Keith Ferris Originals

On April 12, 1961, Senior Lieutenant Yuri Gagarin lifted off the launch pad from Tyuratam, Russia in the manned spacecraft Vostok I, for the first full orbit of earth.  Ground control initiated a retrofire that brought Gagarin back to Soviet soil.  This technical achievement of putting man into space first and returning him safely must be regarded as one of the outstanding achievements in history.

 

The technical significance of this space flight put great pressure on the world political scene and place the United States on a course to overtake the Soviets in a race for space science superiority.

 

Published: Aviation Week & Space Technology Calendar 1975

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