April 12 is Cosmonautics Day
- Yuri Gagarin on a bus heading to the Vostok-1 launch site. Next to him sits backup cosmonaut German Titov*. Photographed on April 12, 1961.
2 and 3. Vostok Rocket Launch This is a breathtaking shot of the Vostok rocket launching, carrying Yuri Gagarin into space. The launch took place on April 12, 1961, from the Baikonur* Cosmodrome. This launch marked the first human spaceflight, ushering in a new era of exploration.
4.During his worldwide tour*, Yuri Gagarin visited dozens of countries, showcasing the USSR's achievements and strengthening international ties.
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin died on March 27, 1968, during a training flight in a MiG-15UTI aircraft along with instructor Vladimir Seryogin. The circumstances of the accident remain controversial among experts. The official commission determined the cause of the accident to be the pilot's loss of spatial orientation, which led to a sudden maneuver and the aircraft's stall. However, alternative theories exist, including a collision with another object or a technical malfunction.
*As part of the "Peace Mission", after his historic flight, Yuri Gagarin visited about 30 countries.
*for the first time in history, a whole day in orbit
*the world's oldest, largest operating cosmodrome and the main space port, from which the first satellite (1957) and the first human, Yuri Gagarin were launched