Yuri Gagarin

Circling the Earth in the Vostok 1 spacecraft, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to experience the weightlessness of outer space in 1961. His 108-minute flight turned him into a global icon of the Soviet space program and changed the trajectory of human history. As a former foundry worker turned fighter pilot, his "Let’s go!" (Poyekhali!) echoed across the world as a signal of a new age. He described the Earth from orbit as a "delicate blue marble," a perspective that had never been seen by human eyes before. His bravery opened the door for all subsequent manned space exploration.