How long did the Vostok 1 flight last?
The Vostok 1 flight lasted 108 minutes from launch to landing on the 12th of April 1961. During that time, Yuri Gagarin completed a single orbit of the Earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 327 kilometres.
Questions about Vostok 1
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Why did Yuri Gagarin eject from the Vostok 1 capsule instead of landing with it?
Gagarin ejected at 7 kilometres altitude and parachuted to the ground separately because the Vostok capsule's design required it. The spacecraft itself also landed by parachute, arriving 26 kilometres south west of Engels in the Saratov region.
Why was Yuri Gagarin chosen for Vostok 1 over Gherman Titov?
Cosmonaut training chief Nikolai Kamanin chose Gagarin for the shorter single-orbit mission while reserving Titov, whom he considered the stronger candidate, for the longer Vostok 2 mission. The formal assignment was made on the 8th of April 1961, four days before launch.
What did Gagarin say at the moment of Vostok 1 launch?
When Sergei Korolev radioed lift-off on the 12th of April 1961, Gagarin replied "Poyekhali!" meaning "Let's go!" The phrase became associated with the opening of the Space Age and was later included in the Soviet song "Do You Know What Kind of Guy He Was."
Did the Soviet Union tell the truth about how Gagarin landed from Vostok 1?
No. FAI rules in 1961 required a pilot to land with the spacecraft for the flight to count officially. Because Gagarin had ejected and parachuted separately, the Soviet government forced him to claim otherwise in press conferences. The truth was not admitted until 1971, though the FAI later revised its rules and reaffirmed all of Gagarin's records.
What were the official world records set by Vostok 1?
The FAI certified three records: 108 minutes in orbital flight, a greatest altitude in earth orbital flight of 327 kilometres, and the greatest mass lifted in earth orbital flight at 4,725 kilograms.