Yuri's Night marks the first human space flight
On this day in 1961, 27-year-old cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, become the first human in space. Last year, the 50th anniversary of that first flight, the United Nations declared the day International Day of Human Space Flight.
Posted — UpdatedOn this day in 1961, 27-year-old cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, become the first human in space. Also on this day in 1981, NASA launched the first space shuttle mission, in part due to a two-day delay to resolve a technical problem.
Gagarin returned a hero but never flew in space again. The only activity he saw again in the program was as a part of the backup crew for the ill-fated Soyuz 11 mission. He later served as deputy training director of cosmonaut training. While going through the process to re-certify as a fighter pilot in 1968, Gagarin and his flight instructor were killed when their MIG crashed. Both are interred in Red Square along with the crew of the Soyuz 11.
Thursday’s anniversary was established in 1962 as Cosmonautics Day in the Soviet Union and is marked each year with celebrations and parades. Last year, the 50th anniversary of that first flight, the United Nations declared the day International Day of Human Space Flight.
Tony Rice is a volunteer in the NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador program and software engineer at Cisco Systems. You can follow him on twitter @rtphokie.
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.