Yuri instantly attracts the attention by his bright-orange suit. The lift which has brought me here is at the rocket base again ready to take him to his spacecraft. Oleg Ivanovsky takes Gagarin by the elbow and helps him into the lift. I film them both and ask two technicians from the launching crew to help me. The guys switch on the light.
Lift is at the platform.
Its door opens and Yuri is standing on the platform before the hatchway to his temporary space home. His face is very calm. My hands are busy with the camera and I cannot shake his hand in farewell. He grabs the upperside of the hatchway and after a short lag pulls himself easily inside the capsule and into the seat. I switch off the camera and check the film meter.