In Photos: 60 Years of Yuri Gagarin's Historic Space Journey
On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin blasted off onboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft, becoming the first human to journey into outer space.
A major milestone for humanity and a triumph for Moscow in the U.S.-Soviet space race, the event's anniversary is celebrated annually as Cosmonautics Day in Russia.
Special events are being held across Russia to honor this year's diamond jubilee, including an open-air exhibition of exclusive historic photographs presented by the Moscow-based Lumiere Brothers Gallery.
At The Moscow Times, we invite you to take a look back at Gagarin's journey in photos from the comfort of your home:
A major milestone for humanity and a triumph for Moscow in the U.S.-Soviet space race, the event's anniversary is celebrated annually as Cosmonautics Day in Russia.
Special events are being held across Russia to honor this year's diamond jubilee, including an open-air exhibition of exclusive historic photographs presented by the Moscow-based Lumiere Brothers Gallery.
At The Moscow Times, we invite you to take a look back at Gagarin's journey in photos from the comfort of your home:
April 12, 1961: 27-year-old Yuri Gagarin prepares for his flight at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Soviet Kazakhstan.
As the flight took off, Gagarin exclaimed the now-famous phrase "Поехали!" or "Let's go!"
As the flight took off, Gagarin exclaimed the now-famous phrase "Поехали!" or "Let's go!"
TASS Archive
The 108-minute journey orbiting Earth made Gagarin one of the most famous people in the U.S.S.R. and worldwide overnight.
Robert Dialent / Lumiere Brothers Gallery
Mass celebrations in his honor were held across the U.S.S.R. and Gagarin was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Alexander Ustinov / Lumiere Brothers Gallery
In the months following his historic journey, Gagarin went on a global publicity tour with stops in Britain and Canada. According to information obtained by the Telegraph, U.S. President John F. Kennedy barred Gagarin from visiting the country due to his "alarming" popularity.
Yakov Khalistan / Lumiere Brothers Gallery
Gagarin is pictured with his youngest daughter Galya, who was born a month before his space flight.
Valentin Cheredintsev / TASS
Valentina Tereshkova (left), the first woman in space, and Vyacheslav Bukovsky (r), the first Soviet cosmonaut to embark on three space flights, joined Gagarin in space stardom just a few years later.
Mikhail Trakhman / Lumiere Brothers Gallery
In June 1961, Gagarin laid the cornerstone for the world's first museum dedicated to the history of cosmonautics in the city of Kaluga, some 150 kilometers outside of Moscow. The museum, named after rocket science pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, opened in 1967.
Andrei Knyazev / Lumiere Brothers Gallery
