First Human in Space

On April 12, 1961, the first human left Earth's surface and ventured into space. Yuri Gagarin, a 27 year old Soviet pilot, blasted away from Earth in Vostok-1 and fell into Earth orbit. After a single orbit, the spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere. Americans are well familiar with the US space program, but few know the incredible story of the first human spaceflight. It is hard to fully appreciate what an incredible undertaking this was - and how brave Yuri was to put his life on the line for science and national pride. 

Gagarin in 1964. Image Credit

Yuri Gagarin was born on a collective farm near Smolensk. Russia’s serfs were emancipated exactly 100 years earlier, in 1861; the world of Yuri’s childhood was only three generations removed and virtually identical to feudalism.
 
Yuri Gagarin studied to work in a foundry before he was drafted and recommended to the Air Force academy. In 1960 he was selected as one of 20 possible pilots for the Soviet space program. The Vostok programme was conducted in a typically Soviet fashion, meaning it was developed in complete secrecy and not announced until after the mission was a success.

Vostok 1 mission patch. Image Credit

The 20 possible pilots voted which among them would be the first to enter space, and selected Yuri.  At this time, the Soviet space program had 12 of their 24 launches fail—a 50% success rate.

Vostok 1 launch. Image Credit

The launch proceeded without a hitch and Yuri Gagarin entered the atmosphere 10 minutes later. Because the team was unsure of the effects of space travel, the entire mission was automated, with some radio directions from ground control.

Image from Vostok 1. Image Credit

Yuri circled the Earth at 17,000 mph in a 108 minute flight. While in space, Yuri hummed a patriotic tune and marveled at the world below. Yuri’s reentry module, an orb 2.5 meters in diameter, detached from the ship. He had no steering controls, so to try to steady the orb  Yuri moved heavy equipment around in the cabin in order to shift his center of gravity. (Modern reentry modules are not spherical for a reason). Vostok’s reentry capsule spun and gyrated, recording 8g of force. The untrained layperson loses consciousness around 5gs of sustained force. However, Yuri remained conscious and there were no serious problems. About 3 miles from the ground, Yuri ejected and parachuted safely to the ground while he watched this metal sphere hit the ground and bounce.

Vostok 1 reentry capsule. Image Credit

Yuri landed approximately 173 miles from the planned landing site. Remember, the Soviet space program was still a secret. Imagine if you would, if you were a farmer on a collective farm in rural Soviet Russia. Imagine if, as you and your family are milking the cows in the morning, an enormous metal orb crashes into your field, leaving huge craters as it bounces. Then, you watch as a strange figure parachutes to the ground after it. The figure is quite a bigger and bulkier than a normal person and bright orange with a white helmet unlike anything you have ever seen before. (By the way, the Soviet Union only admitted that Yuri landed via parachute in 1971. For the flight to have been considered an official spaceflight, the pilot had to land in the spacecraft.) 

Image Credit: Peoria Public Library and Peoria Journal Star

Yuri Gagarin later recalled, "When they saw me in my space suit and the parachute dragging alongside as I walked, they started to back away in fear. I told them, don't be afraid, I am a Soviet citizen like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!"





The Soviet press later reported that minutes before boarding the spacecraft Gagarin made a speech: "Dear friends, you who are close to me, and you whom I do not know, fellow Russians, and people of all countries and all continents: in a few minutes a powerful space vehicle will carry me into the distant realm of space. What can I tell you in these last minutes before the launch? My whole life appears to me as one beautiful moment. All that I previously lived through and did, was lived through and done for the sake of this moment." He actually recorded the speech weeks later—"a stream of banalities prepared by anonymous speechwriters."

Image Credit: Peoria Public Library and Peoria Journal Star

What an incredible accomplishment this flight was - humanity's first venture into space. Yuri led the way. Today, six humans are living in space, passing overhead 16 times a day. We have robotic spacecraft flying out to all corners of our Solar System, exploring for us. I can't wait to see what the next 55 years bring us, and what we will learn.
 
You can always learn the latest news from space at the Dome Planetarium at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates!