First flight into space. Gagarin's space flight: what you should know about one of the main events of the 20th century The first manned space flight April 12, 1961

OUR MOTHERLAND HAS OPENED A NEW ERA IN HUMAN HISTORY

THE FLIGHT OF A SOVIET MAN INTO SPACE WAS COMPLETED IN THE NAME OF PEACE, PROGRESS, AND HAPPINESS OF PEOPLE

TASS REPORT

9:52 am According to data received from the Vostok spacecraft, at 9:52 am Moscow time, pilot-cosmonaut Major Gagarin, being above South America, conveyed: “The flight is going well, I feel good.”

10:15 At 10:15 Moscow time, pilot-cosmonaut Major Gagarin, flying over Africa, transmitted from the Vostok spacecraft: “The flight is proceeding normally, I can tolerate the state of weightlessness well.”

10:25 At 10:25 Moscow time, after the flyby globe in accordance with the given program, the braking propulsion system was turned on and spacecraft- the satellite with pilot-cosmonaut Major Gagarin began to descend from orbit to land in a given area Soviet Union.

ABOUT THE SUCCESSFUL RETURN OF A MAN FROM THE FIRST SPACE FLIGHT

After successfully carrying out the planned research and completing the flight program on April 12, 1961 at 10:55 a.m. Moscow time soviet ship"Vostok" made a safe landing in a given area of ​​the Soviet Union.

Pilot-cosmonaut Major Gagarin said: “Please report to the party and the government and personally to Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev that the landing went well, I feel good, I have no injuries or bruises.”

The implementation of human flight into outer space opens up grandiose prospects for the conquest of space by mankind.

COSMONAUT-15 ABOUT COSMONAUT-1

Gagarin's flight

I heard about Gagarin's flight on the radio. Despite the fact that I had known about the preparations for the flight for a long time, the message gave me the impression of an exploding bomb. I did not know in advance either the launch date or the name of the astronaut. And it happened! Man in space! Flying over the Earth! Alone in this endless lifeless space! What a fantasy! Hardly anyone can imagine what is in his soul right now. Delight in what he feels and sees? A celebration of a dream come true? Joy personal feat? Or something else? Maybe, lately he lived with thoughts about this flight. And it was not the study of the ship or parachute jumps that filled his inner world, but something stronger. The very thing that inspired him to fly. After all, being very young, he understood that he was really risking his life, but, nevertheless, he made up his mind and achieved his goal!

I've never thought about this before. We discussed technical issues, argued about which controls would be convenient for a person and which would be inconvenient, but did not take into account internal state future cosmonaut. After all, declaring his desire to fly, he had to answer the question: is he harnessing his life correctly? And this is when there is no war, there is good profession, family and so many interesting things around. But he chose such a risky flight.

I remember well my reaction when I first heard about the selection of candidates for the first flight from employees of our department who had returned from the Kazakhstan test site, the place from which space rockets now launch. The first unmanned satellite-ship was being prepared for launch there. The guys said that at the test site the management discussed which professions best form the qualities that are most important for an astronaut. The first to be named were fighter pilots. Each of them is accustomed to heights and to the fact that one bears full responsibility for the flight. Submariners were considered second. They can be isolated for a long time, separated from normal earthly life, and at the same time perform very responsible functions. Finally, engineers were named as the third group - people who are professionally best prepared to study the structure of the ship and control its operation.

When they said the word "engineers", it seemed to hit me electric shock, as if someone said “you”. And some kind of internal trembling ran through, as if the choice had already been made. The trace of this feeling remained with me for a long time. Gagarin probably had something similar before his flight. Maybe differently colored, but most likely more vibrant - after all, he had a real perspective, and not an abstract fantasy.

Later I learned that the choice was made of pilots and six people were selected. Once I saw them on the territory of our enterprise. They quickly moved from one building to another, clearly trying to be unnoticed. I then felt a feeling of deep respect for these people. It was necessary to have a strong character to take on a grandiose task.

I did not have the opportunity to take part in the preparation of the cosmonauts for the first flight. I dealt only with issues related to the creation of a management system. At that time, much was unclear to us. For example, we did not know whether the Earth would be visible from the ship at night; Is it possible to distinguish the night Earth from the starry sky - the lights of big cities sometimes shine the same way as the stars. We didn’t know whether it would be possible to determine the direction of flight when the ship was above the ocean - there were no landmarks on the surface of the water, and we did not have sufficient data on how often clouds would be encountered and what they looked like from above. The system allowed the astronaut to turn the ship in any direction, but he had to determine the position of the ship visually, and we hoped that after the flight the astronaut would tell us in which situations this was possible and in which it was not.

How much debate there was about whether to allow an astronaut to participate in the control of the spacecraft! It was believed that he might not be able to cope with the psychological stress of flying and would begin to act recklessly. In this case, having taken control himself, he can destroy himself. As a result, they decided to complicate the procedure for turning on the system to such an extent that, in the absence of sound thinking, the astronaut would not be able to complete it. The system was locked with a combination lock, similar to those now installed on entrance doors. The code was not communicated to the astronaut. It was printed on a sheet of paper, which was sealed in an envelope, and the envelope had to be placed in one of the wall pockets in the cabin before the start. It was assumed that if the astronaut could find the code, enter it and then turn on the system, then he would be able and intelligently to control the ship. It was interesting to know whether Gagarin took out the envelope. I would probably take it out and look at the code - just in case, so as not to waste time if I need to act quickly. Does he retain the management technique in his memory? It seems like we wrote it quite recently. I remember well how it was.

One afternoon Rauschenbach called me and asked me to take a secret notebook and wait for him in the evening. He arrived late, when there was no one else in the department. He sat down opposite me and said that I urgently needed to write a manual orientation method. And he began to dictate it:

Write: “With the correct orientation, the image of the Earth’s horizon in Vzor should occupy a position symmetrical relative to the center of the device.”

I'm writing. “Gaze” was the name given to the optical device with which the astronaut must control the position of the spacecraft relative to the Earth. Rauschenbach continues:

Write on a separate line: “Attention.”

No, no, all in capital letters: “ATTENTION.” Put three exclamation points. So. From a new line: “In the central field of view, the image earth's surface must “run” from the feet to the devices.” Have you written?

Add an exclamation point. God forbid he gets confused. Again from a new line: “If the Earth is visible at the top of the “Gaze,” tilt the handle down and hold it in the tilted position until...”

And so he dictated all the instructions. He asked my consent with her only out of politeness. Then he says: “Let’s read together to see if we made a mistake somewhere.” We read it and came to the conclusion that everything is correct. I took the technique to the typing bureau, and the next morning Rauschenbach went with it to the cosmonauts - to a small military unit located not far from the town of Chkalovskaya near Moscow. There, in the forest behind the fence, the pilots were preparing for a historic flight.

There was nothing complicated in the technique, but when life depends on the correctness of actions, doubts may arise even where it is simple.

While I was trying to mentally imagine the state of the astronaut in orbit, a new message was transmitted over the radio: “The flight has been successfully completed, the spacecraft has landed in the specified area, Gagarin is feeling well.”

Then they did not announce that Gagarin landed not in the descent module, but next to it. The ship did not have a soft landing system, so automatic ejection of the astronaut at a low altitude was provided. After this, the astronaut and the vehicle descended on different parachutes independently of each other. Judging by the message, everything went well.

So, the first manned flight into space took place! What does it mean? Large scientific and technical achievement? Undoubtedly. However, before Gagarin's flight, two flights of exactly the same ships were carried out according to exactly the same program, but with dummies on board. And they also ended successfully. They just weren't reported. Has the possibility of human life in a confined space been verified? And this was done on Earth in advance. Human tolerance to the overloads that accompany flight has also been repeatedly tested in centrifuge studies. Then what happened? The main significance of the event is, perhaps, that the most important psychological milestone has been passed. Gagarin's flight showed that man can fly into space. A person can maintain efficiency and a normal mental state at all stages of space flight - during takeoff on a rocket, in prolonged weightlessness and when the descent vehicle, like a meteor, surrounded by hot plasma, moves in the Earth’s atmosphere.

A day later, Yuri Gagarin was met in Moscow. It seems like all of Moscow. This event left no one indifferent. People either went out into the street to see Gagarin with their own eyes as he drove from the airfield to the Kremlin, or watched what was happening on television. An award ceremony took place, then there was a rally on Red Square, the country's leadership arranged a large reception, and an atmosphere of general celebration reigned everywhere. The people celebrated the victory of human genius, skill and courage. Gagarin became a symbol of this victory.

And a day later there was a meeting with Gagarin at our enterprise. It was organized by Korolev. He wanted people to see the man who trusted them with his life; I wanted to thank and congratulate everyone on their success. The President of the Academy of Sciences M.V. Keldysh, Commander-in-Chief, came to the meeting Air Force K.A. Vershinin and the pilots who, together with Gagarin, were preparing for the flight. The meeting took place on the street. The guests stood on a hastily made platform, and we all stood around, whoever managed to get a seat. Thousands of people worked at the enterprise and everyone came. Every place from where one could see Gagarin was occupied. They stood on the roads, near open windows in rooms, on the roofs of adjacent buildings.

Oddly enough, even those who created the ship were very impressed by the flight. In preparation for it, everyone worked on some relatively small task. At the same time, he understood that a flight was being prepared, but mostly he thought about his own business. And now it suddenly dawned on everyone that a huge event had happened. Unheard of possibilities opened up before people - a road opened up beyond what belongs to the Earth. Flights into space are flights into new world. It was difficult to imagine how this would affect our lives. It is only clear that an inexhaustible source of new knowledge, and perhaps new material values, has appeared. Now it's forever. Further flights will be longer and more complex, but the most important and most difficult - the first step has already been taken. It is quite obvious that the most interesting programs awaited us ahead. The speakers at the meeting spoke about this and those gathered thought about it. Of course, we were all very happy about the success, proud that the flight was carried out in our country, and that each of us had the opportunity to participate in its preparation. They left the meeting excited and everyone knew that the next ships were being manufactured in the workshops.

For many days after the flight, newspapers published materials assessing the event. Unfortunately, they were mainly politically oriented. All scientific and technical data of the flight were classified. The names of those who prepared the flight were also secret. The Queen was simply called in the articles “ Chief designer", no last name. President of the Academy of Sciences M.V. Keldysh, who was in direct charge scientific developments and who supported the program in the country's leadership, was referred to as the unnamed "Chief Theorist".

For contacts with foreigners, the Academy of Sciences allocated several scientists who were not directly related to space programs, so they could not give away secrets, but were known to the world community.

How did it all start? Gagarin's flight into space, which was the first in human history? And all this happened on April 12, 1961. Yu. Gagarin, a citizen of the Soviet Union who had the rank of senior lieutenant, was the first person to make a space flight in orbit around the Earth on the Vostok ship. Thus, he opened the era of space flights on manned spacecraft.

Gagarin's entire flight 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.

Selection of cosmonaut candidate and preparation.

How to determine who is the first to fly into space, of course, it certainly has to be a pilot, and a fighter jet pilot at that. Taking into account the specifics and capabilities of the then space technology, special candidates were needed - people who were absolutely healthy and professionally trained, as well as disciplined and meeting the entire complex of physical and medical conditions.

In addition to Yu.A. Gagarin, there were also contenders for the first flight into space. There were only twenty of them. The applicants were selected among fighter pilots, this was decided by Korolev, who believed that it was precisely these pilots who had experience of overload, as well as stressful situations and large pressure drops.

In addition, the selection of candidates was made taking into account positive characteristics, party membership, and also took into account political activity and social origin. Moreover, flight qualities did not play a significant role directly during selection.

In the first cosmonaut training squad there were two leaders: Yuri Gagarin and German Titov.

Of this number, twenty people, six were selected, 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 USSR planned the launch on April 11-17, 1961. The first cosmonaut was determined at the last moment, this was done at a meeting of the Civil Committee, 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 just five days later, on April 8, 1961, next meeting State Commission, where the issue of launching the Vostok spacecraft was decided. This commission approved the assignment for man for the first space flight, which was signed by S.P. Korolev, as well as N.P. Kamanin. Here is the text -

“Perform a one-orbit flight around the Earth at an altitude of about 180-230 kilometers, and lasting about an hour and a half with landing in a given area. The purpose of the flight was also determined, it was 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 of the necessary reliability of the landing of the ship with the astronaut.”

After the end of the open part of the meeting, remaining in a narrow composition, the commission, which approved Kamanin’s proposal for admission to Yuri Gagarin’s flight, that is, Gagarin was to fly into space first, and his friend Titov was to 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 creating the Vostok spacecraft, a number of not the best, but simple and quickly implementable solutions were chosen.

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”. The command “to start” was given, then Gagarin uttered his long-famous phrase: “Let’s go!”

During the flight, Gagarin carried out simple experiments in space, in orbit: i.e. he ate, drank, wrote notes with a pencil. “Putting” a pencil next to him, he accidentally discovered that it immediately began to float away. Gagarin concluded from this: pencils and other, other objects that are in space must be secured, i.e. tie. He recorded his feelings and observations on a tape recorder.

At the end of Gagarin’s flight into space, the braking propulsion system, designed by the famous designer Isaev, worked successfully, but with a slight lack of momentum, so the automation issued a signal to prohibit the normal separation 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 and the cosmonaut began to descend separately by parachute. This is where the problem arose, oddly enough it turned out to be a 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 move 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 completed one revolution around the Earth, Yuri Gagarin completed his flight at 10:55:34 in the 108th minute on his ship.

The first people to meet him on the ground after the flight were 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 took guard over the descent module, and the second group took Gagarin to the area where the unit was located. From here, Yu. Gagarin reported the following by phone to the commander of the air defense division: “Please convey to the Air Force Commander-in-Chief: I completed the task, landed in the given 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 Mi-4 crew, immediately discovered the descent module, but Gagarin was not next to it; Local residents explained the situation; they said that Yuri Gagarin had left on a 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 module. Here Yu. 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 cosmonaut has been taken on board, I am heading to the airfield.”

At the airfield in Engels, they were already waiting impatiently for Gagarin; the entire leadership of the base pulled up to the helicopter ramp. Gagarin was presented with a telegram of congratulations from the Soviet government. In a Pobeda car, Gagarin was taken to the command and control center, and then to the base headquarters to contact Moscow.

About three hours after Gagarin arrived in Kuibyshev, Korolev and several other representatives from the State Commission arrived there. Around 9 pm, the table is set and Gagarin’s successful flight and return from space are celebrated.

Taking into account the secrecy of the first manned flight into space, as well as the fact of Gagarin’s launch and flight into space were not covered in advance. The well-known footage of Gagarin was filmed not on the day of the launch into space, but later, especially for newsreels, where Gagarin repeated everything he did during the real launch.

Events after Yu.A. Gagarin's space flight

Successful completion of the planned research and implementation of the flight program On April 12, 1961, at exactly 10:55 a.m. Moscow time, the Soviet spacecraft Vostok made an accident-free landing in a given area of ​​the Soviet Union.

Pilot-cosmonaut Major Gagarin said: “Please 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 great prospects for the conquest of space by mankind.

This was a TASS message that was prepared in advance...

Meeting with Yuri Gagarin in Moscow

Initially, no one planned such a grandiose meeting for Gagarin in Moscow. This was all decided at the last moment, and Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev decided it. He called the Kremlin and insistently demanded a worthy meeting for Gagarin, the first cosmonaut.

On April 14, an Il-18 flew for Gagarin; on its approach to Moscow, the plane was accompanied by an honorary fighter escort consisting of seven MiG-17 fighters. The plane with the escort flew in ceremonial formation over the center of Moscow, then over Red Square, and landed at Vnukovo airport, where Yuri Gagarin received 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 greeting him while standing. There were congratulations all around, many waving placards. One person managed to break through the cordon and personally presented Gagarin with a bouquet. A rally took place on Red Square, at which Nikita Khrushchev announced that Yuri Gagarin was awarded the titles Hero of the Soviet Union, as well as “Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR”.

Foreign visits

The first foreign trip for Yuri Gagarin was a trip to Czechoslovakia. He was flying on a Tu-104 regular plane to Prague. When passengers on the flight recognized Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, they rushed for autographs.

Yuri Gagarin visited Finland twice - in 1961 and 1962.

In July 1961, Gagarin arrived in the UK, he was invited by the English foundry union.

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 human exploration of near space!

April 12th is forever inscribed in the history of mankind as Cosmonautics Day!

“On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first spacecraft-satellite “Vostok” with a person on board.

The pilot-cosmonaut of the Vostok spacecraft is a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics pilot major GAGARIN Yuri Alekseevich.

The launch of the multi-stage space rocket was successful, and after reaching the first cosmic speed and separation from the last stage of the launch vehicle, the satellite began a free flight in orbit around the Earth.

According to preliminary data, the period of revolution of the satellite ship around the Earth is 89.1 minutes; the minimum distance from the Earth's surface (at perigee) is 175 kilometers, and the maximum distance (at apogee) is 302 kilometers; The angle of inclination of the orbital plane to the equator is 65 degrees 4 minutes.

The weight of the spacecraft-satellite with the pilot-cosmonaut is 4725 kilograms, excluding the weight of the final stage of the launch vehicle.

Two-way radio communication has been established and maintained with cosmonaut Comrade Gagarin. The frequencies of onboard shortwave transmitters are 9.019 megahertz and 20.006 megahertz, and in the ultrashort wave range 143.625 megahertz. Using radio telemetry and television systems, the astronaut's condition is monitored during flight.

Comrade Gagarin endured the period of launching the Vostok satellite into orbit satisfactorily and is currently feeling well. The systems that provide the necessary living conditions in the cabin of the satellite are functioning normally.

The flight of the Vostok satellite with pilot-cosmonaut Comrade Gagarin in orbit continues.

9:52 am According to data received from the Vostok spacecraft, at 9:52 am Moscow time, pilot-cosmonaut Major Gagarin, being over South America, transmitted: “The flight is going well, I feel good.”

10:15 At 10:15 Moscow time, pilot-cosmonaut Major Gagarin, flying over Africa, transmitted from the Vostok spacecraft: “The flight is proceeding normally, I can tolerate the state of weightlessness well.”

10:25 At 10:25 Moscow time, after circling the globe in accordance with a given program, the braking propulsion system was turned on and the spacecraft-satellite with pilot-cosmonaut Major Gagarin began to descend from orbit to land in a given area of ​​Sovetsky Union."

DO YOU KNOW WHAT GUY HE WAS?!

Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin (1934 - 1968) - Russian pilot, cosmonaut, the first person in space.
Born on March 9, 1934 in Klushino, Smolensk region. Went to school in 1941, but due to German occupation Only in 1943 did he continue his studies. After moving to the city of Gzhatsk, Gagarin graduated from the sixth grade. The next step in his education was admission to a vocational school.
Then, in 1951, Yuri began studying at the Saratov Industrial College. In the same city he began to attend a flying club, and a year later he made his first flight on a Yak-18 aircraft. In 1957 he graduated from the Orenburg Pilot School. Having passed medical commission, in March 1960 became one of the astronaut candidates. After the choice fell on him, in short biography Gagarin happened greatest event. On April 12, 1961, the Vostok spacecraft with Gagarin on board went into space and orbited the Earth.

Thanks to Khrushchev’s persistence, immediately after the flight, Gagarin’s rank was promoted from senior lieutenant to major. They organized a magnificent meeting for him in Moscow. After the flight, Gagarin made several trips around different countries(Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Finland, England). Then he was a backup for the only cosmonaut of the Soyuz-1 spacecraft, Vladimir Komarov.
Flight flights were not abandoned in the biography of Yuri Gagarin. He sought to regain his qualifications as a fighter pilot. On March 27, 1968, the great cosmonaut and pilot crashed on a UTI MiG-15 plane, which also had Colonel Vladimir Seregin on board.

On April 12, 1961, at 9:07 am Moscow time, the Vostok-1 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. For the first time in history spacecraft with a person on board went into outer space, flying in orbit artificial satellite Earth.

Everyone knows Gagarin’s famous word “Let’s go!”, which he exclaimed during the start. And few people know the exclamation of Chief Designer Sergei Korolev. Watching the launch vehicle go up, Korolev said: “If only it would fly off and come back alive!” All participants in this feat made incredible efforts to ensure that this was the case, but there was no absolute confidence in a successful outcome. Therefore, the incredible tension that reigned in the control center lasted all 108 minutes of this epoch-making flight.

The satellite ship from the Vostok series, on which Gagarin made his first flight into space, deserves special attention. The device itself is launched by a multi-stage launch vehicle, from which it must separate after reaching the desired height. The ship consisted of two parts: a cabin in which life support systems and a control panel were located, and a second compartment with a braking engine and other instruments.

In the cockpit there is a chair in which a catapult is built, separating it from the ship. In addition, the chair is equipped with a supply of food and medicine, a walkie-talkie and even a rescue boat in case of a forced landing on the water. As you know, the shell of a ship located in dense layers of the atmosphere heats up to an incredible temperature, so a special thermal protection system for the hull was provided, and the windows were made of heat-resistant glass. We can say that the means of delivering the first cosmonaut into orbit was absolutely technologically revolutionary for its time. And the issue of his safe return was thought out to the smallest detail.

In total, there were exactly twenty candidates for the first flight into space - all military pilots who were selected for specific characteristics. The Queen needed a man under 30 years of age, weighing 72 kg and height 170 cm, with good physical and mental health. The cabin of the Vostok-1 ship was designed in such a way that a person with certain physical characteristics could fit in it. At first, out of twenty candidates, six were selected, and the final decision was made almost at the last moment. It was decided to send Yuri Gagarin first on the flight, and German Titov was to become his backup.

On April 12, 1961, at the beginning of ten o'clock in the morning, the command “Start!” was given, and for the first time a spaceship with a person on board, propelled by a launch vehicle, set off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome into earth orbit. Gagarin did not have a special program; his task was to fly into orbit and return alive. And yet, during the flight, he experimented a little: he tried to eat and drink, write notes with a pencil, while in a state of weightlessness. The ship's flight lasted only 108 minutes, during which it managed to make one revolution around our planet.

During landing, an emergency situation arose - due to problems in the braking system, the ship deviated somewhat from the planned course. However, the cosmonaut coped with the situation - by controlling the parachute lines, he made a successful landing, avoiding falling into the Volga. At 10:55 a.m. the descent module landed on soft arable land near the Volga coast near the village of Smelovka, Ternovsky district Saratov region. The first human flight into space has successfully completed.