Russian Archives Online tells us that ‘on April 12, 1961 the first earthling escaped the gravity well of planet earth. In the spaceship Vostok 1, Senior Lieutenant Yuri Gagarin orbited earth one time, at an altitude of 302 kms for 108 minutes, at a speed of 18,000 mph. He was the first man to see that the earth was round, mostly water, and indeed magnificent.’ Read more…