Soviet Human Spaceflight
The pioneering cosmonauts who pushed the boundaries of human space exploration.
Historic Firsts
First Human in Space
April 12, 1961
Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey into outer space aboard Vostok 1.
First Woman in Space
June 16, 1963
Valentina Tereshkova made history aboard Vostok 6 as the first woman in space.
First Spacewalk
March 18, 1965
Alexei Leonov conducted the first spacewalk during the Voskhod 2 mission.
Notable Cosmonauts
The Soviet space program's cosmonauts were pioneers who pushed the boundaries of human achievement in space, setting numerous records and demonstrating the possibilities of long-duration spaceflight.
Yuri Gagarin
First Human in Space
A charismatic figure who became a global celebrity after his historic flight aboard Vostok 1.
Key Achievements
- First human in space
- Complete orbit of Earth
- Safe return from space
Valentina Tereshkova
First Woman in Space
Selected from over 400 candidates, Tereshkova became a symbol of women's achievement under Khrushchev's leadership
Key Achievements
- First woman in space
- Longest female spaceflight until 1982
- Conducted biomedical research
Alexei Leonov
First Human to Conduct a Spacewalk
Performed the first spacewalk in history, spending 12 minutes outside his spacecraft in a milestone achievement for human spaceflight.
Key Achievements
- First spacewalk in history
- Tested inflatable airlock
- Pioneered EVA procedures
Vladimir Komarov
First Cosmonaut to Fly in Space Twice
A skilled test pilot who became the first person to fly in space twice, commanding both Voskhod 1 and the tragic Soyuz 1 mission.
Key Achievements
- First three-person spacecraft
- First civilian in space
- First medical doctor in space
Record-Breaking Achievements
Duration Records
- Valeri Polyakov: 437 days (1994-1995)
- Musa Manarov: 365 days (1987-1988)
- Vladimir Titov: 365 days (1987-1988)
EVA Records
- Anatoly Solovyev: 78+ hours in spacewalks
- Svetlana Savitskaya: First woman spacewalker
- Alexander Serebrov: First use of MMU
Training and Selection
Selection Criteria
- Military jet pilot experience required
- Age between 25-35 years
- Height under 170cm due to spacecraft constraints
- Excellent physical and psychological health
Training Program
- Extensive physical conditioning
- Zero-gravity flight experience
- Spacecraft systems training
- Survival training for various landing conditions