Yuri Gagarin

Soviet cosmonaut and first human in outer space.

Yuri Gagarin was a Soviet Air Force pilot and cosmonaut who completed the first human orbital spaceflight aboard Vostok 1 on 12 April 1961 and later served in training and public roles before his death in 1968. His public contribution was to demonstrate human survival and basic operational performance in orbital flight, becoming an international symbol of Soviet technical achievement and the opening of human spaceflight.