- Name: Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin
- Born: March 9th, 1934
- Died: March 27th, 1968
- Education: Saratov Industrial Technical School
- Space Agency: Soviet space program
- Missions: Vostok 1
14 Yuri Gagarin Facts for Kids
- Yuri Gagarin was a Soviet Union cosmonaut with the Soviet space program.
- Yuri Gagarin was born on Friday, March 9th, 1934 in Klushino, Smolensk Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union.
- Yuri Gagarin was the son of Alexey Ivanovich Gagarin and Anna Timofeyevna Gagarina.
- Yuri Gagarin died on Wednesday, March 12th, 1968 when his MiG-15UTI crashed during a training flight.
- Yuri Gagarin married Valentina Goryacheva in 1957 and they remained married until his death in 1968.
- Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Goryacheva had two children together, both were daughters.
- Yuri Gagarin is best known for being the first human to travel into outer space.
- On April 12th, 1961, aboard Vostok 3KA-3, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into outer space.
- Yuri Gagarin spent a total of 1 hour and 28 minutes in space.
- Yuri Gagarin received the highest award from the Soviet Union, the Hero of the Soviet Union medal.
- Prior to the Vostok 1 mission, Yuri Gagarin was a test pilot for the Soviet Air Force.
- The highest rank achieved by Yuri Gagarin while in the Soviet Air Force was Colonel (Polkvonik).
- The Vostok 1 mission was a major milestone during the Space Race between the USSR and the USA.
- The launch pad used by Yuri Gagarin to launch into space is still in use today, it’s called the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Yuri Gagarin Pictures
A photo of Yuri Gagarin on a bus in his cosmonaut space suit.Credit: Unknown
A photo of Yuri Gagarin in his Soviet Air Force uniform in 1966.Credit: TASS
A photo of Yuri Gagarin with his wife Valentina Goryacheva.Credit: AP Photo / A. Zemlianichenko
Additional Resources to Research Yuri Gagarin
- The First Man in Space – Learn about Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space on the Space.com website.
- Who Was Yuri Gagarin? – Discover who Yuri Gagarin was and what he did on the NASA website.
- Yuri Gagarin – ESA – Find out more about Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, on the ESA website.