The Vostok spacecraft was used to launch Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space and was lauched on Vostok 6. All launches were from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
The Vostok spacecraft consisted of a re-entry spacecraft and the service module. It weighted about 4700 kg. In comparison to the later developed Soyuz Spacecraft, Vostok had no maneuvering capabilities and required cosmonauts to parachute to safety at the end of a flight.
Vostok 1 - Yuri Gagarin
Launch date: April 12, 1961.
Flight duration: 1 hour, 48 minutes.
Landing site: Kazakhstan, near Engels.
Yuri Gagarin was the first human in space. He was not allowed to operate the controls because the effects of weightlessness had only been tested on dogs so far and scientists were concerned about how space would have affected his to work. The mission was instead controlled by ground crews, and an override key was provided in case of emergency.
Gagarin's mission lasted one hour, 48 minutes, and ended with a landing in Kazakhstan, approximately 26 kilometers southwest of Engels. Yuri completed one Earth orbit, and did so 25 days prior to the first U.S. suborbital manned flight by Alan Sheperd.
Vostok 2 - Gherman Titov
Launch date: August 6, 1961.
Flight duration: 1 day, 1 hour, 18 minutes.
Landing site: Saratov region.
Vostok 3 - Andrian Nikolayev
Launch date: August 11, 1962.
Flight duration: 3 days, 22 hours, 22 minutes.
Landing site: Karaganda region.
Vostok 3 and 4 launched within one day of each other.
Vostok 4 - Pavel Popovich
Launch date: August 12, 1962.
Flight duration: 2 days, 22 hours, 56 minutes.
Landing site: Karaganda region.
Vostok 5 - Valery Bykovsky
Launch date: June 14, 1963. Flight duration: 4 days, 23 hours, 7 minutes.
Landing site: Karaganda region.
Vostok 5 and 6 launched within two days of each other. The spacecraft flew in similar orbits, but did not have the ability to rendezvous and dock.
Vostok 6 -
Valentina Tereshkova
Launch date: June 16, 1963. Flight duration: 2 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes.
Landing site: Karaganda region.
In total 6 missions were completed. In 1964 the rest of the Vostok missions were cancelled. The Soviet space programe changed its goal and its aim was to launch 3 astronauts in one spacecraft and to perform the first space walk. A modified design was used for the Voskhod programme.
Did You know?
The first cosmonauts did not land in their spacecraft. This was hidden because it was required in order to be eligible for a world space records.
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Updated: Sunday 25th, March, 2007