First Man in Space (1961)

My name is Yuri Gagarin, and I was the first person to ever see our planet from space. But long before I flew in a rocket, I was just a boy in a small village called Klushino. I was born on March 9th, 1934. My father was a carpenter and my mother worked on a farm. Life was simple, but my head was always full of big dreams. I loved looking up at the sky, watching the birds soar, and imagining what it would be like to fly among the clouds. During the great war, a fighter plane had to make an emergency landing in a field near my home. I was fascinated. The pilot let me sit in the cockpit, and in that moment, I knew I had to become a pilot. It was a dream that felt as big as the sky itself.

I worked hard in school and eventually joined a flying club. The first time I flew a plane by myself was the most thrilling moment of my life. After I became a military pilot, I heard about a new, top-secret program. They were looking for men to fly something much higher and faster than a plane. They were looking for the first cosmonauts. I knew I had to be one of them. The training was the hardest thing I had ever done. We were spun around in giant machines to get used to the forces of a rocket launch, we practiced in mock-up capsules, and we studied for hours every day. Out of thousands of pilots, only twenty of us were chosen, and I was lucky enough to be one of them. We were all aiming for the same goal: to be the first human to venture into the great unknown of space.

Finally, the big day arrived: April 12th, 1961. I woke up feeling a mix of excitement and butterflies in my stomach. This was it. After a final check-up, I rode a bus out to the launchpad. The rocket, my Vostok 1, was enormous, pointing straight up at the sky like a giant silver arrow. I put on my bright orange spacesuit and my big white helmet. As I walked to the rocket, I waved to the scientists and engineers who had worked so hard to make this day possible. I felt like I was carrying all their hopes with me. I squeezed into the tiny capsule at the very top of the rocket. It was so small that I could barely move my arms and legs. I was strapped into my seat, and through my headset, I could hear the calm voice of our chief designer, Sergei Korolev, talking me through the final checks. The whole world was holding its breath.

Then, the final countdown began. Ten. nine. eight. I could feel the rocket begin to tremble and hum beneath me. Seven. six. five. The noise grew into a deep, powerful roar that shook my whole body. Four. three. two. one. Liftoff. An incredible force pushed me back into my seat as the rocket climbed faster and faster into the sky. At that moment, a single, joyful word burst out of me: “Poyekhali.”. It means “Let’s go.” in Russian, and it felt like the perfect way to start our amazing journey. Soon, the rumbling stopped, and everything became quiet and calm. I felt a strange lightness, as if I were floating. I was weightless. I looked out the small window, and what I saw took my breath away. There it was. Our Earth. It was a beautiful, brilliant blue sphere, with swirling white clouds and continents of green and brown, hanging silently in the endless blackness of space. I was the first human to ever see it. I couldn't help but say, “The Earth is blue. How wonderful. It is amazing.”.

My entire journey around the Earth took only 108 minutes, but in that short time, the world changed forever. The return trip was a bit bumpy. My capsule glowed red hot as it raced back through the air, shaking and rattling all around me. As planned, I ejected from the capsule high above the ground and floated down safely with my parachute. I landed in a soft, plowed field, not far from the Volga River. A farmer and her young granddaughter were the first people to see me. They looked terrified. I suppose it’s not every day you see a man in a big orange suit fall from the sky. I smiled to calm them down and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am a friend.”. My mission proved that humans could travel to space and return safely. It opened a new door for humanity and inspired millions of people to look up at the stars and wonder.

Looking back, my journey wasn't just my own. It was a victory for everyone who dares to dream. It showed us that with courage, hard work, and teamwork, even the most impossible dreams can come true. So, I hope you will always remember to keep looking up, keep asking questions, and never stop chasing your own stars. Because you never know how far they might take you.