posted 02-26-2016 06:10 PM               

Roscosmos proclaims 'Year of Yuri Gagarin'

On October 4, 1957, the launch of the first artificial satellite into orbit around our planet ushered in the new age in the history of humankind, the Space Age. And the entire world caught their breath waiting for the next step, which was to consolidate this success in space exploration and lead to new achievements and discoveries of man in space beyond Earth.

And on April 12, 1961 at 09 hours 07 minutes AM, a launch vehicle lifted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in the steppes of Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic carrying Vostok spacecraft, in which a member of the first Cosmonaut Corps, the 27-year old Yuri Gagarin became the world's first space traveler who opened up the road to the stars for the humankind. On that day our country became the first. Forever.

To commemorate this milestone in human history, Roscosmos proclaims 2016 as the Year of Yuri Gagarin and plans a number of interesting events. There will be exhibitions and TV broadcasts, radio broadcasts and shows, flash mobs and other events. Roscosmos will be making public announcements about the its upcoming events marking the anniversary, as well as events hosted by the partners in the program GAGARIN. LIFT-OFF!" on the website and official pages of the State Corporation in social networks. It is symbolic that the first launch from the first civilian cosmodrome of Russia – Cosmodrome Vostochny – will take place during this year of Gagarin's mission anniversary.

Today state corporation Roscosmos and Russian cosmonauts onboard the ISS present emblems of the anniversary year – the sign "GAGARIN. LIFT-OFF!" and the slogan "LIFT YOUR HEAD UP!"

We invite everyone who is interested in space, who dreams of far-away planets, for whom the space activity of Russia is a part of his or her life, to join us. Take part in our events, write about history and the present day of Russian spaceflight, about heroes owing to whom the feat of Yuri Gagarin became a reality, film and record your video and audio clips. Send your materials here, and we are going to publish the best works on the Roscosmos website or pages in the social networks. Let's remember together how it was and dream about the future – because it's just the beginning!"

posted 03-15-2016 12:02 AM               

'Year of Yuri Gagarin' logo added to rocket launching next space station crew

Yuri Gagarin, the first person to fly into space, will be joining the three-member crew launching to the International Space Station this week, in the form of his smiling face decorating the side of their rocket.

The cosmonaut's image was added to the booster to mark the Russian space agency's year-long commemoration of Gagarin's historic April 12, 1961 flight. The blue and white portrait was applied to the fairing – or launch shroud – that will shield the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft as it ascends to space on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday (March 18).