When sky is not the limit

Col. Mike Fincke is an American astronaut. He has been on the International Space Station four times and also done spacewalks on the ISS. Incredible isn't he?

International day of Human Space Flight. Illustrated by Riya Kumari: Visual Storyteller at ThisDay

Col. Mike Fincke is an American astronaut. He has been on the International Space Station four times and also done spacewalks on the ISS. Incredible isn't he?

So, I was a standard 9 school student at that time. Also, one among the 12 girls representing my school in an interaction with a real astronaut! I am sure no one other than a batch of few students of my age got a chance to have an encounter with a person who has (actually) been to space before.

Any country can research or send research explorations in outer space to study even the celestial bodies. But this treaty is important so that no country can have any sort of monopoly in space. Also, no country can place any object of mass destruction in space. This is to avoid space terrorism, which can be a real thing in the future.

At present, about 111 countries have signed the Outer Space Treaty, but it has not been ratified. With time, all we can do is the root for more scientific, technical and educational explorations in outer space and move towards the path of progress.

So, why is it called “A day of Human Space Flight” and not “A day of First Person to Space”?

A space flight is actually different from a common flight. Not because it goes into space, but because it can be used to launch some other kind of satellite. It can be also used for other purposes like space explorations, space tourism, space probes etc.

On this International Day of Human Space Flight, let us also know to what an extent outer space can be used by humans.

This got me thinking about the first man to space. We all know about the first man to set foot on the moon was Neil Armstrong in 1969. But the first man in the space went much before that. 0n the 12th of April, 1961 Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut became the first person to be in space, thus opening the door of possibilities to reach out to space.

Did you know Gagarin’s first words from space were “I feel well”?

From that day onwards, the scientist in Russia began commemorating this day as National Cosmonauts’ Day. They have always held numerous events to acknowledge the achievements of humanity, science and technology on this day.

The United Nations took up the decision in 2011 to declare the 12th of April as the International Day of Human Space Flight. This was to emphasize the achievement of man in the field of science and technology and to promote more explorations in space. The UN aspires to use outer space for peaceful experiences and benefit humankind in the future.

The International Space Station. Image Source: Nara Get Archive

Yuri Gagarin had created a revolution in the field of technology by being the first man in space. Image Source: Emerging Europe.

Col. Mike Fincke in his official suit. Image Source: Flickr.

Any country can research or send research explorations in outer space to study even the celestial bodies. But this treaty is important so that no country can have any sort of monopoly in space. Also, no country can place any object of mass destruction in space. This is to avoid space terrorism, which can be a real thing in the future.

At present, over 110 countries have signed the Outer Space Treaty, but it has not been ratified. With time, all we can do is the root for more scientific, technical and educational explorations in outer space and move towards the path of progress.

So, why is it called “A day of Human Space Flight” and not “A day of First Person to Space”?

A space flight is actually different from a common flight. Not because it goes into space, but because it can be used to launch some other kind of satellite. It can be also used for other purposes like space explorations, space tourism, space probes etc.

We all know about the first man to set foot on the moon was Neil Armstrong in 1969. But the first man in the space went much before that. 0n the 12th of April, 1961 Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut became the first person to be in space, thus opening the door of possibilities to reach out to space.

Did you know Gagarin’s first words from space were “I feel well”?

From that day onwards, scientist in Russia began commemorating this day as National Cosmonauts’ Day. They have always held numerous events to acknowledge the achievements of humanity, science and technology on this day.

The United Nations took up the decision in 2011 to declare the 12th of April as the International Day of Human Space Flight. This was to emphasize the achievement of man in the field of science and technology and to promote more explorations in space. The UN aspires to use outer space for peaceful experiences and benefit humankind in the future.

The International Space Station. Image Source: Nara Get Archive

Yuri Gagarin had created a revolution in the field of technology by being the first man in space. Image Source: Emerging Europe.

Col. Mike Fincke in his official suit. Image Source: Flickr.