Astronauts and Cosmonauts

Yuri Gagarin

YOO-ree guh-GAH-rin

Also Known As Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin · Kedr (Cedar) - Vostok 1 radio callsign

Citation Formats

General Reference

Space and Astronomy Atlas. "Yuri Gagarin." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://space.interactiveatlas.org/astronauts/yuri-gagarin.

APA Style

Space and Astronomy Atlas. (n.d.). Yuri Gagarin. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://space.interactiveatlas.org/astronauts/yuri-gagarin

BibTeX

@misc{spaceandastronomyatlas-yuri-gagarin,
  author = {Space and Astronomy Atlas},
  title = {Yuri Gagarin},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://space.interactiveatlas.org/astronauts/yuri-gagarin},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

A Soviet Air Force pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to travel into space and orbit the Earth, aboard Vostok 1 on 12 April 1961. His flight made him an instant global celebrity and a symbol of Soviet achievement at the height of the Cold War space race.

Facts

Birth Date

1934-03-09 1

Birth Year

1934 2

Death Date

1968-03-27 1

Died in a MiG-15 training jet crash near Kirzhach, Russia; the exact cause of the crash remains debated among investigators.

Death Year

1968 2

Nationality

Soviet 1

Defining Contribution

First human in space and first to orbit the Earth 1

Notable Mission

Vostok 1 (1961) 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Roscosmos

Flew under the Soviet space program that Roscosmos institutionally succeeded; Gagarin's 1961 flight predates the 1992 establishment of Roscosmos in its modern form.

Source Encyclopedia Astronautica