Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space on 12th April 1961 on board the Vostok 1 spacecraft. He was launched by a modified ballistic missile, the SS-6, converted into the A series of launch rockets. The flight, launched from the Tyuratam Cosmodrome, lasted 108 minutes and travelled 25,400 miles (40,900 km). The Vostok capsule was 7.5 feet (2.3m) in diameter and weighed 1,765 lbs (800 kg).
The A-series of launchers had 20 main engines clustered in fours - four for the main core and four each on four each on four tapered strap-on boosters. They developed a million pounds (453,000 kg) of thrust and are still being used today to launch Soyuz and Progress craft to the International Space Station.
The Vostok series included six launchings over a two-year period. The final two missions in June 1963 by Vostok 5, followed two days later by Vostok 6, carrying Valentina V. Tereshkova, the first woman in space, were notable in that the two spacecraft travelled at times only 3 miles (4.8 km) apart, setting the stage for future space dockings between orbiting vehicles.
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