Yury Alekseyevich
Gagarin (1934-1968) was a Soviet cosmonaut, born near Smolensk. After graduating from
technical and vocational schools, he enrolled at the Soviet air force cadet training
centre at Orenburg, graduating as a pilot in 1957. On April 12, 1961, Gagarin, then a
major in the air force, became the first man to travel in space when he rode aboard the
earth satellite Vostok (later referred to as Vostok 1) on a 27,400 km/hr (17,000 mph)
single orbit of the earth. The flight lasted 1 hr 48 min, on an elliptical course having
an apogee of 327 km (203 mi) and a perigee of 180 km (112 mi). He was killed in the crash
of a test aircraft.