On April 12, 1961, Major Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin became the first human to orbit Earth aboard Vostok 1. The mission lasted ...

As Vostok 1 made history in April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space, but the most dangerous part of the mission was hidden for years. From a violent re-entry spin to the truth about ...

President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was having a rough time of it in April 1961. In office for less than three months, Kennedy was facing down what he and his advisers suspected to be an untrustworthy ...

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (photo) became the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first manned orbital flight in Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961. The flight, at a mere 108 minutes ...

Crushed into the pilot's seat by heavy G-forces, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin saw flames outside his spacecraft and prepared to die. His voice broke the tense silence at ground control: “I’m burning.

Sure, you remember Neil Armstrong, but are you also a fan of Yuri Gagarin? The Russian cosmonaut became the first human to orbit in space when he flew the Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961. On the ...

Sixty years ago today, on April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made history by becoming the first human to travel into space. Launching aboard the Vostok 3KA-3 spacecraft, Gagarin circled ...

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin stepped into his Vostok 1 spacecraft, started the pre-flight checks, and waited for countdown. Hours later, he muttered one of the most beautiful, yet ...

Cosmonautics Day is celebrated on April 12 each year in Russia. It is a holiday dedicated to the first manned space flight in 1961, when Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth on board the Vostok 1 spaceship.

This coming Monday marks 60 years since the first human being left the Earth and reached space, and 40 years since the first space shuttle launch. On April 12, 1961, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the ...