View source for Vostok 1

{{short description|First human spaceflight in history}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name               = Vostok 1
| image              = Vostok1 big.gif
| image_caption      = Launch of the Vostok 1
| insignia           = 
| mission_type       = 
| operator           = [[Soviet space program]]
| Harvard_designation = 1961 Mu 1
| SATCAT             = <!-- Wikidata -->
| mission_duration   = {{time interval|12 April 1961 06:07|12 April 1961 07:55|show=hm|sep=,}}<ref name="fai">{{cite web |url=http://records.fai.org/pilot.asp?from=astronautics&id=4791 |title=Aviation and Space World Records |access-date=March 12, 2009 |publisher=[[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]] (FAI) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726044621/http://records.fai.org/pilot.asp?from=astronautics&id=4791 |archive-date=July 26, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><br/>{{time interval|12 April 1961 06:06:59|12 April 1961 07:53|show=hm|sep=,}}<ref name=SF>{{cite web |url=http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/vostok-1.htm |title=Spaceflight mission report: Vostok 1|work=Spacefacts |accessdate=2020-03-12|date=2020-08-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.russianspaceweb.com/vostok1.html|title=The Vostok (3A No. 3) mission|accessdate=2020-03-12|quote=Gagarin's mission lasted 106 minutes, not 108 minutes, the duration that was reported for 50 years and even made book titles.}}</ref>
| orbits_completed   = 1
| distance_travelled = 
| spacecraft         = [[Vostok (spacecraft)|Vostok-3KA]] No.3
| manufacturer       = {{nowrap|Experimental Design Bureau [[OKB-1]]}}
| launch_mass        = {{convert|4725|kg|lb|abbr=on}}<ref name="fai" />
| landing_mass       = {{convert|5290|lb|kg|order=flip|abbr=on}}
| dimensions         = {{convert|90.5|in|m ftin|order=out|abbr=on}} diameter
| launch_date        = {{start-date|April 12, 1961, 06:07|timezone=yes}}&nbsp;[[UTC]]<ref name=NASAorbit>{{cite web |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1961-012A |title=Vostok 1 – NSSDC ID: 1961-012A |publisher=NASA |access-date=21 August 2019 |archive-date=21 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220821075458/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1961-012A |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| launch_rocket      = [[Vostok-K]] 8K72K
| launch_site        = [[Baikonur Cosmodrome|Baikonur]], [[Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 1|Site 1/5]]<br/>{{coord|45.920278|N|63.342222|E}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=45.922229,63.342469&spn=0.007329,0.02075&t=h&z=16&iwloc=lyrftr:com.panoramio.all,3206309305601131508,45.92014,63.342297&lci=com.panoramio.all |title=Google Maps – Vostok 1 Launch Pad – Gagarin's Start photo |access-date=December 25, 2010}}</ref>
| landing_date       = {{end-date|April 12, 1961, 07:55|timezone=yes}}&nbsp;UTC
| landing_site       = {{coord|51.270682|N|45.99727|E|}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=51.270682+N,+45.99727+E&sll=51.270689,45.997599&sspn=0.003296,0.00868&ie=UTF8&ll=51.270716,45.997385&spn=0.003296,0.00868&t=k&z=17 |title=Google Maps – Vostok 1 Landing Site – Monument |access-date=December 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.271501,45.997385&spn=0.003296,0.010375&t=k&z=17&iwloc=lyrftr:com.panoramio.all,14192239399743350815,51.270776,45.997868&lci=com.panoramio.all |title=Google Maps – Vostok 1 Landing Site – Monument Photo |access-date=December 25, 2010}}</ref>
| orbit_epoch        = April 12, 1961
| orbit_reference    = [[Geocentric orbit]]
| orbit_regime       = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis    = {{cvt|181|km|mi nmi}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Records file on the first space flight by the USSR citizen Youri Alexeyvich Gagarin|publisher=The USSR Central Aero Club|date=1961|url=https://www.fai.org/sites/default/files/documents/record_file_gagarin_1.pdf}}</ref>
| orbit_apoapsis     = {{cvt|327|km|mi nmi}}<ref name="fai" />
| orbit_inclination  = 64.95°<ref name=NASAorbit/>
| orbit_period       = 89.1&nbsp;minutes
| apsis              = gee
| crew_size          = 1
| crew_members       = [[Yuri Gagarin]]
| crew_callsign      = {{langx|ru|Кедр|label=none}} ({{Langx|ru-Latn|Kedr||[[Pinus sibirica|Siberian pine]]|label=none}}),{{r|siddiqi2000}}{{rp|275}}<br/> or {{langx|ru|Ласточка|label=none}} ({{Langx|ru-Latn|Lastochka||[[Swallow]]|label=none}}){{efn|The six crewed Vostok missions used names of birds as their call signs, and the Vostok 1 spacecraft was known as Swallow in keeping with this convention.<ref name="Yenne">{{cite book |last=Yenne |first=Bill |title=The Pictorial History of World Spaceflight |publisher=Exeter |year=1988 |isbn=0-7917-0188-3 |page=18}}</ref><ref name="Ocean">{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4201/ch10-8.htm | last1=Swenson | first1=Loyd S. Jr. |last2=Grimwood |first2=James M. |last3=Alexander |first3=Charles C. |title=This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury, Chapter 10, Section: "Vostok Wins the First Lap" |publisher=NASA}}</ref>  However, due to its special importance, a terrestrial call sign Cedar (or: Siberian Pine) was used for Vostok 1 during flight.  This code name was used to camouflage the significance of the mission to potential eavesdroppers until success was assured.<ref name="RMG">{{cite web |url=https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/explore/spacecraft-call-signs |title=Why was Apollo called Apollo? The history of spacecraft call signs |publisher=Royal Museums Greenwich}}</ref>}}
| crew_photo         = Gagarin in Sweden.jpg
| crew_photo_caption = Yuri Gagarin in Sweden
| programme          = '''[[Vostok program]]'''
| previous_mission   = [[Korabl-Sputnik 5]]
| next_mission       = [[Vostok 2]]
}}

'''Vostok 1''' ({{langx|ru|link=no|Восток}}, {{lit|East|[[Orient]]}}) was the first spaceflight of the [[Vostok programme]] and the first [[human spaceflight|human orbital spaceflight]] in history. The [[Vostok 3KA]] [[space capsule]] was launched from [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] on 12 April 1961, with Soviet [[astronaut|cosmonaut]] [[Yuri Gagarin]] aboard, making him the first human to reach [[orbital speed|orbital velocity around the Earth]] and to complete a full [[orbit]] around the Earth.

The [[orbital spaceflight]] consisted of a single orbit around Earth which skimmed the upper atmosphere at {{convert|169|km|mi nmi|sp=us|abbr=off}} at its lowest point. The flight took 108 minutes from launch to landing. Gagarin [[parachute]]d to the ground separately from his capsule after ejecting at {{convert|7|km|ft|abbr=on}} altitude.

==Background==
{{main|Vostok programme}}

The [[Space Race]] between the Soviet Union and the United States, the two [[Cold War]] superpowers, began just before the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial [[satellite]], [[Sputnik 1]], in 1957. Both countries wanted to develop spaceflight technology quickly, particularly by launching the first successful human spaceflight. The Soviet Union secretly pursued the [[Vostok programme]] in competition with the United States' [[Project Mercury]]. Vostok launched several precursor uncrewed missions between May 1960 and March 1961, to test and develop the [[Vostok (rocket family)|Vostok rocket family]] and [[Vostok (spacecraft)|space capsule]]. These missions had varied degrees of success, but the final two&mdash;[[Korabl-Sputnik 4]] and [[Korabl-Sputnik 5]]&mdash;were complete successes, allowing the first crewed flight.

==Pilot==
{{See also|Vostok programme#Cosmonaut selection and training}}
The Vostok 1 capsule was designed to carry a single cosmonaut. Yuri Gagarin was chosen as the prime pilot of Vostok 1, with [[Gherman Titov]] and [[Grigori Nelyubov]] as backups. These assignments were formally made on April 8, four days before the mission, but Gagarin had been a favourite among the cosmonaut candidates for at least several months.<ref name=siddiqi2000>{{cite book |last=Siddiqi |first=Asif A. |url=https://history.nasa.gov/printFriendly/series95.html |title=Challenge To Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945–1974 |publisher=[[NASA]] |authorlink=Asif Azam Siddiqi}}</ref>{{Reference page|pages=262,272}}

The final decision of who would fly the mission relied heavily on the opinion of the head of cosmonaut training, [[Nikolai Kamanin]]. In an April 5 diary entry, Kamanin wrote that he was still undecided between Gagarin and Titov.<ref>Burgess and Hall, p.140</ref> "The only thing that keeps me from picking [Titov] is the need to have the stronger person for the one day flight."<ref>Quoted in Burgess and Hall, p.140-141</ref> Kamanin was referring to the second mission, [[Vostok 2]], compared to the relatively short single-orbit mission of Vostok 1. When Gagarin and Titov were informed of the decision during a meeting on April 9, Gagarin was very happy, and Titov was disappointed.<ref>Burgess and Hall, p.141. The press said that Titov was so happy for Gagarin that he almost kissed him, but Titov denies this – Burgess and Hall, p.145.</ref> On 10 April, this meeting was reenacted in front of television cameras, so there would be official footage of the event. This included an acceptance speech by Gagarin.{{r|siddiqi2000}}{{rp|272}}<ref>Burgess and Hall, p.142</ref> As an indication of the level of secrecy involved, one of the other cosmonaut candidates, [[Alexei Leonov]], later recalled that he did not know who was chosen for the mission until after the spaceflight had begun.<ref name="Burgess and Hall, p.151">Burgess and Hall, p.151</ref>

{{Spaceflight crew
|position1       = Pilot
|crew1_up        = [[Yuri Gagarin]]
|flights1_up     = Only
}}
=== Backup ===
{{Spaceflight crew
|position1       = Pilot
|crew1_up        = [[Gherman Titov]]
}}
=== Reserve ===
{{Spaceflight crew
|position1       = Pilot
|crew1_up        = [[Grigori Nelyubov]]
}}

==Preparations==
[[File:Vostok spacecraft.jpg|right|thumb|Model of the Vostok spacecraft with its upper stage, on display in [[Frankfurt Airport]]'s "Russia in Space" exhibition]]
Unlike later Vostok missions, there were no dedicated [[tracking ship]]s available to receive signals from the spacecraft. Instead they relied on the network of ground stations, also called Command Points, to communicate with the spacecraft; all of these Command Points were located within the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>Hall and Shayler, p.148-149</ref>

Because of weight constraints, there was no backup [[retrorocket]] engine. The spacecraft carried 13 days of provisions to allow for survival and natural [[orbital decay]] in the event the retrorockets failed.<ref name="rusbereza.ru">{{Cite web |title="Тогда Юра вернулся на землю не из космоса, а с того света!.." |trans-title="Then Yura returned to earth not from space, but from the other world!.." |url=https://rusbereza.ru/gazeta/7240 |language=ru}}</ref> The provisions included food for Gagarin. As focus was made on food that would not form crumbs, Gagarin was provided with liver meat puree and chocolate sauce, packed in metal toothpaste-style tubes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kendall |first=Dan |date=2020-01-15 |title=A bite sized history of food in space |url=https://spacecentre.co.uk/blog-post/a-bite-sized-history-of-space-food/ |website=[[National Space Centre (England)|National Space Centre]]}}</ref>

The letters "СССР" were hand-painted onto Gagarin's helmet by engineer Gherman Lebedev during transfer to the launch site. As it had been less than a year since [[1960 U-2 incident|U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers was shot down]], Lebedev reasoned that without some country identification, there was a small chance the cosmonaut might be mistaken for a spy on landing.<ref name="sssr">{{cite news |title=Откуда взялась надпись СССР на шлеме Гагарина?⁠⁠ |trans-title=Where did the writing CCCP come from? |url=https://pikabu.ru/story/otkuda_vzyalas_nadpis_sssr_na_shleme_gagarina_4193397 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115024750/http://pikabu.ru/story/otkuda_vzyalas_nadpis_sssr_na_shleme_gagarina_4193397 |archive-date=January 15, 2017 |access-date=October 12, 2017 |language=ru |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===Automatic control===
[[File:Vostokpanel.JPG|thumb|right|Part of the Vostok 1 instrument panel prominently displaying the [[Voskhod Spacecraft "Globus" IMP navigation instrument|"Globus" navigation instrument]]]]
The entire mission would be controlled by either automatic systems or by [[Mission control center|ground control]]. This was because medical staff and spacecraft engineers were unsure how a human might react to weightlessness, and therefore it was decided to lock the pilot's manual controls. In an unusual move, a code to unlock the controls was placed in an onboard envelope, for Gagarin's use in case of emergency.{{r|siddiqi2000}}{{Reference page|page=278}} Prior to the flight, Kamanin and others told Gagarin the code (1-2-5) anyway.<ref name=oleg>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11111713/Oleg-Ivanovsky-obituary.html#disqus_thread |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140922053533/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11111713/Oleg-Ivanovsky-obituary.html |archive-date=2014-09-22 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Oleg Ivanovsky - obituary |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=September 21, 2014 |access-date=September 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>Burgess and Hall, p.156</ref>

===11 April 1961===
[[File:Electrocardiogram of Gagarin.JPG|thumb|Electrocardiogram of [[Yuri Gagarin|Gagarin]] recorded 11 April 1961, at 19 hours and 35 minutes. Exhibited at the [[Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics]] in Moscow.]]
At Baikonur Cosmodrome on the morning of 11 April 1961, the [[Vostok-K]] rocket, together with the attached ''Vostok 3KA'' space capsule, were transported several kilometers to the launch pad, in a horizontal position. Once they arrived at the launch pad, a quick examination of the booster was conducted by technicians to make sure everything was in order. When no visible problems were found, the booster was erected on LC-1.<ref name="Burgess and Hall, p.150">Burgess and Hall, p.150</ref> At 10:00 ([[Moscow Time]]), Gagarin and Titov were given a final review of the flight plan.<ref name="Burgess and Hall, p.150"/> They were informed that launch was scheduled to occur the following day, at 09:07 Moscow Time. This time was chosen so that when the capsule started to fly over Africa, which was when the retrorockets would need to fire for reentry, the solar illumination would be ideal for the orientation system's sensors.{{r|siddiqi2000}}{{Reference page|page=273}}

At 18:00, once various physiological readings had been taken, the doctors instructed the cosmonauts not to discuss the upcoming missions. That evening Gagarin and Titov relaxed by listening to music, playing pool, and chatting about their childhoods.<ref name="Burgess and Hall, p.151"/> At 21:50, both men were offered sleeping pills, to ensure a good night's sleep, but they both declined.<ref>Burgess and Hall, p.151. During a post-flight press conference on April 15, Alexander Nesmeyanov claimed that Gagarin took a sleeping pill. Also, Siddiqi, p.273, claims that they were both asleep at 21:30 when Korolev came to visit them, but Burgess and Hall, p.151, says Korolev spoke with them at this time.</ref> Physicians had attached sensors to the cosmonauts, to monitor their condition throughout the night, and they believed that both had slept well.<ref>Siddiqi, p.273; In a post-flight press conference, Gagarin also stated that he slept well.</ref> Gagarin's biographers Doran and Bizony say that neither Gagarin nor Titov slept that night.<ref>Burgess and Hall, p.153.</ref> Chief Designer [[Sergei Korolev]] did not sleep that night, due to anxiety caused by the imminent spaceflight.{{r|siddiqi2000}}{{Reference page|page=273}}

===Gagarin statement before the mission===
Before the mission, Gagarin made a statement to the press, addressed to the Soviet Union and to the whole world:

{{Blockquote|Dear friends, both known and unknown to me, fellow countrymen, men and women of all lands and continents!<br>In a few minutes a mighty spaceship will take me into the far-away expanses of the Universe. What can I say to you in these last minutes before the start? I see my whole past life as one wonderful moment. Everything I have experienced and done till now has been in preparation for this moment. You must realise that it is hard to express my feelings now that the test for which we have been training ardently and long is at hand. I don't have to tell you what I felt when it was suggested that I should make this flight, the first in history. Was it joy? No, it was something more than that. Pride? No, it was not just pride. I felt very happy - to be the first in space, to engage in an unprecedented duel with Nature - could one dream of anything greater than that?<br>But then I thought of the tremendous responsibility of being the first to accomplish what generations of people had dreamed of, the first to show man the way into space... Can you think of a task more difficult than the one assigned to me. It is not responsibility to a single person, or dozens of people, or even a collective. It is responsibility to all [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] people, to all mankind, to its present and its future. And if I am nevertheless venturing on this flight, it is because I am a [[Communist]], because I draw strength from unexampled exploits performed by my compatriots, Soviet men and women. I know that I shall muster all my will power the better to do the job. Realising its importance, I will do all I can to carry out the assignment of the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]] and the Soviet people.<br>Am I happy to be starting on a space flight? Of course I am. In all times and all eras man's greatest joy has been to take part in new discoveries.<br>I would like to dedicate this first space flight to the people of communism, a society which our Soviet people are already entering, and which, I am confident, all men on earth will enter.<br>It is a matter of minutes now before the start. I say to you good-bye, dear friends, just as people say to each other when setting out on a long journey. I would like very much to embrace you all - people known and unknown to me, close friends and strangers alike.<br>See you soon!<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gagarin |first1=Yuri |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P180sjRuqi4C&q=%22Dear+friends%2C+both+known+and+unknown+to+me%2C+fellow+countrymen%22&pg=PA15 |title=Soviet Man in Space |publisher=The Minerva Group |year=2001 |isbn=9780898754605 |pages=15}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ДО СКОРОЙ ВСТРЕЧИ! |trans-title=SEE YOU SOON! |url=https://www.roscosmos.ru/28336/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210401072208/https://www.roscosmos.ru/28336/ |archive-date=2021-04-01 |website=Roscosmos |language=ru}}</ref>|author=Yuri Gagarin}}

In his autobiography, Gagarin recalled that, looking at the spacecraft before start, he was "seized with an unprecedented rise of all mental strength <...> some extraordinary words were born that I had never used before in everyday speech."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Юрий Гагарин: «Вижу землю!» Президентская библиотека – к 90-летию со дня рождения первого космонавта планеты |trans-title=Yuri Gagarin: "I see the earth!" The Presidential Library – on the 90th anniversary of the birth of the first cosmonaut of the planet |url=https://www.prlib.ru/news/1948434?ysclid=luhw25od4m164270514 |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=Presidential Library named after B.N. Yeltsin |language=ru}}</ref> This was not true; according to historian [[Asif Siddiqi]], Gagarin "was essentially forced to utter a stream of banalities prepared by anonymous speechwriters" taped much earlier in Moscow.{{r|siddiqi2000}}{{Reference page|page=274}}

==Flight==
[[File:Гагарин перед полётом.jpg|thumb|left|Gagarin with [[Sergei Korolev|Korolev]] (right) before the flight]]
At 05:30 Moscow time, on the morning of 12 April 1961, both Gagarin and his backup Titov were woken.<ref>Burgess and Hall, p.153</ref> They were given breakfast, assisted into their spacesuits, and then were transported to the launch pad. Gagarin entered the ''Vostok 1'' spacecraft, and at 07:10 local time (04:10 UTC), the radio communication system was turned on. Once Gagarin was in the spacecraft, his picture appeared on television screens in the launch control room from an onboard camera. Launch would not occur for another two hours, and during the time Gagarin chatted with the mission's main [[Flight controller#Spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM)|CapCom]], as well as Chief Designer [[Sergei Korolev]], [[Nikolai Kamanin]], and a few others,{{r|siddiqi2000}}{{Reference page|page=274}} periodically joking and singing songs.<ref>{{cite journal |date=2001-04-17 |title=Подготовка изделия идет нормально |trans-title=The preparation of the product is going well. |url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/253987 |journal=Kommersant-Vlast |language=ru |volume=15 |page=50 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210828200559/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/253987 |archive-date=28 August 2021 |access-date=2 April 2024}}</ref> Following a series of tests and checks, about forty minutes after Gagarin entered the spacecraft, its hatch was closed. Gagarin, however, reported that the hatch was not sealed properly, and technicians spent about 15 minutes removing all the screws and sealing the hatch again.<ref name="chrono">{{Cite web |title=Подлинная история полета Гагарина. Юрий Батурин рассказывает, как человечество зашло на новый виток |trans-title=The True Story of Gagarin's Flight. Yuri Baturin Tells How Humanity Entered a New Turn |url=https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2021/04/11/podlinnaia-istoriia-poleta-gagarina |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415092404/https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2021/04/11/podlinnaia-istoriia-poleta-gagarina |archive-date=2021-04-15 |access-date=2021-04-15 |language=ru}}</ref> According to a 2014 obituary, Vostok's chief designer, [[Oleg Ivanovsky]], personally helped rebolt the hatch.<ref>Obituary, [[Aviation Week and Space Technology]], September 29, 2014, p.11-</ref> There is some disagreement over whether the hatch was in fact not sealed correctly, as a more recent account stated the indication was false.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

During this time Gagarin requested some music to be played over the radio.<ref>Siddiqi, p.276; neither Siddiqi, nor Hall and Shayler claim that music was actually played after this request.</ref> Korolev was reportedly suffering from chest pains and anxiety, as up to this point the Soviet space launch rate was 50% (12 out of 24 launches had failed).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://medium.com/@sukantkhurana/vostok-1-first-manned-spaceflight-in-history-f19849d21649|title=VOSTOK 1 : FIRST MANNED SPACEFLIGHT IN HISTORY|last=Khurana|first=Sukant|date=2018-05-04|website=Sukant Khurana|access-date=2018-08-02}}</ref><!--If this was the 24th launch with 12 previous failures, the success rate was 11/23, or 48%, at this point immediately prior to the launch of Vostok 1. Cannot find data to support if there were 23 or 24 previous launches.--> Two Vostoks had failed to reach orbit due to launch vehicle malfunctions and another two malfunctioned in orbit. Korolev was given a pill to calm him down.<ref>Siddiqi describes it as a "tranquilizer pill", while Hall and Shayler describe it as a "cardiac pill".</ref> Gagarin, on the other hand, was described as calm; about half an hour before launch his [[pulse]] was recorded at 64 beats per minute.{{r|siddiqi2000}}{{Reference page|page=276}}

===Launch===
[[File:Vostok1.jpg|thumb|Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1, as televised to ground control]]
{{Listen
| filename     = Gagarin-Poyekhali.ogg
| title        = ''Poyekhali!''
| alt          =
| description  = Gagarin's voice
}}
* '''06:07 [[UTC]]''' Launch occurred from the [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] [[Gagarin's Start|Site No.1]]. Korolev radioed, "Preliminary stage..... intermediate..... main..... lift off! We wish you a good flight. Everything is all right." Gagarin replied, "Let's go! (''Poyekhali!'')."<ref>Hall and Shayler, p.150</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Whiting |first=Melanie |date=2018-03-27 |title=Remembering Yuri Gagarin 50 Years Later |url=http://www.nasa.gov/feature/remembering-yuri-gagarin-50-years-later |access-date=2022-04-04 |website=NASA}}</ref>
* '''06:09''' (T+ 119 s) The four strap-on boosters of the Vostok rocket used up the last of their propellant and [[R-7 (rocket family)#Korolev Cross|dropped away from the core vehicle]].
* '''06:10''' (T+ 156 s) The payload shroud covering Vostok 1 was released, uncovering a window at Gagarin's feet, with an optical orientation device {{lang|ru-Latn|Vzor}} (lit. "look" or "glance").
* '''06:12''' (T+ 300 s) The rocket core stage used up its propellant and fell away from the capsule and final rocket stage. The final rocket stage ignited.
* '''06:13''' Gagarin reported, "...the flight is continuing well. I can see the Earth. The visibility is good.... I almost see everything. There's a certain amount of space under cumulus cloud cover. I continue the flight, everything is good."
* '''06:14''' Vostok 1 passed over central Russia. Gagarin reported, "Everything is working very well. All systems are working. Let's keep going!"
* '''06:15''' Three minutes into the burn of the final rocket stage, Gagarin radioed, "{{lang|ru-Latn|Zarya-1, Zarya-1}}, I can't hear you very well. I feel fine. I'm in good spirits. I'm continuing the flight..." Vostok 1 started to move out of radio range of the Baikonur ground station.
* '''06:17''' The rocket final stage shut down and Vostok 1 reached orbit. Ten seconds later the rocket separated from the capsule.

===Time in orbit===
[[File:Vostok 1 orbit english.png|thumb|right|Ground trace of Gagarin's complete orbit; the landing point is west of the takeoff point because of the Earth's eastward rotation.]]
* '''06:18''' UTC (T+ 676 s) Gagarin reported, "The craft is operating normally. I can see Earth in the view port of the {{lang|ru-Latn|Vzor}}. Everything is proceeding as planned". Vostok 1 moved on over [[Siberia]] as it passed over the Soviet Union.
* '''06:21''' Vostok 1 passed over the [[Kamchatka Peninsula]] and out over the North Pacific Ocean. Gagarin radioed, "...the lights are on on the descent mode monitor. I'm feeling fine, and I'm in good spirits. Cockpit parameters: pressure 1; humidity 65; temperature 20; pressure in the compartment 1; first automatic 155; second automatic 155; pressure in the retro-rocket system 320 atmospheres...."
* '''06:25''' As Vostok 1 began its diagonal crossing of the Pacific Ocean from Kamchatka Peninsula to the southern tip of South America, Gagarin requested information about his orbital parameters: "What can you tell me about the flight? What can you tell me?". The ground station at [[Khabarovsk]] didn't have his orbital parameters yet, and reported back, "There are no instructions from No. 20 [code name for Korolyov], and the flight is proceeding normally." (Ground control did not know until 25 minutes after launch that a stable orbit had been achieved.)
* '''06:31''' Gagarin transmitted to the Khabarovsk ground station, "I feel splendid, very well, very well, very well. Give me some results on the flight!". At this time, Vostok 1 was nearing the VHF [[radio horizon]] for Khabarovsk, and they responded, "Repeat. I can't hear you very well". Gagarin transmitted again, "I feel very good. Give me your data on the flight!" Vostok 1 then passed out of VHF range of the Khabarovsk ground station.
* '''06:37''' Vostok 1 continued on its journey as the sun set over the North Pacific. Gagarin crossed into night, northwest of the [[Hawaiian Islands]]. Out of VHF range with ground stations, communications continued via HF radio.
* '''06:46''' Khabarovsk ground station sent the message "KK" via telegraph (on HF radio to Vostok 1). This was a code meaning, "Report the monitoring of commands," a request for Gagarin to report when the spacecraft automated descent system had received its instructions from ground control.
* '''06:48''' Vostok 1 crossed the equator at about 170° West in a southeast direction, and began crossing the South Pacific. Gagarin transmitted over HF radio, "I am transmitting the regular report message: 9 hours 48 minutes (Moscow Time), the flight is proceeding successfully. Spusk-1 is operating normally. The mobile index of the descent mode monitor is moving. Pressure in the cockpit is 1; humidity 65; temperature 20; pressure in the compartment 1.2 ... Manual 150; First automatic 155; second automatic 155; retro rocket system tanks 320 atmospheres. I feel fine...."
* '''06:49''' Gagarin reported he was on the night side of the Earth.
* '''06:51''' Gagarin reported the sun-seeking attitude control system was switched on; this oriented Vostok 1 for retrofire. The automatic/solar system was backed up by a manual/visual system; either one could operate the two redundant cold [[nitrogen]] gas thruster systems, each with {{convert|10|kg|lb|abbr=on}} of gas.
* '''06:53''' The Khabarovsk ground station sent Gagarin via HF radio, "By order of No. 33 (General [[Nikolai Kamanin]]), the transmitters have been switched on, and we are transmitting this: the flight is proceeding as planned and the orbit is as calculated." Vostok 1 was now known to be in a stable orbit; Gagarin acknowledged.
* '''06:57''' Vostok 1 was over the South Pacific between New Zealand and [[Chile]] as Gagarin radioed, "...I'm continuing the flight, and I'm over America. I transmitted the telegraph signal "ON".
* '''07:00''' Vostok 1 crossed the [[Strait of Magellan]] at the tip of South America. News of the Vostok 1 mission was broadcast on Radio Moscow.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/12/newsid_2477000/2477715.stm |work=BBC News |title=1961: Soviets win space race |date=April 12, 1961}}</ref>
* '''07:04''' Gagarin sent another spacecraft status message, similar to the one at 06:48. This was not received by ground stations.
* '''07:09''' Gagarin sent another spacecraft status message, also not received by ground stations.
* '''07:10''' Vostok 1 passed over the South Atlantic, into daylight again. At this point, retrofire is 15 minutes away.
* '''07:13''' Gagarin sent a fourth spacecraft status message; Moscow received this partial message: "I read you well. The flight is going...."
* '''07:18''' Gagarin sent another spacecraft status message, not received by ground stations.
* '''07:23''' Gagarin sent another spacecraft status message, not received by ground stations.

The automatic orientation system brought Vostok 1 into alignment for retrofire about 1 hour into the flight.

==Reentry and landing==
[[File:Gagarin Capsule.jpg|right|thumb|The Vostok 1 capsule when it was on display at the [[RKK Energiya museum]]. The main capsule, seen in the center of this picture, is now on display at the Space Pavilion at the [[Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy|VDNKh]].]]
At 07:25 UTC, the spacecraft's automatic systems brought it into the required attitude (orientation) for the [[retrorocket]] firing, and shortly afterwards, the [[liquid-fuel rocket|liquid-fueled]] engine fired for about 42 seconds over the west coast of Africa, near [[Angola]], about {{convert|8000|km|mi nmi|sp=us|abbr=off}} uprange of the landing point. The orbit's [[apsis|perigee and apogee]] had been selected to cause [[Atmospheric entry|reentry]] due to [[orbital decay]] within 13 days (the limit of the [[life support system]] function) in the event of retrorocket malfunction.<ref name="rusbereza.ru"/> However, the actual orbit differed from the planned and would not have allowed descent until 20 days.<ref name="Rudenko M.I">{{cite news |author=Ivanovich |first=Rudenko Mikhail |date=May–June 2008 |title=Тогда Юра вернулся на землю не из космоса, а с того света!.. |trans-title=Then Yura returned to earth not from space, but from the other world!.. |url=http://www.rusbereza.ru/jour/2008/200803/20080313.shtml |access-date=March 31, 2011 |work=Russkaya Beroza |language=ru}}</ref>

Ten seconds after retrofire, commands were sent to separate the Vostok [[service module]] from the [[reentry module]] (code name "little ball" ({{Langx|ru|шарик|sharik}})), but the equipment module unexpectedly remained attached to the reentry module by a bundle of wires. At around 07:35 UTC, the two parts of the spacecraft began reentry and went through strong gyrations as Vostok 1 neared Egypt. At this point the wires broke, the two modules separated, and the descent module settled into the proper reentry attitude. Gagarin telegraphed "Everything is OK" despite continuing gyrations; he later reported that he did not want to "make noise" as he had (correctly) reasoned that the gyrations did not endanger the mission (and were apparently caused by the spherical shape of the reentry module). As Gagarin continued his descent, he remained conscious as he experienced about 8 [[g-force|g]] during reentry. (Gagarin's own report states "over 10 g".)<ref name="epizodsspace">{{Cite web |title=ЗВЕЗДНЫЙ РЕЙС ЮРИЯ ГАГАРИНА |trans-title=YURI GAGARIN'S STAR FLIGHT |url=http://epizodsspace.airbase.ru/bibl/i_tsk/zv-reis.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610075435/http://epizodsspace.airbase.ru/bibl/i_tsk/zv-reis.html |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |access-date=2020-06-17 |website=epizodsspace.airbase.ru |language=ru}}</ref>

At 07:55 UTC, when Vostok 1 was still {{convert|7|km|ft|abbr=on}} from the ground, the hatch of the spacecraft was released, and two seconds later Gagarin was ejected. At {{convert|2.5|km|ft|abbr=on}} altitude, the main parachute was deployed from the Vostok spacecraft.<ref>{{cite web|title=The flight of Vostok 1 |url=https://www.esa.int/About_Us/ESA_history/50_years_of_humans_in_space/The_flight_of_Vostok_1|publisher=ESA
|access-date=2 April 2023}}</ref>

Gagarin's parachute opened almost immediately, and about ten minutes later, at 08:05 UTC, Gagarin landed. Both he and the spacecraft landed via parachute {{convert|26|km|mi nmi|abbr=on}} south west of [[Engels, Saratov Oblast|Engels]], in the [[Saratov Oblast|Saratov region]] at {{coord|51.270682|N|45.99727|E|}}.

A [[Kolkhoz|kolkhoz woman]] Annihayat Nurskanova and her granddaughter, Rita, observed the strange scene of a figure in a bright orange suit with a large white helmet landing near them by parachute. Gagarin later recalled, "When they saw me in my space suit and the parachute dragging alongside as I walked, they started to back away in fear. I told them, don't be afraid, I am a Soviet citizen like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!"<ref name="epizodsspace" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Yuri Gagarin, 12 April 1961: "I come from outer space!" (1)|url=http://www.reflexions.uliege.be/cms/c_33931/en/yuri-gagarin-12-april-1961-i-come-from-outer-space-1|access-date=2020-06-17|website=www.reflexions.uliege.be|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Steve |title=Yuri Gagarin: Sixty years since the first man went into space |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-56709308 |access-date=April 12, 2021 |work=BBC News |date=April 12, 2021}}</ref>

==Reactions and legacy==
[[File:Semyorka Rocket R7 by Sergei Korolyov in VDNH Ostankino RAF0540.jpg|thumb|A copy of the Vostok rocket]]
[[File:Gagarin-skafander.jpg|thumb|Gagarin's spacesuit]]

===Soviet reaction===
Gagarin's flight was announced while Gagarin was still in orbit, by [[Yuri Levitan]], the leading Soviet radio personality since the 1930s. Although news of Soviet rocket launches would normally be aired only after the fact, [[Sergei Korolev]] wrote a note to the Party Central Committee to convince them that the announcement should be made as early as possible:
<blockquote>
"We consider it advisable to publish the first [[TASS]] report immediately after the satellite-spacecraft enters orbit, for the following reasons:

(a) if a rescue becomes necessary, it will facilitate rapid organization of a rescue;

(b) it precludes any foreign government declaring that the cosmonaut is a military scout."<ref name="HarfordTASS">{{cite book |last1=Harford |first1=James |title=Korolev: How One Man Masterminded the Soviet Drive to Beat America to the Moon |date=8 April 1997 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=0-471-32721-2 |page=169}}</ref>
</blockquote>
The flight was celebrated as a great triumph of Soviet science and technology, demonstrating the superiority of the socialist system over capitalism. Moscow and other cities in the USSR held mass demonstrations, the scale of which was comparable to [[Moscow Victory Parade of 1945|World War II Victory Parades]]. Gagarin was awarded the title of [[Hero of the Soviet Union]], the nation's highest honour. He also became an international celebrity, receiving [[Yuri Gagarin#Awards and honours|numerous awards and honours]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pervushin |first=Anton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kMGlvz53P3cC&dq=%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8+%D0%B2+%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C+%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B2%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8&pg=PT488 |title=108 минут, изменившие мир |date=2011-04-12 |publisher=Litres |isbn=978-5-457-02230-0 |language=ru |trans-title=108 Minutes That Changed the World |chapter=7.1 Гражданин мира |trans-chapter=7.1 Citizen of the World}}</ref>

April 12 was declared [[Cosmonautics Day]] in the USSR, and is celebrated today in Russia as one of the official "Commemorative Dates of Russia."<ref name="32FZ">{{Cite Russian law
|ru_entity=Государственная Дума
|ru_type=Федеральный закон
|ru_number=32-ФЗ
|ru_date=13 марта 1995 г.
|ru_title=О днях воинской славы и памятных датах России
|ru_effective_date=со дня официального опубликования
|ru_published_in="Российская Газета", No.52
|ru_published_date=15 марта 1995 г
|ru_url=http://ntc.duma.gov.ru/duma_na/asozd/asozd_text.php?code=22479
|ru_amendment_type=Федерального закона
|ru_amendment_number=59-ФЗ
|ru_amendment_date=10 апреля 2009 г
|ru_amendment_title=О внесении изменения в статью 1.1 федерального закона "О днях воинской славы и памятных датах России"
|en_entity=[[State Duma]]
|en_type=Federal Law
|en_number=32-FZ
|en_date=March 13, 1995
|en_title=On the Days of Military Glory and the Commemorative Dates in Russia
|en_effective_date=the day of the official publication
|en_url
|en_amendment_type=Federal Law
|en_amendment_number=59-FZ
|en_amendment_date=April 10, 2009
|en_amendment_title=On Amending Article&nbsp;1.1 of the Federal Law "On the Days of Military Glory and the Commemorative Dates in Russia"
}}</ref> In 2011, it was declared the [[International Day of Human Space Flight]] by the [[United Nations]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/events/humanspaceflightday/ |title=UN Resolution A/RES/65/271, The International Day of Human Space Flight (12 April) |date=April 7, 2011 |access-date=January 19, 2015}}</ref>

Gagarin's informal reply ''Poyekhali!'' ("Let's go!") became a historical phrase used to refer to the arrival of the [[Space Age]] in human history.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pervushin |first=Anton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kMGlvz53P3cC&q=%D0%BE%D0%BD+%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BB+%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B5%D1%85%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8&pg=PT440 |title=108 минут, изменившие мир |date=2011-04-12 |publisher=Litres |isbn=978-5-457-02230-0 |language=ru |trans-title=108 Minutes That Changed the World |chapter=6.2. Он сказал «Поехали!» |trans-chapter=6.2. He said, "Let's go!"}}</ref> Later it was included in the refrain of a Soviet song {{ill|Do You Know What Kind of Guy He Was|ru|Знаете, каким он парнем был}} written by [[Alexandra Pakhmutova]] and [[Nikolai Dobronravov]] (''He said "Let's go!" He waved his hand'') which was dedicated to the memory of Gagarin.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dushenko |first=Konstantin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UZqhAAAAQBAJ&q=%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BD&pg=PT920 |title= |publisher=Litres |year=2014 |isbn=978-5-699-40115-4 |language=ru |script-title=ru:Большой словарь цитат и крылатых выражений |trans-title=A large dictionary of quotes and catchphrases}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

===American reaction===
Officially, the U.S. congratulated the Soviet Union on its accomplishments.<ref>{{cite episode |transcript=U.S. in Space |series=1961 Year in Review |network=[[UPI]] Audio Network |transcript-url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1961/12295509433760-1}}</ref> Writing for ''[[The New York Times]]'' shortly after the flight, however, journalist [[Arthur Krock]] described mixed feelings in the United States due to fears of the spaceflight's potential military implications for the [[Cold War]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krock |first=Arthur |date=1961-04-14 |title=In The Nation; Concentration of Science on Outer Space |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/04/14/archives/in-the-nation-concentration-of-science-on-outer-space.html |access-date=2025-01-13 |work=The New York Times |page=28 |issn=0362-4331 |quote=But because of the distrust that now exists among the great nations, and has plunged them into huge programs of deadly rearmament, an achievement by one which carries a clear and direct potential of military supremacy engenders fear of its use.... And so it has become as impossible for either of the groups divided by the Cold War to welcome unreservedly such feats as Major Gagarin's in the opposite camp.}}</ref> and the ''[[Detroit Free Press]]'' wrote that "the people of Washington, London, Paris and all points between might have been dancing in the streets" if it were not for "doubts and suspicions" about Soviet intentions.<ref name="nytimes-reactions"/> Other US writers were concerned that the spaceflight had gained a propaganda victory on behalf of communism. President [[John F. Kennedy]] was quoted as saying that it would be "some time" before the US could match the Soviet [[launch vehicle]] technology, and that "the news will be worse before it's better." Kennedy also sent congratulations to the Soviet Union for their "outstanding technical achievement."<ref name="nytimes-man-in-space">{{Cite news |date=April 16, 1961 |title=Man in Space |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/04/16/archives/man-in-space.html |access-date=2025-01-13 |work=The New York Times |page=E1 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Schwartz |first=Harry |date=1961-04-16 |title=MOSCOW: Flight Is Taken as Another Sign That Communism Is the Conquering Wave |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/04/16/archives/moscow-flight-is-taken-as-another-sign-that-communism-is-the.html |access-date=2025-01-13 |work=The New York Times |page=E3 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Opinion pages of many US newspapers urged renewed efforts to overtake the Soviet scientific accomplishments.<ref name="nytimes-reactions">{{Cite news |date=April 16, 1961 |title=Opinion of the Week: At Home and Abroad |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1961/04/16/archives/opinion-of-the-week-at-home-and-abroad.html |access-date=2025-01-13 |work=The New York Times |page=E11 |issn=0362-4331}} Quotes of reactions from many US and international sources.</ref>

[[Adlai Stevenson II|Adlai Stevenson]], then the US ambassador to the United Nations, was quoted as saying, "Now that the Soviet scientists have put a man into space and brought him back alive, I hope they will also help to bring the United Nations back alive," and on a more serious note urged international agreements covering the use of space<ref name="nytimes-reactions"/> (which did not occur until the [[Outer Space Treaty]] of 1967).

Astronaut [[Alan Shepard]], who was originally scheduled to become the first person in space but had [[Mercury-Redstone 3|his mission]] delayed six times due to preparatory work, was infuriated by the news and slammed his fist down on a table.<ref name="Thompson 2004">{{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Neal |author-link=Neal Thompson (writer) |url=https://archive.org/details/lightthiscandlel00thom |title=Light This Candle: The Life & Times of Alan Shepard, America's First Spaceman |date=2004 |publisher=Crown Publishers |isbn=0-609-61001-5 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=282 |lccn=2003015688 |oclc=52631310}}</ref>

===Other world reactions===
Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] of [[India]] praised the Soviet Union for "a great victory of man over the forces of nature"<ref name=nytimes-man-in-space/> and urged that it be "considered as a victory for peace." ''[[The Economist]]'' voiced worries that orbital platforms might be used for [[Pre-emptive nuclear strike|surprise nuclear attacks]]. The ''[[Svenska Dagbladet]]'' in Sweden chided "free countries" for "splitting up and frittering away" their resources, while [[West Germany]]'s ''[[Die Welt]]'' argued that America had the resources to have sent a man into space first but was beaten by Soviet purposefulness. Japan's ''[[Yomiuri Shimbun]]'' urged "that both the United States and the Soviet Union should use their new knowledge and techniques for the good of mankind," and [[Egypt]]'s ''[[Akhbar El Yom]]'' likewise expressed hopes that the cold war would "turn into a peaceful race in infinite space" and turn away from armed conflicts such as the [[Laotian Civil War]].<ref name="nytimes-reactions"/>

[[Charles de Gaulle]] claimed that "the success of Soviet scientists and astronauts does honor to Europe and humanity".<ref name="kprf">{{cite news |date=2011-04-12 |title=Юрий Гагарин – первый человек в космосе. 50 лет со дня первого полёта |trans-title=Yuri Gagarin – the first man in space. 50 years since the first flight |url=http://www.kprf-egorlyk.ru/news/73-50-let-poletu-v-kosmos.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107063700/http://www.kprf-egorlyk.ru/news/73-50-let-poletu-v-kosmos.html |archivedate=2012-01-07 |publisher=retroportal.ru |language=ru}}</ref> [[Sukarno]], the President of the [[Republic of Indonesia]], said that "that delightful event opens up new prospects for human thought and activity, which will be put at the service of the progress and well-being of people, international peace as a whole." [[Zhou Enlai]], head of the State Council of the [[China|People's Republic of China]], and [[Kim Il Sung]], Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the [[DPRK]], described the successes of Soviet science as "a brilliant symbol of the triumph of socialism and communism." The chairman of the Council of Ministers of [[Cuba]], [[Fidel Castro]], sent a telegram to Khrushchev as follows: "Let this victory of his become the victory of all mankind, which men and women in all corners of the earth perceived as the greatest hope for the destinies of freedom, prosperity and peace."<ref name="tasst">{{Cite web |title="Великий триумф Советского Союза". Высказывания иностранных политиков о полете Гагарина |trans-title="The Great Triumph of the Soviet Union." Statements by Foreign Politicians on Gagarin's Flight |url=https://tass.ru/info/11116465 |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=TASS |language=ru}}</ref>

The President of the [[Chinese Academy of Sciences]], [[Guo Moruo]], wrote a poem 《歌颂东方号》 ("Hymn to the Vostok Spacecraft"), which was published in ''[[Pravda]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |date=1961 |title=Го Мо-жо. Гимн космическому кораблю «Восток» |trans-title=Guo Mo-zho. Hymn to the spaceship "Vostok" |journal=New World |language=ru |issue=5 |pages=5–6}}</ref><ref name=kprf/> [[Charlie Chaplin]] and [[Gianni Rodari]] were among those who sent congratulatory telegrams to ''[[Komsomolskaya Pravda]].<ref name="tasst" />''

===World records===
[[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale|FAI]] officially recognized three space records claimed by Gagarin: duration in orbital flight&mdash;108 minutes, greatest altitude in earth orbital flight&mdash;{{convert|327|km|mi nmi}}, greatest mass lifted in earth orbital flight&mdash;{{convert|4725|kg|lb|}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Space Marks Accorded To Gagarin and Shepard |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/07/23/118919502.html?pageNumber=35 |work=The New York Times |page=35 |date=23 July 1961}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-03-22 |title='Let's go!' – FAI celebrates 60th Anniversary of Gagarin's space flight |url=https://www.fai.org/news/60th-anniversary-gagarin-space-flight |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=[[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale]]}}</ref>

The [[Fédération Aéronautique Internationale|FAI]] rules in 1961 required that a pilot must land with the spacecraft to be considered an official spaceflight for the FAI record books.{{r|siddiqi2000}}{{Reference page|page=283}} Although some contemporary Soviet sources stated that Gagarin had parachuted separately to the ground,<ref name="time19610421">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,895299,00.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204133301/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,895299,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 4, 2013 |title=The Cruise of the Vostok |magazine=Time |date=April 21, 1961 |access-date=November 5, 2011}}</ref> the Soviet Union officially insisted that he had landed with the Vostok; the government forced the cosmonaut to lie in press conferences, and the FAI certified the flight. The Soviet Union did not admit until 1971 that Gagarin had ejected and landed separately from the Vostok descent module.{{r|siddiqi2000}}{{Reference page|page=283}} Gagarin's spaceflight records were nonetheless certified and reaffirmed by the FAI, which revised its rules, and acknowledged that the crucial steps of the safe launch, orbit, and return of the pilot had been accomplished.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/why-yuri-gagarin-remains-first-man-space-even-though-he-did-not-land-inside-his |title=Why Yuri Gagarin remains the first man in space, even though he did not land inside his spacecraft |last=Lewis |first=Cathleen |date=12 April 2010 |website=National Air and Space Museum |access-date=12 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618085443/https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/why-yuri-gagarin-remains-first-man-space-even-though-he-did-not-land-inside-his |archive-date=18 June 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Gagarin is internationally recognised as the first human in space and first to orbit the Earth.<ref>{{cite news |date=12 April 2021 |title=Yuri Gagarin: Who was the first person in space? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/56718196 |access-date=13 July 2022 |website=BBC News}}</ref>

===Legacy===
[[File:Gagarin field.jpg|right|thumb|Commemorative monument, Vostok-1 landing site near [[Engels, Saratov Oblast|Engels]], Russia]]
Four decades after the flight, historian Asif S. Siddiqi wrote that Vostok 1

{{blockquote|will undoubtedly remain one of the major milestones in not only the history of space exploration, but also the history of the human race itself. The fact that this accomplishment was successfully carried out by the Soviet Union, a country completely devastated by war just sixteen years prior, makes the achievement even more impressive. Unlike the United States, the USSR had to begin from a position of tremendous disadvantage. Its industrial infrastructure had been ruined, and its technological capabilities were outdated at best. A good portion of its land had been devastated by war, and it had lost about 25 million citizens ... but it was the totalitarian state that overwhelmingly took the lead [in the space race].{{r|siddiqi2000}}{{Reference page|page=282}}|author=Asif S. Siddiqi}}

The landing site is now a monument park. The central feature in the park is a {{convert|25|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall monument that consists of a silver metallic rocketship rising on a curved metallic column of flame, from a wedge shaped, white stone base. In front of this is a 3-meter (9 foot) tall white stone statue of Yuri Gagarin, wearing a spacesuit, with one arm raised in greeting and the other holding a space helmet.<ref>{{cite web |title=Vostok 1 Landing Site – Monument Park Location – Satellite photo |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&lci=org.wikipedia.en&q=51.270682,45.99727(Vostok+1)&ie=UTF8&ll=51.2709,45.997245&spn=0.000824,0.002594&z=19 |access-date=December 26, 2010 |website=Google Maps}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Vostok 1 Landing Site – Rocket Monument photo |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.270508,45.997181&spn=0,0.005187&t=h&z=18&lci=com.panoramio.all&layer=c&cbll=51.270508,45.997181&cbp=12,0,,0,5&photoid=po-43813644 |access-date=December 26, 2010 |website=Google Maps}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Vostok 1 Landing Site – Yuri Gagarin Statue photo |url=https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.278777,45.978298&spn=0,0.005187&z=18&lci=com.panoramio.all&layer=c&cbll=51.278777,45.978298&cbp=12,0,,0,5&photoid=po-17440456 |access-date=December 26, 2010 |website=Google Maps}}</ref>

The ''Vostok 1'' re-entry capsule belongs to the [[RKK Energiya museum|S. P. Korolev RSC Energia Museum]] in [[Korolev City]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Corporation Museum |url=https://www.energia.ru/en/corporation/museum.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211125145422/https://www.energia.ru/en/corporation/museum.html |archive-date=25 November 2021 |access-date= |website=www.energia.ru |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2018 it was temporarily loaned to the Space Pavilion at the [[VDNKh (Russia)|VDNKh]] in Moscow.

In 2011, documentary film maker [[Christopher Riley]] partnered with [[European Space Agency]] astronaut [[Paolo Nespoli]] to record a new film of what Gagarin would have seen of the Earth from his spaceship, by matching historical audio recordings to video from the [[International Space Station]] following the [[ground path]] taken by ''Vostok 1''. The resulting film, ''[[First Orbit]]'', was released online to celebrate the 50th anniversary of human spaceflight.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12808771 |title=Movie recreates Gagarin's spaceflight |work=BBC News |first=Jonathan |last=Amos |date=March 23, 2011 |access-date=March 27, 2011}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Spaceflight|Soviet Union}}
* ''[[Vostok (sloop-of-war)|Vostok]]'' was the lead ship of [[Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen]], who discovered [[Antarctica]] during the Russian expedition to the south polar region in 1819–1820. Some sources connect the name ''Vostok 1'' to Bellingshausen's ship.<ref name="tattoo">{{Cite web |title=Vostok |url=http://www.tattooarchive.com/tattoo_history/vostok.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120122162838/http://www.tattooarchive.com/tattoo_history/vostok.html |archive-date=January 22, 2012 |website=Tattoo Archive}}</ref>

==Note==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
* {{cite book |title=The first Soviet cosmonaut team: their lives, legacy, and historical impact |last2=Hall |first2=Rex |author=Burgess |first=Colin |pages=356 |date=June 2, 2010 |publisher=Praxis |isbn=978-0-387-84823-5}}
* {{cite book |title=The rocket men: Vostok & Voskhod, the first Soviet manned spaceflights |last2=Shayler |first2=David |author=Hall |first=Rex |date=May 18, 2001 |publisher=Springer |pages=350 |isbn=1-85233-391-X}}
*  {{cite book |title=108 минут, изменившие мир |author=Pervushin |first=Anton |publisher=Eksmo |year=2011 |isbn=978-5-699-48001-2 |language=ru |trans-title=108 minutes which changed the world}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* {{YouTube|id=b0ktgWlN7SE|title=Gagarin's Start}} – short video by [[Roscosmos]] including the preparation, Gagarin's flight, and Gagarin back on Earth
* [https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19630043160_1963043160.pdf The First Man In Space – NASA/JPL translation of Soviet Radio and Newspaper Reports – May 1, 1961]
* [http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/histind/Vostok1/Vostok1X.htm An analysis of the flight of Vostok 1 – Sven Grahn]
* {{in lang|ru}} [http://epizodsspace.narod.ru/bibl/i_tsk/zv-reis.html transcript of Gagarin's radio conversations with ground stations, starting 2hrs before launch, and other related documents]
* {{cite web |url=https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/collection/736/yuri-gagarin-the-first-human-space-flight |title=Yuri Gagarin & the First Human Space Flight |editor=Siddiqi |editor-first=Asif |editor-link=Asif Azam Siddiqi}}
* [https://archives.cjr.org/the_kicker/and_thats_the_way_it_was_april_8.php Collection of American newspapers featuring Gagarin's flight] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511172847/https://archives.cjr.org/the_kicker/and_thats_the_way_it_was_april_8.php |date=11 May 2023 }}

{{Vostok Programme}}
{{Orbital launches in 1961}}

[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1961]]
[[Category:1961 in the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Yuri Gagarin]]
[[Category:Human spaceflights]]
[[Category:Vostok programme]]
[[Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 1961]]
[[Category:April 1961]]
[[Category:Soviet inventions]]