Vostok 1

Vostok 1 was the very first spaceflight where a person traveled around Earth in space. It happened on April 12, 1961, and it was part of a big space project called the Vostok programme. A Soviet cosmonaut named Yuri Gagarin was the brave person who went on this trip. He became the first human to go all the way around our planet in space.

The flight went up very high—about 327 kilometers above Earth at its tallest point. It only took 108 minutes from the moment it took off until it landed back on the ground. After the spaceship flew high enough, Yuri jumped out and came down safely with a parachute, landing separately from the spacecraft he started with.

Background

Main article: Vostok programme

The Space Race was a big competition between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War. It began when the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, in 1957. Both countries raced to be the first to send a person into space. The Soviet Union worked on the Vostok programme while the United States worked on Project Mercury. Before sending a person, the Soviet Union launched several uncrewed missions between May 1960 and March 1961. These missions helped test the Vostok rocket family and space capsule. The last two missions, Korabl-Sputnik 4 and Korabl-Sputnik 5, were big successes and prepared the way for the first person to fly into space.

Pilot

See also: Vostok programme § Cosmonaut selection and training

The Vostok 1 capsule was made to carry one cosmonaut. Yuri Gagarin was chosen to be the main pilot of Vostok 1, with Gherman Titov and Grigori Nelyubov as backups. These choices were made official on April 8, just four days before the flight, though Gagarin had been a top candidate for several months.

The decision about who would fly was mostly up to the head of cosmonaut training, Nikolai Kamanin. In his diary on April 5, Kamanin said he was still thinking between Gagarin and Titov. He wanted the stronger person for the next mission, Vostok 2, not just for the short Vostok 1 flight. When Gagarin and Titov learned the decision on April 9, Gagarin was very happy, and Titov was disappointed. They repeated this meeting for television cameras on April 10 so there would be official footage, including a speech by Gagarin. Because of the secrecy, another cosmonaut candidate, Alexei Leonov, didn’t find out who was chosen until after the flight had already started.

Preparations

Unlike later space missions, there were no special ships to help receive signals from the spacecraft. Instead, they used ground stations within the Soviet Union to talk to the spacecraft.

Because the spacecraft was heavy, there was no extra engine to help it come back down. It carried enough food and supplies for 13 days, just in case. The food included special liver meat puree and chocolate sauce in metal tubes.

The whole mission would be controlled either by automatic systems or by people on the ground. This was because they weren’t sure how a person would feel without gravity, so they locked the controls. But there was a code to unlock them if needed.

Before the flight, Yuri Gagarin and another cosmonaut, Titov, were told the launch would happen the next day at 09:07 Moscow Time. They relaxed by listening to music and talking about their childhoods. Doctors watched them to make sure they were okay.

Before the mission, Gagarin made a statement to the press. He talked about how proud he was to be the first person to travel into space and how important this was for all of humanity. He said goodbye to his friends, knowing he was about to start a big adventure.

Flight

At 05:30 Moscow time on April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin and his backup, Titov, were woken up. After a breakfast and getting into their spacesuits, they were taken to the launch pad. Gagarin entered the Vostok 1 spacecraft, and by 07:10 local time, the radio system was turned on. Gagarin chatted with the mission's main CapCom and other team members while waiting for launch.

The launch happened at 06:07 UTC from the Baikonur Cosmodrome Site No.1. Gagarin said, "Let's go! (Poyekhali!)." After two hours, the rocket lifted off. Gagarin saw Earth through a window and reported that everything was working well.

Once in orbit, Gagarin reported that the spacecraft was operating normally and he could see Earth. He flew over Siberia and the North Pacific Ocean. Gagarin stayed in touch with ground stations, reporting on his health and the spacecraft's condition. He crossed over many places, including the Kamchatka Peninsula, the equator near the Hawaiian Islands, and the Strait of Magellan at the tip of South America.

The spacecraft automatically prepared for its return after about an hour in orbit. Gagarin's flight made him the first human to travel around Earth in space.

Reentry and landing

The spacecraft used automatic systems to get ready for landing. A special engine fired over Africa, near Angola, to slow the spacecraft down. The parts of the spacecraft separated as it began to come back through the atmosphere.

When the spacecraft was close to the ground, the hatch opened and Yuri Gagarin was thrown out. A parachute opened, and soon after, Gagarin landed safely by parachute near Engels in the Saratov region. Two people who saw him land were surprised but he told them not to worry, explaining that he had come from space.

Reactions and legacy

Soviet reaction

When Yuri Gagarin's flight happened, the news was announced while he was still traveling in space. This was planned so that if any help was needed, it could be organized quickly. The Soviet Union celebrated this as a big win for their science and technology, showing their system was better. Big celebrations happened in Moscow and other cities. Gagarin was given the highest honor in the Soviet Union and became famous around the world. April 12 is now a special day in Russia and was later made an international day to celebrate human space travel.

American reaction

The United States officially congratulated the Soviet Union, but some people were worried about what this meant for their competition in space. Some newspapers in the U.S. talked about needing to work harder to catch up. President John F. Kennedy sent his congratulations but also said it would take some time for the U.S. to match this achievement.

Other world reactions

Leaders from many countries praised the Soviet Union for this achievement. Some newspapers discussed concerns about how space might be used, but many hoped this would lead to peace and new discoveries.

World records

Special groups officially recognized three records from Gagarin's flight: the time he spent in orbit, the highest altitude reached, and the weight of the spacecraft. Even though there were different stories about how Gagarin landed, his flight is recognized as the first time a human went into space and orbited the Earth.

Vostok 1 remains a major milestone in space exploration. The place where Gagarin landed is now a park with a tall monument and a statue of Gagarin. The capsule from the flight is kept in a museum, and a special film was made to show what Gagarin might have seen from space.