Space: the first flights, Gagarin, and the road to the stars (RussianDose Podcast — for people who are learning Russian) Espacio: los primeros vuelos, Gagarin y el camino hacia las estrellas (Podcast RussianDose — para personas que están aprendiendo ruso) 太空：首次飞行、加加林与通往星辰之路 (RussianDose 播客 — 面向学习俄语的人) Weltraum: die ersten Flüge, Gagarin und der Weg zu den Sternen (Podcast RussianDose — für Menschen, die Russisch lernen) Espace : les premiers vols, Gagarine et la route vers les étoiles (Podcast RussianDose — pour les personnes qui apprennent le russe) Today we have a very important and inspiring topic. We will talk about a dream that became reality. About how a human being first lifted off the Earth and saw our planet from space. To lift off the Earth means to stop standing on the ground and to be above the earth, like birds or butterflies. We will talk about the first steps, the first heroes, and why Russia still remains a great space power. A power (derzhava) means a state or a country — we discussed this word in previous episodes. We will talk about Russian space. On April 12, 1961, an event happened that amazed / shook the entire world. A human flew into space for the first time. And that person was our compatriot — Yuri Gagarin. A compatriot is a person who lives in the same country as you. Did you know that the path to this flight began long before Gagarin? That before humans, various animals and even… a mannequin had been in space? A mannequin is a doll the size of a human. Mannequins stand in stores, and clothes are put on them. Let's talk about why the USSR overtook the USA in the space race and how Russia continues to explore space today.