From the flight of Yu.A. Gagarin to the contemporary piloted space flights and exploration missions

Abstract

The first human flight to space performed by Yu.A. Gagarin on April 12, 1961 was a crucial event in the history of cosmonautics that had a tremendous effect on the further progress of human civilization. Gagarin's flight had been preceded by targeted biomedical research with the use of diverse biological objects on board rockets and artificial satellites. This research led to the conclusion on the fundamental possibility for humans to fly in space. After a series of early flights and improvements in the medical support system, space missions to the Salyut and Mir stations were gradually extended to record durations. The foundations of this extension were laid by systemic research in the fields of space biomedicine and related sciences. The current ISS system of the crew's medical care has been successful in maintaining the health and performance of cosmonauts, as well as in providing the conditions for research in various fields related to space flights. The ISS abounds in opportunities for the preparation for piloted interplanetary missions. At the same time, the ground-based simulation of a mission to Mars is a venue for carrying out scientific and technological experiments in space biomedicine. © 2013 Pleiades Publishing, Inc.