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First in Space!
Yuri Gagarin was the FIRST human in space! On April 12, 1961, this Russian cosmonaut orbited Earth once in a tiny capsule called Vostok 1. The whole flight lasted only 108 minutes. He became the biggest hero in the world overnight!
Alan Shepard became the first American in space just 3 weeks later. His flight lasted only 15 minutes — just up and back down — but it proved America could send people to space too.
Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the MOON on July 20, 1969. His famous words: 'That is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.' He and Buzz Aldrin spent 2 hours walking on the moon while Michael Collins orbited above in the command module.