Space day

Good afternoon, dear friends! Today, on April 12, a memorable date is celebrated in the Russian Federation – Cosmonautics Day.

On April 12, 1961, the first satellite spacecraft in world history with a human on board entered Earth orbit. In honor of this event, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established a holiday, revered to this day.

It's no secret that the unexplored expanses of space have always excited the consciousness and minds of researchers, scientists, testers and scientists. On that momentous day, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin went into outer space on the Vostok satellite ship. The launch was carried out under the strict guidance of Sergei Korolev, Leonid Voskresensky and Anatoly Kirillov. After the ship successfully launched, and the last stage of the launch vehicle separated, Vostok set off on a free flight around the Earth. At 10:55 Moscow time, the ship landed, circling the planet in 108 minutes. Then Yuri Gagarin not only became a symbol of space exploration, but also left his mark on the history of mankind. April 12 is the International Day of Human Spaceflight in the world.

Senior Lieutenant Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, who had a record of 265 hours in the air, was not chosen by chance. Applicants were selected among jet fighter pilots according to a variety of criteria, including: perfect health, endurance, discipline, altitude and stratospheric adaptation, mental balance and others. Positive characteristics, membership in the CPSU, political activity and social background, even honesty were also taken into account. To this day, his name is pronounced with admiration. They say about this great man: "He said — let's go! — and waved his hand," after which he did the impossible.

Traditionally, mass events and special screenings of films are held in honor of the holiday, telling about the activities of great scientists, engineers, designers, cosmonaut pilots and all those connected with space. Children take part in educational programs with special pleasure, launch homemade rocket models, visit planetariums and enthusiastically try on a spacesuit and the role of an astronaut exploring the solar system.

We are proud to congratulate everyone on this significant day, when our great compatriots made a breakthrough by opening up controlled space exploration to mankind!