Who was the first person in space?
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space. On April 12, 1961, he orbited Earth once aboard Vostok 1 in a flight lasting 108 minutes.
Gagarin was a 27-year-old Soviet Air Force pilot chosen from a group of trainee cosmonauts. His spacecraft was controlled automatically from the ground, although he had a sealed envelope with codes to take manual control in an emergency. As he lifted off, he famously said Poyekhali, meaning Let's go.
At the end of the flight, Gagarin ejected from the capsule at about 7 kilometers above the ground and landed by parachute, as planned. The flight made him a global celebrity and gave the Soviet Union a major victory in the Space Race.
Other space firsts
Alan Shepard became the first American in space less than a month later, and John Glenn the first American to orbit Earth in 1962. Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space in 1963. Gagarin died in a training jet crash in 1968.
Did You Know?
April 12 is celebrated as Cosmonautics Day in Russia and as the International Day of Human Space Flight by the United Nations.