The Peninsula
Courtesy: Embassy of the Russian Federation in the State of Qatar
On April 12, the entire global community celebrates Cosmonautics Day.
This year marks the 60th anniversary since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (pictured) became the first human to journey into outer space onboard the ‘Vostok 1’ spacecraft and for the first time in the world made an orbital flight around the planet Earth, marking a new chapter in the history of space exploration.
The third of four children, Yuri Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934, in a small village a hundred miles from Moscow. As a teenager, Gagarin witnessed a Russian ‘Yak’ fighter plane make an emergency landing near his home. When offered a chance years later to join a flying club, he eagerly accepted, making his first solo flight in 1955. Only a few years later, he submitted his request to be considered as a cosmonaut.
More than 200 Russian Air Force fighter pilots were selected as cosmonaut candidates. Such pilots were considered optimal because they had exposure to the forces of acceleration and the ejection process, as well as experience with high-stress situations. Gagarin, a 27-year-old senior lieutenant at the time, was among the pilots selected. On April 12, 1961, at 9:07 a.m. Moscow time, the ‘Vostok 1’ spacecraft blasted off from the Soviets’ launch site.
‘Vostok 1’ traveled around the Earth once, reaching a maximum height of 203 miles (327 kilometers). About 4 miles (7 km) up, Gagarin ejected from the spacecraft and parachuted to Earth. The flight in near-earth space lasted 1 hour 48 minutes, after which Gagarin successfully landed on Earth in the countryside outside of the city of Saratov. Even though everything did not go as planned during the mission, the success of Gagarin returning home safely outshone all the other struggles.
Reportedly, among several other glitches of the cosmonaut’s mission, his spacecraft had entered into an orbit at a higher altitude than originally expected. As a result the duration of the mission could be prolonged.
Even though reportedly Gagarin had food supplies water and oxygen to last for 10 days, the higher altitude implied that the wait would be much longer. Taking into account the dangerous aspects of the flight, Gagarin had written priceless words for his wife before blasting off to create history. In the farewell letter, Gagarin wrote, “If something goes wrong, I ask you—especially you—Valyusha, not to die of grief. For this is how life goes,” he wrote, using a diminutive for Valentina.
Upon his return to Earth, Gagarin was an international hero. A cheering crowd of hundreds of thousands of people greeted him in Red Square, a public plaza in Moscow. A national treasure, Gagarin traveled around the world to celebrate the historic Soviet achievement.
The anniversary of Gagarin’s historic flight on April 12, 1961, is celebrated every year in Russia as ‘Cosmonautics Day’ with Russians of all ages laying flowers at monuments to commemorate his accomplishment.
Gagarin was a son of a carpenter and a dairy farmer who lived through the Nazi occupation. For billions of people around the world, Yuri Gagarin continues to be an example of heroism and dedication, to inspire people to overcome any obstacles in achieving the most ambitious and noble goals. Therefore, it is no coincidence that ten years ago in 2011, at the initiative of the UN, the General Assembly declared April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight.
