Yuri Gagarin is being celebrated across the globe today to make the 50-year anniversary of his flight into space. The day is being marked with a Google doodle, a free film and a Gagarin mobile app.
50 years ago today, Yuri Gagarin became the first human being launched into space. As he took off, the 27-year old, from the USSR, uttered the immortal line: “Let’s go!”
In 1960 Gagarin joined the Soviet space programme and was chosen to be the pilot the Vostok 1 space mission at the age of 27.
The Yuri Gagarin Google doodle.
Gagarin’s mission was successful and, after orbiting the Earth once, he landed safely by ejecting at 23,000ft and launching his parachute. The entire flight took 108 minutes.
To celebrate Gagarin’s achievement, a free film, First Orbit, has been released online recreating his epic space mission.
Watch First Orbit here.
The 99-minute film is described as: “A real time recreation of Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering first orbit.” The film takes viewers around the Earth as the young Russian would have experienced it on his flight.
First Orbit was made in collaboration with the crew of the International Space Station. The audio used is that of Gagarin’s cockpit audio recordings set to an original score by composer Philip Sheppard.
Along with the release of First Orbit, mobile apps for the iPhone and Android have been launched to mark Gagarin’s anniversary. The space apps allow users to have an interactive experience while flying over Earth.
In Russia, Gagarin celebrations are in full swing. Last Thursday, prime minister Vladimir Putin visited the pilot’s hometown near Moscow, and tonight he will host a star-studded party at the Kremlin.
Vostok 1 was Yuri Gagarin’s only space mission. He then began training as a fighter pilot and, at the age of 35, crashed on a training flight and was killed.
Yuri Gagarin was the first humanto be launched into space.
Since his space mission, Gagarin has been hailed a hero around the globe.
Although the US became the first country to land men on the moon, Gagarin’s USSR mission was the first step in human space travel.
Yuri Gagarin with his wife Valentina and daughter Yelena on the bank of the Klyazma River in central Russia.
Astronauts today still speak of Gagarin with respect. “I truly believe on that day humanity became a different species,” said Nasa’s Ron Garan. “We were no longer confined to the boundaries of the earth.”
Watch footage from Yuri Gagarin’s space mission here.
