The University of New Hampshire Department of Physics is providing a screening of the film “First Orbit,” which documents the flight of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first man in outer space.
From 6:10 to 8:00 p.m. on April 12, join physics staff in the Spaulding Life Science Center, room 120, for this event which marks 50 years of human spaceflight. Prior to the screening, some historical background and a brief introduction to the film will be given by Mark McConnell, professor of physics at UNH.
The event is free and open to the public.
“First Orbit” recreates the cosmonaut’s journey in real time using actual audio communications from Gagarin’s one-orbit flight on April 12, 1961, along with footage taken from the International Space Station by European Space Agency astronaut Paulo Nespoli.
Produced by Christopher Riley, who is renowned for his Apollo space program documentary, “In the Shadow of the Moon,” “First Orbit” is being released as part of an annual worldwide celebration called Yuri’s Night. Since 2001, Yuri’s Night has celebrated the launch of the spacecraft Vostok 1 which sent Gagarin into a 108-minute flight around the earth.
