Vostok 1 (2D): Orbital Path & Ballistic Reentry Projection

On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space aboard Vostok 1, completing one elliptical orbit of Earth — perigee 169 km, apogee 327 km, inclination 64.95° — before a retrorocket burn began the descent. This 2D projection propagates that real orbit with Kepler's equation and the vis-viva relation, then switches to a point-mass ballistic reentry model the instant you trigger retrofire, integrating drag through an exponential atmosphere to reproduce the steep, high-g descent a lifting-free spherical capsule actually flies. A drag-to-rotate orbital-plane view and a live altitude/g-force strip chart make the mechanics legible without a 3D engine.