Mars rover's 'Gagarin' moment applauded exploration
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 - 11:00
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- A flat, light-toned rock on Mars visited by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover in 2005 informally bears the name of the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, who rode into orbit in the Soviet Union's Vostok-1 spacecraft on April 12, 1961.