It is a decoration granted by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba and its name honors the Cuban people in their confrontation with the mercenary invasion of the Bay of Pigs area. It is awarded to Cuban and foreign citizens who have distinguished themselves in the struggles against imperialism, colonialism or neocolonialism, or who have performed great deeds for peace and the progress of humanity. The first to be awarded such decoration on July 26, 1961 was the world's first cosmonaut, the Soviet Yuri Gagarin, who visited Cuba.

Yuri Gagarin

Yuri Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934 in the Smolensk area of Gzhatsk, about 350 kilometers from Moscow. He died on March 27, 1968 as a result of an aviation accident. When he traveled to the cosmos he was 27 years old. He made the trip in a butane-colored suit. He traveled in a Vostok spacecraft. The spacecraft had a weight of 4 732 kilograms, not including the rocket that carried it. The flight started at 9 hours and 7 minutes Moscow time. It traveled at a speed of 28 000 kilometers per hour. It circled the earth once. It reached a maximum altitude of 302 kilometers and a minimum altitude of 175 kilometers. The flight proceeded normally. The descent took place at 10:55 a.m. The trip to the cosmos lasted 1 hour and 48 minutes.