Photo: topwar.ru
Cosmonautics Day is celebrated on Friday, April 12 in Russia. The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man who went to space on this day in 1961.
The big screen on the Ostankino television tower will become a video card on this day. It depicts the figure of an astronaut and the famous phrase of Yuri Gagarin: «Poyekhali!» (“Let's go!” in Russian).
Victory Museum has prepared a mini-exhibition for the holiday. It tells the story of pilot Nikolay Kuznetsov. He earned the Golden Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union during the war and led the Cosmonaut Training Center in the sixties. Among the ten exhibits are his personal belongings, awards and photographs signed by Gagarin, Titov, Tereshkova and other cosmonauts.
According to the pilot-cosmonaut, State Duma deputy Elena Serova, Gagarin opened the Universe for humanity and showed the way to the stars. The first cosmonaut set his foot into the unknown; nobody knew if he could ever make it back home. His feat remains the greatest in the history of the planet. It would have been impossible without the work of mechanicians, scientists, engineers.
Valentina Tereshkova, the first female cosmonaut, has no doubt that April 12th remains a special day for everyone, but first of all for those who began to pave the way to space. She will spend the holiday near Saratov - Gagarin landed there after the flight.
Another deputy, who visited the orbit, Roman Romanenko, noted that the experience gained by the Russian space program is the most powerful base for the study and preparation of flights to other planets. Space today remains the subject of Russia's national pride, he said.
Russkiy Mir reported that more than a hundred different events would take place around the world as part of the Yuri’s Nights. The action, named after Gagarin, became an annual tradition. It was held for the first time in 2001.
According to the organizers of the action this is their way to celebrate "the past, present and future of manned flights into space." The main task of Yuri’s Nights is to draw public attention to the achievements of the space industry, to interest young people in flying into space.
“Gagarinsky lesson: Space is us action will also take place in 97 countries around the globe. The project is aimed at a youth audience, its main goal is to promote the achievements of our country in the field of science and technology and strengthen cooperation between countries in space exploration.
Russkiy Mir
