First man in space

8 April 2011 04:52 am

A  file photo taken on July 11, 1961 shows Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin saluting the crowd upon his arrival in London during an official visit to England. One half century ago, a carpenter's son named Yuri Gagarin lifted off to become the first man in space, carving an indelible mark in human history and scoring the Soviet Union's greatest Cold War success. AFP PHOTO