The International Day of Human Space Flight is observed on April 12th every year, to commemorate the humans first ever journey into outer space.....
SPACE DIARIES
The International Day of Human Space Flight is observed on April 12th every year, to commemorate the humans first ever journey into outer space. On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union’s spacecraft Vostok 1 launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, marking a historic moment in human exploration, took Yuri Gagarin to space and completed a full orbit around the Earth. Upon completing its orbit in 108 minutes, Vostok 1 safely returned to Earth and landed in Kazakhstan.
This flight inspired scientists worldwide, igniting a new era of space exploration and study. It paved the way for numerous inspirational journeys beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. As of November 7, 2023, a total of 676 astronauts, cosmonauts and space tourists, including 73 women have travelled to space, each contributing to our understanding of the universe through new discoveries.
Gargarin’s flight gave rise to a competition between two global superpowers: the Soviet Union and the United States, fueling rapid advancements in space study. On May 5, 1961, Alan Shephard became the first American astronaut to venture into space. Just three months later, on August6, 1961,Vostok 2, piloted by Gherman Titov set another record of spending a full day in space.
This flurry of achievements by the United States and the Soviet Union continued. The launch of Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963, carrying the first woman, Valentina Tereshkova, to space, further demonstrated the Soviet Union’s prowess in space exploration. Subsequent missions by the Soviet Union under the Vostok, Voskhod, Soyuz Programs and Mir space station inspired scientists, engineers and explorers. On April 19,1971, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first space station named Salyut 1.
In 1969, the historic Apollo 11 mission of the United States took Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Micheal Collins into outer space. They travelled for three days to reach the moon’s surface. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first and second human beings to set foot on the moon’s surface; Micheal Collins was responsible to maintain the space craft and orbit the moon, so could not walk on the moon. Twelve humans have walked on
the moon so far and all those expeditions carried by the United States occurred between July 1969 and December 1972.
The Space Shuttle Program, the establishment of the International Space Station (ISS), missions to the moon, Mars and the satellites to study other planets for exploring extraterrestrial life and unfolding the mysteries of the universe outside the earth’s boundary have been the remarkable achievements of determined scientists.
The ISS, a multi-nation laboratory in space located in low Earth orbit is the success achieved through continuous struggle for more than a decade. It was assembled by the collaborative efforts of five space agencies including NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), CSA (Canada), JAXA(Japan) and their contractors. The ISS and China’s Tiangong Space Station (TSS) are the two fully operational space stations in low Earth orbit.
There are thousands of man-made satellites orbiting the earth to study space and earth. The data related to planets, stars, radiations, cloud patterns, temperature, oceans, land, ice, gases, wildfires and volcanoes are recorded by the satellites equipped with cameras. Satellites help in weather forecasts giving information about the expectation of rainfall, snowfall, storms, winds speed and direction and other weather conditions. Communication satellites have helped connect the world through telephone and mobile signals, TV, radio, internet and facilitate navigation.
Scientists and engineers worldwide collaborate tirelessly to introduce new satellites into space each year to speed up space discoveries and enhance advancements across various fields of study. On April 12, 2024, an international team of researchers spearheaded by a researcher from the University of Vienna, achieved the first ever detection of stellar winds emanating from three Sun-like stars.
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon launched in 2023 landed on the moon’s surface on January 19, 2024 making Japan the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the moon. Europa Clipper, the space mission to study Jupiter’s moon Europa and the Hera mission are scheduled to launch in October 2024.
Study of other celestial bodies have raised the need of making highly advanced satellites to take astronauts in a safe way towards space for long-duration flights and to explore more mysteries of the universe. Recently, companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX have launched commercial space flights to promote space tourism and access of common people to outer space. However, the Space travellers face significant challenges including exposure to radiation, effects of microgravity on the human body, and the long-duration missions in a harsh environment.
