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Yuri Gagarin A crater on the far side of the Moon is named for Yuri Gagarin.

Yuri Gagarin was born near Moscow, Russia on March 9, 1934. He died on March 27, 1968. Yuri joined the Soviet Air Force in 1955. By 1959, he was training to become a cosmonaut.

On April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit Earth! The name of his spacecraft was Vostok 1. Vostok 1 had two sections. One section was for Yuri. The second section was for supplies needed for Gagarin to live such as oxygen and water.

Vostok 1 circled Earth at a speed of 27,400 kilometers per hour. The flight lasted 108 minutes. Vostok's reentry was controlled by a computer. Yuri Gagarin did not land inside of Vostok 1. He ejected from the spacecraft and landed by parachute.

Yuri Gagarin was killed in a plane crash before he could travel in space a second time.