The conquest of space is one of the priority tasks of mankind. Therefore, the entire industry that is related to this requires exceptional attention from both the state and individual citizens. That is why Cosmonautics Day appeared. This important holiday for all is celebrated on the twelfth of April. Next year we will celebrate it for the 57th time, so the history of this celebration is impressive.
history of the holiday
The date was chosen for a reason. It is timed to coincide with an event that is well known not only to any Soviet person, but also to every adult inhabitant of modern Russia. It was on this day, April 12, in 1961, that Yuri Gagarin went into space. It was the first man in space - such an event was a real breakthrough in the whole world. But Cosmonautics Day itself was established at the suggestion of the second Soviet cosmonaut, German Titov. Thanks to his proposal, on April 9, 1962, a decree was signed that established the celebration.
The development of manned flights in the Soviet Union took place in stages. From the first manned spacecraft and orbital stations to multi-purpose space manned orbital complexes. For decades, the Soviet Union has been proud of the successes of domestic cosmonautics - this is the flight of the world's first female cosmonaut V. Tereshkov, and spacewalks, and the longest flight in the history of cosmonautics.
The holiday was renamed several times, and in 2011, with the participation of the UN, another version of such a day was appointed - already international. Now on April 12, Russia celebrates Cosmonautics Day, and the whole world celebrates the International Day of Human Space Flight. This speaks of the significance of the celebration for every country and every person living on our planet.
Why exactly this April day falls on the Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics? April 12, 1961 - this day entered the history of mankind forever. On a spring morning, a powerful launch vehicle put into orbit the first ever spaceship "VOSTOK" with the first cosmonaut of the Earth - a citizen of the Soviet Union Yuri Gagarin on board. In 1 hour 48 minutes, Yuri Gagarin circled the globe and landed safely in the vicinity of the village of Smelovka, Ternovsky district, Saratov region.
By decision of the International Aviation Federation (FAI) April 12 is World Aviation and Cosmonautics Day. The holiday was established by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 9, 1962.
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin
When, if not on April 12, on the Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics, special attention should be paid to the most famous Soviet cosmonaut - Yuri Garanin ...
Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934 in the small village of Klushino, Smolensk Region, into a family of collective farmers.
In 1941 he began to study at a secondary school in the village of Klushino, but his studies were interrupted by the war. In 1945, the family moved to the city of Gzhatsk, where Yuri Gagarin graduated from six years of high school.
The low earnings of his parents, who had six children, did not allow him to continue his education, so Gagarin decided to get a working specialty and then continue his studies.
Yuri Gagarin entered the Lyubertsy Craft School for the training of casters, which he graduated with honors at the same time as the school for working youth in 1951. In 1951 - 1955 Gagarin studied at the Saratov Industrial College, in the last courses in 1954 - 1955 he studied at the Saratov flying club. Drafted into the army, in 1955 - 1957 he became a cadet of the 1st Chkalovsky military aviation school of pilots, after which he served in the fighter aviation regiment of the Northern Fleet. After the flights of the first spacecraft, Gagagin filed a report with a request to be included in the group of cosmonaut candidates and in 1960 was sent to Moscow. In 1960
Yuri Gagarin began preparing for space flight at the Cosmonaut Training Center. He worked hard, selflessly, with full dedication of strength, endurance. And on April 12, 1961, at the moment of launch, the famous Gagarin's "let's go!" sounded.
On April 12, 1961, in honor of which the Aviation and Cosmonautics Day holiday was created, Yuri Gagarin launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the Vostok spacecraft, made the world's first space flight, having spent 108 minutes in space and safely returned to Earth in the vicinity village of Smelovka, Ternovsky district, Saratov region, for which he was awarded the Star of the Soviet Hero. After the flight, Yuri Gagarin continuously improved his skills as a pilot-cosmonaut, and also took a direct part in the education and training of cosmonaut crews, in directing the flights of spacecraft Vostok, Voskhod, Soyuz.
Having paved the way for others into space, the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin rejoiced at the success of his comrades, dreamed of new flights, prepared for them, graduated from the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy (1961 - 1968). In 1964-68, Deputy Head of the Cosmonaut Training Center. Yuri Gagarin did a lot of social and political work, being a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 6th and 7th convocations, a member of the Central Committee of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (elected at the 14th and 15th congresses of the All-Union Leninist Young Communist League), president of the Soviet-Cuban Friendship Society. With the mission of peace and friendship, Yuri Gagarin visited many countries. Gagarin was awarded the gold medal to them. K. E. Tsiolkovsky of the USSR Academy of Sciences, de Lavo medal (FAI), gold medals and honorary diplomas of the International Association (LIUS) "Man in Space" and the Italian Cosmonautics Association, gold medal "For Outstanding Distinction" and an honorary diploma of the Royal Aero Club of Sweden, Bolshaya FAI Gold Medal and Diploma, British Interplanetary Communications Society Gold Medal, Galaber Prize in Astronautics. Since 1966, Yuri Gagarin has been an honorary member of the International Academy of Astronautics. He was awarded the Order of Lenin and medals of the USSR, as well as orders from many countries of the world. Yuri Gagarin was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor of Czechoslovakia, Hero of the People's Republic of Belarus, Hero of Labor of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Yuri Gagarin died tragically in a plane crash near the village of Novoselove, Kirzhachsky District, Vladimir Region. when performing a training flight on an airplane (together with pilot Seregin).
In order to perpetuate the memory of Gagarin, the city of Gzhatsk and the Gzhatsky district of the Smolensk region. renamed respectively the city of Gagarin and Gagarinsky district. Gagarin's name was given to the Air Force Academy in Monino. Scholarship established. Yu. A. Gagarin for cadets of military aviation schools. The International Aviation Federation (FAI) established a medal named after. Yu. A. Gagarin. Gagarin's name is the USSR Cosmonaut Training Center, a research ship of the USSR Academy of Sciences, account. establishments, streets and squares of many cities of the world. In Moscow, Gagarin, Star City, Sofia - monuments to the astronaut; memorial house-museum in Gagarin. Gagarin was elected an honorary citizen of the cities of Kaluga, Novocherkassk, Sumgait, Smolensk, Vinnitsa, Sevastopol, Saratov (USSR), Sofia, Pernik (NRB), Athens (Greece), Famagusta, Limassol (Cyprus), Saint-Denis (France), Trenchansk - Teplice (Czechoslovakia). A crater on the Moon is named after Gagarin. Urn with ashes in the Kremlin wall.
History of astronautics
On this important holiday for us on April 12, the Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics, I would like to say a few words about the history of cosmonautics in Russia.
The world's first theoretical justification for the possibility of space flight was given at the end of the 19th century by the Russian scientist K.E. Tsiolkovsky. The world's first Society for the Study of Interplanetary Communications was founded by his students in 1924.
The first artificial Earth satellite was launched by Soviet scientists under the leadership of S.P. The Queen on 4 October 1657. The date of its launch is considered the beginning of the space age. The model of the first artificial earth satellite is in the United Nations.
The dog Laika was the first to fly into space. She spent several days aboard the artificial satellite, but they could not return her to Earth. In August 1960, the dogs Belka and Strelka set out on a space journey. There were also mice, insects and seeds on the ship. After the flight, the animals returned to their home planet and felt great.
The first human space flight took place on April 12, 1961, when the Vostok spacecraft with Yuri Gagarin took off into space.
“Before Gagarin's flight, five test launches were made. They showed that space does not forgive the slightest inaccuracy: the first ship, having completed the program, did not obey the command to descend, moved to a new orbit and subsequently ceased to exist. The second launch was successful. But at the end of 1960, at the third launch of the Vostok-type ship, failure was again: the apparatus burned out on return ... Yuri took a risk, the price of which could be life ... ”(pilot-cosmonaut V. Shatalov).
The world's first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, went into space on the Vostok-6 spacecraft on June 16, 1963.
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Man has always looked to the sky. He imagined distant worlds, talked about the existence of higher beings living somewhere far, far away, came up with hypotheses-legends about creatures from heaven. And only a few decades ago, people were able to look beyond the horizon for the first time.
April 12, 1961 is the day that changed the history of all mankind. It was on this day that the inhabitants of the Earth challenged the cosmos.
How it all began?
People dreamed of stars for a long time, but the first attempts to reach them began only in 1957, when the first artificial satellite was launched. In November of the same year, the dog Laika went into space, it was with her that the study of the effect of weightlessness on living organisms began. True, she was no longer destined to return to her native planet. Experiments with overcoming weightlessness continued with the launches of the Sun, the famous flight of Belka and Strelka, the launch of a rocket to Venus, and the establishment of communication with objects far from the Earth. Colossal work was carried out, huge money was invested in the development of a new science - astronautics, and the result for all mankind, who had not been particularly interested in the conquest of extraterrestrial space before, was April 12, 1961 - on this day the first man went into space.
Yuri Gagarin
Once upon a time, Yuri Gagarin could not even imagine that from a simple foundry worker (namely, he mastered this specialty after school and institute) he would turn into the world's first cosmonaut. His fate was changed by the army, where he served in aviation. After demobilization, Gagarin decided to become a tester of new flight technology - that's what the Soviet Union (unofficially, of course) called spaceships. And a year later, preparations began for the first manned flight into space. Future cosmonauts underwent the most serious medical examinations, trained on the most modern devices at that time, allowing them to adapt to the conditions of weightlessness as much as possible. Four days before the fateful event, it was Yuri Gagarin who was appointed the pilot of the Vostok. On April 12, the first ship with a man on board was launched from Baikonur.
Unforeseen difficulties
But the flight itself did not end quite as planned. Gagarin was in space for a little over an hour, everything went well, the astronaut constantly gave a report on the state of his own and the ship, but then the braking system for some reason failed. As a result, Vostok landed not in a place determined during preparation for the flight, but near a small village in the Saratov region - April 12 was clearly a very memorable date for it. Today, by the way, there is a museum of Yuri Gagarin, where you can learn more about the astronaut himself, and about that fateful flight for the whole Earth.
holiday institution
On the same day, the whole world heard about the breakthrough in the field of astronautics. Naturally, America immediately tried to repeat the feat of Gagarin. But still the first word in space remained with the USSR. April 12, 1962 was the day of memory of the feat of Yuri Gagarin. And after some six years, since 1968, they began to celebrate World Cosmonautics Day. No other human flight beyond the Earth's atmosphere has received such honors, not even Neil Armstrong's famous moon landing.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, no one dared to raise the issue of abolishing this celebration. In 1995, the Russian government officially approved the holiday on April 12. Since 2001, on the world stage, it has become known as the International Day of Human Space Flight.
How is Cosmonautics Day celebrated?
It is difficult to talk about any specific traditions of celebrating April 12th. Of course, schools hold various events dedicated not only to the first manned flight into space, but in general. Various public organizations organize round tables, debates and many other options for discussions for young people, where you can not only learn more about the history of the holiday, but also discuss trends in the development of science in this direction. April 12, Cosmonautics Day, is a great opportunity to communicate with those who are really interested in space exploration and can tell a lot of new and sometimes completely unexpected things.
One of the good ideas for celebrating Cosmonautics Day at school is an open event, which tells not only about the flight of Yuri Gagarin and preparations for it, but also about the long way to create the first rocket, hypotheses related to space, the evolution of human knowledge about the environment world and much, much more. Some teachers unfairly forget that the result is not always important, the path to it is sometimes much more exciting than dry facts. Moreover, in no case should one belittle the merits of scientists, without whom the development of cosmonautics, in principle, would not have been possible.
Conclusion
It is difficult to compare April 12 with such large-scale holidays as the New Year, the fight against AIDS, celebrated all over the world. Many do not even immediately remember when the first man went into space. But the exploration of extraterrestrial space has given, gives and will give mankind a lot more. So far, we simply do not represent all the possibilities that will open up to us in further research. Perhaps today, dreams about sound utopian, but after all, a hundred years ago, no one could have imagined that people would be able to leave the Earth. Everything is ahead. And in no case should we forget that April 12 is Cosmonautics Day, the day when man challenged the Universe.
On April 12, 1961, one of those events took place, which are commonly called those that turned the world upside down. On this spring day, for the first time in history, a human-controlled spacecraft left the planet. The first legendary cosmonaut was a citizen of the USSR Yuri Gagarin. The premiere journey into space lasted less than two hours. During this time, a previously unknown pilot managed to fly around the Earth's orbit, earn the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and forever remain in the memory of citizens of the whole world.
How did the holiday
On the eve of the anniversary of a significant event, cosmonaut German Titov, Gagarin's understudy, proposed to perpetuate the flight of man into space and establish an appropriate holiday in the country. This proposal was accepted, and on April 9, 1962, the Decree on the celebration of Cosmonautics Day was officially signed by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Since then, April 12 has become one of the favorite and joyful holidays for the citizens of a vast country.
In 1968, the holiday in honor of the conquest of space received international status. World Cosmonautics Day was approved by the Council of the International Aviation Federation at the November conference.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, it became necessary to reassert favorite and important holidays. In 1995, Cosmonautics Day was confirmed by the Law "On the days of military glory and memorable dates in Russia."
In April 2011, the UN General Assembly changed the name of the usual Cosmonautics Day and proclaimed the world holiday the International Day of Human Space Flight. The reason for such changes was the half-century anniversary of the greatest world event for the history and science.
St. George's night
In 2001, on the date of the fortieth anniversary of the first space flight, St. George's Night was held for the first time, organized by the Space Generation Advisory Council. A group of American activists initiated a new format for celebrating Cosmonautics Day. The event quickly gained popularity and gained worldwide proportions. The number of participating countries and cities wishing to join the new format of the holiday is growing every year, but the most global events are held in the United States.
St. George's Night is a night version of Cosmonautics Day for those who want to celebrate the event in full. As part of St. George's Night, events of various directions and scale are held around the world: thematic exhibitions, scientific lectures, quizzes, and discussions. Grandiose art installations allow viewers to become participants in the 1961 world event and see with their own eyes what opened the window to a new era.
Especially for young people who love parties, nightclub owners arrange grandiose space parties. Almost every entertainment institution tries to fill its program with the theme of the holiday. On this night, many cinemas show films dedicated to the first flight into vast space.
On the special site of St. George's Night, you can get acquainted with the schedule of entertainment and get ideas for interesting events. Everyone can become the organizer of a holiday in their city - there are no restrictions for this.
Space has always been and remains one of the most exciting mysteries of mankind. Its deep distances tirelessly attract researchers of all generations, the starry sky fascinates with its beauty, and the stars have been faithful guides for travelers since ancient times. Therefore, it is not surprising that Cosmonautics Day is a very popular and beloved holiday among the people. 
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When is Cosmonautics Day celebrated?
2:78On April 12, 1961, a citizen of the Soviet Union, Senior Lieutenant Yu.A. Gagarin on the Vostok spacecraft for the first time in the world made an orbital flight around the Earth, opening the era of manned space flights.
The flight, which lasted only 108 minutes, was a powerful breakthrough in space exploration. The name of Yuri Gagarin became widely known in the world, and the first cosmonaut himself received the rank of major ahead of schedule and the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and forever inscribed both his name and this flight in world history.
In honor of first human orbital flight around the earth In April 1962, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Cosmonautics Day was officially established in our country.. By the way, the idea of the holiday was proposed by the second pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR German Titov.
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In the future, the date of April 12 became not only Cosmonautics Day. In 1969, the International Aeronautical Federation appointed April 12 World Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics. And already in 2011 this day became International Day of Human Space Flight initiated by the UN General Assembly. The resolution officially confirming this fact was signed by more than sixty states.
3:729 3:734Little known facts about Gagarin's flight
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1. The first flight into space was prepared in a hurry, because intelligence received a message that the Americans were planning to launch a spacecraft at the end of April. The leadership of the USSR could not allow this and gave the command to get ahead of the Americans in any way.
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2. It is interesting that three reports about Gagarin's flight into space were previously prepared. The first - "Successful", the second with a request for help in the search if he falls on the territory of another country or in the world's oceans, and the third - "Tragic" if Gagarin dies.
4:487 4:4923. Before the flight, they did not know how the human psyche would behave in space, so special protection was provided against the control of the East in a fit of violence. To enable manual control, Gagarin had to open a sealed envelope, inside of which was a sheet with a code, by typing which on the control panel one could unlock it
4:1142 4:11474. Having completed one revolution around the Earth, at 10:55:34 at 108 minutes the ship completed its flight. Due to a failure in the braking system, the descent vehicle with Gagarin landed not in the planned area 110 km from Volgograd, but in the Saratov region, near the village of Smelovka.
4:1616 4:45. During the final stage of the flight, Yuri Gagarin threw a phrase about which they preferred not to write anything for a long time: "I am burning, goodbye, comrades!"
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The first living beings in space
5:925As you know, before a man got into a spaceship, man's four-legged friends were sent on a flight. In August 1960, the Soviet spacecraft "Vostok" with the dogs Belka and Strelka on board made a daily flight with a return to Earth.
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The development of manned flights in the Soviet Union took place in stages. From the first manned spacecraft and orbital stations to multi-purpose space manned orbital complexes.
The first daily human flight around the Earth by German Titov
The flight lasted 1 day 1 hour 18 minutes, after which the spacecraft's descent module made a successful landing.
6:309 6:314June 16, 1963 - the first flight of a woman astronaut
6:413Valentina Tereshkova made her space flight on the Vostok-6 spacecraft, it lasted almost three days. The start took place at Baikonur not from the "Gagarin" site, but from a backup. At the same time, the Vostok-5 spacecraft, piloted by cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky, was in orbit.
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The first spacewalk of cosmonaut Leonov A.A.
7:1587The cosmonaut spent 12 minutes and 9 seconds in open space and moved away from the ship at a distance of up to 5 m - for the entire length of the halyard - the "umbilical cord" that connected him with the ship. In outer space, Leonov experienced severe emotional stress: his pulse rate more than doubled - up to 143 beats per minute, his breathing rate almost doubled, his body temperature exceeded 38 degrees, sweat flooded his spacesuit to his knees, he lost 6 kg in a day of flight . The return of the astronauts to Earth took place in a regime close to emergency, but ended, thank God, safely.
7:1020 7:1025The first international flight in the history of astronautics
7:1130It took place on July 15, 1975 - the pioneers were the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz-19 and the American spacecraft Apollo.
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Entering the 21st century, we see the amazing success of space technology - tens of thousands of satellites are orbiting the Earth, spacecraft have landed on the Moon, bringing soil samples from there.
Subsequently, automatic probes descended on Mars and Venus, several spacecraft have left the Solar System and carry messages to Extraterrestrial Civilizations.
8:717 8:722Automatic interplanetary stations
The Vostok spacecraft flew around the Earth just once, while the modern space station has been in space for many years, it is a real space house in which astronauts live and work for many months.One crew of cosmonauts is replaced by another.
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April 30, 2011 - First tourist in space
9:86First space tourist Dennis Tito. The American businessman paid about $20 million for the flight.
9:278 9:283Behind successful flights are thousands of people, dozens of labor collectives who do everything in their power for the sake of the progress of the space industry.
Cosmonautics Day is a common holiday that connects the past, present and future of the people of the Earth.
Our Yuri Gagarin
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After Gagarin's flight, almost all Soviet boys dreamed of becoming cosmonauts, it was one of the most romantic and revered professions. All inquisitive minds and hot hearts dreamed of traveling to distant stars, conquering planets and heroic deeds.
Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin became a national hero, he was admired and tried to imitate. But at the same time, Gagarin was simple, open, kind and very hardworking.
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He grew up in a working family , experienced all the horrors of the Patriotic War, already in childhood he saw examples of the courage of ordinary soldiers and grew up as a strong, purposeful person.
Yuri Gagarin was a very active person and lived a busy life. He graduated from the Saratov Industrial College and enthusiastically studied at the Saratov flying club. In 1957, Yuri Alekseevich married and then became the father of two wonderful daughters.
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Then life brought him to another great man - the famous designer S.P. Korolev.
In March 1968, the world's first astronaut died. during a training flight in severe weather conditions. Until now, this tragic accident is surrounded by myths and secrets.
12:518According to the official version, the plane of Gagarin and Colonel Seregin went into a tailspin, and the pilots did not have enough height to get out of it: MiG-15 crashed in the forest Vladimirovskaya region. But many experts have a lot of questions, and, unfortunately, they will most likely remain unanswered.
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In memory of the cosmonaut, the city of Gzhatsk was renamed Gagarin . Also, near the place where Gagarin landed after the first flight into space, a memorial complex was erected.
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Yuri Gagarin's smile is immortal. She became a symbol. Gagarin smiled at the whole world. He smiled at our planet, rejoiced at the sun, forests and fields.
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And he said: “Having circled the Earth in a satellite ship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, we will preserve and increase this beauty, and not destroy it!...”
14:1067 14:1072Yes, she is beautiful. And our beautiful and small planet, the only one where there are flowers, streams, birches, where there is laughter and smiles and love, must be protected!
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World Cosmonautics Day is dedicated not only to Gagarin himself, but also to all those people who were involved in this significant event, to all space industry workers, astronomers, researchers and scientists. All these people every day bring us one more small step closer to unraveling the amazing mystery - the vast cosmos.
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