World Events]
First manned space flight
(April 12, 1961)
Launch of Vostok 1
Caption : The launch of the Vostok 1 spacecraft carrying Yuri Gagarin on the first manned flight in space. Launched on April 12, 1961, from Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Vostok 1 made one full orbit before returning to Earth 108 minutes later.
Credit : RIA NOVOSTI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY