In the steps of Gagarin

No matter how many humans venture into space, on which vehicle, or for how long, they will always be following the trail of Yuri Gagarin. He was the first, the pioneer of a mode of transport untried before 1961. After centuries of dreams, decades of theory, and years of development, all the preparation had to lead to the point when the first mission could be launched with a man aboard. Unmanned missions had paved the way for over three years but on that spring day in 1961, a brave young man was about to put theory to the test. No one really knew if he would return alive, or with his faculties intact. Even with all the data collected from the unmanned flights of Vostok, Gagarin really was taking a leap of faith into the unknown.

For every mission since, though the risks and dangers can never be totally eliminated, none of them will ever have to face the uncertainty and risk of the first step off the planet that confronted Gagarin.