International Day of Human Space Flight: History and significance

The United Nations General Assembly in 2011 declared April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight, to mark the inception of the space era of mankind.

Monday marks 60 years of the first human space flight for exploration of the universe beyond the Earth. On April 12, 1961, a Soviet cosmonaut named Yuri Gagarin made history by becoming the first person to orbit the Earth, opening avenues for humanity to explore outer space.

Soviet cosmonaut Major Yuri Gagarin, first man to orbit the earth, is shown in his space suit. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space 60 years ago. (AP file photo)

Many great achievements were obtained after the 1961 first human visit into space. In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to orbit Earth. In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first person to step foot on the Moon.

The United Nations General Assembly in 2011 declared April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight, to mark the inception of the space era for mankind. “To celebrate each year at the international level the beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes,” the General Assembly in its resolution said.

The feat is celebrated extravagantly across Russia. The Russian government wished the nation ‘Happy Cosmonauts Day’ on the occasion and tweeted about the history of the flight that took 108 minutes.

Astrophysicist Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of United Nations Office to Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), said, “Gagarin’s first words from space 'I feel well' made us understand that humans could truly go beyond our Earth, an achievement that humanity has dreamt about for millennia and that was finally ours.”

The director of Russian space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin in an interview with UNOOSA discussed the significance of the day, he said what makes the achievement special is that it came after 16 years of World War II, when the country was dealing with unfavorable circumstances, economic damage, loss of more than 200 million lives. It is the source of enduring national pride for our citizens, he added.

Remembering the words of Gagarin, “Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it!”, he said space exploration brings mankind together and overcomes political contradictions.