ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Gagarin's Start

Gagarin's start was the first ever manned space flight in the history of mankind that was undertaken by a Soviet Air Force pilot named Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.

Let's imagine that you are in a beautiful toy rocket that has been built to take you super high up into space. You have always wanted to be an astronaut and explore space!

Just like you, Yuri Gagarin from Russia had always dreamed of flying high up in the sky and exploring the unknown space. He was a really brave person who trained for years to become an astronaut.

On the day he made history, Gagarin's rocket was actually a metal capsule called the Vostok. The rocket blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with Yuri Gagarin inside it. The rocket went so fast and high up that within just a few minutes, Yuri was already in outer space.

When Gagarin was going up into space, he felt the sensation of weightlessness. That means that it felt like he was floating in mid-air, and he could move his hands and legs freely. He was amazed to see the beauty of the Earth from far up above. He saw the blue oceans, white clouds, and lots of other beautiful things that he had never seen before. It was a truly amazing experience for him.

After orbiting the Earth one time, which took about 1 hour and 48 minutes, Yuri Gagarin finally returned to Earth. When he landed back on the ground, he became an instant celebrity for being the first human ever to venture into space.

Today, Yuri Gagarin's successful space mission has inspired many people to explore space and reach for the stars. Thanks to people like him, we now have the technology and knowledge to learn more about our universe and the wonders hidden in outer space.