On April 12, 1961, the USSR launched into space “Vostok 1&rdquo ;. It is the first manned spacecraft. Yuri Gagarin is on board.
The first cosmonaut must have excellent training and become the face of the Soviet state, presenting it to the world with dignity. Gagarin possesses precisely these qualities, and this is one of the determining factors in his selection for the first flight. The last word went to Nikita Khrushchev, at that time First Secretary of the Communist Party ruling in the USSR, the CPSU. When he is shown the photos of the first cosmonauts, without hesitation he chooses Gagarin.
Gagarin's first words in open space were “Let's go!”. Gagarin's call sign is “Kedr”. The ship makes one trip around the Earth, lasting 1 hour and 48 minutes, and is headed for a landing in the Saratov Region. Since the landing systems of “Vostok 1” were not sufficiently tested, at an altitude of 7 km Gagarin decided to eject and land with a parachute. The landing was successfully made near the lander.
The news travels around the world like lightning. After two days, he was solemnly welcomed on Red Square in Moscow in front of tens of thousands of enthusiastic people who came to see him. For this flight, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union and was promoted to the rank of major, and April 12 began to be celebrated as the International Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics.