Yuri Gagarin Coloring Page

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space. He was 27, and his flight in the Vostok 1 spacecraft lasted 108 minutes, long enough for one trip around the Earth. As the rocket lifted off, he is said to have shouted “Poyekhali!”, which means “Let’s go!”

Gagarin grew up on a farm in a village west of Moscow and trained as a pilot. At about 5 feet 2 inches he was small, which suited the cramped capsule. He didn’t land inside it, either. Like the other Vostok pilots, he ejected near the end of the flight and came down by parachute. He died in 1968 in a training plane crash.