Cosmonaut Collection

Yuri Gagarin. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934- 1968) in his space helmet. Gagarin became the first person in space when he was launched on Vostok 1 on 12 April 1961

Yuri Gagarin onboard Vostok 1
Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in the cabin of Vostok 1, the spacecraft in which he became the first person to orbit the Earth on April 12, 1961

Yuri Gagarin. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934- 1968) in his space helmet. Gagarin became the first person in space when he was launched on Vostok 1 on 12 April 1961

Alexei Leonov, first space walk, 1965
First space walk. Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov (born 1934), outside the Voskhod 2 spacecraft in a spacesuit on 18 March 1965, while orbiting the Earth (in the background)

Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, in front of the Vostok 6 spacecraft in which she made 48 revolutions of the Earth on June 16-19, 1963

Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (1934-1968), Soviet cosmonaut and first man in space, artwork. Gagarin was born near Gzhatsk, Russia

Yuri Gagarin before launch, 1961
Yuri Gagarin before launch, in his flight suit and helmet, in a bus heading toward the Vostok 1 launch site in Kazakhstan, USSR, on 12 April 1961

Soviet poster commemorating Yuri Gagarin
Soviet poster commemorating the first manned spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin on 12th April 1961. Gagarins flight lasted 108 minutes

Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, 1963
Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova preparing to become the first woman in space. Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (born 1937) flew solo in the Vostok 6 spacecraft on 16 June 1963

Gagarin and Tereshkova, souvenir postcard
Gagarin and Tereshkova, Soviet cosmonauts, souvenir postcard. Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) was the first person in space. On 12 April 1961

Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (1934-1968), Soviet cosmonaut and first man in space. Gagarin was born in the village of Klushino near Gzhatsk, Russia

Valentina Tereshkova
Portrait of Valentina Tereshkova (b.1937), Russian cosmonaut and the first woman in space. Tereshkova flew on Vostock 6, launched on 16 June 1963

Komarov before Soyuz 1 launch, 1967
Komarov before Soyuz 1 launch, speaking at the launch site in Kazakhstan, on 23 April 1967. Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov (1927-1967) was killed during this mission

Vostok 1 Soviet spacecraft
Vostok (Russian осток, translated as "East") was a family of rockets derived from the Soviet R-7 Semyorka ICBM designed for the humanspaceflight programme but later used for other sputnik

Yuri Gagarin, Soviet cosmonaut
Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968), soviet cosmonaut and first man in space. Gagarin made the first manned space flight on 12 April 1961

Yuri Gagarin visiting Manchester, England in 1961
Yuri Gagarin. View of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, visiting Manchester, England, in July 1961. Gagarin made his flight in the Vostok 1 spacecraft on April 12, 1961

Soviet space-walk, artwork
Soviet space-walk. Computer artwork of a Soviet Union cosmonaut performing an extra-vehicular activity (EVA, spacewalk) in orbit over the Earth

Yuri Gagarin driving through London, UK
Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968), Soviet cosmonaut and first man in space, driving through London, UK, in an open-top car. Gagarin made the first manned space flight on 12 April 1961

Soyuz docking mission, news reports, 1969
Front-page Western news reports on the Soviet Soyuz docking mission of January 1969, the first time two manned spacecraft had docked

Russian cosmonaut wearing a Strizh space suit
Spacesuit. Russian cosmonaut wears a Strizh (" swift" ) spacesuit which is worn during launch and re-entry. It protects the cosmonaut if the spaceship is partially depressurised

Vostok rocket, Moscow, Russia
Vostok (Russian осток, translated as "East") was a family of rockets derived from the Soviet R-7 Semyorka ICBM designed for the humanspaceflight programme but later used for other sputnik

A lone astronaut looks up at the sun while exploring Mars. A rover trails behind

Soyuz 11 crew before launch, 1971
Soyuz 11 crew before launch. Soviet cosmonauts (left to right) Georgy Dobrovolsky, Viktor Patsayev and Vladislav Volkov at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

Yuri Gagarin as a student, 1953
Yuri Gagarin as a student. Students at the Saratov Industrial Polytechnic, Saratov, USSR, in 1953. At centre is Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968), who later became famous as the first man in space

First Russian spacesuit
Yuri Gagarin spacesuit. A Zvezda SK-1 spacesuit, the type worn by Yuri Gagarin on the first manned space flight in 1961

Yuri Gagarin, souvenir postcard. This is one of many postcard designs issued in the Soviet Union after the spaceflight of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968), the first man in space

Portrait of a cosmonaut, Svetlana Savitskaya
Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya, the second woman to go into space, the first to perform a space walk, and the only woman to have made two space flights (up to November 1988)

Krushchev, Tereshkova, Nikolayev, Gagarin
The politician and the cosmonauts: (left to right) Khrushchev, Valentina Tereshkova, Adrian Nikolayev & Yuri Gagarin in Red Square, Moscow

Crew of Soviet Soyus T12 before launch
The crew of Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T12, photographed before their launch on 17 July 1984. Left to right are Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Svetlana Savitskaya, and Igor Volk

Crewmembers of the first Soviet spaceflight
The first Soviet cosmonauts (left to right): P. Popovich, Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova, Adrian Nikolayev, Valeri Bykovski, & G. Titov

Mir space station cosmonauts, 1987
Mir space station cosmonauts. Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Romanenko and Aleksandr Laveykin assembling an electrical power pack on the Mir space station, in 1987

Poster; Peace
MEN AND WOMEN, LET US SAFEGUARD PEACE ! Cosmonaut Gagarin is permitted to utter a politically innocuous statement

Soviet Cosmonaut
Russian cosmonaut VALENTINA TERESCHKOWA (born 1937) is the first woman in space, aboard Vostok 6

Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, 1961 (litho)
813841 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, 1961 (litho) by Russian School (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, 1961.); Look and Learn / Elgar Collection

Yuri Gagarin seen here with Prime Minister Harold Macmillan at Admiralty House. The Russian astronaut waves to the crowd before saying goodbye to the Prime Minister

Yuri Gagarin in capsule
First manned space flight. Cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (1934-68) photographed inside the capsule of the Vostok 1 spacecraft. Gagarin made the first manned space flight on 12 April 1961

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and rocket engineer Sergey Korolyov, 1961. Pictured at Baikonur Cosmodrome, USSR. Korolyov (1907-1966)

Valentina Tereshkova, Russian cosmonaut, Baikonur Cosmodrome, USSR, 16 June 1963. Tereshkova (1937-) on the day when she piloted Vostok 6, making the first space flight by a woman

Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova, Russian cosmonauts, 1963. Gagarin (1934-1968) became the first man in space when he orbited the Earth aboard Vostok 1 on 12 April 1961

Soviet era space poster
Soviets in Space poster, 1963. " Long live the worlds first female cosmonaut", a Soviet poster (in Czech) celebrating Valentina Tereshkova who orbited the Earth in Vostok 6, in June 1963

Nikita Khrushchev with Tereshkova and Bykovsky
The Russian Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev waving from an open-topped car between the cosmonaut heroes Valentina Tereshkova and Lieutenant Colonel Valery Bykovsky

Tereshkova Valentina Russia Russian Soviet Ussr
tereshkova, valentina, russia, russian, soviet, ussr, vladimirovna, 1937, cosmonaut, first, woman, space, vostok, june, 1963, domestic, flowers, 1970s, net, curtain, home, hero, heroic, pioneer

Soviet Russian cosmonauts Tereshkova and Bykovsky
The Soviet Russian cosmonauts Valentina Tereshkova (b 1937) and Lieutenant Colonel Valery Bykovsky (b 1934). They had each undertaken a space mission in June 1963, Bykovsky in the Vostok 5

Valentina Tereshkova, Soviet Russian cosmonaut
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova (b 1937), Soviet Russian cosmonaut, and the first woman in space, piloting Vostok 6 for three days in June 1963. Date: circa 1960s

Yuri Gagarin and Harold Macmillan, London
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (1934-1968), the Russian cosmonaut and Hero of the Soviet Union who made history on 12 April 1961 by becoming the first human in outer space

Yuri Gagarin Alekseyevich 1934 1968 Russia Russian
yuri, gagarin, alekseyevich, 1934, 1968, russia, russian, ussr, uniform, cosmonaut, pioneer, hero, soviet, union, april, 1961, first, human, outer, space, orbit, earth, died, crash, routine

Yuri Gagarin, Soviet Russian cosmonaut
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin (1934-1968), the Russian cosmonaut and Hero of the Soviet Union who made history on 12 April 1961 by becoming the first human in outer space

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In the vast expanse of space exploration, the term "cosmonaut" holds a special place in history. It represents the brave individuals who ventured beyond Earth's atmosphere, pushing the boundaries of human achievement. One such pioneer was Alexei Leonov, who etched his name in the annals of space travel by becoming the first person to walk in space during 1965. The Soviet Union boasted an impressive roster of cosmonauts, including Valentina Tereshkova, who made history as the first woman to journey into space. Her groundbreaking mission aboard Vostok 6 in 1963 shattered gender barriers and inspired countless women around the world to reach for their dreams among the stars. However, it was Yuri Gagarin who forever remains synonymous with being a cosmonaut. As he embarked on his historic voyage onboard Vostok 1 in 1961, Gagarin became humanity's first-ever astronaut and instantly captured global attention. His smile radiated both excitement and courage as he soared through unknown realms. Soviet propaganda celebrated these remarkable achievements with posters commemorating Yuri Gagarin's triumphs. These vibrant artworks depicted him as a national hero—a symbol of Soviet pride and technological prowess that rivaled any other nation during that era. But behind every successful launch stood immense risk and sacrifice. The tragic loss of Vladimir Komarov before Soyuz 1's ill-fated launch in 1967 serves as a somber reminder that this quest for discovery came at great personal cost. Yet even amidst tragedy, these courageous men and women continued to push forward—undaunted by danger or setbacks—to unlock new frontiers for all humankind. Cosmonauts like Yuri Gagarin paved the way for future generations to explore outer space further than ever imagined possible. Their unwavering dedication continues inspiring aspiring astronauts worldwide today—reminding us all that there are no limits when we dare to dream and reach for the stars.