April 12 - World Aviation and Space Day
On April 12, 1961, the world's first spacecraft-satellite "Vostok" with a man on board was launched into the earth's orbit. The launch of the world's first manned spacecraft was led by Sergei Korolev, Anatoly Kirillov, Leonid Voskresensky.
The pilot-cosmonaut of the ship was a citizen of the Soviet Union, pilot senior lieutenant Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin. The launch of the space multi-stage rocket took place from the Soviet Baikonur Cosmodrome at 09:00 7:00 Moscow time, and after picking up speed and separating from the last stage of the launch vehicle, the spacecraft began free flight in orbit around the Earth.
After flying around the globe, 108 minutes after launch, the braking propulsion system was turned on and the spacecraft-satellite began to descend from orbit for landing. At 10:55 Moscow time, the cosmonaut landed in a given area on arable land near the banks of the Volga near the village of Smelovka, Ternovsky District, Saratov Region.
The initiative to establish Cosmonautics Day in the Soviet Union was made by Yuri Gagarin's understudy during the first human space flight, cosmonaut German Titov. He also suggested that, on behalf of the government of the USSR, they apply to the UN with the idea of organizing World Cosmonautics Day.
In November 1968, at the 61st General Conference of the International Aeronautical Federation, it was decided to celebrate April 12 as World Aviation and Astronautics Day. The celebration of this day was confirmed by the decision of the Council of the International Aviation Federation, adopted on April 30, 1969 on the proposal of the USSR Aviation Sports Federation.
In the years that have passed since the first flight of Yuri Gagarin, about 500 people from more than 40 countries of the world have been in space.