ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 10, 1994                   TAG: 9403100186
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA.                                LENGTH: Short

SHUTTLE ASTRONAUTS HONOR YURI GAGARIN

Space shuttle Columbia's astronauts paid tribute Wednesday to Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the world's first space traveler, on what would have been his 60th birthday.

``To honor this occasion, the crew of Columbia salutes the first human to fly in space and we send our greetings to all space explorers everywhere, both in orbit and on Earth,'' shuttle commander John Casper said.

On April 12, 1961, Gagarin became the first person in space. American Alan Shepard followed three weeks later.

Gagarin was killed in 1968 at age 34 in a plane crash.

- Associated Press 


 by CNB