On April 12, 1961, a 27-year-old Soviet pilot named Yuri Gagarin climbed into a tiny capsule called Vostok 1, perched on top of a roaring rocket in the steppes of Kazakhstan. He shouted his catchphrase, 'Poyekhali!' - 'Let's go!' - as the engines ignited. Minutes later, he became the first human being ever to leave the planet, soaring up past the atmosphere and into the black of space.
Gagarin orbited Earth one full time at speeds of about 17,500 miles per hour. The whole flight took just 108 minutes. He gazed down at oceans, continents, and clouds and reported back, 'The Earth is blue. How wonderful. It is amazing.' Then he plunged back through the atmosphere and ejected from his capsule at four miles up, parachuting down into a Russian farm field. A startled farmer and her granddaughter saw him land in his bright orange suit and helmet.
Gagarin became an instant worldwide hero. The Soviet Union had beaten the United States to space, kicking off a fierce space race that would put Americans on the Moon eight years later. April 12 is now celebrated as 'Yuri's Night' around the world, with stargazing parties in every time zone. Every astronaut who has rocketed beyond the sky since has followed in the trail of a smiling Russian pilot who shouted 'Let's go' and meant it.
