On April 12th 1961, Yuri Gagarin, travelled into space for the first time in human history. Marking the 55th anniversary of that historic flight, the Russian Space Agency sets 2016 as the Year of Yuri Gagarin. The date has become an important one in the Russian calendar. Many Russians consider Yuri Gagarin to be a symbol of national glory. The space industry has made significant advancements in recent years. Today, countries like China and Russia work together to conquer the final frontier.
55 years ago Yuri Gagarin was the first person to travel to outerspace. He made one orbit around the globe, before returning safely to earth. His landmark flight is celebrated every year in Russia on April 12th. This year, Russia honors it hero of space exploration for his remarkable achievements. Yuri Gagarin’s flight is a strong symbol of national pride.
"It was an event that let us raise our heads high. We could do it, we all could. That day was a success for the whole nation. An achievement for scientists, engineers, labourers, for everyone. "
"Gagarin was always a symbol of a mighty Soviet Union. The Soviet Union before the fall of the wall. He was the business card of our country. "
More than half a century later, global space programmes have made significant advances.
Yuri Gagarin’s flight lasted less than 2 hours. Today cosmonauts can spend nearly a year in space -- working aboard the International Space Station.
The 20th century marked the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in spaceflight capability. Now nations cooperate on projects in space exploration.
Russia has several joint space projects with China.
"Overall there’s a lot of cooperation in space between Russia and China. First of all it is to do with cooperation between satellite navigation systems, Russian Glonass and Chinese BeiDou. We are also discussing the development of various space rockets systems," Anatoly Petrukovich with Russian Space Research Institute , Russian Academy of Science, said.
Later this year, China’s new-generation of rocket launchers -- the Long March-5 and Long March-7 -- will make their debut flights. Space cooperation between Moscow and Beijing is in its early stages, but it may not be long before we see joint experiments on the ISS. Five decades ago, Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. But there will be many more space travelers as the industry continues to advance.
Yuri Gagarin became an international star when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961. His 108-minute flight gave him a permanent place in the history books as the first man in space. To this day, his achievement is celebrated in Russia and abroad.
