since day 2. 11/2000.

Earlier, Russia’s Mir space station flew into Earth orbit from 1986-2001, pioneering multi-day crew trips. Russian astronauts Mir still holds the record for the 3rd longest in the history of mankind’s longest journeys.

Before the Gagarin flight 60 years ago, no one had set foot in space. The Soviet space program put many animals into space, such as the famous Laika, the first animal to fly around the Earth. Even so, Gagarin still faces a completely new challenge with great principles that will change the entire history of space travel, regardless of the mission.

“In the early 1960s, the missile technology was still incomplete, despite many tests, the missile was blown up,” Mr. Ivanov said.

According to him, before Gagarin’s ship was launched, there were several failed launches. Gagarin sat on the train as if riding a bomb. Since the astronauts knew the statistics well, they had the courage to board the Vostok-1 and carry out their mission.

He’s like he’s riding on a bomb

Anton Ivanov, Director of Skoltech’s Space Center

Fortunately, Gagarin and his crew’s courage paid off. After hours inside the Vostok-1 on the launch pad, Gagarin was finally launched into the air at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch station, Kazakhstan, at 6:07 Coordinated International (UTC).

Gagarin entered orbit a few minutes later, maintaining a calm and positive attitude throughout the 108-minute flight.

Lessons from the first flight

The cockpit of the Vostok-1 has a spherical shape made mainly of aluminum alloy and covered with abrasive material. Unlike today’s capsule cocktails, the ship carrying the Gagarin was not designed to reach the ground safely.

The small metal ball was equipped with only one escape option that Gagarin had to manipulate in order to be dropped from a great distance from the ground, so that he could parachute into a safe place while the Vostok-1 landed separately. .

After completing a round-trip around the Earth, the Vostok-1 is sent back into space. At that time, Gagarin successfully escaped an open door and fell into the countryside in Kazakhstan.

The ship carrying Gagarin was not designed to land safely, so he had to parachute to escape the ship while it landed somewhere else.

Even though the mission was a success, this was still a hair-raising risk on the back of the neck. In an email, Ms. Anastasia Ilina, founder of the Russian space diffusion community Space Flight and project coordinator of the Skoltech Space Center, described the Vostok-1 as “flight into space, one the flight has no guarantees “.

“During Yuri Gagarin’s flight, we had difficulty closing the spacecraft lid, and after launching, the ship moved in orbit faster than planned,” she said.

When she returned, she said, the push-and-brake system produced unsafe braking impulses, making the ship twisted and landed with difficulty.

“But even though there were technical difficulties, we all got over it,” added Ms. Ilina.

According to her, it was important that the first flight taught the crew (astronauts, guides, engineers) a lesson on how to coordinate work and manage space equipment.

In fact, Yuri Gagarin proved that one can step inside a metal sphere and change the trajectory of human discovery forever. Within a decade of his first flight, many astronauts in the Apollo program had landed on the Moon.

This is an American achievement born of the Cold War due to the successes of the Soviet Union that sparked the space race.

While possibly strong interstate geopolitical tensions over space travel still exist, mankind’s travels have evolved into a collaborative endeavor.

Astronauts from 18 different countries and new international collaborations such as the Artemis program led by NASA aim to bring people back to the Moon.

The advent of commercial crews also reshaped human spacecraft, heralding a new era of space travel that is imminent in the near future.