Cook Is. 2008 First Man in Space 1oz Silver Orbital Coin @ lefthandedcoins.com
On the 12th April 1961, 27
year-old Cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin
(Ю́рий Алексе́евич Гага́рин )
became the first
human in space and first to
orbit the Earth. The Russian Air Force Senior
Lieutenant had been selected to join the Soviet space program in 1960. Subjected
to intensive physical, mental and psychological training, he was chosen ahead of
nineteen other contenders to "engage single-handed in an unprecedented duel with
nature" . Vostok 1 blasted-off
from Baikonur launch pad in Soviet Central Asia. Reaching a height of 302 kilometres, he completed a single orbit o
the Earth at 27,000 kph in 108 minutes. On his return to Moscow , the newly
promoted Major was greeted by hundreds of thousands of cheering supporters in Red Square . Honoured with his nation's highest medal - Hero of the Soviet Union
- he was now the most famous person on Earth.
