Vostok 1 spacecraft landing site. Artwork showing Vostok 1 after landing in the Saratov region of Russia, on 12 April 1961. This spacecraft carried Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) into Earth orbit as the first human in space. Gagarin circled the Earth once in a flight that lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes. During re-entry this descent module separated from the rest of the spacecraft. Gagarin ejected 7 kilometres up, parachuting safely to the ground. The descent module also deployed a parachute, but hit the ground hard enough to create an impact crater, bouncing several times before coming to rest.