Fifty years ago, on the 12th of April 1961, Yuri Gagarin was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Site number I. "Poyekhali! -Off we go!", he exclaimed. With that not only he, but the entire World made the next step in an adventure that started in 1957. at the same launch pad, with Sputnik 1. Those two historic fl ights have shaped recent h istory for an im por-tant part: Sputnik was followed by thousands of satellites and robotic interplanetary probes, while Gagarin's flight started to Moon Race that led to Apollo, then the space stations of the Salyut series, Sky lab, MIR, and the current International Space Station. While spaceflight initially was all about the demonstration of industrial and military power nowadays space has many more aspects and has become a vital part of our daily lives.
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