1. Yuri Gagarin
(Ю́рий Гага́рин)

2. Early Life

3. Entered first grade at the beginning of WW-II
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin was born the son of Alexi Gagarin and Anna Gagarina on March 9, 1934
Collective farmers
Father was a carpenter
Entered first grade at the beginning of WW-II
Family was soon forced from their home by German soldiers
His brother and sister were captured and forced into a prison labor camp
Father joined the Soviet Army after the Germans left their village
Brother and sister escaped German prison camp and joined the Soviet armed forces

4. Yuri Gagarin
Yuri graduated from school in Gzhatsk then moved to Moscow to stay with an uncle and cousins
Gagarin entered a vocational school to complete foundry work for one year, then transferred to a technical school in Saratov in 1951
Progressed from his studies at Saratov Technical School to join an aero club

5. Inspired by his physics professor in space flight
Yuri Gagarin
Inspired by his physics professor in space flight
Completed school in 1955 and entered Orenberg flight school
Yuri completed military flight school in 1957 and married Valentina Goryacheva

6. Became Lieutenant of the Soviet Air Force on November 5, 1957
Yuri Gagarin
Training in a MiG-15 was followed by an assignment to Luostari airbase in Murmansk Oblast near Norway
Became Lieutenant of the Soviet Air Force on November 5, 1957
Received the rank of Senior Lieutenant on November 6, 1959
Flight training included parachute training
Invited to apply for new cosmonaut training program in 1958

7. Cosmonaut Selection and Training

8. Gagarin was small in stature at 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) tall
Yuri Gagarin
Gagarin was small in stature at 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) tall
Proved to be an advantage in the small Vostok cockpit

9. Two of the twenty cosmonauts were selected for the first space flight
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin was selected in 1960 with 19 other cosmonauts for the Soviet space program in 1960, after an extensive search and selection process
Two of the twenty cosmonauts were selected for the first space flight
Yuri Gagarin
Gherman Titov
Gagarin and Titov were the top pilot-students
Both were short

10. Military flight experience, while required, was less important
Yuri Gagarin
Emphasis in Soviet cosmonaut selection was on their physical and psychological profiles
Military flight experience, while required, was less important
U.S. astronaut selection relied heavily on extensive military flight experience and proficiency (1,500 high-performance jet PIC time)

11. Gagarin was favored because of his: Modest upbringing Russian heritage
Yuri Gagarin
Gagarin was a favorite of Korolev who was the ultimate decision-maker in the cosmonaut crew selection
Gagarin was favored because of his:
Modest upbringing
Russian heritage
Genial, outgoing personality
Survivor of the German occupation

12. Gagarin’s Space Flight

13. One-orbit mission launched April 12, 1961 1hr 48 min duration
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin was announced as the primary cosmonaut for the flight only two days before the launch
One-orbit mission launched April 12, 1961
1hr 48 min duration
Vostok-1 capsule
Launched on the converted R-7 ICBM with a third-stage booster attached to the Vostok

14. Yuri Gagarin

15. Capsule was designed so that the crew had little control
Yuri Gagarin
Gagarin’s flight was complicated by the failure of the support module to separate from the reentry capsule
Attachment strap did finally burn off and allow a controlled reentry without the disorienting rotation and oscillations
Capsule was designed so that the crew had little control
Lack of control over the capsule orbit operations made Gagarin a passenger rather than a pilot
Vostok crew were allowed to orient capsule, but deorbit, reentry, and descent were controlled from ground
Control functions could have been unlocked in an emergency

16. Capsule landing was not possible because of its incomplete design
Yuri Gagarin
Capsule landing was not possible because of its incomplete design
During descent and ejection, the pilot parachuted to a landing
Vostok capsule landed separately with its own parachute
To be recognized as an international record, it was required that the mission terminate with the crew member onboard
The Soviets denied the use of a parachute for the Vostok landings for years

17. Not pre-announced as the Mercury flights were
Yuri Gagarin
Gagarin became a national hero on return with the release of the news of his flight
Not pre-announced as the Mercury flights were
Received a field promotion to Major during his flight mission

18. Gagarin’s Later Life

19. Was promoted to training director at the cosmonaut training center
Yuri Gagarin
Was promoted to training director at the cosmonaut training center
Not allowed to fly in space again
Cosmonaut training center at Star City (Zvezdny Gorodok) was later renamed to the Yuri A. Gagarin State Scientific Research and Testing Cosmonaut Training Center

20. Yuri Gagarin
Gagarin was uncomfortable with his new desk assignment and asked for a future space flight slot
Finally received a position as backup pilot for the first Soyuz manned mission flown by Vladimir Komorov
Komorov’s tragic death on the Soyuz-1 mission in 1967 finalized Gagarin’s non-flight status

21. Yuri Gagarin
Gagarin was finally allowed to continue his aircraft flight currency with training on the Mig-15
Gagarin and test pilot-instructor Vladimir Seregin were on a routine training flight in a Mig-15
The March 27, 1967 flight in heavy overcast ended in a crash impact of the aircraft and the death of both pilots

22. Yuri Gagarin
Probable cause was found to be the close passage of a supersonic interceptor below its cleared altitude
Afterburners created a deadly wake vortex and the loss of control of the Mig-15
Gagarin was honored with his ashes placed in the Kremlin wall next to the other Soviet and Russian heroes

23. Gagarin’s Awards and Recognition

24. Medals and awards included:
Yuri Gagarin
Medals and awards included:
Hero of the Soviet Union Gold star Medal
Order of Lenin
Crater on the Moon named after Gagarin
Obelisk with his likeness placed at the site of the crash
His birth-town of Gzhatsk was renamed after him

25. International Yuri Day is celebrated worldwide every April 12th
Yuri Gagarin
Monument with Gagarin’s figure was built at the Avenue of Cosmonauts space museum in Moscow
Commemorative coins issued on several anniversaries of his flight and death
International Yuri Day is celebrated worldwide every April 12th
Also the date of first Shuttle launch (April 12, 1981)
Exactly 20 years after Gagarin’s launch

26. The End