Yuri Gagarin – First man in space

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By Narendra V

Yuri Gagarin was Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. On 12 April, 1961 he became first human in space when his spacecraft Vostok 1 orbited Earth. He was Colonel in Soviet Air Force. He was selected for space program along with 20 others, who had their rigorous training and Gagarin was selected.

Vostok 1 was very small capsule. it has room for only one person. It orbited earth and returned. The total time he was in space was 1 hour 48 minutes. After successful space flight Gagarin became celebrity worldwide. He received Hero of the Soviet Union, highest honour in Soviet Union. Victory parades were held throughout the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries. In 1968 he died in a plane crash.