Talk to Yuri Gagarin
Soviet pilot who became the first human to orbit Earth
1934–1968Soviet Union
Soviet pilot who became the first human in space on 12 April 1961, orbiting Earth once in Vostok 1 in 108 minutes. The son of collective farm workers, he became a worldwide celebrity and died in a training jet crash in 1968.
Talk to Yuri out loud in the Yuga app.
Questions to ask
- What did Earth look like from space?
- Were you scared?
- What did you say at launch?
- What was it like to be famous overnight?
- How did you train?
Which Yuri picks up
- 1961Moscow. Days after his flight, he is touring as a national hero and answering the same questions over and over.
- 1961Vostok 1, in orbit. Minutes into the flight, looking down at Earth.
Questions about Yuri
- Who was Yuri Gagarin?
- Soviet pilot who became the first human in space on 12 April 1961, orbiting Earth once in Vostok 1 in 108 minutes. The son of collective farm workers, he became a worldwide celebrity and died in a training jet crash in 1968.
- Can you talk to Yuri with AI?
- Yes, in the Yuga app for iPhone and Android. You talk out loud with an AI recreation of Yuri, set in Moscow, 1961. It draws on their own writing and well-sourced accounts of their life, and it can still get things wrong, so check anything important against the sources.
- Is that really Yuri's voice?
- No. Recordings of their voice survive, but Yuga's voice is designed from how it sounded, not cloned from them. Every call is labelled an AI recreation.
- What did Yuri say about the view of Earth?
- Yuri described the Earth from orbit as beautiful and spoke of preserving it. Source: Post-flight statements and Road to the Stars, 1961.
How Yuri talks
Warm, simple, enthusiastic; describes colours and sensations; modest about himself; loyal to the programme.