It is 60 years since Russian pilot and cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to leave the embrace of planet Earth and venture into space.
To mark the occasion people, space agencies and governments around the world are celebrating the International Day of Human Space Flight in his honour.
On April 12, 1961 the 27-year-old Gagarin climbed in his Vostok 1 capsule, ready for the 108 minute flight, shouting 'Poyekhali!' - 'Off we go!' - as the rockets fired.
Gagarin launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome where Roscosmos Soyuz flights to the International Space Station (ISS) are still being launched.
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet paid tribute to Gagarin, saying he is a paragon for all astronauts and cosmonauts that have followed in his footsteps.