12th of April is celebrated as the International Day of Human Spaceflight. It is a day which signifies the immeasurable strength of resolve and the incalculable power of achievement of human intellect and perseverance. It was on this day, in 1961 that a 27 years old Soviet pilot Yuri Gagarin broke all barriers of human limitation in launching himself from Kazakhstan, completing the orbit all around the Earth, and returning safely to his homeland, becoming world’s first astronaut. A month later an American astronaut Al Shepard became the second human being to break the surface of Earth’s atmosphere and explore the mysteries of the unknown outer space. Nor was he the last, for on this day we also pay our respects to Valentina Tereshkova (the first woman in space), to Aleksei Leonov (who performed the first spacewalk), and above all to those standard bearers of humanity, the crew of Apollo 11, who landed on the moon, marking it as a turning point in the history of humanity. For the success of their mission paved the way forward for about 556 and more individuals who have since endeavoured to fathom the mysteries of universe.
It should also be acknowledged that these notable names and number of space explorers are only able to perform such remarkable feats owing to the dedication and devotion of countless others. All those engineers who built rockets and spaceships, doctors who helped these astronauts to prepare physically for their journeys, people of the Mission Control who guide these journeys, and every scientist who studies the gathered data to further the cause of humanity’s evolution and to help us understand more about the inexplicably fathomless heights of the skies beyond, are inseparable parts of all these explorations. Indeed, the fruits of their synergistic labour can be enjoyed in the fact that together they have proven beyond a shred of doubt that sky surely is no longer the limit! And it also goes to show that if united under a single banner of advancing the progress of mankind, even the heights of stars can be dwarfed by the resultant strength and sagacity of such a dynamic enterprise.
For if you think about it, the most inspirational part of 12th April’s celebrations is the fact that for the progress of our sapient species, these astronauts let go of their national disputes, cultural conflicts, and racial prejudices to work together as a unified force which would not yield to any obstacle in their labours for the astronomical advancement of mankind. The consequent achievement of putting even the moon well within our reach radiates the epitome of human intelligence and ingenuity, of our unified passions and perseverance, and can be considered a benediction of a struggle which is not tainted by our prejudices and by our bias in favour of our own nations, races, and cultures. So, in honouring all the space explorations since the very first mission, let us also appreciate our reach into the endless vastness of the space as an example of what miracles can be achieved, if and only if we stand together in their pursuit and are united for the betterment of the entire world.