Who is Gagarin

On April 12, 1961, wearing a 90-kilogram space suit, Gagarin, the first cosmonaut of the former Soviet Union, went into space on the 4.75-ton Vostok spacecraft, becoming the first person in the world to enter the cosmic space and to see the whole of the Earth from the universe.

Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934, in a peasant family in the Gzhatsk district of the Smolensk region of the former Soviet Union.

He graduated with honors from the Lyubeltsy Vocational High School in 1951, where he became a trainee metallurgist and continued his studies in the Saratov Industrial and Technical School, where he also learned to fly in his spare time.

He graduated from the Industrial and Technical School in 1955 with honors, and then began to study flying at the Orenburg Aviation Military School. After graduating with honors from the Industrial Technical School in 1955, he began flying lessons at the Orenburg Aeromilitary School, and in 1957 he joined the former Soviet Army and became a fighter pilot in the Aviation Corps of the former Northern Fleet of the Soviet Union.

In October 1959, the selection process for the first cosmonaut of the former Soviet Union was launched across the country. Gagarin was one of 20 selected from a pool of more than 3,400 air force pilots under the age of 35 and began training in March 1960 at the former Soviet Cosmonaut Training Center. During his training, Gagarin became the first cosmonaut of the former Soviet Union by virtue of his strong beliefs, excellent physique, optimism and great resourcefulness.

The Vostok spacecraft was launched at 9:07 a.m. Moscow time on April 12, 1961, and orbited the Earth at a maximum altitude of 301 kilometers for 1 hour and 48 minutes, landing in the former Soviet Union at 10:55 a.m. The flight was immediately followed by a series of press releases in newspapers around the world. Immediately after the flight, newspapers around the world reported on it, making Gagarin's name a household word around the globe. Gagarin was honored with the Order of Lenin and awarded the titles "Hero of the Soviet Union" and "Soviet Cosmonaut". After his historic flight, Gagarin traveled abroad many times, visiting 27 countries and being made an honorary citizen of 22 cities.

In Moscow on April 12, in the springtime atmosphere of Red Square, 65-year-old Valentina, surrounded by her family and friends, walked slowly through the neatly arranged pines and cypresses toward the depths of the Kremlin wall, where her husband, Yuri Gagarin, the first human being to enter space, is buried. Two weeks ago, on March 27, Valentina also shed tears at the grave of this great man under the wall, the day Gagarin was killed. On this day, on the 40th anniversary of Gagarin's flight into space, she came again, bringing with her the nostalgia of her wife, the love of her loved ones, and a deep sense of affection for the hero from around the world.

In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Gagarin's flight into space, Russia's major cities have been organizing a variety of activities to commemorate and remember the hero of cosmonautics history. President Vladimir Putin laid flowers at Gagarin's monument at the Cosmonautics City on the outskirts of Moscow, visited the Gagarin Museum, and met with old-timers of the Russian cosmonautics community, as well as with Gagarin's wife and descendants.

Gagarin immortalized

The world's first manned spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur cosmonautics center on April 12, 1961, at 9:07 p.m. Moscow time. 1 hour and 48 minutes later, the return capsule landed on the flat, wide steppes of Kazakhstan. As soon as the hatch was opened, Yuri Gagarin's name, along with his charming smile, began to spread around the world as fast as possible. Gagarin, the hero of mankind's first trip into space!

Many people in Russia keep an old record that spins, and the rich, broad voice of Levitan, the famous Soviet announcer, seems to turn back the clock 40 years. It was a breaking news release from TASS on April 12, 1961:

"On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union launched the world's first manned spacecraft 'Vostok' into Earth orbit.

The pilot of the 'Vostok' spacecraft was Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialists. The multi-stage cosmic rocket was successfully launched, and after reaching first cosmic velocity and detaching from the last stage of the launch vehicle, the spacecraft began a free flight around the Earth in a circumterrestrial orbit.

Preliminarily, the spacecraft is expected to orbit the Earth for 108 minutes, with a distance of 175 kilometers at its closest point and up to 302 kilometers at its furthest point. ...... "Levitan takes people back to the time when the fire was in full swing.

Gagarin in space for 108 minutes

From the moment Levitan broadcast the news of Gagarin's ascension in his distinctive voice, the entire Soviet Union held its breath, waiting for the hero to return to Earth. The hero returned, and in Moscow, in Kiev, in Tashkent, thousands of people spontaneously took to the streets. For the whole country, Gagarin was a true hero and a symbol of a new stage in the development of the universe.

Russian media recently disclosed that before Gagarin's liftoff, the only journalist who knew about him was Cherekintsev, a photojournalist for the then Soviet state news agency TASS. Before the manned spacecraft took to the sky, he was ordered to take a batch of photos of Gagarin. The finished photos were put in a sealed safe by the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief said that TASS could take them out only after the manned spacecraft had entered orbit.Romanov, 84, one of the former TASS leaders, said, "In today's parlance, the sensationalism of a major event would be greatly diminished if the news were to leak out beforehand." He recalled that at exactly 10 a.m. on April 12, the editor-in-chief's secretary called and asked him to come immediately to the editor-in-chief's office for an official announcement. Editor-in-Chief Kolyunov shook his hand and then pulled a government document printed on special paper out of a folder: "Be quick, the other copy is already in Levitan's hands, and by the looks of it, Gagarin has flown more than halfway across the country." Five minutes later, Galina, the fastest typist in the agency, finished the manuscript.At 10:13, the TASS press release flew to 1,500 domestic news organizations and 50 foreign subscribers. To keep it a secret, the bulletin didn't say the time of the launch - 9:07 pm. The news was made official only at a press conference held three days later. TASS's news vibrated around the world. "The Americans have taken off their hats," wrote one of the oldest U.S. news agencies. There was a rush of excitement. The joy and happiness that Gagarin had brought to all Soviets that year was truly unforgettable.

After Gagarin's death, his hometown of Geretsk was renamed "First Cosmonaut City". The names of the city's establishments are all related to cosmonautics. The hotel is called "Orient", the shopping mall is called "Moonlight", and the travel agency is called "Gagarin Tours". The museum of the first human astronautics is housed in what used to be a chapel, even though, as everyone knows, the church was against flying to the stars. Now it houses a virtual environment, which, it is said, allows a person to find his way into the cosmic space with his feet. Every object in the Gagarin Museum is valuable, and it has also been reported that Gagarin's logbook of his maiden voyage will be auctioned off at a space artifact auction on May 9 in New York. The logbook includes Gagarin's written impressions of the flight, his own feelings on liftoff, landing and being in the universe. One of the highlights is a depiction of the last few minutes before landing - what it was like to view the Earth from the cosmos. Experts estimate that Gagarin's log will go for a whopping $150,000-$200,000 dollars.

Heroes are ordinary people

Gagarin was the first person to have the privilege of viewing the Earth from outer space, which made him a man of global renown, but, as his wife says, he knew he was an ordinary man.

In 1959, Korolev, the father of Russian cosmonautics, embarked on a study of manned space flight. Moscow was determined to get a manned craft into space before Washington did, and the selection of cosmonauts became quite urgent as a result. Thousands of eligible air force pilots competed for entry into the cosmonaut training centers, and Gagarin and 19 other fighter pilots passed through the ranks to earn the honorary status of being the Soviet Union's first cosmonauts.

40 years ago, mankind's knowledge of the universe is still quite limited, let what kind of people as cosmonauts, no one's heart. Good physical fitness, rich driving experience, superb psychological quality, it is through the comprehensive testing of the above aspects, Gagarin became the first of the 20 astronauts. The leadership of the cosmonautical base favored Gagarin because he was the best prepared among the young men with similar conditions. Sergei Korolev, the chief designer of the spacecraft, said that Gagarin combined "natural bravery, an analytical mind, hard work and modesty". It was later discovered that Gagarin's mental qualities were truly exceptional, and that even in the moments leading up to liftoff, Gagarin's pulse remained at about 64 beats per minute.

Maldemenov, a radio expert who was in charge of radio contact with Gagarin at the base, has never been interviewed in 40 years, but agreed to be interviewed by independent Russian television on the 40th anniversary of man's entry into space. In fact, he said, some details of Gagarin's flight were kept secret for so long that they became state secrets. Gagarin entered the spacecraft two hours ahead of schedule, and unpleasantness ensued. First, it was discovered that the hatch had been left open, and then it was realized that Gagarin had forgotten to turn on the communications switch and was unable to contact the ground. In a moment of desperation, Maldjemenov used a small radio to tune out the frequency and finally restored contact with Gagarin. But there was still a long time to go before the ignition, in order to make Gagarin not too nervous and lonely, the Chief Designer asked me to play some music for Gagarin, and I played him a popular song by Okudjevi. At the last instant of the countdown seconds, Gagarin shouted the famous line that has been immortalized for generations: "Flying!" There was no video system between the ground and the ship, and the base only heard his voice but not his person. The entire flight was recorded, and the disks weighed 40 kilograms. The disks were later put into boxes. The seal affixed to the mouth of the case reads, "Top secret for permanent preservation."

After the first space flight, Gagarin took an active part in training other cosmonauts, becoming a cosmonaut captain in May 1961 and in December 1963 was promoted to deputy director of the Cosmonaut Training Center. While training other cosmonauts, he did not give up training himself, dreaming of going into space again, and in April 1967 he completed his training in preparation for the first flight of the Soyuz spacecraft, becoming a substitute for cosmonaut Komarov. In addition to his cosmonautical training, he did not give up flying fighter planes and continued his flying studies at the Zhukovsky Aviation Military Academy, graduating in 1968.

On March 27, 1968, he and his flight instructor, Seryogin, were killed when a two-seat jet crashed during a routine training flight. After his death, Gagarin's ashes were buried in a niche in the wall of the Kremlin, his hometown of Gezatsk was named Gagarin City, and the cosmonaut training center where he trained was named after him. To commemorate Gagarin's first foray into space, Russia has designated April 12 each year as Cosmonautics Day, on which solemn commemorative events are held to honor the heroic figure.

Writings: "The Road to the Universe (Notes of a Soviet Cosmonaut)"; "Fiery Feelings! (A Collection of Remarks, Letters, and Interviews)"; "Psychology and the Universe" (co-authored with Lebedev).

Biography:

March 9, 1934: born in the town of Gzhatsk, on the western border of Moscow, USSR.

May 1941: Gagarin began attending school, which was interrupted a month later when German troops invaded the former Soviet Union. After the war, he returns to school.

1951: Leaves technical school to become a trained goldsmith and continues his studies at the Industrial College, learning to fly in his spare time.

1955: Graduates from the academy and joins the Soviet Air Force as a pilot.

1957: Became a test pilot.

1960: Joins the Cosmonaut Corps and is later chosen to be the first person to travel in space.

April 12, 1961: Gagarin orbits the Earth 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) in 108 minutes.

1960s: became director of the cosmonaut training program.

March 27, 1968: died in a plane crash during a routine test flight

Gagarin's death and his descendants

On March 27, 1968, Gagarin died in a plane crash during a training exercise in a jet two-seater, killed along with flight instructor Seryogin. The government set up a special commission to investigate the crash, but the results of the investigation were never released. There have been many different stories and versions of the cause of Gagarin's death. It is said that the members of the working committee for the investigation of the accident, all of whom were first-rate specialists, investigated every detail of the operation, from the technical equipment to the entire operation of the pilots, but did not find any anomalies, and technically could not find any cause for the accident. But the accident happened, and the experts had to speculate on what had happened: first, that the pilot might have used the clouds as a sudden obstacle during his descent; second, that a flock of birds had appeared; and third, that the plane had gotten caught in the wake of another airplane or in the rising longitudinal air currents.

Gagarin's grandson, also named Yuri, shares the same name as his maternal grandfather, Gagarin. It is a Russian tradition to honor elders by gifting the names of their intergenerational elders to small children. Even though 11-year-old Yuri had been to his grandfather's hometown many times, he was still interested in seeing the "Volga" car in the yard. It was the prize that Gagarin received for his first space flight. By the way, awarding cars to cosmonauts has long been a Moscow tradition.

Gagarin's sister Zoya recalls that in the spring of 1961, even the closest relatives could not have guessed what Yuri was preparing to do. Before his last business trip, he said to his mother, "Mom, I'm going on a business trip." The mother asked, "Son, is it far?" "Yeah, far, Mom." "How far is it?" "Well, far away." Gagarin and his wife, Valentina, were married in 1957, and in 1959 their eldest daughter, Yelena, was born, and their youngest daughter, Galina, was born a month before her father went into space. At the time of Gagarin's death, Valentina was 33 years old, and the two girls, the eldest 9 and the youngest 7, were born. Although she never faced any financial difficulties, raising two children on her own was still incredibly difficult for Valentina. Today, both children are long past their prime and have careers and families of their own. Yelena graduated from the History Department of Moscow University, has been working in art theory, has an associate's degree, and currently works at the Pushkin Museum of Plastic Arts. Galina also had an associate's degree, but not in art history, but in regional economics. She graduated from the Plekhanov School of Economics and has been working there ever since. 11-year-old Yuri is her son, and people say the boy looks just like his grandfather.