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Parents:
Father
– Gagarin Alexey Ivanovich, worked as a woodworker.
Mather
- Gagarina Anna Timofeevna, worked as a dairymaid. |
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There were four
children in the family: Valentin - elder brother, Zinaida – sister, Yuriy
and Boris who was a younger brother.
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He started going to school in 1941
but the studies were interrupted by the War. In 1949
he finished the sixth grade of the Gzchatsk secondary school. On
September 30 that year he entered the Craftwork College of Lubertsy.
In1951
he finished the College with excellent grades (getting the molder’s qualification)
at the same time he finished the school of the working youth. He was enrolled
for the Industrial training school of Saratov.
InOctober 1954
being a forth-year student he signed up for the aeroclub. In 1955
he finished both the training school and aeroclub with excellent results
also.
Under the order of the Military College commander
on
October 27, 1955 he was enrolled as a first-year cadet of Chkalovsk
(Orenburgh) Air Force Pilots College, which he graduated from in
1957 as a first-class graduate.
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On October 27, 1954 he got married
to Goryacheva Valentina Ivanovna in Orenburgh. |
Then he served in the fighting aviation command of
the North Fleet as a military pilot (Arctic region).
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On April 10, 1959 his daughter
Lena was born.
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On October 4, 1959 Gagarin forwarded
an application requesting to be enlisted to the group of candidates for
cosmonauts. Having passed a lot of different examinations and tests Gagarin
was admitted as a candidate for cosmonauts along with other 20 drafted
pilots.
Since 1960 – a member of the Cosmonaut
group.
Since May 23, 1961 - a commander
of the Cosmonaut Corps. He started studies in the Zchukovsky Air Force
Engineering Academy which he finished in 1968 with excellent
results also.
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On March 7,1961 the second
girl was born in the Gagarins family they decided to call her Galina. |
| On April 12, 1961
he performed the first space flight in the history of the mankind (onboard
the Vostok space vehicle). He flew around the Earth within one hour and
48 minutes and successfully landed on the outskirts of Smelovka village,
Saratovskay region. |
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He was a GCTC deputy chief since December
20, 1963 up to 1968. He led a great social and political life,
was a delegate of the sixth and seventh sessions for the Supreme Soviet,
a member of the Central Committee of the All Union Lenin Communist Organization
of Youth (elected on the 14-th and 15-th sessions), also he was the president
of the Soviet –Cuban friendship society.
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Gagarin came to
a tragic end on March 27, 1968 as a result of the aviation
accident when performing training flight by UTI Mig-15 jet not far from
Novoslovo village, Vladimir region. SereginV.S., Air Force regiment commander,
also met his fate in that tragic accident. The real cause of this tragedy
has not been cleared up yet.
The ossuary of Yuriy
Gagarin is stored in the cinerarium of the Kremlin wall. |
