WHEN Yuri Gagarin came down to Earth after becoming the first man to travel into space, he was dubbed a hero around the globe.
So the Soviet authorities sent the the fearless astronaut on another trip - he went on a world tour in celebration of Soviet success...and visited Jodrell Bank on the way.
Now, 40 years on, the historical visit to Lower Withington is being celebrated with an exhibition of Soviet art.
Just three months after his momentous journey into space in 1961, Yuri visited the science centre at the invitation of Sir Bernard Lovell.
Factories closed for the day and cheering children lined the streets from Manchester to Jodrell Bank as the heroic astronaut travelled in a motorcade to a civic reception, where he met local dignitaries.
His heroic image was ideal for the Soviet authority's campaign to bolster support for its communist regime, when dreams of global communism were still strong.
The authorities used a range of propaganda merchandise in support of the cause.
Posters and postcards depicted Soviet life as being technologically advanced, using pictures of space travel and images of modern industry.
Merchandise also made promises of "World Peace" - and the campaign even included a commemorative alarm clock with a mini Sputnik spinning around it.
The exhibition, which also includes propaganda material of East Germany and the former Czechoslavakia - now Czech Republic, features design work of some of the Soviet's best graphic artists.
It was researched and collated by Dr James Aulich, with the help of history and design students from Manchester Metropolitan University.
The exhibition, which opened in July at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry, will run at Jodrell Bank until Saturday, January 5.
