Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968), Soviet cosmonaut and first human in space, in the spacesuit he wore during his historic spaceflight. Gagarin orbited the Earth once in the Vostok 1 spacecraft on 12 April 1961, in a flight that lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes. Following this mission, Gagarin became a hero in the Soviet Union and famous worldwide. He later returned to active service as a test pilot, dying in a crash during a training flight in 1968. His ashes were interred with full military honours in the Kremlin Wall.