THE FIRST MAN IN SPACE: YURI GAGARIN
Yuri Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934 in Klushino. His father, Alexei Ivanovich Gagarin, was a carpenter and his mother, Anna Timofeyevna Gagarin, worked on a farm as a milkmaid. Yuri Gagarin was the third of the family's four children. Yuri Gagarin's childhood was spent under the threat of World War II. When the Germans invaded Moscow in November 1941, the war also hit the Gagarin family. The family was forced to live in a mud hut. Later, Yuri Gagarin's two brothers were taken prisoner by the Nazis and sent to Poland. After the end of World War II, Yuri Gagarin moved to Gzhatsk in 1946, where he continued his secondary school education. It was during these years that he became interested in space and planets. He even dreamed of space flights.
After a period of apprenticeship as a foundry worker in a metal factory, Gagarin was selected for further studies at a technical high school in Saratov. His favorite subjects were mathematics and physics. His success in these subjects was noticeable. Here, Gagarin joined a club called "AeroClub" and learned how to fly light aircraft. At this point he realized that his dream was to become a pilot.
In 1955, he was planning to enter the Soviet Army. But then he changed his mind and entered the Chkalov Air Force Pilot School. Two years later, he was able to fly the MiG-15 on his own. When he made his first flight, he was often praised for his ability to handle an airplane and make a smooth landing. "He will be a great pilot," said his instructor and mentor Dmitry Pavlovich Martyanov. Yuri Gagarin graduated with high honors and was promoted to the rank of Senior Lieutenant in 1959.
He served as a military pilot between 1957 and 1960. His first assignment as a fighter pilot was at a Soviet Air Force base at the poles, where he made his first flights under the polar lights. While he was stationed there, the Soviets launched Luna-3, which photographed the far side of the Moon for the first time. Yuri Gagarin was so impressed by this event that he said at that point that a manned space flight should happen soon.
When the Soviet Union set its sights on sending a man into space, a secret nationwide selection process began in 1960. Gagarin became a member of the Soviet space program in 1960 after intensive screening and was selected for an elite training group known as the "Sochi Six," the first cosmonauts of the Vostok program. Gagarin and other prospective cosmonauts were subjected to experiments designed to test physical and psychological endurance; they also trained for the upcoming flight. As one might expect, the training was highly demanding and stressful. Gagarin spent long periods of time in rooms called sensory deprivation, was subjected to weightlessness experiments, tested for endurance in heat chambers, and flew test flights under enormous pressure, with his every reaction monitored. For example, he had to solve extremely difficult math equations while a loudspeaker played very loudly. This is exactly where Yuri Gagarin was different. Gagarin seemed to have all the qualities that form the basis of being a cosmonaut/astronaut and the rungs of the ladder to space. Even under so much stress and pressure, he remained calm. He worked relentlessly until the end of the trainings and never compromised his cheerfulness and sense of humor while doing all this. His fellow cosmonauts described Gagarin during the training days as follows: "He is a very good friend. Whatever he does, he does it with his heart, he is principled, brave and determined. He is also a humble leader."
Yuri Gagarin later became one of the first cosmonauts of the Vostok Program, the Soviet Union's manned spaceflight program. Of the 20 selected, the final choices for the first flight were Gagarin and Gherman Titov because of their physical characteristics as well as their performance in training. Space was at a premium on the small Vostok spacecraft and both men were quite short. Gagarin was 1.57 meters tall. So his height was a great advantage for Gagarin.
In August 1960, when Gagarin was one of 20 possible candidates, an air force doctor described Gagarin's personality as follows: "He is quite modest. He is embarrassed even when his humor is a little bawdy. He has a high degree of intellectual development. His memory, which can be called fantastic, is incredible. He distinguishes himself from his colleagues by his keen and comprehensive sense of attention to his surroundings. He has a powerful imagination. His reflexes are extremely fast. He is determined, meticulously preparing himself for his activities and training exercises. He handles celestial mechanics and mathematical formulas with ease and excels in higher mathematics. If he feels justified, he does not feel forced or constrained when he has to defend his point of view. He seems to understand life better than many of his friends."
Gagarin was also loved and respected by his colleagues. They asked 20 candidates anonymously to say which candidate they wanted to fly first. All but three of the crew voted for Gagarin.
Finally, the day everyone had been waiting for with bated breath arrived. On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin was launched into space at 09:07 from Baikonur Cosmodrome with the Vostok-1 vehicle. As a result of the successful launch, he managed to become the first human being to go into space. Yuri Gagarin also became the first man to orbit the earth. After reaching a height of 187 miles (301 km), he landed at 10.55.
With this achievement, Yuri Gagarin made perhaps the most important breakthrough in humanity's space adventure. He gained worldwide fame. Gagarin's flight escalated the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, which were locked in a Cold War after World War II. The United States would respond to the Soviet Union's move by sending a man to the Moon for the first time in 8 years.
Yuri Gagarin had captured the attention of the world's media. He became the Soviet Union's trump card in the space race. He was named Hero of the Soviet Union by the Soviet Union government. Gagarin visited many countries around the world to celebrate his success. In 1962, he began to help the Soviet Union with various missions. The government was trying to prevent Gagarin, who had become the favorite of the whole world, from flying to protect him from any accident.
In 1957, Yuri Gagarin married Valentina Ivanovna Goryacheva, whom he had met while studying at the Chkalov Pilot School. The couple had two children.
Yuri Gagarin died on March 27, 1968 during a test flight in an MiG-15 model plane. For years, various rumors have been put forward about Gagarin's accident. Among them were claims that he was drunk during the flight or that he was deliberately killed. Another claim is that the pilot's cabin suddenly opened during the flight, Gagarin lost control of the plane, and if he had 2 more seconds, he had a chance to regain control. Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space and the pioneer of the space age, passed away at the age of 34 while practicing his beloved profession.
What made Gagarin so special was that he put his whole heart into this achievement and inspired humanity with his courage. His personal passion for airplanes and space, combined with dedication and faith, made him a hero who will never be forgotten. Yet he was aware of the potential dangers of such a mission, and no one, including himself, knew if he would survive the journey. Nevertheless, he faced all the difficulties and dangers without losing his cheerfulness and made a journey that would influence space travel in history. As humanity, we have come a long way on this path that he pioneered and illuminated with his light, and we will continue to do so. We owe a lot to Yuri Gagarin, who taught us that being a cosmonaut/astronaut is not only about physical competence, but also about humility, a good heart, perseverance, determination, passion and courage. We end our article with the very meaningful words of Korolev, the chief designer of the Soviet Space Program, about Yuri's ascent into space: "A good pilot is one who can make enough observations in one minute of flight and draw enough conclusions to keep an entire institute busy for a year. A bad pilot can fly for a week, but only get enough information for an hour's work. What pleased us so much about Gagarin was that he could see so much in 108 minutes and enrich science with valuable information and results."
