Gagarin

Gagarin refers most commonly to Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (1934–1968), a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to travel into space. Born in Klushino in the Soviet Union, he trained as a pilot and joined the Soviet Air Force. In 1960 he was selected for the Vostok program, becoming one of the first group of cosmonauts and earning the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his historic mission.

On April 12, 1961, Gagarin piloted Vostok 1 and completed one orbit of the Earth in about 108 minutes. He became the first human to travel in space and to orbit the planet. The mission used an ejection-seat profile for the cosmonaut, and Gagarin ejected from the capsule during the descent and landed by parachute.

After his flight, Gagarin served as a trainer and held various roles within the Soviet space program. He remained a prominent public figure and ambassador for space exploration, earning several honors and continuing to influence cosmonaut training and outreach until his death.

Gagarin died on March 27, 1968, in a training aircraft crash near Kirzhach, Russia, while piloting a MiG-15UTI. His legacy endures in the many monuments, streets, and institutions named in his honor, most notably the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, near Moscow, which trains new generations of spaceflight personnel. His achievement remains a watershed moment in the history of space exploration and a symbol of human spaceflight.