Astronomy is an ancient science, so there are a lot of holiday dates when one or another achievement can be celebrated. But Cosmonautics Day is considered to be a particularly important holiday, because it was April 12 that became the starting point for human exploration of outer space.
We wind off time 58 years ago. April 12, 1961. This morning at the Baikonur cosmodrome was supposed to be special not only for Soviet citizens, but also for the inhabitants of the entire planet. The first man was preparing to go into space and for the first time to see the beauty of our planet with his own eyes.
This honor went to Yuri Gagarin. The main goal is to check whether a person can even be outside the earth’s atmosphere, execute commands, as well as determine the equipment’s performance.
Vostok-1 spacecraft was launched at 09:07 Moscow time. They say that in the first seconds of the ascent, Gagarin shouted the famous “Let's go!” And then broke out of the embrace of his native planet. His flight lasted 108 minutes. During this time, he managed to fly around the Earth and perform basic experiments (food, writing in pencil, a description of the flight and his physical and mental state).
In addition, he recorded all his thoughts in the on-board microphone, never ceasing to convey the beauty of his native planet, clouds, outer space. He was incredibly delighted, because on arrival he said:
“Having flown around the Earth in a satellite ship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, we will keep and increase this beauty, but not destroy it! ”.
Yuri Gagarin returned to Earth as a major (although he was to receive only the captain). He was met as a hero in all countries. Moreover, in England, he met with Queen Elizabeth II. Contrary to etiquette, she was photographed with an astronaut, saying: “Well, this is not an earthly person, but a heavenly one, therefore there are no violations”.
The successful flight and return of Yuri Gagarin proved that mankind is not tied to Earth and once will be able to travel between the stars. April 12 is celebrated every year as Cosmonautics Day to commemorate the incredible feat - the first manned flight into space.
We congratulate you on this holiday. Do not forget about all those who risked and continues to risk their lives, going beyond the borders of their home planet. And let us hope that the development of astronautics, the development of the solar system and the universe will benefit all of humanity so that all these sacrifices are not in vain. And many thanks to Yuri Gagarin - the first cosmonaut and hero of the Earth.
