MOSCOW: Russia today enthusiastically celebrated the 60th anniversary of the legendary flight that made Yuri Gagarin the first man in space.

Gagarin’s mission on 12 April 1961, marked a historic achievement for the Soviet Union, which beat the United States in a tight race to launch the first human into space

The day of Gagarin’s flight is celebrated every year in Russia as Cosmonautics Day.

He died in air crash on 27 March 1968,