The first man in space was Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin, a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He made history on April 12, 1961, when he orbited Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft, completing one orbit in a flight lasting 108 minutes. This achievement made him the first human to journey into outer space and orbit the planet
. Gagarin's flight marked a major milestone in the Space Race and earned him international fame and numerous honors, including the title Hero of the Soviet Union. Unlike later American astronauts, Gagarin ejected from the capsule during reentry and landed by parachute
. While some earlier high-altitude flights such as the American X-15 reached the edge of space, Gagarin was the first to enter orbit, which is generally considered the defining criterion for being the first man in space
. Alan Shepard became the first American and second person in space shortly after Gagarin, with a suborbital flight on May 5, 1961
. In summary, Yuri Gagarin is recognized as the first human in space due to his pioneering orbital flight on Vostok 1 in April 1961
