HISTORY EXTRA

The official website of BBC History Magazine

Yuri Gagarin: 8 things you (probably) didn’t know about the first man in space

[ My intention with my blog is to simply collect articles of interest to me for purposes of future reference.  I do my best to indicate who has actually composed the articles. NONE of the articles have been written by me.  -- Louis Sheehan ]

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On 12 April 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey into space when, in his Vostok 1 spacecraft, he made a 108-minute orbital flight.

Now, 80 years after Gagarin’s birth, the Science Museum is preparing to launch a landmark exhibition charting the Soviet scientific and technological ingenuity that kick-started the space age.

Due to open in November, Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age will showcase a collection of space artefacts never before seen outside Russia – from real spacecraft and space suits to pioneering rocket engines.

Here, writing for History Extra, senior curator Doug Millard reveals eight things you (probably) didn’t know about Yuri Gagarin:

• When he set off for space, Gagarin was dressed in a bright orange spacesuit and a helmet inscribed with ‘CCCP’ painted in red. The painted letters were a last minute addition, marking Gagarin as a Soviet citizen so that he would be recognised after parachuting to safety following ejection from the spacecraft

• Gagarin took off with the words ‘Poyehali!’ (Let’s go!)

• Gagarin was just 27 years old when he set off on his legendary flight

• Gagarin’s rocket was an adapted missile, called R-7 or ‘Semyorka’. The rocket carried his ‘Vostok’ spacecraft, which translates as ‘east’ in Russian

• It is said that Gagarin made a good impression on chief designer Korolev when he followed the Russian custom for entering a home and took off his shoes before getting into the newly designed Vostok spacecraft

• Since 12 April 1961, the anniversary of Gagarin’s first flight has been celebrated in Russia as a holiday known as Cosmonautics Day

• Yuri Gagarin was also back-up commander for the ill-fated Soyuz 1 mission, which crashed on 24 April 1967. He died in a training flight the following year

• Gagarin trained as a steel worker and was invited to visit England in July 1961, just months after his historic mission, by Britain’s Amalgamated Union of Foundry Workers

Gagarin - First in Space, a biopic about Yuri Gagarin's life and his road to becoming the first man in space, is now available on DVD.