Response : First human in outer space - Major Yuri Gagarin

The sunlit side of the earth is visible quite well, and one can easily distinguish the shore of continents, islands, great rivers, large areas of water, and folds of the land. During the flight I saw for the first time with my own eyes the earth's spherical shape. You can see its curvature when looking to the horizon. I must say the view of the horizon is quite unique and very beautiful. It is possible to see the remarkably colorful change from the light surface of the earth to the completely black sky in which one can see the stars. This dividing line is very thin, just like a belt of film surrounding the earth's sphere. It is of a delicate blue color. And this transition from the blue to the dark is very gradual and lovely. It is difficult to put it in words. When I emerged from the shadow of the earth the horizon looked different. There was a bright orange strip along it, which again passed into a blue hue and once again into a dense black color. I did not see the moon. The sun in outer space is ten times brighter than here on earth. The stars are visible very well: they are bright and distinct. The whole picture of the heavens has much more contrast than when seen from the earth. Everything was easier to perform, this is understandable. Legs and arms weigh nothing. Objects are swimming in the cabin, and I did not sit in the chair, as before, but was suspended in mid air. During the state of weightlessness I ate, and drank and everything was like on earth. I was working in that state, noting my observations. Handwriting did not change, though the hand was weightless. But it was necessary to hold the writing block, as otherwise it would float away from the hands. I was in communication contact on various channels, using a telegraph key. I was convinced that weightlessness has an effect on the ability to work. The passage from weightlessness to gravitation, to the appearance of the force of gravity, happens smoothly. Arms and legs feel as previously, the same as during weightlessness, but now they have weight. I ceased to be suspended over the chair, but eased myself into it.