First Man in Space
Monday, April 12, 2004
The first human space flight was 43 years ago today.
The Soviet Union had already placed the first artificial satellite in orbit – called Sputnik – in October 1957. Sputnik ignited a space race with the U.S. Over the next three and a half years, the Soviets led with a string of firsts – including the first animal in space, a dog called Laika – and a spacecraft that circled the moon.
Then on today’s date in 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. His craft was Vostok 1. Gagarin spent about an hour and a half in zero gravity. His first words from space were: “I see Earth. It’s so beautiful.” By the time he landed, Gagarin had traveled nearly 40,000 kilometers – or one orbit of Earth. He became an instant celebrity and toured the world.
The U.S. was losing the space race. A month after Gagarin’s spaceflight in 1961, John Kennedy proposed that the U.S. should attempt a lunar landing by the end of the decade. In July of 1969, that goal was accomplished – by Neil Armstrong and the crew of Apollo 11. The space race was political, but it did advance science. For example, scientists learned that the moon’s surface records what the early solar system was like.
And Apollo astronauts searched for – but couldn’t find any – evidence of past or present life on the moon.
If you enjoyed this show, the following books and articles may be of
further interest to you:
An exhibit called ‘Space Race’ at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
Top Ten Scientific Discoveries Made During Apollo Exploration of the Moon (NASA’s Johnson Space Center)
Apollo’s Contributions to America (NASA’s Science and Technical Information)
NASA Spacelink – Technology Transfer Fact Sheets
NASA ‘s History of Astronautics, Chpt. 4, available on the Web at:
Yuri Gagarin, Guardian Newspaper, April 12, 2001
Wernher von Braun and Frederick I. Ordway III, Space Travel: A History,
Harper & Row, New York, 1985
The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, The Handy Science Answer Book, 1994
The following individuals were interviewed for today’s show. Our thanks to:
Colin A. Fries
Contract Archivist
NASA HQ History Office
Office of External Relations
Washington, DC
Steven Dick
Chief Historian
NASA HQ History Office
Office of External Relations
Washington, DC
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