BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy It's party time - Yuri's Night!

On April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin in Vostok 1 went into space and orbited the Earth once. He was the first person to go into space. The accomplishment made the Russians deliriously happy and the Americans furious and horrified, which led to the Apollo program.

For a number of years now April 12 has been celebrated around the world as Yuri's Night The World Space Party.

On April 12, 1961 with a “Let's go!”, the first spaceman blasted off. There was no fanfare or countdown when Yuri Gagarin in Vostok 1 became the first human to orbit the Earth. He was an exceptional individual who came from humble beginnings, and at 34 his life ended all too soon.

Yuri Gagarin – The First Spaceman

On April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin saw what no human had ever seen before: the Earth from space. Now "First Orbit" allows you to imagine that you are making the historic voyage. Film shot from the International Space Station creates the views, but you'll also have Philip Sheppard's music.

First Orbit - film review

Here is an interesting article by Eileen O'Sullivan, former Bellaonline editor. Yuri Gagarin First Man in Space is a look at the visit of the cosmonaut to Manchester, England. He had been invited, not by the aloof British government, but by the Manchester branch of the Amalgamated Foundry Workers Union. Gagarin had once a foundry worker at the Lyubertsy Steel Plant in Moscow.

There is a zinc statue of Yuri Gagarin at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich where he overlooks the Prime Meridian line. The cosmonaut is wearing a spacesuit and standing atop a globe. It's a replica of an original by Anatoly Novikov in Lyubertsy where Gagarin trained as a foundry work. The Russian space agency Roscosmos gifted it to the British Council in 2011 as part of the events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight.

Photo: Incabell

Celebrating Yuri's Night from orbit - a photograph from space and a message from Thomas Pesquet on board the International Space Station.

Credits: ESA/NASA