......2011 is marked by an outstanding date in the history of the mankind. 50 years of the first human space mission will be celebrated this year.
This space flight made by Russian Yury Gagarin took place on April 12, 1961.

More information in English --->here

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I remember the morning News when Sputnick was launched. It was in 1957 and I was about to eat breakfast before going off to high school that morning.

I learned later that the US could have launched earlier but inter-service haggling between the Navy and Air Force left the launch vehicle languishing in a Florida warehouse.

We were a Navy family and some of our close friends in Norfolk knew Alan Shepard. He became quite famous and wealthy as a Navy Commander who took the US's first sub-orbital flight in a Gemini Capsule atop a Thor-Athena rocket.

Probably without the spur of the Russian achievements we would still be arguing over which service would claim the first developments and milestones in spacecraft.

Isn't that why NASA was born.Also there is no better impetus than a rival political system thumbing their nose and blowing raspberries at you.

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Old enough to know better(but)still young enough not to care

Yuri Gagarin,
1961.
The Sputnic was unmanned and some 4 years earlier.
Yuri Gagarin.

I was 10 years and remember this, 4th class of the primary school.

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There is cool movie being uploaded at yuotube watch that you just need to press space icon next to youtube icon in their website.

I was in kindergarden when first Mongolian flew to space mainly for kommunist political reason in 1981 but he did numerious experiments with support of Mongolian scientists through his 124 orbits of 7 days. And currently they are in talk with russians for second flight.


http://www.legendtour.ru/eng/mongolia/history/gurragcha.shtml

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Mandtugai!

The russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda--->Комсомольская Правда has edited a gorgeous wallpaper/background for its web site which is worth to have a look at......and you do not need to speak/read Russian!
Euronews.net has some more news and articles about the event which can be viewed in several different european languages.
Ну что, поехали!

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Looks like the Second 50 years will be about others. The US is so broke we won't be leading anyone anywhere soon. Is this the beginning of the end for US leadership?

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Official Abuser of Boinc Buttons...
And no good credit hound!