The first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon was Apollo 8, which launched on December 21, 1968. It was the second manned mission in the Apollo program and made ten orbits around the moon before returning safely to Earth.
The first person to orbit a manned spacecraft around the Earth and return safely was Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union in 1961 aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft. He completed one orbit during his mission.
Mercury
The first manned space flight took place in 1961, when Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft.
The Soviet Union was the first to achieve this feat with the Vostok 1 mission on April 12, 1961. Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth and was successfully recovered.
The first manned spacecraft to orbit the moon was Apollo 8, which launched on December 21, 1968. It was the second manned mission in the Apollo program and made ten orbits around the moon before returning safely to Earth.
Vostok I.
Vostok 1.
The first person to orbit a manned spacecraft around the Earth and return safely was Yuri Gagarin from the Soviet Union in 1961 aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft. He completed one orbit during his mission.
Mercury
The objectives of the program, which made six manned flights from 1961 to 1963, were specific: To orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth;
The first manned space flight took place in 1961, when Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft.
The Soviet Union was the first to achieve this feat with the Vostok 1 mission on April 12, 1961. Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth and was successfully recovered.
The maximum speed reached by a manned spacecraft was during the Apollo 10 mission in 1969, when the spacecraft reached a speed of about 24,791 mph (39,897 km/h) relative to Earth. This speed was necessary to escape Earth's gravity and travel to the Moon.
The Soviet Union achieved the first manned space flight on April 12, 1961, with cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbiting the Earth aboard the Vostok 1 spacecraft.
The Soviet Union takes credit for sending the first man into orbit around the earth. However, since, Yuri Gagarin did not land in his capsule, it technically does not count as an official orbit. Still, no one disputes that Gagarin did in fact orbit the earth. The first person to orbit the earth and land in his spacecraft was John Glenn of the United States.
The first man-made machine of any kind to enter space was the V-2 rocket in the 1940s. The first to orbit around the Earth was Sputnik 1 in 1957. The first manned spacecraft was Vostok 1 in 1961.