Epress.am News from Armenia
Fifty years ago today, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin became the first human to journey to outer space when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on Apr. 12, 1961.
The first flight into space lasted 108 minutes.
He became Lieutenant Colonel (Podpolkovnik) of the Soviet Air Force on Jun. 12, 1962, and on Nov. 6, 1963, he received the rank of Colonel (Polkovnik) of the Soviet Air Force.
In Gagarin’s honor, an international celebration billed as “Yuri’s Night” is held every year on Apr. 12 to commemorate the flight. This celebration was preceded by Cosmonautics Day, which was established in the Soviet Union in 1962.