The Space is the Limit
"And from the book, as his fingers stroked, a voice sang, a soft ancient voice, which told tales of when the sea was red steam on the shore and ancient men had carried clouds of metal insects and electric spiders into battle."
- "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
On April 12, 1961, the Vostok 3KA spacecraft was launched, taking Yuri Gagarin into space. This was the first orbital flight of a manned vehicle, Gagarin the first human to enter outer space. It would take Vostok one hour and forty eight minutes to circle the Earth. It may seemed an eternity to the native of Klushino, but his flight would turn him into a national hero. Vostok's success would opened a new era in the history of space exploration.
Back then, the Vostok flight was part of the Space Race, a competition between then Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in spaceflight capability. Technological superiority was seen as a necessity for ideological supremacy, the Cold War. But time changed. Curiosity didn't.
Mankind's curiosity led to countless discoveries. The Age of Discovery, followed by the Age of Enlightenment. Then the inventors. All of these made it convenient for the Old World, such that the only thing left was the moon and beyond. Several decades after Vostok's flight, man has yet to set foot in Mars, the planet next to Earth. But a rover is exploring it, gathering data along the way. There have been numerous flyby missions to Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System. There are also missions to explore Uranus, the seventh planet (in the Solar System). It won't be long before a spacecraft is launch into space - and beyond the planetary system.
Science fiction had satisfied the readers' imagination on what other galaxies looked like. It could be the presence of extraterrestrial beings during the dawn of civilization (e.g. Arthur C. Clarke's "2001: A Space Odyssey") or futile attempts to establish communication (e.g. Stanisław Lem's "Solaris"). Those who wanted adventure won't be disappointed (e.g. Edgar Rice Burroughs's "John Carter: Warlord of Mars"). Back then, many would wonder if such things existed. Nowadays, it's a matter of time.
"I am confident that the International Day of Human Space Flight will remind us of our common humanity and our need to work together to conquer shared challenges. I hope it will also inspire young people in particular to pursue their dreams and move the world towards new frontiers of knowledge and understanding."
- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
It was no surprise that the United Nations (UN) declared April 12 as International Day of Human Space Flight, as Gagarin became an icon. His flight is just a beginning, as the universe is infinite. There are no clear objectives at present, as there's a need for more data. This requires an upgrade in technology. (Looking at the rapid changes during the last few decades, modernization can happen soon.) The UN believes in peaceful means, the outcome benefiting countries, rich and poor. Interstellar travel can happen, the star a touch away.
