Yuri Gagarin

(9 March 1934-27 March 1968) was Russian Soviet pilot and cosmunaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbiot of the Earth on 12 April 1961.

Gagarin became an international celebrity, and was awarded manymedals and titles, including Hero of the nation's highest honour. Vostok  1 marked his only spaceflight, but he served as backup crew to the Soyuz 1 mission (which ended in a fatal crash) Gagarin later became deputy training director of the Cosmonaut  Tarining  Centre outside Moscow, which was later named afther him. Gagarin died 1968 when the MİG-15 training jet he was piloting crashed. The Yuri Gagarin Medal awarded in his honor.