Gagarin waving outside the Soviet Embassy in London on July 15, 1961. 1 of 3 STAR CITY, Moscow Region — It was the Soviet Union’s own giant leap for mankind, one that would spur a humiliated United States to race for the moon. It happened 50 years ago on Tuesday, when an Air Force pilot named Yury Gagarin became the first human in space. The 27-year-old […]