Man-In-Space Firsts:
First Guys
TABLE OF CONTENTS
First cosmonauts: The Star City 12, picked in March 1960, were Pavel I. Belyayev, Valeri F. Bykovsky, Yuri A. Gagarin, Viktor V. Gorbatko, Yevgeny V. Khrunov, Vladimir M. Komarov, Alexei A. Leonov, Andrian G. Nikolayev, Pavel R. Popovich, Georgi S. Shonin, Gherman S. Titov and Boris V. Volynov.

First astronauts: The Mercury 7, selected in April 1959, were Malcolm Scott Carpenter, Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper Jr., John Herschel Glenn Jr., Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom, Walter Marty "Wally" Schirra Jr., Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr., and Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton.

First human being in space: Yuri Gagarin also was the first man in orbit. He completed one revolution around Earth in 1 hour 48 minutes in Vostok 1 April 12, 1961.

First American in space: Alan Shepard was launched on a 15 minute flight of less than one orbit in the Mercury capsule Freedom 7 May 5, 1961. The second American in space was Gus Grissom, launched on a 15 minute suborbital flight in the Mercury capsule Liberty Bell 7 July 21, 1961.

Second man in orbit: Gherman Titov completed 16 revolutions around the globe in 25 hours 18 minutes in Vostok 2 August 6, 1961.

First American in orbit: John Glenn flew three orbits in five hours in the Mercury capsule Friendship 7 February 20, 1962. The second American in orbit was Scott Carpenter. He flew three orbits in five hours in the Mercury capsule Aurora 7 May 24, 1962.

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