What crucial distinction separated Gagarin's achievement from Alan Shepard's flight in May 1961?
Answer
Gagarin's mission was orbital.
Gagarin completed a full orbit of the Earth, whereas Alan Shepard's flight aboard *Freedom 7* was suborbital and ballistic, meaning it did not circle the planet.
#Videos
Yuri Gagarin: The first man in space - BBC News - YouTube
Related Questions
On what specific date did Yuri Gagarin complete his historic single orbit of the Earth?How long did the complete Vostok 1 mission, from launch to landing, last?What famous, spontaneous exclamation did Gagarin utter upon the Vostok rocket lifting off?What crucial distinction separated Gagarin's achievement from Alan Shepard's flight in May 1961?What shape was the descent section of the Vostok 3KA capsule designed to be?At what approximate altitude did Gagarin separate from the Vostok capsule via ejection?Why was the Vostok 1 mission highly automated, restricting ground control intervention?Which key characteristic defined the selection criteria for the cosmonauts in the 'First Twelve' group, likely due to spacecraft limitations?Where did Yuri Gagarin ultimately land after his parachute descent?What title did the United Nations General Assembly bestow upon April 12th starting in 2011?