RYAZAN REGION, Russia (Reuters) – Spaceflight enthusiasts in the Russia’s Ryazan region, south of Moscow, used the surface of a frozen lake to pay tribute to Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, ahead of the anniversary of his historic flight.
Video of the project, filmed by its creator Alexei Busarov and friend Oleg Butsky, shows several people clearing out paths of snow on the width of the lake, to outline the famous cosmonaut’s portrait. The classic image of Gagarin depicts his face in a helmet with the letters reading ‘USSR’ ready to dart off into space.
Gagarin was just 27 years old when on April 12, 1961 he completed humankind’s first orbit around the earth, in his ‘Vostok 1’ rocket. His space capsule travelled at a speed of 27.400 km per hour, and orbited the earth in 108 minutes. Gagarin returned to international fame and was hailed by the Soviet leadership as a national hero.
The video was shot on March 27, Busarov said.
