On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin made the first space flight in the history of mankind.

He spent 108 minutes in orbit and successfully returned to Earth.

Road to space

Scientific work in the field of organizing space research began in Russia more than 100 years ago.

The theoretical substantiation of the possibility of space flights using special devices was made at the beginning of the twentieth century by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky.

Soon the inventor Yuri Kondratyuk came to similar conclusions.

In 1921, a gas dynamic laboratory was created in Moscow, and ten years later - a group for studying jet propulsion.

They were subsequently merged into the Jet Institute.

In the 1930s, designer Sergei Korolev launched the first domestic missiles with a liquid-propellant rocket engine.

In 1957, the USSR managed to launch the world's first artificial satellite of the Earth, created by Soviet scientists headed by Korolev, and two years later - the automatic interplanetary station "Luna-3", which made it possible for the first time in history to obtain images of the far side of the Moon.

In parallel, the prospect of organizing manned space flights was discussed.

In 1960, the Air Force Commander-in-Chief Order No. 267 was signed, according to which 12 Soviet fighter pilots were enrolled in the positions of listener-cosmonauts.

Among them was Yuri Gagarin, a graduate of the 1st Chkalovsk Military Aviation School of Pilots named after I.

K.E.

Voroshilov, who served in the 122nd Fighter Aviation Division of the Northern Fleet Air Force.

"The training program for the first cosmonauts included training in a centrifuge, in a pressure chamber, general physical exercises, special training on ship simulators," a full member of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics named after K.E.

Tsiolkovsky Alexander Zheleznyakov.

In addition, the cosmonauts attended theoretical classes.

For about a month they underwent parachute training in the Saratov region.

The cosmonauts also got to know the man who created spaceships for them - Sergei Korolev.

  • Yuri Gagarin during vestibular training at the Cosmonaut Training Center.

    Still from the documentary "The First Flight to the Stars"

  • RIA News

Pre-flight preparation lasted for almost six months.

Future cosmonauts studied the spacecraft and dealt with the functioning of its systems.

At the beginning of 1961, the members of the squad passed exams for two days, showing excellent knowledge of the Vostok spacecraft, in which one of them was to go into orbit, and other issues related to space travel.

“During the preparation, we worked out any situations that might arise during the flight, even the most unusual ones.

They found out what margin of strength of psyche and health each of the cosmonauts has.

And the stock was great.

They experienced an extremely difficult program and emerged victorious, "Major General Vladimir Popov, Honored Pilot of Russia, told RT.

On March 20, 1961, the cosmonauts conducted a training session on donning and adjusting spacesuits.

The next day, the spacecraft was prepared for docking with the rocket.

At the end of March, future space explorers had an excursion around the launch complex and classes on correcting the globe on the pilot's console.

The main candidates for the role of the first cosmonaut at the final stage of preparation for the flight were Yuri Gagarin and German Titov.

They practiced manual orientation operations of the spacecraft, trained to use a special radio communication line.

  • The last parting words of Chief Designer Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (right) to Yuri Gagarin before the start.

    Baikonur Cosmodrome, April 12, 1961.

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  • © Alexey Sverdlov

According to the official version, Gagarin became the main candidate for cosmonaut No. 1 at the meeting of the State Commission on April 8, 1961.

However, some documents, in particular, an application for an attempt to establish a record for the duration of a flight, filed with the Aviation Sports Commission of the USSR Central Aero Club by the head of the department for preparation and support of space flights of the General Staff of the Air Force Nikolai Kamanin, indicate that in fact this could have happened on at least a month before the flight.

“For the first flight into space, it was necessary to select the best of the best.

Psychophysiological qualities played an important role in this.

Gagarin was smiling, cheerful, easy-going, but at the same time smart, diligent, efficient, well-developed physically and with sufficient experience in aviation, ”said Vladimir Popov.

The day before the flight, the last tests passed, and the rocket with the Vostok-1 spacecraft was installed in the launch facility.

"Go!"

On the morning of April 12, 1961, the "logical lock" code was checked on the ship.

The descent of the spacecraft from orbit could be controlled in manual mode, but the doctors had no confidence in the correctness of the decision taken by the cosmonaut, who was alone in orbit in a state of weightlessness.

To prevent untimely activation of the braking propulsion system, an additional remote control with buttons - "logical lock" was installed in the cab.

The astronaut had to print a special envelope in orbit and press three out of nine buttons.

Yuri Gagarin was loaded with food for 10 days.

If the braking propulsion system failed, the descent should have occurred due to the natural deceleration of the ship in the upper atmosphere.

In this case, Gagarin would have to stay in orbit for about 10 days.

Shortly before the launch, it became clear that on the central control panel one of the three banners signaling the pressing of the lid of the descent vehicle's hatch was off.

Sergey Korolev decided to eliminate the malfunction as quickly as possible, and this was done in the shortest possible time.

On April 12, 1961, at 0900 hours, a rocket with a spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome.

Gagarin's famous "Let's go!" Was heard from the speakers.

“The earth was surrounded by a halo of pale bluish color, then this strip gradually darkened, becoming turquoise, blue, violet and turned into a coal-black color.

With trembling excitement, I peered into this new and unusual world for me, trying to see and remember everything.

Stars were astonishingly bright and cold through the windows.

They were still far away - oh, how far!

- and yet from the orbit of the "Vostok" they seemed closer than from the Earth ", - Yuri Gagarin described his impressions of the flight.

Cosmonaut No. 1 maintained contact with the Earth and controlled the operation of the spacecraft control systems.

At 10:02 am, in the 55th minute of the flight, the TASS agency spread a message about the first manned flight into space.

Moreover, it was not about the senior lieutenant, but about Major Gagarin.

First Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee Nikita Khrushchev insisted on conferring an extraordinary military rank on the first cosmonaut.

  • A still from the documentary "Soviets in Space".

  • RIA News

According to Alexander Zheleznyakov, technical difficulties arose at the final stage of the flight.

“The most unpleasant situation is the untimely separation of compartments in the descent section.

This trouble made the designers who were on Earth and could not intervene worried.

Gagarin also experienced not the most pleasant moments of his life.

Fortunately, everything ended well.

Albeit with a delay, but the division of the compartments took place.

Only because of an abnormal separation, the landing occurred with a deviation, ”said the expert.

The descent vehicle landed in the Saratov region, near the village of Smelovka.

The return of Yuri Gagarin from the first space flight caused unprecedented delight and inspiration throughout the world.

  • Yuri Gagarin - the first person to visit space

  • globallookpress.com

“Everyone was jubilant.

I lived far away in the mountains, and there, too, everyone was rejoicing.

We wanted to know what space is, why it flew, how it flew, ”recalls Merited Test Pilot, Hero of Russia Magomed Tolboyev.

According to aviation historian Nikolai Bodrikhin, no one even had to specially organize the first celebrations.

“The excitement was everywhere.

I remember that.

There was enthusiasm, people began to gather on Red Square, rejoice.

Independent demonstrations began on the evening of April 12, "Nikolai Bodrikhin shared his memories with RT.

  • The world's first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin after the landing of the descent vehicle of the Vostok-1 spacecraft.

    Surrounded by Yuri Gagarin - a search team led by the commander of the missile division, Major A. Gasiev, and local residents

  • RIA News

  • © Alexander Sergeev

On April 14, 1961, Yuri Gagarin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and in May he became the commander of the cosmonaut corps.

Later he was twice elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Within two years after the flight, the first cosmonaut visited more than 30 countries on a peace mission.

In 1963, Gagarin became deputy head of the Cosmonaut Training Center.

“The flight of Gagarin caused great confusion in the West.

The Americans were simply shocked - they did not think that a citizen of the USSR would become the first cosmonaut, ”Nikolai Bodrikhin noted.

According to Vladimir Popov, the flight of Yuri Gagarin played an epoch-making role in history and became the property of the whole world.

“It was a great achievement of civilization.

With his first step beyond the Earth, Gagarin gave space to mankind, ”summed up Magomed Tolboyev.