Who was the first human being to travel into space?
- A.Neil Armstrong
- B.Yuri Gagarin
- C.Valentina Tereshkova
- D.Alan Shepard
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Yuri Gagarin. The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth once aboard Vostok 1 on 12 April 1961, becoming the first human being in space. The day is now observed as the International Day of Human Space Flight, and the Russian training centre where Gaganyaan's astronaut-designates trained is named after him.
Option A, Neil Armstrong, was the first human to set foot on the Moon, during Apollo 11 in July 1969, which is a different first. Option C, Valentina Tereshkova, became the first woman in space in June 1963 aboard Vostok 6. Option D, Alan Shepard, was the first American in space, on a suborbital flight in May 1961, a few weeks after Gagarin, and later walked on the Moon with Apollo 14. Papers often mix the first in space with the first on the Moon.
Read the full article: Gaganyaan and Human Spaceflight: Mission, Vehicle, Astronauts
Practice Questions
View allThe Gaganyaan mission will be launched by which vehicle?
- A.PSLV-XL
- B.GSLV Mk II
- C.Human-rated LVM3
- D.SSLV
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Gaganyaan will fly on the LVM3, the heaviest Indian launch vehicle, modified and certified for carrying human beings and then written as HLVM3.
Read the full explanation →Who was the first Indian to travel to space?
- A.Rakesh Sharma
- B.Kalpana Chawla
- C.Ravish Malhotra
- D.Sunita Williams
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Rakesh Sharma, then a Squadron Leader in the Indian Air Force, became the first Indian in space on 3 April 1984.
Read the full explanation →Rakesh Sharma travelled to space in 1984 aboard which spacecraft?
- A.Vostok 1
- B.Soyuz T-11
- C.Apollo 11
- D.Shenzhou-5
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Rakesh Sharma flew on Soyuz T-11, launched from Baikonur on 2 April 1984, and docked with the Soviet space station Salyut 7.
Read the full explanation →The TV-D1 mission of October 2023 was conducted mainly to test which system of Gaganyaan?
- A.The cryogenic upper stage
- B.The crew escape system
- C.The docking mechanism
- D.The lunar lander legs
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TV-D1, the first test vehicle abort mission, was launched from Sriharikota on 21 October 2023.
Read the full explanation →The orbital module of Gaganyaan consists of:
- A.Crew module and service module
- B.Lander and rover
- C.Orbiter and propulsion module
- D.Crew module and cryogenic stage
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The crew module is the pressurised double walled cabin where the astronauts live, and it is the only part that returns to Earth, protected by a heat shield and lowered by parachutes.
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