Science in the News

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-man-in-space

Yuri Gagarin first entered space exactly 59 years ago. He was in space for an hour and
48 mins. The only words attributed to him during his time is ​“Flight is proceeding
normally; I am well.​” ​This was a huge victory in USSR vs America in the space for the
Soviet Union. He was an instant worldwide celebrity and had monuments, streets
named after him, and received He was awarded the Order of Lenin and given the title of
Hero of the Soviet Union. This was the one of the many firsts for the Soviet Union in the
space race including first animal in orbit, first large scientific satellite, first man, first
woman, first three men, first space walk, first spacecraft to impact the moon, first to orbit
the moon, first to impact Venus, and first craft to soft-land on the moon. Yuri Gagarin
was killed in a routine jet-aircraft test flight in 1968. His ashes were also placed in the
Kremlin wall.