Human spaceflight (Vostok 1) and SK-1 spacesuit
Vuelo espacial tripulado (Vostok 1) y traje espacial SK-1
- Date
- 1961 · confidence high
- Place
- Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan (USSR)
- Credited to
- Yuri Gagarin, Sergei Korolev; suit by the Zvezda company (Moscow)
- People
- 👤 Serguéi Koroliov1906–1966👤 Yuri Gagarin1934–1968
- Field
- Movement
What was discovered
The first orbit of a human being, on 12 April 1961, in an automatic capsule with a pressurised rescue suit. It opened the era of human space exploration.
What it led to
- The Apollo programme as the American response
- Space stations and a permanent human presence in orbit
- Cosmonautics as a symbol of national prestige
Built on
- Blunt-body theory for atmospheric re-entry (Allen and Eggers)1951-1953
- Velcro hook-and-loop fastener1941-1955
- Laika in orbit (Sputnik 2): first animal in Earth orbit3 de noviembre de 1957
- Orbital launch vehicle and ICBM (R-7 Semyorka)1957
- Sputnik 1, first artificial satellite1957
- R-7 rocket
- aerospace medicine
Made possible
- Valentina Tereshkova (Vostok 6): first woman in space16-19 de junio de 1963
- First spacewalk (Alexei Leonov, Voskhod 2)18 de marzo de 1965
- First orbital docking (Gemini 8)16 de marzo de 1966
- Soyuz spacecraft1967
- Crewed Moon landing: Saturn V, Lunar Module and A7L suit1969
- Space station (Salyut 1 and Skylab)1971-1973
- Apollo (programme)
- Salyut and Mir space stations
- extravehicular activity spacesuit