The flight of Yuri Gagarin into space was a grandiose event for all mankind. The name of the first cosmonaut was included in world history. You will learn about the details of the first space travel, the dangers that lay in wait for a person in the unknown spaces of the Universe, from this article.
Purpose of the flight
During the first flight on the Vostok spacecraft, Gagarin had to make one revolution around the Earth. The flight altitude was to be 180-230 kilometers, duration - 80 minutes. During an extraterrestrial journey, the astronaut needed to find out how a person feels in outer space on a ship specially equipped for his life, evaluate the operation of all aircraft systems, and check communication with the Earth. Gagarin had to make sure that the means of landing the cosmonaut and the ship were safe and reliable. How long did Gagarin's flight last? You will learn about this by reading this article.
Possible risks
The USSR participated in the space race. There was information that in 1961 (April 20) the Americans plan to send a man into space. Therefore, the decision on who will become the first cosmonaut was made very quickly. At a meeting of the Civil Code, the candidacy of Yuri Gagarin was approved, German Titov became his understudy. The ship "Vostok" was also created in a short time. The equipment of the aircraft has been greatly simplified. The designers had to sacrifice the ship's soft landing and emergency rescue systems at the start. In addition, there was no backup braking system on the ship. This decision was motivated by the fact that in such a low orbit it would leave the trajectory and fall to the Earth itself due to natural causes - deceleration on the upper atmosphere. This process, according to experts, was supposed to take ten days. For the same time were calculated About how long Gagarin's space flight actually lasted - further.
Start
The launch of the Vostok spacecraft was carried out at 09:07 Moscow time, in 1961, with Gagarin on board, a pilot-cosmonaut who decided to conquer outer space, despite the possible risk to life and health. Before the start, Yuri said the legendary phrase: "Let's go!" The Vostok worked satisfactorily, but at the last stage the radio control system failed, so the third stage engine was turned off after the ship was in space. The real altitude of the orbit, along which the spacecraft began to move, exceeded the calculated one by 100 km. According to declassified data, its parameters were 327x180 km. If the ship's braking system did not work, then under the influence of the atmosphere, the device could return to Earth from 20 to 50 days. This would mean the inevitable death of the astronaut. Everyone knows how long Gagarin's flight lasted. Fortunately, Yuri's journey ended happily.
In orbit
On the same day, the whole world learned how many minutes Gagarin's flight lasted - the cosmonaut was on board the Vostok spacecraft for 108 minutes. All this time, Yuri conducted the simplest experiments: he drank, ate, tried to write. Gagarin's attempt to put a pencil next to him led to the fact that he immediately swam away. The astronaut concluded that the necessary items in space need to be tied. Yuri recorded all his observations on a tape recorder. Since before the flight, scientists did not know how stable the human psyche would be in space, the ship's control panel was blocked. The password was in a special envelope that Gagarin had to open in orbit. According to legend, well-wishers told Yura the cherished combination of numbers (125) even before the flight.
emergency situation
How long did Gagarin's flight last? It could turn out to be much shorter and end with the death of the first cosmonaut, because the landing of the ship turned out to be no less dangerous than the launch. The braking system designed by Isaev worked with a slight flaw. The automatic separation of the compartments did not take place, as a result of which, before entering the upper atmosphere, the spacecraft was randomly thrown from side to side at a speed of 1 revolution per second. Gagarin did not lose his composure and reported to Earth about the emergency situation in conditional terms. Fortunately, the cables of the instrument-aggregate compartment burned out in more than dense layers atmosphere, and he finally separated from the ship. Further landing of the apparatus took place in a more relaxed mode. How long was Yuri Gagarin's flight? Only 108 minutes, and how many events happened in this short period of time!
Overload
The descent of the ship "Vostok", like all the others spacecraft of the same class, passed along a ballistic trajectory. This meant that the astronaut experienced tenfold G-forces during landing. Yuri was prepared for this test, and he successfully passed it. All the scientists and designers involved in the launch of the first man into space knew how long Gagarin's flight lasted, because they followed the ship in real time. However, it is unlikely that the astronaut had the opportunity to keep track of time. Psychological stress was much stronger than physical. After the ship entered the dense layers of the atmosphere, the metal plating began to melt under the influence of high temperature, the value of which increased to 3-5 thousand degrees. Streams of liquid metal trickled down the windows of the portholes. The cabin of the ship crackled menacingly. It was difficult even for an astronaut prepared for any surprises to withstand such a load on the psyche. It's interesting that wrist watch Gagarin in flight with honor passed the test of overloads and worked properly during the entire trip.
hard landing
After the Vostok dropped to seven kilometers above the Earth, Gagarin ejected. The capsule and the astronaut began to descend to earth separately, each on his own parachute. In a completely sealed spacesuit, the breathing valve did not immediately open. The astronaut almost died. The last test was the threat of sinking into the icy current of the Volga. Skillfully managing the lines, Gagarin managed to avoid this danger. He landed a few kilometers from the river bank.
Meeting on Earth
How long Gagarin's flight in space lasted no longer mattered. Thanks to his courage, incredible endurance and will to win, the cosmonaut forever imprinted his name on the pages of world history. The task was completed. The first space explorer was our compatriot, Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin. And this event is difficult to overestimate. Due to failures in the operation of the brake propulsion system, the landing took place not in the planned area, the Stalingrad region, but in the Saratov region, in the vicinity of the city of Engels. According to the official version, Corporal V. G. Sapeltsev was the first to notice Gagarin, and Major A. N. Gassiev met and delivered the first cosmonaut to the nearest military unit. However, according to other sources, the first people Yuri met after landing were Anna, the forester's wife, and her granddaughter Margarita. Later, the military and local residents arrived at the scene. Gagarin was taken to a military unit, from where the first cosmonaut reported to the local air defense commander about the successfully completed mission.
Glory to the hero!
Yuri Gagarin became a man-symbol who took the first step into the unknown expanses of the Universe. It is well known that he flew into space as a senior lieutenant, and landed as a major. All sorts of prizes and awards rained down on a simple Russian guy. called him not an earthly person, but "heavenly" and, contrary to etiquette, took a picture with him. Gagarin's sunny smile has become a real brand. Yuri worthily passed the test of glory. His feat showed the whole world what a Russian person is capable of. And now we are proud that it was our compatriot who made the first flight into space. Golden medal them. Yuri Gagarin is awarded to astronauts and cosmonauts who have contributed to the Federal Space Agency established a special award - the Gagarin badge. Many squares, districts, streets, boulevards, avenues are named after the first cosmonaut. The city of Gzhatsk, where Yuri spent his childhood, was renamed Gagarin. How long Gagarin's flight lasted is known all over the world. The astronaut's name is repeated on different languages with pride and admiration.
began long before man was there. Many people remember those times when seeing the planet Earth or visiting the moon was something from the fantasy world. Today, every student knows the date April 12, 1961 - flight of the first man into space. This event, which was watched by the whole world, is connected with the name of the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, his flight lasted 108 minutes.
It was a colossal success for Soviet scientists, the beginning of the history of the development of the territory of weightlessness, the whole country was waiting for Gagarin's triumphant return home. After all, no matter how well the astronaut was prepared, no one knew exactly what was happening outside our planet. Year of the first space flight knows the whole world, and April 12 has been an official holiday ever since.
The history of the study of outer space is the most striking example of the triumph of the human mind over the once recalcitrant matter. The first object that was able to fly into the Earth's orbit was created 50 years by the standards of the historical chronicle, this is quite a bit. Before made the first flight into space Yuri Gagarin, the textbook Belka and Strelka have already been there, whose return no one expected. But it took place, and the shaggy ones returned home.
The flight took place in August 1960 on the fifth satellite, during the day the animals managed to fly around the planet 17 times. It was no coincidence that white dogs were chosen - the image on the screens was black and white, so contrast was required in order to observe the behavior of Belka and Strelka. They developed a special system for training dogs, they had to get used to wearing a vest and calmly respond to surveillance sensors. Most of all, scientists were worried about how the state of weightlessness would affect the body, and it was impossible to answer this question while on Earth. This honorable task faced the shaggy astronauts.
8 months later it happened first manned flight into space. Directly before Gagarin, in March, a dog named Zvezdochka flew there. There were also future cosmonauts at the launch of the ship to make sure that the object was completely ready for a successful human flight. Senior Lieutenant Gagarin also studied the technique. After it took place first manned flight into space new discoveries were made every year.
I must say that Belka with Strelka and Yuri Gagarin are far from the first living creatures to conquer the territory of weightlessness. Before that, the dog Laika had been there, the flight of which was being prepared for 10 years and ended sadly - she died. Flying into space and turtles, mice, monkeys. The brightest flights, and there were only three of them, were made by a dog named Zhulka. Twice she launched on high-altitude rockets, the third - on a ship that turned out to be not so perfect and gave technical failures. The vessel was unable to reach orbit, and the decision to destroy it was considered.
But again there are malfunctions in the system, and the ship ahead of schedule returns home with a fall. The satellite was discovered in Siberia. No one hoped for a successful outcome of the search, not to mention the dog. But having survived a terrible accident, hunger and thirst, Zhulka escaped and lived another 14 years after the fall.
Gagarin in space. How it was
Day 12 April 1961 - began first space flights man, he became a frontier and divided the history of the development of weightless space into two periods - when a person only dreamed of the stars and the time of conquering the "dark" territory. Gagarin started as a senior lieutenant, landed in the new rank of major. Baikonur Cosmodrome, launch pad No. 1, at exactly 9:07 Moscow time, the Vostok-1 spacecraft set off with the first person on board. It took 90 minutes to fly around the planet Earth and cover 41 thousand km.
Yuri Gagarin's first space flight took place, he landed near Saratov and since then he has become one of the most revered and famous people Planets. It must be said that the astronaut had to experience a lot in flight, he was well prepared, but even the most approximate conditions at home during training cannot be compared with what actually happened. The ship tumbled repeatedly, had to endure a lot of overloads, there were failures in the system, but everything ended well. Thus, the Soviet Union won the space race with the United States.
The first manned flight into space: the most interesting
A simple Soviet guy, Yuri Gagarin, did a real feat, it was he who accomplished first flight into space this one brought real success to the young man, now he will remain forever in the hearts of people with his famous "Let's go!" and a wide, kind smile. Do we all know about this flight? There are many facts that were carefully hidden from the Soviet public until recently.
- Valentin Bondarenko could have become the first cosmonaut, but literally two weeks before the launch of the ship, he died during a fire in the pressure chamber.
- Before entering the Earth's atmosphere, there was a failure in the automation responsible for separating the compartments, so the ship tumbled for 10 minutes.
- Landing in the Saratov region was not planned, Gagarin missed by 2800 km. The first who met the astronaut were the wife and daughter of a local forester.
- When selecting dogs for flight into space, preference was given exclusively to females, since they did not raise their legs during a small need.
- Gagarin's first flight into space could end tragically, so he wrote a farewell letter to his wife, in case he did not return. Therefore, it was given not in 1961, but in 1968 after a plane crash in which the astronaut died.
German Titov was physically better prepared for the flight, but the competitor's charisma played a key role here. Despite the fact that the Americans did their best to assign the title of discoverer to themselves and disputed year of the first manned space flight arguing that they used to be there, all their judgments are unfounded.
Incredible Facts
More than 50 years ago, on April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, ushering in the era of human spaceflight. The Vostok-1 launch vehicle with Yuri Gagarin on board was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 9:07 Moscow time.
Reaching an unprecedented speed for human flight at the time, spaceship escaped the Earth's gravitational pull and entered orbit around our planet, orbiting once before re-entering the atmosphere and landing on Soviet soil.
Here are 5 interesting facts about this historic mission:
1. How long was Gagarin in space?
The entire mission lasted 108 minutes, and the flight around the Earth at a speed of 28,260 km / h took less than an hour and a half. During this time, Vostok 1 completed a not-quite-circular revolution at a maximum altitude of 327 km, before decelerating to the point where the capsule detached into the atmosphere for a ballistic reentry.
2. What kind of device was Vostok-1?
Vostok 1 was a spherical capsule that was designed to eliminate changes in the center of gravity. Thus, the ship had to ensure the comfort of a one-man crew, regardless of direction. But what it was not intended for was landing with a person on board.
Unlike later Russian spacecraft such as the modern Soyuz, Vostok 1 was not equipped with an engine to slow it down as it headed toward Earth, and therefore Gagarin had to eject before reaching Earth at an altitude of about 7 km.
3. What prevented earlier missions from reaching orbit?
One word can be said - speed. To escape the Earth's gravitational pull, the ship needed to reach a speed of 28,260 km/h, or about 8 km/s. Prior to Vostok 1, no missile was powerful enough to move at that speed. The cannonball-shaped Vostok-1 capsule helped the rocket and spacecraft reach the required speed.
4. How was Vostok tested before Gagarin's mission?
A few weeks before the flight, the prototype of the ship on which Gagarin went - Vostok 3KA-2, completed the flight, on board of which there was a mannequin the size of a man, who was named Ivan Ivanovich, and the dog Zvezdochka. Ivan was sold at Sotheby's in 1993, and the capsule was sold last year at the same auction for $2.88 million.
5. What happened before the words "Let's go"?
Gagarin is best known for his phrase "Let's go!", which he uttered when the East broke away from the Earth. But last year there were records last words Gagarin before the first flight. This data is from the on-board tape recorder, where Gagarin recorded his thoughts during the flight. Before the well-known words "Let's go", a curious dialogue with Sergei Korolev was recorded on the transcript:
Korolev: There, in the tuba, there is lunch, dinner and breakfast.
Gagarin: Clearly.
Queen: Got it?
Gagarin: Got it.
Korolev: Sausage, dragees there and jam for tea.
Gagarin: Yeah.
Queen: Got it?
Gagarin: Got it.
Queen: Here.
Gagarin: Got it.
Korolev: 63 pieces, you will be fat.
Gagarin: Ho-ho.
Korolev: You will arrive today, eat everything right away.
Gagarin: No, the main thing is that there is sausage to have a snack on moonshine.
Everyone laughs.
Korolev: An infection, but he writes down everything, you bastard. Hehe.
How did it all start? Gagarin's flight into space, which was the first in the history of mankind? And all this happened on April 12, 1961. Y. Gagarin, citizen Soviet Union, who had the rank of senior lieutenant, on the ship "Vostok" was the first person to make a space flight in orbit around the Earth. Thus, he opened the era of space flights on manned spacecraft.
The entire flight of Gagarin into space lasted 108 minutes, but despite this, it was a powerful impetus for the continuation of space exploration. Yu.A. Gagarin, as the first cosmonaut, received the rank of aviation major ahead of schedule and was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Astronaut candidate selection and preparation.
How to determine who is first obliged to fly into space, of course, this, of course, must be a pilot, moreover, a pilot of fighter jet aviation. Taking into account the specifics and possibilities of the then space technology special candidates were needed - these are people who are absolutely healthy and professionally trained, as well as disciplined and corresponding to the whole complex of physical and medical conditions.
In addition to Yu.A. Gagarin, there were still applicants for the first flight into space. There were only twenty of them. Applicants were selected among fighter pilots, this is how Korolev decided, who believed that it was precisely such pilots who had experience in overloads, as well as stressful situations and large pressure drops.
In addition, the selection of candidates was made taking into account positive characteristics, party membership, as well as political activity and social origin. Moreover, flight qualities did not play a significant role directly in the selection.
There were two leaders in the first cosmonaut training detachment, they were Yuri Gagarin and German Titov.
Of this number, twenty people selected six, this was due to the fact that Korolev was in a hurry, because there was information that somewhere at the end of April 1961, the Americans wanted to send their man into space. Therefore, the launch of the USSR planned April 11 - 17 in 1961. The first cosmonaut was determined at the last moment, it was done at a meeting of the Civil Code, it was Yu. Gagarin, and his comrade, German Titov, became an understudy.
And so, on April 3, 1961, the assembled Presidium of the Central Committee finally made a decision on manned space flight.
And five days later, on April 8, 1961, regular meeting State Commission, which decided the issue of launching the Vostok spacecraft. This commission approved the task for a man on the first space flight, which was signed by S. P. Korolev, as well as N. P. Kamanin. Here is the text -
“Perform a single-turn flight around the Earth at an altitude of about 180-230 kilometers, as well as a duration of about an hour and a half, with a landing in a given area. The purpose of the flight was also determined, it consisted in this, it was necessary to check the following: the possibility of a person staying in space on a special, equipped ship, the equipment of the ship in flight, the connection of the ship with the Earth, and also to make sure that the ship with the astronaut was necessary to land reliably.
After the end of the open part of the meeting, remaining in a narrow composition, the commission that approved Kamanin's proposal for admission to Yuri Gagarin's flight, that is, Gagarin's flight into space was to be made first, and his friend Titov should be approved for this flight as a reserve cosmonaut.
The first human space flight, Gagarin's flight into space
The participation of the USSR in the race for space exploration leads to the fact that in the work on the creation of the Vostok spacecraft they chose a number of not the best, but simple and quickly feasible solutions.
The Vostok spacecraft launched on April 12, 1961 at 09:07 Moscow time from the Baikonur cosmodrome, located in Kazakhstan, with pilot-cosmonaut Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin on board; Yuri Gagarin had the call sign "Kedr". Dana was the command "to start", then Gagarin uttered his phrase, which has long become famous: "Let's go!".
In flight, Gagarin in space, in orbit, conducted the simplest experiments: i.e. he ate, drank, made notes with a pencil. "Putting" a pencil next to him, he accidentally discovered that he immediately began to swim away. Gagarin concluded from this: pencils and other objects that are in space must be secured, i.e. tie. He recorded his feelings and observations on a tape recorder.
Upon completion of Gagarin's flight into space, the braking propulsion system, the famous designer Isaev, worked successfully, but with a slight shortfall in momentum, so the automation issued a signal to prohibit the regular division of compartments.
During the descent, at an altitude of about 7 km, exactly in accordance with the given flight plan, Yu. Gagarin ejected, after which the capsule, as well as the cosmonaut, began to descend on parachutes separately. This is where the problem arose, oddly enough it turned out to be the landing site. Yuri Gagarin parachuted into the winter river water of the Volga. But this time, Yuri Gagarin was helped by excellent pre-flight preparation - by controlling the lines, he was able to take the parachute away from the river water, and landed at a distance of about 1.5-2 kilometers from the river bank.
Return to Earth
Having made one revolution around the Earth, Yuri Gagarin at 10:55:34 at 108 minutes on his ship completed the flight.
He was first met on the ground, after the flight, by people who turned out to be the wife of a local forester Anna Takhtarova and their six-year-old granddaughter Rita. After a short time, military and local collective farmers arrived at the landing site. A group of military men, one of them guarded the descent vehicle, and the second group took Gagarin to the area where the unit was located. From here, Y. Gagarin reported the following to the air defense division commander by phone: “Please tell the Air Force Commander-in-Chief: I completed the task, landed in the assigned area, I feel good, there are no bruises or breakdowns. Gagarin.
At this time, a Mi-4 helicopter took off from the Engels airfield, the crew of which needed to find and pick up Gagarin. This crew, the crew of the Mi-4, immediately discovered the descent vehicle, but Gagarin was not next to him; local residents explained the situation, they said that Y. Gagarin had left by truck for the city of Engels.
Then the Mi-4 took off and headed for the city of Engels. From the helicopter on the road, not far from the checkpoint, they noticed a car in which Gagarin, after the report, was already heading to his descent vehicle. Here Yuri Gagarin got out of the car, waved his arms, the helicopter pilots picked him up and flew to the Engels airfield, transmitting a radiogram with the following content: "The astronaut has been taken on board, I'm going to the airfield."
At the airfield in Engels, Gagarin was already impatiently awaited, the entire leadership of the base pulled up to the helicopter ladder. Gagarin was handed a telegram from the Soviet government with congratulations. In a Pobeda car, Gagarin was taken to the command and control tower, and then to the base headquarters in order to contact Moscow.
Approximately three hours after Gagarin's arrival in Kuibyshev, Korolev and several other representatives from the State Commission arrive there. At about 9 pm they set the table and celebrate the successful flight and the return of Gagarin from space.
Given the secrecy of the first manned flight into space, as well as the fact of the launch and flight of Gagarin into space, they were not covered in advance. The widely known shots with Gagarin were filmed not on the day of the launch into space, but later, especially for the newsreel, where Gagarin repeated everything he did during the real launch.
Events after space flight Yu.A.Gagarina
Successful Conduct of the Planned Research and Fulfillment of the Flight Program On April 12, 1961, at exactly 10:55 Moscow time, the Soviet spacecraft Vostok made an accident-free landing in a given area of the Soviet Union.
Pilot-cosmonaut Major Gagarin said: "I ask you to report to the party and the government that the landing went well, I feel good, I have no injuries or bruises."
This flight of Gagarin into space opened up grandiose prospects for the conquest of space by mankind.
It was a TASS message that was prepared in advance ...
Yuri Gagarin's meeting in Moscow
Initially, no one planned such a grand meeting of Gagarin in Moscow. It was all decided at the last moment, and Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev decided it. He called the Kremlin and insistently demanded a worthy meeting with Gagarin, the first cosmonaut.
On April 14, an Il-18 flew for Gagarin; on approaching Moscow, the plane was accompanied by an honorary escort of fighters, consisting of seven MiG-17 fighters. The plane with an escort solemnly flew over the center of Moscow, then over Red Square, and landed at Vnukovo Airport, where Y. Gagarin was expected by a grand reception: a mass of jubilant people, journalists and cameramen, as well as the country's leadership.
Then there was a trip in an open "ZIL-111V", Gagarin greeted those who met them standing. Congratulations were heard all around, many waved posters. One man managed to break through the cordon and personally handed a bouquet to Gagarin. A rally was held on Red Square, at which Nikita Khrushchev announced that Yuri Gagarin had been awarded the titles of Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR.
Foreign visits
Yuri Gagarin's first trip abroad was to Czechoslovakia. He flew on a regular Tu-104 plane to Prague. The passengers of the flight, when they recognized Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, rushed for autographs.
Yuri Gagarin visited Finland twice - in 1961 and 1962.
In 1961, in July, Gagarin arrived in the UK, he was invited by the foundry union of England.
And in 1961, Gagarin managed to visit Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Finland, Great Britain, as well as Poland (July 21-22), Cuba, Brazil with a short stop on the island of Curacao, visited Canada in the same year with a stop in Iceland, Hungary, India, Ceylon, Afghanistan.
In general, Yu.A. Gagarin visited almost all countries of the world, where he was greeted joyfully and kindly.
Thus began an era, the era of the exploration of near space by mankind!
April 12 is forever inscribed in the history of mankind as Cosmonautics Day!
“My gaze stopped on the clock,” Yuri Gagarin described the flight in the book “The Road to Space,” “the hands showed 9 hours 7 minutes Moscow time. I heard a whistle and an ever-increasing rumble, felt the gigantic ship tremble with its entire hull and slowly, very slowly, tear itself away from the launcher. The struggle of the rocket with the force of gravity began ... The powerful engines of the rocket created the music of the future, probably even more exciting and beautiful than the greatest creations of the past.
When the spacecraft was launched into orbit, the cosmonaut maintained radio contact with the Mission Control Center (MCC), watched the light signaling on the instrument panel, and controlled the separation of the rocket stages. Gagarin endured the effect of overloads and vibrations during takeoff quite satisfactorily. Soon a state of weightlessness set in, but this did not affect his well-being. During the flight, the astronaut ate food packed in tubes and drank water. All onboard equipment in the first human space flight operated in automatic mode.
“When I first looked from the porthole of a spaceship at our planet,” Yu. A. Gagarin later wrote, “I admired the beauty of the blooming Earth.” At 10:25, after the orbit around the globe, there was a command to descend. The braking propulsion system was switched on, and the descent began. The load increased. The ship began to spin. Gagarin barely had time to close himself so that the dazzling light of the Sun did not fall into his eyes, but did not use the curtains, waiting for the separation of the descent vehicle. He knew that this should happen 10 12 seconds after the start of braking. It seemed to the astronaut that more time had passed, but there was no separation, and the rotation continued. Deciding that in such an abnormal situation, he would still land somewhere before Far East, Gagarin transmitted to Earth: "VN" everything is fine. The rotation of the ship suddenly slowed down, the thermal protection caught fire. Through the porthole, the astronaut saw the light of the flame raging around the ship. The overload gradually increased, and I had to strain, which helped to transfer it.
At an altitude of 7 km, the vehicle's speed was extinguished sufficiently, the hatch cover was shot off, and the cosmonaut ejected along with the chair, and at an altitude of 4 km the parachute opened. On April 12, 1961, at 10:55 Moscow time, Yu. A. Gagarin landed near the village of Smelovka, Ternovsky District, Saratov Region.
“No,” the cosmonaut's wife later said, “perhaps, calling this day the pinnacle of his life would not be entirely correct. The top - this means that further down the path, the ascent is completed. Yuri dreamed of new heights. He dreamed of movement. He saw the meaning of human existence in him ... "" An unprecedented stream of glory fell on the first cosmonaut, - recalled the deputy commander for space air force General N. P. Kamanin. - After a difficult space road, a difficult earthly one began. The whole world demanded Gagarin. Everyone wanted to know something about his life, hobbies, habits ... "
On April 14, 1961, the plane with the first cosmonaut on board landed at Vnukovo Airport. A gangway drove up, Yu. A. Gagarin left the cabin and began to descend onto the path. “I had to go, and go alone,” he later shared his thoughts. - And I went. Never, even there, in the spaceship, have I been more excited than I am at this moment. The path was long, long. And while I was walking along it, I was able to pull myself together. Under the lenses of television eyes, movie cameras and cameras, I go forward. I know everyone is looking at me. And suddenly I feel something that no one noticed - the lace of the shoe was untied. Now I will step on it and, with all the honest people, I will stretch out on the red carpet. That will be embarrassing and laughter - he didn’t fall in space, but fell down on level ground ... "
The meeting was great. In total, during his first flight, Yuri spent 108 minutes in space. Yu. A. Gagarin became a national hero and the idol of many people on the planet.
