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By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 9, 1962, in honor of the first manned flight into space, Cosmonautics Day was approved – a holiday celebrated and revered today.
When is Cosmonautics Day celebrated?
The first manned flight into space took place 12 April. It is on this day that Cosmonautics Day is celebrated annually in Our Country.
history of the holiday
The exploration of outer space has always excited the minds of scientists and testers. And on April 12, 1961, the Vostok satellite was launched into outer space for the first time with a man on board. The pilot of the ship was the Soviet pilot-cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who later turned into a symbol of the conquest of space and became one of the most famous people of the XNUMXth century. The significant launch was led by Sergei Korolev, Leonid Voskresensky and Anatoly Kirillov. The launch of the ship was successful, and after the separation of the last stage of the Vostok launch vehicle, it made a free flight around our planet.
The flight around the globe took 108 minutes, after which the ship landed at the planned location at 10:55 Moscow time near the village of Smelovka in the Saratov region.
According to modern estimates, the successful outcome of the flight was no more than 46 percent, which was then strongly influenced by the haste with which the first manned flight into space was being prepared. In addition, it was not known for certain how being in space could affect the human psyche. But fortunately, everything went well.
Later, cosmonaut German Titov proposed the establishment of Cosmonautics Day both in the Soviet Union and around the world. In November 1968, at the General Conference of the International Aviation Federation, it was decided to approve April 12 as World Aviation and Astronautics Day. And on April 7, 2011, at a special plenary session of the UN General Assembly, a resolution was adopted, which proclaimed April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight.
This event is a colossal step for all mankind, which opened the controlled exploration of space to people.
Holiday traditions
In honor of the holiday, numerous events, film screenings, and educational programs are held in the regions. On this day, it is customary to honor scientists, engineers, designers, astronauts and all those who are related to the space industry.
In some countries, an action called “St. George’s Night”, named after Yuri Gagarin, is being held, designed to tell and show as much as possible about space exploration and push younger generations to new discoveries.
On Cosmonautics Day, children launch rocket models made by their own hands into the sky, visit planetariums, where they learn about the structure of the solar system, and try on a spacesuit.
Despite the fact that every year the first manned flight into space is getting further and further away from us, it is important to remember what a huge amount of work has been done to make it happen. And today, hundreds of thousands of people work in the space industry, making space flights a reality.
How to become an astronaut
Many of us dreamed of becoming astronauts as children. Someone then forgot their passion, and someone still hopes to surf the expanses of the universe. Today, the requirements for astronauts have become a little easier than those for the pioneers. Then the future cosmonaut had to be an experienced military pilot, be a member of the party, have a height of no more than 170 cm and be no older than 30 years old, have excellent health and physical fitness equal to a master of sports. But even now it is, of course, not easy to get into the cosmonaut corps, you will find a tough selection in several stages.
At the start of the Roscosmos open enrollment, you need to submit an application, anyone can send it, there are no restrictions. But it is at this stage that the first screening takes place – about a quarter of those who submitted it do not pass. Well, those who passed, at the next stage, are waiting for a physical fitness test (exercises for endurance, strength, speed, agility) and various interviews, ranging from essays to testing engineering skills. But be aware that you will not be accepted as an astronaut if you have dual citizenship or have a residence permit in another state.
Those who have passed the full-time tour are sent to a two-year course of general space training (GSP), after which they will need to pass exams and receive qualifications. And only then there is a chance that the astronaut will get into the crew of the ship that will fly into space. But it may remain in the reserve, since the crew of the ISS now consists of only two people, so they try to appoint those who have already been in space and have experience.