Date of issue: 29 March, 2011.
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (Russian: Ю́рий Алексе́евич Гага́рин, 9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968), was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. After being selected for Air Force Group 1, he became the first human to journey into outer space when his Vostok spacecraft launched successfully and completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961. After re-entry, Gagarin ejected from the craft and landed safely by parachute.
After the mission, Gagarin became an international celebrity, and was awarded many medals and honours, including Hero of the Soviet Union. Vostok 1 marked his only spaceflight, but he served as backup to the Soyuz 1 mission, which ended in a fatal crash. Gagarin later became deputy training director of the Cosmonaut Training Centre outside Moscow which was later named after him.