Yuri Gagarin was born in Russia in what is now known as Smolensk Oblast. His family were officially termed ‘peasants’ but this description is a little less than adequate. Gagarin made his hometown famous when he became the first human to travel in space.
The Young Gagarin
Gagarin was one of four children born to parents who lived on a collective farm. Although they were considered to be manual workers, his mother was a keen reader and his father skilled in carpentry. He was separated from his elder siblings during the Second World War when they were sent to Germany slave camp. According to his teachers, Gagarin was a committed student who worked hard and at times a little roguish. One of his school masters had flown with the air force during the war and this may have influenced his interest in space and planets.
Gagarin began his career as a foundry man in a metal works and was selected for further training at a technical college. Here he became a member of the ‘AeroClub’ and learnt to fly. His passion for air and later, space travel was fuelled from this point on and it was through sheer determination and practice that he mastered the skill of flying. He completed his technical qualification and was accepted for military flight training at a Pilots School in Orenburg. Gagarin’s height, 1.57 metres, was an advantage when flying in a small cockpit like the Vostock.
During this time he gained his pilots wings and met and married his wife, Valentina Goryacheva . He quickly rose up the ranks of the Soviet Air Force.
Gagarin The Space Man
Gagarin was one of 20 cosmonauts to be accepted for the Soviet Space Programme. He participated in physical and psychological endurance experiments and undertook training to prepare for the journey into space. Gagarin along with a fellow cosmonaut, Gherman Titov were selected for the first launch largely due to their small stature. However, Gagarin was also selected for other reasons including his ability to handle the media and his family name of ‘Gagarin’ which was associated with Tsarist aristocracy.
Gagarin made his historic trip into space on 12 April 1961 aboard a rocket called Vostock I. He notably whistled a patriotic song The Motherland Hears, The Motherland Knows, which makes reference to a ‘son flying in the skies’. During his orbit he was promoted to Major and returned to Earth with this status.
Gagarin's Memory Lives On
Gagarin became a celebrity throughout the world, and toured Europe and other countries to promote the Russian achievement in space. He later became involved on designs at the cosmonaut facility in Star City and rose to the rank of Colonel.
In response to Soviet officials' fear of losing their hero in an accident, Gagarin was urged not to–and eventually banned from participating in–any further space flights. But Gagarin began to re-qualify as a fighter pilot and whilst on a training flight in March 1968, his plane crashed. Both Gagarin and the flight instructor were killed. It is not clear what caused the crash.
Gagarin was only 34 years old when he died, but despite his short life he succeeded in leaving a lasting legacy. A small town near his birthplace has been named after Gagarin in his honour and a museum dedicated to space houses the capsule in which he returned to earth. Space travel continues to this day to be the challenge of our modern world.
References:
Written information obtained from a visit to the Space Museum at Smolensk Oblast
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