First Orbit – 50 years on

On 12 April 1961, Vostok 1 was launched and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the planet.  The BBC have a number of articles online as Russia marks the 50th anniversary of that flight – or, as the Guardian’s GrrlScientist calls it, Happy Yuri’s Night!  Nasa have some images, and this short clip of the launch from their archives. And, if you have the time, the Guardian point to this feature length documentary, First Orbit. But remember, compared to the rest of …

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