The launch took place from the first launch complex of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The Vostok 8K72K launch vehicle launched the Vostok spacecraft into low-Earth orbit, piloted by the first Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

The Vostok spacecraft was launched into orbit with the following parameters: inclination - 64.95 degrees, orbital period - 89.34 minutes, minimum distance from the Earth's surface - 181 kilometers, maximum - 327 kilometers.

The flight of the first cosmonaut lasted 1 hour 48 minutes. After one orbit around the Earth, the spacecraft's descent module landed in the Saratov region. At an altitude of several kilometers, Gagarin ejected and made a soft parachute landing near the descent module. The first cosmonaut on the planet was awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union, and the day of his flight became a national holiday - Cosmonautics Day, starting on April 12, 1962.

Yuri Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934 into a peasant family. His mother, Anna Timofeevna, and father, Alexey Ivanovich, were from the village of Klushino, Gzhatsky district. Having gone through a difficult time German occupation, the Gagarin family moved from Klushino to the city of Gzhatsk in 1945. After graduating from school, Yuri entered the Lyubertsy vocational school on September 30, 1949, from which he graduated in June with a degree in molding and foundry.

In August he entered Saratov industrial technical school, and in 1954 he began training at the Saratov flying club. In 1955, Gagarin graduated with honors from the Saratov Industrial College, and on October 10 of the same year, from the Saratov Aero Club. On October 27, 1957, he married Valentina Goryacheva, who became his faithful ally for many years. Two daughters grew up in their family - Elena and Galina.

The selection of the first cosmonauts into the corps began two years before the legendary launch. Chief designer Sergei Korolev outlined the requirements - age approximately 30 years, weight up to 72 kilograms, height no higher than 170 centimeters.

The training program for the first set of cosmonauts was extremely strict. All pilots had to undergo the strictest medical selection, tests in a centrifuge, in a pressure chamber, on a vibration stand, a rotating chair, and also undergo complete isolation tests in the so-called “silence chamber” measuring approximately three steps in length and one and a half in width. Yuri Gagarin, like everyone else, successfully passed the test between July 26 and August 5, 1960.

The launch took place from the first launch complex of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The Vostok 8K72K launch vehicle launched the Vostok spacecraft into low-Earth orbit, piloted by the first Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The backup, who had the opportunity to replace Gagarin at any time before the start, was German Titov. A reserve cosmonaut, Grigory Nelyubov, was also appointed as backup.

The planet's first cosmonaut died on March 27, 1968 while performing a training flight in difficult weather conditions. By official version, the MiG-15 aircraft, piloted by Gagarin and the commander of the training regiment of the Cosmonaut Training Center, Colonel Seregin, went into a tailspin, and there was allegedly not enough altitude to recover it. The plane fell into the forest and crashed near the village of Novoselovo, Kirzhach district, Vladimir region.

In order to perpetuate the memory of Gagarin, the city of Gzhatsk Smolensk region was renamed Gagarin. Gagarin's name was given to the Air Force Academy in the town of Monino near Moscow. A scholarship named after Gagarin was established for cadets of military aviation schools. The Cosmonaut Training Center, the research vessel of the Academy of Sciences, the streets and squares of many cities around the world are named after Gagarin.

In the village of Smelovka, not far from the landing site of the first cosmonaut, a memorial was erected. In the city of Gagarin there is a joint memorial house-museum, part of the exhibition of which can currently be seen on the website. One of the largest craters on the far side of the Moon (diameter 250 kilometers), located between the Tsiolkovsky crater and the Sea of ​​Dreams, also bears the name of the pioneer of the Universe.

April 1961

What made the twentieth century famous?
A MAN was launched into space!
And no one knew what would happen to him
Landed! Safe and sound!
A young, fair-haired guy!
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin!
He literally charmed everyone!
DO NOT forget that magic - smiles
And the whole world applauded him,
The Dacha Podlipki rejoiced!
Space is related to the cold
The snow glowed like stars in the sun!
That spring he may be like me
Fell in love with Yuri Gagarin?

Galina Gorlova

What was he like, Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut on the planet? How and where did he spend his childhood? How and where did he study? How did you become an astronaut? Yuri Nagibin wrote about this in his book STORIES ABOUT GAGARIN. For middle school age.

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"Captivating... Memorable... Candid... Perhaps best book Carl Sagan."The Washington Post Book World

“Taking the reader far into space... Sagan sees the future of humanity on other star systems.”
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An outstanding popularizer of science, a wonderful storyteller, a passionate promoter of space, and a visionary, Carl Sagan believes that the desire to wander and expand the boundaries of knowledge is inherent in human nature and is connected with our survival as a species. His candid, engrossing book interweaves philosophical reflections with enthusiastic descriptions of triumphant exploration of planets and satellites, both by man and robotic missions to the Moon. By introducing us to our neighbors in space, Sagan not only enlightens and delights the reader, he also helps to understand how to protect the Earth.

April 12, 1961- Yuri Gagarin made the world's first flight into space. Before leaving the Earth, he uttered the historic word: “Let's go!” Gagarin spent 1 hour and 48 minutes in low-Earth orbit, once flying around the planet on the Vostok-1 spacecraft. He landed on the banks of the Volga River.

• How it was... First, I would like to remind you a little life path Yuri Alekseevich.

Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934, in the city of Gzhatsk, Smolensk region. His mother, Anna Timofeevna, and father, Alexey Ivanovich, were ordinary rural workers from the village of Klushino, Gzhatsky district.

Having survived the difficult time of the German occupation, the Gagarin family moved from Klushino to the city of Gzhatsk in 1945. After graduating from school, Yuri entered Lyubertsy vocational school 10 on September 30, 1949, from which he graduated in June with a degree in molding and foundry. In August he entered the Saratov Industrial College. In 1954 (October 25) he began training at the Saratov flying club. In 1955 he graduated with honors from the Saratov Industrial College, and on October 10 of the same year he graduated from the Saratov Aero Club. On October 27, 1957, Yuri Gagarin married Valentina Ivanovna Goryacheva, who became his faithful companion for many years. Two daughters grew up in their family - Lena and Galya.

December 26 he was called to his new assignment: the fighter aviation regiment of the Northern Fleet. Having learned about the recruitment of candidates for testing new flight equipment, Gagarin wrote a report on December 9, 1959, asking to be included in such a group, and after being called on December 18, he went to Moscow, to the Central research aviation hospital for health examination.

March 3, 1960 Aviation Lieutenant General Kamanin presented a group of selected pilots - cosmonaut candidates - to the Air Force Commander-in-Chief, Air Chief Marshal Vershinin. On March 11, Gagarin and his family left for a new place of work. On March 25, regular classes began under the cosmonaut training program. On April 12, Gagarin was the first earthling to fly into space on the Vostok-1 spacecraft. For this feat, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and the day of Gagarin's flight into space was declared a holiday - Cosmonautics Day, starting on April 12, 1962.

In 1966 Gagarin was elected an Honorary Member of the International Academy of Astronautics, and in 1964 he was appointed commander of the Soviet cosmonaut corps. In June 1966, Gagarin had already begun training under the Soyuz program. He was appointed as Komarov's backup, who made the first flight on the new ship. His own flight was not far off... Gagarin defends graduation project at the Air Force Engineering Academy named after. Zhukovsky. February 17, 1968 Yuri Alekseevich defended his studies at the VVIA named after. Professor Zhukovsky's graduation project. The State Examination Commission awarded Colonel Yu.A. Gagarin qualified as a pilot-engineer-cosmonaut. Before last days Gagarin acted as deputy Supreme Council THE USSR. In honor of Gagarin hometown Gzhatsk was renamed Gagarin. His name remains forever in Space, which he rediscovered for humanity: one of the largest (250 km in diameter) craters on the far side of the Moon is named Gagarin. And what is symbolic is that it is located between the Tsiolkovsky crater and the Sea of ​​Dreams. In 1968. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale has established the Gagarin Medal, which is awarded to individuals who have made a special contribution to aviation and astronautics. The name Gagarin has long become a household name for pioneers in any field of activity, along with the name of Columbus. Gagarin’s life motto was the phrase he wrote in his diary shortly before his death, on March 12: I have no stronger desire than the desire to fly. The pilot must fly. Always fly. March 27, 1968 year, he died under unclear circumstances near the village of Novoselovo, Kirzhach district, Vladimir region, during one of the training flights. He was buried near the Kremlin wall on Red Square.

And now, about the flight itself in the words of eyewitnesses...

3 hours 00 minutes(hereinafter Moscow time). Final checks began at the launch pad spaceship. Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was present. 5 hours 30 minutes. Evgeny Anatolyevich Karpov entered the bedroom and shook Gagarin by the shoulder: - Yura, it’s time to get up... He jumped up. German Titov also stood up, humming a humorous song. The doctor shook his head with satisfaction - the astronauts were cheerful. After exercise - breakfast. The astronauts enjoyed the meat puree, then blackcurrant jam and coffee. Squeezing out another tube, Yuri couldn’t resist making a joke: “Such food is only good for weightlessness - on the ground you can stretch your legs from it... 6 hours 00 minutes. The meeting has begun State Commission. It was very short: “everything is ready.” After the meeting, the flight assignment for Cosmonaut-1 was finally signed. German Titov was the first to be put into a spacesuit. Gagarin - the second, in order to sweat less (the ventilation device could be connected to a power source only on the bus). When Yuri was dressed, the cosmodrome workers asked him for autographs. Yuri was surprised - it was the first time in his life that he had been approached with such a request. The cosmonauts left the house and were met by Sergei Pavlovich. He was tired and anxious - apparently, the sleepless night was taking its toll. Gagarin would later say about this meeting: “He gave me several recommendations and advice that I had never heard before and that could be useful to me on the flight. It seemed to me that after seeing us and talking to us, he became somewhat more cheerful... A few minutes later a special bus blue color was already rushing to the launch pad. 6 hours 50 minutes. Gagarin got off the bus. Many mourners knew him personally. Everyone was filled with excitement. Everyone wanted to hug Yura goodbye. Andriyan Nikolaev, having forgotten in his haste that Gagarin was already wearing a helmet, wanted to kiss him and hit his forehead on the visor, so much so that a bump appeared on his forehead. After the report on readiness to the Chairman of the State Commission, Yuri made a statement for the press and radio. This statement was contained on several tens of meters of tape tape. Five hours later it became a sensation... Being on the iron platform in front of the entrance to the cabin, Gagarin raised both hands in greeting - farewell to those who remained on Earth. Then he disappeared into the cabin. Below, with their heads raised up in fascination, stood both the Chief Designer and Yura's friends - all those who saw him off on his flight. 7 hours 10 minutes. Gagarin's voice appeared on the air. 8 hours 10 minutes. 50-minute readiness announced. The only problem has been fixed. It was discovered when closing hatch No. 1. They quickly opened it and fixed everything. 8 hours 30 minutes. 30-minute readiness. It was announced to Titov that he could take off his spacesuit and go to the observation point, where all the specialists had already gathered. The name of the person who will be the first to leave the planet is now definitively known - GAGARIN. 8 hours 50 minutes. N.P. Kamanin says: A ten-minute readiness has been announced. How is your pressure helmet closed? Report back. Gagarin: I understand - a ten-minute readiness has been announced. The helmet is closed. Everything is fine, I feel good, I’m ready to start. 9 hours 6 minutes. Korolev: Minute readiness, do you hear? Gagarin: I understand you - minute readiness. Took the starting position. 9 hours 7 minutes. Korolev (excitedly): The ignition of “Kedr” is given. Gagarin (“Kedr”): I understand you - the ignition is given. Korolev: Preliminary stage... Intermediate... Main... Rise! Gagarin (shouting): Let's go!.. 9 hours 9 minutes. First stage department. Gagarin should hear this stage separate and feel that the vibration has sharply decreased. Acceleration increases, as do g-forces. At the observation point they are waiting for Gagarin's report... There is silence in the speakers. - “Cedar”, how do you feel? The speakers hum, there is no familiar voice. - “Cedar”, answer! All attention to the speakers. -"Cedar"! Get in touch! I am “twentieth”. - And into another microphone: - Communication! Fast! “Twentieth” - Korolev. Still - silence. Unhappy thoughts come. Sudden depressurization? Fainting from growing overloads? Suddenly Gagarin's voice: - Reset of the head fairing... I see the Earth... How beautiful!.. Only at that moment many of those present realized: a man in space! Everyone was filled with joy and fun. The unrest subsided due to unexpected silence. As it turned out later, there was a failure in the communication line for just a few seconds. But these seconds cost Korolev his gray hair. 9 hours 22 minutes. The radio signals of the Soviet spacecraft were detected by observers from the American Shamiya radar station located in the Aleutian Islands. Five minutes later, the encryption went to the Pentagon. The night duty officer, having received her, immediately called the home of Dr. Jerome Weisner, President Kennedy's Chief Scientific Advisor. Sleepy Dr. Weisner glanced at his watch. It was 1 hour 30 minutes Washington time. 23 minutes have passed since the start of Vostok. There was a report to the president - the Russians were ahead of the Americans. 9 hours 57 minutes. Yuri Gagarin reported that he was flying over America. At these moments, the TASS message about the launch of the spacecraft sounds at the control center. It was a little late - the order to award senior lieutenant Gagarin the rank of major was pending signature. 10 hours 13 minutes. Teletypes have finished transmitting the first TASS message. Hundreds of correspondents of small and big countries The Telegraph Agency building was stormed. The editorial offices of all the newspapers in the world began to run around - they had to have time to remake them. “News of the Century” should have become the highlight of all today's press. “The Soviet Union, which was the first to launch an artificial Earth satellite in 1957, the first to reach the Moon in 1959, and finally the first to return animals from space to Earth last year, has just given the world its Christopher Columbus of outer space.” This is what the French said. The Americans, Italians, Germans, and British did not lag behind them. Yuri Gagarin became close to all nations globe. But most of all, of course, the Motherland was worried and worried about him. 10 hours 25 minutes. The braking propulsion system turned on, and the ship began to descend. Landing is the most critical stage space flight: an error of one meter per second at a speed of 8000 meters per second deviates the landing point by as much as 50 kilometers... 10 hours 55 minutes. Burnt iron ball hit the plowed soil - the field of the Leninsky Put collective farm, southwest of the city of Engels, not far from the village of Smelovka. Yuri Gagarin landed nearby by parachute. The first person to see Yuri Gagarin was Anna Akimovna Takhtarova. She became known throughout the world as the person who first met the astronaut. She said this: “I raised my head, I saw a man walking in my direction. I was taken aback - that man was dressed very strangely, not like us. And he appeared unexpectedly - out of the blue, out of the blue. Then I look: the man is smiling. And his smile was so sincere that all my fear disappeared…” A few minutes later, sports commissar Ivan Borisenko, who was in a special search group, asked Gagarin to present his identification (this was required by the sports code). Then, having written down all the necessary information and checked the identification marks of the spacecraft, on which there was the inscription “Vostok - USSR,” he registered three absolute space records: -flight duration record - 108 minutes. -record for flight altitude - 327 kilometers. -the record for the maximum load lifted to this height is 4725 kilograms. A few more hours later, the plane carrying Yuri Gagarin headed for Kuibyshev. At this time, a tailor was called and ordered to sew a new suit for Gagarin within 24 hours. After the airfield, Gagarin went to the hotel. It was located on the high bank of the Volga. The doctors decided to give the astronaut the opportunity to rest a little. Then Gagarin and Titov went out to wander along the banks of the Volga. Nature miraculously harmonized with their mood. Herman, noticing that Yuri was thoughtful, asked: “Do you dream that someday the two of us will be like this, wandering along the banks of a Martian river, admiring the setting Sun and the little star Earth?” -That would be great! - Gagarin laughed. The day was so long - Yuri counted every second, and so short - everything happened so quickly that it was hard to believe that it was a dream. 22 hours 00 minutes. An earthly dinner was organized. Toasts were made. We talked about the future of humanity. But fatigue set in, closed his eyelids, pressed heavily on his shoulders so that everyone who was entrusted with Yuri that day was next to Yuri. last time hugged him, wished him good dreams and parted ways. The light in the window went out. The clock showed 23.00.

In 1961, our compatriot Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin made the first space flight in human history on the Vostok spacecraft.

His legendary “Let's go...” will be preserved in history as the beginning of man's exploration of space.

The launch took place from the first launch complex of the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The Vostok 8K72K launch vehicle launched the Vostok spacecraft into low-Earth orbit, piloted by the first Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The backup, who had the opportunity to replace Gagarin at any time before the start, was German Titov. A reserve cosmonaut, Grigory Nelyubov, was also appointed as backup.

The Vostok spacecraft was launched into orbit with the following parameters: inclination - 64.95 degrees, orbital period - 89.34 minutes, minimum distance from the Earth's surface - 181 kilometers, maximum - 327 kilometers.

The flight of the first cosmonaut lasted 1 hour 48 minutes. After one orbit around the Earth, the spacecraft's descent module landed in the Saratov region. At an altitude of several kilometers, Gagarin ejected and made a soft parachute landing near the descent module.

The first cosmonaut on the planet was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and the day of his flight became a national holiday - Cosmonautics Day, starting on April 12, 1962.

A little history:

Already in 1931, groups for the study of jet propulsion appeared in Moscow, Leningrad, Kharkov, Tiflis, Baku, Arkhangelsk, Novocherkassk and other cities of the country, and in 1933, by decision of the government, the Jet Research Institute was created for the first time in the world.

Specialized scientific organizations and design bureaus. As a result of many years of joint activity of these organizations, the flight characteristics of missiles were constantly improved.

In 1957, the first space rocket was created. On October 4, 1957, the world's first artificial Earth satellite was launched into orbit in the Soviet Union. The launch of the first satellite ushered in the space age in human history.

In January 1959, the Luna-1 spacecraft launched towards the Moon, passing in close proximity to the lunar surface and entering a heliocentric orbit. In September of the same year, the Luna-2 spacecraft landed on the surface of the Moon, and a month later, the Luna-3 interplanetary station transmitted photographs to Earth reverse side Moons.

October 4, 1957 went down in human history as the beginning of the space age. On this day - the day of the launch of the first Soviet artificial Earth satellite - the eternal dream of humanity - going into space - was realized. Flights to the planets were completed solar system. Automatic devices operated successfully under conditions of enormous pressure and temperature on Venus, in vacuum of space and cold on the moon. Cosmonauts live and work at manned orbital stations for a long time.

There are new cosmic achievements ahead. But it all started on that October day in 1957. The first Soviet artificial satellite had the shape of a ball with a diameter of 0.58 m, its mass was 83.6 kg. Two satellite radio transmitters, which made it possible to study the conditions of the passage of radio waves in the ionosphere, made it possible to obtain new information about the atmosphere. The successful operation of the first satellite confirmed the correctness of the theoretical calculations and design solutions laid down during the creation of the launch vehicle, the satellite itself and its on-board systems.

The second Soviet artificial satellite was launched on November 3, 1957, just like the first, as part of the International Geophysical Year program. The most important experiments carried out on the second satellite were biological. On board was the dog Laika. It was the last stage of the launch vehicle with a total mass of 508.3 kg. The containers housed scientific and measuring equipment, and an experimental animal in a hermetic cabin. The purpose of the biological experiment was to study the basic physiological functions of the animal at various stages of the flight. Before the flight of the second satellite, animals were repeatedly lifted in rockets to an altitude of 500 km to test their tolerance of overloads and short-term weightlessness. But only orbital facilities made it possible to comprehensively study the impact of space flight factors - launch overloads, prolonged weightlessness, radiation - on a living organism. The first space flight of a living creature showed that a highly organized animal can satisfactorily withstand all the factors of space flight, and confirmed real opportunity human space flight.

The third Soviet artificial satellite (launched on May 15, 1958) became the first comprehensive scientific geophysical laboratory. The satellite's mass was 1327 kg, and twelve scientific instruments were installed on board. With their help, direct measurements of the pressure and composition of the upper atmosphere were carried out, the characteristics of the magnetic and electrostatic fields of the Earth and the ionosphere were determined, primary cosmic rays and solar radiation were studied, and micrometeor particles were recorded. The measurements carried out on the satellite made it possible to establish the presence of an outer zone of the Earth's radiation belt; an accurate picture of the spatial distribution was obtained magnetic field Earth in the altitude range of 280-750 km. The flight of the third Soviet satellite laid the foundations for a new direction in science - space physics. The flights of the first three Soviet artificial Earth satellites showed that science had received unique opportunities to conduct a wide range of research in outer space.

The flights of the first three satellites made it possible to test the main service systems: radio equipment that measures the parameters of the satellite’s orbital motion, radio telemetry systems that record the results scientific measurements, systems for “memorizing” and subsequent transmission to Earth of these measurements, systems for active thermal control, power supply, and radio communications. A network of flight tracking and control stations and processing of received information was created.

The first Soviet artificial satellites The lands made it possible to obtain initial, quite general information about the parameters of the Earth's upper atmosphere, about the processes occurring in the near-Earth space.

In February 1961, the interplanetary automatic station “Venera-1” was launched to Venus.

During these same years, the first manned space flights were being prepared.

And so on April 12, 1961, the first spacecraft in the history of mankind, the Vostok, was launched in the Soviet Union, piloted by Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin. Yu. A. GAGARIN - FIRST COSMONAUT

Russia celebrates Cosmonautics Day to commemorate the first space flight accomplished by Yuri Gagarin. The holiday was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on April 9, 1962... Since 1968, the domestic Cosmonautics Day has received official worldwide recognition after its establishment world day aviation and astronautics.

Yuri Gagarin's flight proved that man can live and work in space. This is how it appeared on Earth new profession- astronaut.

The profession of an astronaut is special; it places very high demands on a person. An astronaut, first of all, must have excellent health. He has to work in unusual conditions: during insertion into orbit and especially when returning to Earth, considerable overloads are applied to him. Thus, a tenfold overload means that an astronaut, for example, with his own weight of 80 kg, feels his weight equal to 800 kg. And in orbit, he finds himself in conditions of weightlessness, completely unusual for a person born and living in conditions of earthly gravity.

An astronaut must be a courageous and brave person, resourceful in any situation, be able to quickly understand and accept right decisions in a rapidly changing environment. Every launch into space is a flight into an environment hostile to humans, where vacuum, weightlessness, and radiation fatal to humans reign. And although in a spaceship or on orbital station The cosmonaut is protected by a durable impenetrable housing; inside, living conditions that are practically familiar to humans are created for him; unforeseen emergency situations can arise on Earth during testing of space technology, in space, and when returning to Earth. The chronicle of manned space flights contains not only heroic, but also tragic pages in the history of space exploration.

An astronaut must have excellent knowledge of space technology and impeccable command of it. Already the first spaceships had a very complex technical structure. Since then, space technology has become even more complex and advanced, which places even higher professional demands on the astronaut. Only ideal interaction between the astronaut and Finally, the astronaut is a researcher, and he must not only know the research and experiment program well, but also be able to work with scientific equipment. And every year science programs space flights are becoming wider and richer, scientific equipment is becoming more complex and diverse.

After Yuri Gagarin's flight, each human launch into space became a new step in the exploration of outer space. Flight periods extended, scientific and technical research and experimentation programs expanded, and cosmonauts mastered increasingly complex space technology. German Titov's flight lasted over a day, and Valentina Tereshkova, the first female cosmonaut, was in space flight for almost three days.

Valentina Tereshkova. The first woman in space.

In March 1965, Alexey Leonov became the first cosmonaut to leave the Voskhod 2 spacecraft in a special spacesuit and spend about 20 minutes in outer space.

Among the US cosmonauts, the most famous are N. Armstrong, E. Aldrin and M. Collins - the crew of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, which in July 1969 flew to the Moon and landed on its surface. N. Armstrong and E. Aldrin became the first people to walk on the Moon

In the 70s, the Soviet manned space flight program was aimed at creating long-term orbital stations with replaceable crews - the main path of man in space. Delivered by Soyuz transport spacecraft to the Salyut orbital stations, Soviet cosmonauts completed a number of long-term space expeditions. Thus, the flight of cosmonauts P. I. Klimuk and V. I. Sevastyanov on the Soyuz-18 spacecraft and the Salyut-4 orbital station lasted almost 64 days. On the basis of the Salyut-6 orbital station, the Salyut-6-Soyuz scientific research complex was created, which was regularly supplied with fuel and other necessary materials by Progress automatic cargo ships. At this orbital research complex, Soviet cosmonauts Yu. V. Romanenko and G. M. Grechko, V. V. Kovalenok and A. S. Ivanchenkov, V. A. Lyakhov and V. V. Ryumin made record-breaking space flights. lasting 96, 140 and 175 days, respectively.

Soyuz-Apollo

In the 70s Cooperation between cosmonauts from different countries directly in space developed successfully. In July 1975, a joint experimental flight of the Soyuz-19 spacecraft, piloted by Soviet cosmonauts A. A. Leonov and V. N. Kubasov, and the Apollo spacecraft, piloted by American cosmonauts T. Stafford and D. Slayton, was carried out and W. Brandom. In 1978-1980 Under the Intercosmos program, together with our cosmonauts, cosmonauts from the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, the Polish People's Republic, and the German Democratic Republic, the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the Hungarian People's Republic.

Mir station

The Salyuts were replaced by the third generation of near-Earth laboratories - the Mir station, which was the base unit for the construction of a multi-purpose permanent manned complex with specialized orbital modules of scientific and national economic importance. The Mir orbital complex was in operation until June 2000 - 14.5 years instead of the intended five. During this time, 28 space expeditions were carried out on it, a total of 139 Russian and foreign space researchers visited the complex, 11.5 tons of scientific equipment of 240 items from 27 countries were deployed.

The Mir space complex was replaced in orbit by the International Space Station (ISS), in the construction of which 16 countries participated. When creating the new space complex, Russian achievements in the field of manned space flight were widely used. The operation of the ISS is designed for 15 years, but it is possible that it will operate much longer than planned.

Today we see amazing successes in space technology: tens of thousands of satellites orbit the Earth, spacecraft have landed on the Moon, Venus and Mars, several spacecraft have left the Solar System and carry messages To Extraterrestrial Civilizations. Mars rovers roam the surface of Mars. Research space probes have been sent to many planets of the solar system. Astronomers are making amazing discoveries thanks to space telescopes of varying functionality in space.

kosmos-x.net.ru/publ/k …osmonavtiki/12-1-0-163

Addressing all inhabitants of the Earth before the launch on April 12, 1961, Yuri Alekseevich said: “Dear friends, relatives and strangers, compatriots, people of all countries and continents! In a few minutes, a mighty spaceship will take me into the distant expanses of the Universe. What can I tell you during these last minutes before the start! My whole life seems to me now to be one beautiful moment. Everything that has been lived, everything that has been done before, was lived and done for the sake of this moment. You understand that it is difficult to understand our feelings now, when the hour of testing has come very close, for which we have been preparing for a long time and passionately. It is hardly worth talking about the feelings that I experienced when I was offered to make this first flight in history. Joy! No, it was not only joy. Pride! No, it wasn't just pride. I felt great happiness. To be the first in space, to enter one-on-one into an unprecedented duel with nature - can you dream of more! But after this I thought about the colossal responsibility that fell on me. The first to accomplish what generations of people have dreamed of, the first to pave the way for humanity into space. Am I happy going on a space flight! Of course I'm happy. Indeed, in all times and eras it has been the highest happiness for people to participate in new discoveries...”

After a little over an hour he became the most famous person Earth, but the first orbit around the Earth of a spaceship with a person on board was the merit of many, many people, and first of all, the general designer of spaceships Sergei Pavlovich Korolev.

The flight of Yu. A. Gagarin made the hypothesis about the possibility of practical human activity in space a reality, opened a new direction in the development of civilization, and this is its enduring scientific significance.

Happy Cosmonautics Day, my dear visitors!

On April 12, 1961, in the early spring morning, a powerful launch vehicle launched the Vostok spacecraft into orbit with the Earth's first cosmonaut, citizen of the Soviet Union Yuri Gagarin, on board. This day has gone down in human history forever. What was that day like and what did it give? to the Soviet people- in the memoirs of contemporaries, which are shared today by participants in the “You Are a Reporter” project and bloggers.

First post-war joy

“My mother was 12 then - and today she burst into tears when she told me about April 12, 1961. And in the memoirs of Yuri Levitan, I read that he could hardly hold back tears 2 times in his life - when he announced the unconditional surrender of the Germans on May 9, 1945 , and when Gagarin flew into space,” says anichchka.

People were filled with pride. Completely different worlds opened up. This was probably the first general post-war joy. In Magnitogorsk, for example, at that time the little girl Olga Khaenko was very afraid of war: “I was very afraid of war, but no one knew about my secret experiences. Suddenly - the call sign “My native country is wide” and the solemnly anxious voice of Levitan (who is he? I didn’t know!)... Without waiting for the continuation, confident that now there will be a DECLARATION OF WAR, I jump out into the yard and freeze with wide-eyed eyes and a wildly beating heart. The yard began to be filled with cheerful neighbors who jumped out, already knowing about Gagarin’s flight. I learned this news and was very happy."

General holiday

“Our neighbor, Evgenia Alekseevna Serebryakova, was also filled with high feelings. And she, a children’s teacher, under the impression of Gagarin’s flight, decided to collect materials about space. We, neighbors, affectionately called her “cosmonaut.” She was not offended and boldly declared that if not years, definitely competed with Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to be in low-Earth orbit,” Vladimir Bayatov from Rostov-on-Don shared his memories.

“My mother told me that people poured out into the street that day: complete strangers to each other, hugging, crying)) They pulled tables into the courtyards and carried whatever they could onto them, celebrating SUCH an event together!” writes vodani4_ey on LiveJournal.

In Brest, as in many other cities, on this day people did not leave the main square until nightfall. "When they learned about Gagarin's flight, people flocked to the square. Mostly students of the Brest pedagogical institute. They shouted something joyfully, all excited and festive. Sparklers flew into the air. Later, one of the adults said that one such smoldering candle fell on the girl’s white coat and either set it on fire or simply smeared it with soot. Towards evening, when it was dark enough, a film carriage arrived at the square. They hung a screen on a pole and showed films about Tsiolkovsky,” Tatyana Mukhorovskaya quotes a note in a regional newspaper of that time.

Great and small feats

Despite the fact that April 12 fell in the middle of the work week, people took to the streets, everyone was in a festive mood, everyone was happy and having fun. A holiday has arrived in the country. According to the memoirs of Dmitry Yasenkov’s grandmother, “the management of the Mosfilm film studio announced to all workers at the film studio that this wonderful day was a landmark day for our country. And for fulfilling and exceeding the plan for April 12, 1961, there was even an increased bonus.”

Georgy Andreev from Vologda also talks about exceeding plans in honor of this holiday: “On April 12, having heard the good news about Gagarin’s flight, senior driver Mikhail Shmargunov, assistant driver Sergei Vorobyov and fireman Yuri Tsvetkov decided to dedicate a heavy-lift flight to this event. The crew conducted a train exceeding the norm by 400 tons, ahead of schedule...fitter Sergei Kurkov called the editorial office of "Red North" at 10.30 - I am delighted with the achievements of our science! Now I want to move mountains!... A spontaneous rally arose on the steps of the main building of the shipyard. “Now we will exceed the tasks with tenfold strength!” the workers decided. “We will also fight for the development of our “river space”!”

“Medical school student Yuri Sitsilo, after the announcement on the radio, managed to record the frequencies of the satellite ship, turned on his receiver and conveyed the good news to the Stalingrad region, to a friend from Bulgaria, an acquaintance from Hungary, and heard the word “Moon.” Foreign radio amateurs congratulated us, many said, that now it won’t be long before the USSR lands on the Moon,” writes Georgy Andreev.

"I was 6 years old, I lived in Kuibyshev. My mother came to pick me up kindergarten joyful and joyful and told me that Gagarin flew into space. On the way home, she told me that I, too, had to do something outstanding that day. Therefore, when I came home, I lit the stove myself with a match for the first time,” recalls 4may.

News of this event even disrupted classes in schools. Vladimir Sokolov told how it happened: “They conveyed the message, and immediately began broadcasting from Red Square. People carried posters saying “Yuri is a hero,” “Everyone into space.” Of course, no classes in There was almost no school, the teachers just fought off our questions. We were sent home somewhere early for a lesson. There was a feeling of absolute unreality of what was happening, like in a dream, when you are waiting to be woken up.”

This event also found blogger jkl_jkl at the school: “In the middle of the lessons, everyone was gathered to the line. They turned on the loudspeaker at full power, from which a perky, almost boyish voice was heard: “Dear compatriots!” I liked the voice. He must be very handsome, this Major Gagarin ! And then the school director announces that all classes are canceled for today, and everyone can go home and watch TV.

“My mother and father got married on April 12, 1961. Then there was such an impulse that they came out of the registry office and said at the same time that they would have an astronaut. But 3 years later I was born. :),” writes orang_m.

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 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.

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, the 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? The joy of personal achievement? Or something else? He's probably been thinking about this flight lately. And it wasn't exploring the ship or parachute jumping that filled him 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 astronaut. 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 possess strong character to take on a huge undertaking.

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 - lights big cities sometimes they shine just like 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 write. “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 near 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? A major scientific and technological 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 meeting was attended by the President of the Academy of Sciences M.V. Keldysh, Commander-in-Chief of the 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 has appeared, and perhaps new material assets. 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. In the articles, Korolev was simply called “Chief Designer”, without a surname. President of the Academy of Sciences M.V. Keldysh, who directly supervised scientific developments and supported the program in the country's leadership, was referred to as the nameless “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.