Second Russian Astronaut Returns Safely to Earth

Aug. 6, 1961 - A Soviet spaceship that carried the second Russian astronaut landed safely today after orbiting the earth more than 17 times in 25 hours and 18 minutes. The five-ton satellite piloted by Maj. Gherman S. Titov (pictured with Maj. Yuri A. Gagarin) was returned to earth on command from the Soviet space center during its 18th revolution of the earth. The 26-year-old Soviet astronaut covered more than 700,000 kilometers, or approximately the distance to the moon and back. Moscow radio said that Vostok II had landed close to the landing site of Maj. Gagarin's Vostok I on April 12. The announcement said that Major Titov was "healthy and feels fine."

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