Russia Postcard - 15th Anniversary of the World's First Space Flight (1976)

Portrait of Y.A. Gagarin in pressurised helmet.

Blank reverse.

On 12 April 1961, Soviet Air Forces pilot, Major Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) became the first man to orbit the Earth. The Vostok spacecraft with Gagarin inside was launched atop the launch vehicle by the same name and completed one orbit of the Earth in 89 minutes. Just prior to landing, at an altitude of 23,000, feet, Gagarin was ejected from the Vostok capsule and parachuted safely to Earth. Internationally, the flight seemed to confirm the perception that the USSR was ahead of the United States in the space race that had begun with the Soviet launch of sputnik in 1957.

Original Cyrillic Text

АВИА

СССР

Юрий Алексеевич Гагарин

Индекс предприятия связи места назначения

куда

Кому

Индекс предприятия связи и адрес
отправителя

© Министерство связи СССР 1976 • Л 120691 25/Х1-75 г. МТГ. Зак. 822. Ц. 5 к.

Google translation,

AVIATION

 

USSR

 

Yuri Gagarin

 

The index of business communication destination

 

where

 

whom

 

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sender

 

© Ministry of Communications of the USSR in 1976 • A 120691 25/H1-75, the MTG. Zach. 822. Ts 5 K.

Cyrillic on Indicia

15-ЛЕТИЕ ПЕРВОГО В МИРЕ ПОЛЕТА ЧЕЛОВЕКА В КОСМОС

ЛЕТЧИК КОСМОНАВТ

СССР
ПОЧТА 1976 СССР К4

Size: 56 x 23 mm.