From the Rocket R-7 and the First Human Flight into Space up to Permanent Manned Orbital Station

The paper presents a brief history of preparation for and execution of the first manned flight into space in the Vostok spacecraft. The main tasks and challenges which were solved to make this historical event possible are discussed. Further achievements of Russian manned cosmonautics are presented, including the first world’s orbital station Salyut which was constructed and launched in orbit 50 years ago. The human role in executing a space flight is studied. The tasks in the space orbit are discussed, the solutions to which with the participation of the crew have improved the space flight safety and efficiency. Examples of cosmonauts’ operations during the flights of the orbital stations Salyut, the orbital facility Mir, and the International Space Station are given to illustrate such tasks. The importance of cosmonauts’ participation in the research and experiments on the orbital stations is demonstrated, and positive examples of such participation are provided.