New Delhi: The International Day of Human Space Flight is a United Nations-declared celebration of human spaceflight, observed every year on April 12.
In 2011, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight, recognising the 50th anniversary of the first-ever human spaceflight.
International Day Of Human Space Flight: History
On April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, carried out the first human spaceflight. This was a historic event which paved the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity.
This year, April 12 marks the 61st anniversary of the first human spaceflight. Gagarin is also known as the 'first man in space'.
Gagarin launched into space aboard a Vostok 3KA spacecraft, atop a Vostok-K rocket, from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, at 9:07 am Moscow time, on April 12, 1961. He orbited Earth once in one hour and 29 minutes at a maximum altitude of 301 kilometres, making him the first human to orbit Earth. After this, he landed in the Soviet Union at 10:55 am Moscow time.
Gagarin became immensely popular around the world after his spaceflight mission. The Soviet cosmonaut was awarded the Order of Lenin and given the titles of Hero of the Soviet Union and Pilot Cosmonaut of the Soviet Union.
After Gagarin's death in 1968, the town of Gzhatsk was renamed after him.
International Day Of Human Space Flight: Importance
On April 7, 2011, the UNGA adopted a resolution in which it declared April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight "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 UNGA expressed its deep conviction of the common interest of mankind in promoting and expanding the exploration and use of outer space, as the province of all mankind, for peaceful purposes and in continuing efforts to extend to all States the benefits derived there from, the UN said on its website.
Other Celebrations Related To Human Spaceflight On April 12
In the Soviet Union, April 12 has been commemorated as Cosmonautics Day since 1963. The day is still observed in Russia and some former Soviet states.
In 2001, an international observation, called Yuri's Night, or World Space Party, was initiated in the United States. The year 2001 marked the 40th anniversary of Gagarin's mission.
The first Space Shuttle launch, STS-1 of Columbia, took off on April 12, 1981, exactly 20 years after the first human spaceflight.
International Day Of Human Space Flight: Activities Conducted
On the occasion of the International Day of Human Space Flight, people participate in different activities including photo exhibitions, conferences showcasing technology used for outer space, and the release of commemorative stamps.
In the past, commemorative stamps depicting human spaceflight have been released on or around the International Day of Human Space Flight. In 1981, a statue of Yuri Gagarin was erected at a location about 40 kilometres from Saratov, Russia.