The first man in space: Yuri Gagarin
On the morning of April 12th, 1961, the chimes atop the Kremlin’s Spassky tower greeted the new day. A day that would see the name Yuri Gagarin rise from virtual anonymity to worldwide acclaim. Monday is the 49th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering single orbit trip around the Earth. With a total flight time of 108 minutes, his journey opened the first chapter in the history of manned spaceflight.
Born in the western Russian village of Klushino on March 9th 1934, Yuri Gagarin lived with his 3 siblings and parents. His mother was an avid reader and his father was a carpenter. Later, as German forces invaded their country, Yuri’s father joined the Russian Army. Soon afterward, his mother relocated the family away from the war zone.
As a young boy, Yuri fantasized about the planets and making a trip to space. In high school, his interest in technology began to emerge. Later, he enrolled in an industrial college and began training to forge and cast metals. He joined a local aero club to learn about aircraft and took his first flying lessons. Following college, he enlisted in the Soviet air force to train as a fighter pilot. Upon earning his wings, he was initially assigned to patrol the Norwegian border, but his courage and prowess soon led to reassignment as test pilot for experimental aircraft.
Seeking recruits for their top secret manned space program, Soviet officials searched air bases around the country. The arduous selection process worked through over 3,000 candidate applications and in early 1960, Gagarin became one of twenty named as the first members of the cosmonaut corps.
On April 9th, 1961 Gagarin learned that he would make the first launch a few days later. A combination of humble background, amiable personality and media savvy made him the logical choice for the risky venture. This time, Gagarin would be a passenger not a pilot. Mission planners plotted a fully automated flight since no one knew what effect space would have on a human. The capsule’s control stick was disengaged to safeguard against pilot error. Although a bypass code was kept in a sealed envelope within Gagarin’s reach in case of emergency.
All went smoothly during the ascent and orbit of Vostok 1, but the return phase provided some tense moments when, due to a malfunction, the service module did not separate from the capsule as planned. The capsule and service module remained connected by some wiring causing the pair to gyrate wildly until the wires finally melted. The capsule then righted itself to the proper attitude in time for re-entry.
At an altitude of about 23,000 feet, Yuri Gagarin ejected from the capsule and parachuted back to Earth. Engineers had not yet solved the problem of the Vostok capsule’s fatal impact velocity. A fact not disclosed by Soviet authorities to prevent disqualification by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. The FAI is the body responsible for rules and certification of aeronautical and space flight records. In 1961, FAI requirements stated that a pilot must take off and land with his craft for a flight to be certified. A feat that NASA and astronaut Alan Shepard would achieve less than one month later with the Mercury program’s Freedom 7.
