Everyone knows that on April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin, aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft made the first manned space flight in history. But let’s remember some less known facts, but very interesting, about the trip.

Choosing the right cosmonaut: a question of height

We are in 1959, and the Soviet Union is looking for the first cosmonaut in history. A young Lieutenant, Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin, is one of the candidates together with 3500 other pilots. After the tests, two candidates tied with the same points: Gagarin and the person who later became the second person to go into space, Gherman Titov. Why did they choose Gagarin? The final decision was based on height: Gagarin was only 1,57 meters tall (that’s 5ft 2 inches) and was more suitable for the small Vostok capsule.

Space superstitions

The Vostok spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. What Gagarin did before the launch in Baikonur is something that today every cosmonaut repeats. In other words, some of the things Gagarin did in 1961 have become a superstition.

Among other superstitions, cosmonauts must get haircuts two days before the launch and, on launch’s day, they must drink some champagne and sign the door of their hotel room. Probably the most peculiar superstition has to do with something Gagarin did just before boarding the Vostok: he asked to stop the bus that was taking him to the launchpad and urinated on one of the wheels. In 1961 Gagarin could not hold it, today all cosmonauts must do it.

Spaceship Vostok 1

Launch day: Let´s go!

Gagarin arrived at Baikonur Cosmodrome, together with Titov as his substitute in case of emergency. He was already wearing his spacesuit, and he was placed inside the capsule (the suit prevented him from walking). Engineers had the capsule dubbed "little ball" because of its small size of 2.4 meters in diameter. While waiting, Gagarin sang folk songs and chatted with the engineers. When the project manager gave the last signal before launch, Gagarin replied "Let's go!" (in Russian Поехали!). This phrase is part of space history and Russian popular culture. Today it is used in Russian before starting any work or project, or when toasting.

Equipment for the flight: a letter, food and gun

Russian engineers had decided that the flight would be fully automatic, given to the fact that they did not know if with the G forces, Gagarin would be able to pilot the Vostok. In case of emergency, Gagarin could take the control, but he would have to enter a password that was hidden somewhere inside the capsule. Gagarin did not know where the password was, and it would be communicated to him only in the event of an emergency. Also, the capsule had provisions for ten days, an envelope with a message from the Government of the USSR with a request for help in case of landing in a different country, survival tools and a gun to defend himself.

But none of this was necessary. All worked out perfectly. On April 12, 1961 Gagarin made history, flying into space at a speed of 28,000 km/h, orbiting the Earth and coming back as a hero. In total, the spaceflight took 108 minutes.

Gagarin in "little ball" with the spacesuit 

Don’t worry, I'm a Soviet citizen

The descent went smoothly. Gagarin landed wearing his orange spacesuit on a farm 280 km away from the planned landing site. The first people who saw him were a mother and her daughter. The frightened girl ran away in fear and Gagarin shouted: “Don’t be afraid! I’m a Soviet citizen like you. I need a telephone to call Moscow”.