YURI A. GAGARIN

PROFILE

Full Name:

 Yuri Alexeyevich GAGARIN

Rank:

 Colonel, Soviet Air Force (Deceased)

Cosmonaut

Call Sign:

Kedr (Cedar)

Cosmonaut Number:

1

First Identified:

12 April 1961,

when launched aboard Vostok

Born:

9 March 1934, Klushino, Gzhatsk (currently Gagarin) Raion, Smolensk Oblast, USSR (Russian).

Died:

27 March 1968 in a jet crash, aged 34.

Education:

1941: (1 Sep) Attended school in the village of Klushino, but his education was interrupted by the Nazi invasion of Russia just six weeks later; their house was occupied and the family had to live in a dugout; both his brother and sister were taken by the Germans during their retreat but were released at the end of the war.

1943-49: (Mar 1943) Resumed his education; (May 1945) the family moved to Gzhatsk, where Gagarin attended secondary school; (Sep 1949) Graduated 6th grade at school, having developed an interest in mathematics and science.

Career Highlights:

1949-51: Following graduation from school, he took entrance exams for the Lyubertsy Agricultural Machinery Plant (vocational school No. 10); attended evening classes, graduating with honours as a moulder/foundry worker in 1951.

1951-55: Attended school for working youth No. 1 in Lyubertsy, then attended the Saratov Industrial Technical School; (29 Jun 1955) graduated as a foundry man/technician with honours, in the field of 'Foundry Production', in 1955.

4 Sep 1954 - 1 Oct 1955: Enrolled in the amateur Saratov Air Club; (18 May 1955) completed his first parachute jump; learnt to fly Yak-18 biplane; (Jun 1955) first solo flight; (29 Jun 1955) received a ground school diploma from the flying club; spent the summer of 1955 at an aviation camp to develop his flying skills.

1955-57: (27 Oct 1955) Entered the Soviet Air Force as an aviation cadet and enrolled as a student at the Orenberg Higher Air Force School for Pilots, Orenburg, South Ural military district; (22 Feb 1956) promoted to Sergeant; (16 Jun 1957) graduated Orenburg aviation school, qualified as a fighter pilot; (May 1957) flew jets for the first time, although his lack of height caused him some issues flying MiGs until he started to use a cushion to enable him to reach the controls; (28 Mar 1957) soloed on a MiG-15 jet fighter for the first time.

1957-60: Served as a pilot in the Orenburg region; (5 Nov 1957) promoted to Junior Lieutenant and attached to the command of the Air Force Northern Fleet Commander; (6 Nov 1957) promoted to Senior Lieutenant; completed a posting to the Arctic region (served with Shonin); (29 Dec) served as a pilot of the Air Force Northern Fleet, Luostary-Novoye settlement, Murmansk region; (7 Jul 1959) Military Pilot 3rd Class; (24 Oct) recommended for the post of a senior pilot; promoted to Captain.

SELECTION DETAILS

Category:

Pilot

Group:

1960 First Air Force Selection

1959-60: (7-10 Oct 1959) Undertook medicals to join the cosmonaut team; (8 Mar 1960) learned of his selection to the team.

COSMONAUT ASSIGNMENTS

1960:

(Feb) Joined team; (7 Mar) enrolled as a student-cosmonaut, Air Force detachment, TsPK; (May) joined Vostok training group under the command of Col. M.L. Gallai; Vostok training; (16 Jun) joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union - CPSU (No. 08909627); (10 Nov) received parachute instructor rating.

1961:

Vostok training; (25 Jan) qualified as an Air Force cosmonaut and selected to Vostok Top Six; Vostok training for the first human space flight; (8 Apr) named Pilot, Vostok; (12 Apr) Pilot, Vostok, FIRST HUMAN IN SPACE; promoted to Major during the flight; (12 Apr) Cosmonaut First Class; (14 Apr) Hero of the Soviet Union - H of the SU (No. 11175); Military Pilot First Class; (25 May) named as Commander, cosmonaut team; gave up active flight status and began world tour, the start of many public appearances around the globe; (1 Sep) started studies at Zhukovsky Academy (until 1968).

1962:

Commander, cosmonaut team; (12 Jun) promoted to Lt-Colonel; (Aug) Capcom, Vostok 3 and 4.

1963:

Commander, cosmonaut team; (4 Jan) surgery for appendectomy; supervised initial training of the 1963 second Air Force (Pilot) selection; (30 May) Cosmonaut 3rd Class; (Jun) Technical Director, Vostok 6; (18 Jul) surgery for tonsillectomy; (6 Nov) promoted to Colonel; (20 Dec) replaced as Commander, cosmonaut team by Nikolayev; (21 Dec) appointed Deputy Director, Cosmonaut Training Centre (TsPK).

1964:

Deputy Director TsPK; (20 Mar) named Director, Department 3, TsPK, in addition to his role as Deputy Director of the centre; (Oct) Capcom Voskhod 1.

1965:

Deputy Director/ Director Dept. 3, TsPK; (Mar) Capcom Voskhod 2; (1 Sep) selected to begin Soyuz training as Commander of Soyuz active spacecraft within second crew (Back-up Commander - BUp Cdr); Soyuz training.

1966:

Soyuz training; (Jun) joined Soyuz 1/2 training group; Soyuz training; (1 Sep) restored to flight status; Soyuz training.

1967:

Soyuz training; (Apr) BUp Cdr (to Komarov) and Capcom Soyuz 1; Soyuz training; (30 Nov) grounded from flying for a second time.

1968:

Soyuz training; in charge of cosmonaut preparations for space flight; (17 Feb) graduated Zhukovsky AF Engineering Academy; (18 Feb) defended thesis on aerodynamics (of reusable spacecraft); (2 Mar) completed course at Zhukovsky Academy; (13 Mar) order to ground him rescinded; (27 Mar) killed in the crash of his MiG-15 during a training flight with Colonel-Engineer V.S. Seryogin, H of the SU. The crash occurred near Novosyolov village, Kirzach district, Vladimir region; buried in the Kremlin Wall, Red Square, Moscow.

At some point he was involved in a major car crash which resulted in him losing his active status. His appearance changed after the accident, with a scar over his eye. At the time of his death, Gagarin was completing a flying test to evaluate his capabilities for flying solo again, as part of his preparations for a second space flight (in a Soyuz).

A major investigation into his death was undertaken by the Soviet Air Force, under the auspices of the Communist Party. A detailed report was produced which showed that the crash was an accident. The incident was reviewed again in 1988, but speculation remains that the crash was not an accident.

Yuri GAGARIN Space Flight Missions

Mission

Launch

Vehicle

Crew

Position

Dates

DD/MM/YY

Duration

DD:HH:MM:SS

Orbits

EVAs

Vostok

R-7

Pilot

12/04/61

00:01:48:00

1

0

Missions Flown

1

Total Flight Time

00:01:48:00

1

0

Space Explorer Achievements

First person to fly in space (12 April 1961)

The anniversary of Gagarin's historic space flight became a major event in the Soviet Union/Russia every year.  Soviet/Russian crews who follow Gagarin into space make a point of visiting his office at TsPK before leaving for the Baikonur Cosmodrome.