First Man to touch the stars: 65th anniversary

In 1955, the space race was on. The United States and the Soviet Union (USSR) were competing in race to be the first country to send someone to space. Both countries were determined to get someone into space first and claim the international; historical title of “First man in space”.  

The winner emerged 12th April 1961: Yuri Gagarin and the USSR. 

Yuri Gagarin was born 9th March 1934, in Klushino, Western Oblast, Soviet Union (now known as Gagarinsky District of Smolensk Oblast, Russia).  His older sister, Zoya, helped take care of Yuri and their two other siblings, while their parents worked. However, Yuri’s village was taken over by the Nazis, with many families forced to work on the farms, including Gagarin’s family. During this time, a German soldier attempted to hang his younger brother, Boris, but Yuri came in and sabotaged the plan by pouring soil into the tank batteries. 

In 1955, a decade after the war, Gagarin was accepted into the First Chkalov Higher Air Force Pilots School in Orenburg, Russia. His training began on the Yak-18 and graduated on a MiG-15 in February 1956. However, Gagarin faced his own issues. He struggled to land a two-seater trainer aircraft, which risked his place in pilot training. When he was given a second chance, his flight instructor gave him a cushion. He landed successfully, completed his evaluation in a trainer aircraft, and began flying solo in 1957. 

His selection for the Vostok programme was considered by the Central Flight Medical Commission. He underwent physical and psychological testing (in Moscow) as he was between 25 and 30 years old. They had to be within a certain height and weight to fit in the limited space. Thankfully, being 5ft 2in tall, Gagarin was able to fit. When the choices were limited and votes were casted for the candidates to select who they wanted, many chose Yuri Gagarin. One stated his reasoning was that Gagarin was “very focused” and “demanding of himself and necessary”.  On 8th April, Gagarin was selected for the mission. 

April 12th 1961was the day that humans, specifically the USSR, went to space for the first time. Yuri Gagarin’s flight lasted 108 minutes, aboard Vostok 1. The Soviet Union praised Gagarin as a national and global celebrity. So much so that they were terrified of losing him in a second space flight, even despite Gagarin voicing his desires for a secondary space mission. The Soviet’s decision was made when Vladimir Komarov died in the Soyuz 1 accident, in April 1967. They claimed it was too dangerous and they didn’t want to lose their icon. However, they stated that he could fly aircrafts with a flight instructor present. 

 Not even a year later, March 27th 1968, Yuri found himself and his instructor (Vladimir Seryogin) in a MiG-15 fighter plane, during poor weather. He was 34, when the plane suddenly crashed, killing both pilots. Gagarin’s ashes were interred into the Kremlin wall, located at the heart of Moscow, Russia. Today, he is visited by space flight crews, prior to departure for Baikonur, which has become a tradition. 

To honour Yuri Gagarin and his successful flight, April 12th was named “Yuri’s Night” and became a night dedicated to not just Yuri’s success, but the success of every space mission ever. 

Izzy Bennett

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin 

https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/making-history-2/ 

https://www.nasa.gov/history/remembering-yuri-gagarin-50-years-later/