International Day of Human Spaceflight: Celebrating exploration beyond Earth – Dainik Savera Times

Every year on April 12, people around the world celebrate the International Day of Human Spaceflight. This special day commemorates Yuri Gagarin’s historic journey into space in the year 1961, when he became the first human to orbit the Earth.

The United Nations designated 12 April as International Human Spaceflight Day in 2011 to recognize the important contribution of space exploration in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The day highlights remarkable achievements made possible by technological advancements. Also, it encourages space lovers, astronomers and scientists to delve deeper into the mysteries of the universe and explore its future possibilities.

Yuri Gagarin’s courageous achievement inspires efforts to advance space science and technology, ensuring sustainable development and equal access to space exploration for all countries.

Soviet Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, born March 9, 1934, was the first human to travel in space. Despite being humble, Gagarin trained as a foundryman and studied aircraft mechanics before becoming an astronaut. His relatively small stature, just 5 feet 2 inches, played a role in his selection for the historic mission.

Gagarin’s space journey was not without risks. The spacecraft they piloted had suffered failures in previous tests, and safety measures were not as advanced as they are today.

Nevertheless, Gagarin boldly set out on the mission, flying from Moscow on April 12, 1961. They spent 108 minutes in Earth’s orbit before returning safely to the planet, securing their place in history.

Following Gagarin’s unprecedented achievement, astronauts from various countries, including the US, Russia, China, India, Japan and members of the European Space Agency, have ventured into space, expanding our understanding of the universe.

With its ambitious space exploration programme, India began its journey into space in 1984 with the historic flight of Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma on the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11. Since then, India has made significant progress in space exploration, with missions such as Chandrayaan-3, Aditya-L1 solar mission.

On the other hand, China has also emerged as a major player in space exploration, achieving milestones such as sending astronauts into space and successfully landing a rover on the Moon. China’s space program has expanded rapidly, with ambitious goals of exploring the lunar surface with humans and robots.

On the International Day of Human Spaceflight, countries like India and China join the global celebration, reflecting on their contributions to space exploration and sharing their vision for the future of humanity beyond the boundaries of Earth.

The day reminds us of the collective achievements made possible by human ingenuity and collaboration, inspiring us to push the boundaries of exploration and discovery in the vast expanse of space.

(Akhil Parashar, China Media Group, Beijing)